Moving from Microsoft Dynamics CRM to Salesforce CRM: Suggestions & Tricks for Migration: –

Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Salesforce CRM are both excellent platforms. But both of them have advantages, disadvantages, and restrictions, just like any other technology.

Additionally, switching from Microsoft Dynamics CRM to Salesforce CRM is a significant step toward enhancing your sales, marketing, and customer service operations, regardless of the reason behind the decision.

To streamline one’s business operations, they may occasionally need to switch platforms. That doesn’t imply that it’s a poor platform or that their lack of perspective is to blame. Simply put, this system no longer meets their needs. And it’s not that surprising.

According to Mason frank’s survey, the three most popular CRM providers that businesses switched to Salesforce CRM were,

•  Microsoft Dynamics 365 
• Oracle
• SAP

The following were the main reasons for system changes:

• Fewer features compared to Salesforce.
• A lack of faith in the system.
• Only a select few tools can be successfully integrated with the CRM solution.

Migration Concerns from Microsoft Dynamics CRM to Salesforce: –

The complexity of migration from ERP systems like Microsoft Dynamics CRM very often presents a significant challenge.

Example- Let there be a global organization at the enterprise level with many international segments. Data entry is manual but seldom controlled, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM serves there as a single data storage site and operation center for many multinational affiliates of the parent organization.

To this, add:

• Varying degrees of division autonomy
• Operations that span regions
• Several interconnected systems that consist certain data parts
• Insufficient data management norms
• Legacy data access or a cluster of static and dynamic data dispersed throughout the systems
• Different levels of access rights to data sets
• The names of the fields, objects, and connections between them in Salesforce CRM and Microsoft Dynamics CRM differ
• Numerous attachments to records, such as contracts or personal files
• Numerous unmaintained metadata entities that Salesforce is unable to recognise, such as workflows, reports, and system views
• Recurring appointments entered into the system
• Extensive system customization that may not be uniform
• The requirement to adhere to various data security regulations in various regions
• Enabling thorough and sophisticated user tutorials and training to ensure that the new solution is adopted
• Establishing translation systems with multiple languages for different regions

Moreover, the difficulties that have been enlisted are only the beginning. Other technical obstacles might include:

•  Text characters
•  HTML tags
• The size limit for data files 
• Other issues specific to a given project

Advantages of Changing from Microsoft Dynamics CRM to Salesforce CRM: –

Before deciding to spend money on a much more advanced and pricey solution like Salesforce CRM, Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a good place to begin to familiarize oneself with the fundamental CRM functionality. But as the company expands, there might be a greater demand for a platform that can be customized and that can be integrated with the majority of business apps currently available without being expensive.

The Salesforce CRM platform and migration process have the following general benefits:

• Increasing security requirements and user authorization
• Spending less on maintaining unused systems and standardizing all global processes
• A chance to bring corporate-level system usage guidelines that apply to all sectors
• Ability to improve data quality standards and improve datasets by cleaning, deduplicating, enriching, and normalizing them
• By enhancing the processes with new, functionally optimized features
• Point-and-click tools make it possible for the platform to be customized and configured in a more effortless and straightforward manner
• Making the legacy system more flexible and expandable to accommodate potential business gains
• Numerous thousands of apps made specifically for Salesforce CRM users that are available on the AppExchange forum, along with native integration
• With the help of its own educational portal, Trailhead, end users and admins can receive unlimited, self-governing, free lessons to ace Salesforce functionality
• The administrators of the Trailblazer Community are available to respond to the inquiries as fast as could be expected
• Having access to an easier-to-use system navigation interaction
• Frequent system updates and comprehensive instructions on these updates can be beneficial to both administrators and end users

Another of the primary benefits of Salesforce CRM is that, due to the platform’s global fame, there are numerous freelance specialists and consulting firms in every region. And it is an important factor when deciding because, Salesforce CRM’s license price is not the most affordable. To reduce the likelihood of settling on a costly but not a satisfactory solution, it is therefore preferable to move forward with the migration under professional guidance.

Plan for Migrating from Microsoft Dynamics CRM to Salesforce CRM: –

It is important to realize that it takes time, effort, and money, and that it is not a task that can be completed in a day or even a week. It can be said that the CRM implementation service and the CRM migration plan are similar.

