Dynamics 365 VS Custom CRM — Which Is Right For You?

Now, you know about the benefits of Microsoft Dynamic 365 and, you know about the benefits and disadvantages of developing custom software.

Amit Agrawal
4 min readMay 25, 2021

This was the problem that gave birth to CRM Software development. These are the software that helps an organization to manage their customer’s information, interact with them and make the flow of interaction streamlines. All the information is segregated properly where it should be with the help of these applications but, the question that we are asking here is different.

What Is The Question?

We are asking if you should use Dynamics 365 or you should get your own custom CRM developed? Which one will be better for your organization? To solve this, we need to compare both options and then reach a conclusion. A CRM Development Company can help organizations figure out if they need a custom solution. They take in your requirements and process them and tell you what will suit you better.

A Glance At Dynamic 365

Let’s first understand what Dynamic 365 is and what it can do for your business. So, firstly, wherever you see 365 assume that the product belongs to Microsoft. Yes, this one also belongs to Microsoft. This is their CRM software that is used by a lot of big companies around the world. This is not just a CRM but also an ERP. The developers have embedded many intelligent applications in this one so that enterprises can get the most out of it. Overall, the architecture, features, and pricing all offer a great benefit to the organizations who chose to use them. But then why are we talking about custom CRM software development if this one is so good? The answer is, it can’t do everything that a company wants and it can do most of it.

It can help the organizations to coordinate between different departments of their organization, can help them schedule things for them, and much more. All these things increase efficiency and make operations smooth. This software helps the employees of the organization to understand their customers better through the deep insights that it provides. It processes the data in a way that is useful for the organization.

What Is Custom Software?

If you think that Dynamic 365 can’t fulfill all the requirements or maybe fulfills more than what you need (expensive). Then you can opt for custom CRM development services. You can go either with SaaS software development or with native software development, and this is all upon the requirements. Though, SaaS is a better option looking at the prospects. Custom software may sometimes go above the budget but, they will provide you with tailor-made services. The features in the custom CRM software will be according to your organization and will help you to connect better with your customers. You can also integrate anything that you want to and have an edge over your competitors who are not using custom solutions.

Custom software can enhance productivity and provide organizations with extra features that might not be available in software like Dynamic 365. Microsoft has included a lot of things in their CRM, but no software can be perfect and can fulfill all the requirements of an organization. This is why companies that have the budget should choose to go for custom development of CRM. This can be something that can change things for the betterment of any organization. But, there are some reasons why companies should not go for Custom software. The reasons are mentioned below:

They Take Time To Get Developed

When you opt for custom software development, your CRM development company may take time. The development is done from scratch, and the development company has to go through all the steps of the software development lifecycle. This is something that can take up to months and that can affect the business processes as they either have to use something temporary or work manually. In both situations, their productivity will be affected.

Staff Has To Be Trained To Use Them

Whenever you change your CRM software, your team has to learn the functionality of the new software. Learning software like Dynamic 365 is not as tough but learning a new custom software takes a lot of effort. You might have to give proper training to the staff to let them understand how to use the new software. SaaS software development can be complex sometimes and hence can be tough to understand.

Might Not Be Sustainable

When software is made based on requirements, it might not be sustainable as the requirements are instantaneous. That is why companies go with custom software development. On the other hand, a Microsoft Technology Associate makes sure that their software is sustainable. Software like Dynamic 365 can be easily used even after five years, but the custom software may need major changes in just two years because of changes in demand.

Cost Of Implementation

The cost that goes into the implementation of the custom software is also huge. Collectively the cost of development, the cost of deployment, and the cost of maintenance can together go high. This is something that can sometimes make it unbearable for the company. To keep everything in check, companies can go with software like Dynamic 365.

Conclusion

Now, you know about the benefits of Microsoft Dynamic 365 and, you know about the benefits and disadvantages of developing custom software. It is all upon the requirements of your organization and the budget that you have. Most companies that want a quick resolution of their problem might choose Dynamic 365 as it offers instant solutions. Custom software takes time to develop and companies sometimes run out of budget. There are many costs involved from development to deployment to maintenance. If the company has no time constraints and has no budget issues, they can surely go with Custom software otherwise, it is better to go with Dynamic.

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Amit Agrawal

Amit Agrawal Founder and COO at Cyber Infrastructure Inc which is an custom software development company.