Creatio vs. Microsoft Dynamics: Which CRM Will Make You More Agile?

Creatio CRM/BPM comparison with Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Today than ever, businesses need to make well-informed decisions about how they can become more agile and effective. To help, Creatio met up with representatives of some of their competitors to compare CRM solutions. One such recent product battle was between Creatio CRM’s low-code platform and Microsoft Dynamics. The comparison showcased capabilities and functionality of each, plus costs. It’s beneficial information for any organization that’s considering a technology investment, so we’re summarizing it for you here.

User Interface and customization

Creatio’s presenter, Alex, kicked things off by sharing an opportunity page as it appears straight out of the box. But businesses almost always need to customize the user interface in some ways, so he demonstrated how easy the built-in Section Wizard facilitates making changes. From an existing bank of fields, users can drag and drop fields where they want them to go. Without leaving the page, new fields can be defined and added. “We want users to take as much ownership of it as they can,” Alex said, meaning that dependence on IT staff is decreased due to the low-code design. They can make these changes without getting into the code, but access to the code is there if needed, and all changes are tracked as to who made what changes when.

Then it was Chris’s turn, presenting for Microsoft Dynamics. He showed a similar screen and demonstrated adding a field. To do so, he opened another page called “customize system” and showed the abundance of options there. He acknowledged that it does take a bit of training to get into the back end to make changes. As far as code availability goes, Chris said it is there but not readily available.

Microsoft Dynamics requires more clicks to make changes. Users end up with layers of windows, like pop-ups, to navigate through for the results they want. In Creatio, it all happens on one page, with only one window open.

Workflow and opportunity stages

Creatio’s dynamic case management, or DCM, powers workflow management. Here too, users can add new stages to the lifecycle without leaving the page. Color can be used to visually group related steps and create a simple, quick guide for the sales team to follow. The look and feel of the page is minimalistic in a good way, meaning there’s no clutter and it’s intuitive to navigate. The full history of interactions is maintained within the opportunity as well as in the account page.

Microsoft Dynamics treats opportunity management as one of its business process flows. To make changes, Chris again took viewers to the back end, where new steps can be added from a bank of options. Creating a custom field is not done easily; however, he indicated an existing one can be used and renamed. Business rules can be created to indicate how fields are to interact with each other in a way “similar to dynamic case management.” He showed how stages can be dragged and dropped to change the order and how they connect.

Process management

In Creatio, process management is highly connected to DCM, which is an engine for managing complex, maybe even chaotic processes. It helps businesses understand their own processes better as they use it so that they can make adjustments to improve efficiency and profitability. As in other sections, here users drag and drop to create new stages of a process, even on the fly. Creatio believes that it’s a best practice to involve users only when they need to be, so the solution automates what can run without them.

Microsoft Dynamics utilizes if/then logic, multiple conditional branches, and more to manage processes – but doing so requires a “marketplace of extensions and add-ons.” Microsoft is moving in the direction of automation, but for now, said Chris, the “vast majority of CRM customers are used to” CRM’s typical way of functioning. This solution also requires an add-on called Power Automate to add bulk data and conduct data analysis.

Adoption and training

Creatio partners like us actively provide guidance, support, and training. Creatio provides a suite of knowledge tools called Academy Services that includes videos and documentation for all aspects of the software.

Microsoft Dynamics also provides good documentation and a library of training videos in addition to live webinars and training by partners. They also have a strong user community that has developed that shares challenges and supports each other.

Pricing

Creatio does not charge for an extra integration or administrative license. The way the CRM is designed keeps the need for add-ons, with their additional costs, to a minimum.

Microsoft Dynamics does require an additional user license for a developer. The CRM plus add-ons to gain full functionality can get costly. It is purchased in connection with Office 365.

Next Steps

Is this helpful?

We wouldn’t be a Creatio partner if we didn’t believe it is the best CRM solution to accelerate the transformation of organizations, with its combination of low-code, business process management, and CRM database. But don’t just take our word for it. If you have questions as you do your research, contact us. We welcome exploratory conversations.  

Call Dick at (269) 445 3001.  Let's make your decisions more informed

And if you want to take the time to watch the whole Creatio vs Microsoft Dynamics video, go for it!