A typical migration strategy from Microsoft Dynamics CRM to Salesforce CRM will resemble this:

• Establish migration objectives and the problems the new platform should address.

 Objectives must be identified that the old CRM couldn’t help with but that the new CRM can help to achieve. Highlight the areas where the issue can be resolved with instruments and automation and the areas where the business strategy needs to be improved. Make sure that everything has been taken into account.

The answers to the questions below may help to determine what one should focus on:

1. What objectives does the company have for the upcoming year or two?
2. Which procedures require improvement? Are they susceptible to advancements in technology?
3. What are the largest opportunities one has?
4. Currently, how is data managed by the company? Does the business have any data standards or policies?
5. What are the main obstacles faced? Why are they inadequate to be eliminated using the present platform?
6. What difficulties is the firm mainly facing? What modifications can be made?
7. What tasks and procedures is Microsoft Dynamics CRM capable of supporting?

Make certain that all teams and divisions concur on the essential specifications and have a similar vision for the future CRM. It will guarantee that everyone gains from implementing a new solution.

• Consult Salesforce CRM Migration Specialists.

Salesforce CRM implementation consultants with extensive real-world knowledge can advise more effectively than anyone on how to replicate and improve the processes using pre-built or custom functionality. Alternatively, they will find flaws in the procedures and streamline the migration process.

• Calculate the Budget and Time.

The expense and duration of the CRM migration project are largely determined by the requirements and expectations.

In order to get a precise estimate, it’s preferable to speak with a few Salesforce CRM consultants directly and describe the needs and concerns.

• Enhance, Clean, and Deduplicate the Data.

Losses incurred of millions of dollars and missed opportunities are brought on by poor data quality.

Start evaluating data consistency and precision if Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution is in use for a while and have multiple data entry sources. Create rules to stop duplicate data from entering the system, carry out the necessary health checks, and evaluate the organization’s condition.

The likelihood that the current system is overrun with duplicate, incorrect, and unnecessary data rises in the absence of corporate data policies and guidelines.

Data profiling and cleansing should be done as soon as possible to remove bad data before it enters the target CRM. With the aid of data profiling, the accuracy of the data can be evaluated, and it can be determined whether there is a mass-correction of data anomalies or recurring errors that can be dealt with. To map the data and transfer it to the new platform, it is also helpful to know how to do this.

The following are 6 steps for data profiling and cleaning:

1. Find out how and where the data is stored.
2. Describe the data quality requirements, policies, and benchmarks.
3. Using the policies and standards, evaluate the current data hygiene.
4. Examine the main cause of the inaccurate data and its potential effects.
5. Manually enhance the data quality and facilitate the systems to end unreliable data from getting into the platform.
6. Keep track of how the earlier stages are being carried out and how well they are doing. Repeat them all at once if required.

In order to arrange the data in the source CRM, it’s essential to verify the fields in the target solution. If it is found that the new system has fields that your old solution lacked, one must fill up those fields with data from other fields.

• Migrate the Data.

Technically speaking, the strategic plan and testing of the migration can be more difficult. The two methods for data migration are as follows:

1. Migration can be carried out manually or automatically using tools.
2. Employ customized data migration services.

Although money will be saved by performing data migration manually, one might devote a significant amount of time watching and reading tutorial videos and instructions. Additionally, without the necessary expertise, it will make data transfer a laborious process.

The data will be looked after if one uses customized data migration services. They are designed to predict potential issues with the CRM migration and offer assistance throughout it. So, whenever there is a question about the CRM transfer, one can always ask it and get thorough answers.

• Analyze the mission’s effectiveness.

Pick one data subset and check one group at a time to test the data migration. To test whether the routing is accurate, begin with a small data set and then move it to a bigger one.

Review the specifics of the CRM migration. When the outcome is desirable, begin combining data blocks simultaneously. If no errors are found, users can continue to migrate as many records as necessary to finish it by the time limit.

The data migration can be carried out at any convenient time to minimize the impact on business operations. It is preferable to set it up on weekdays or weekends if employees have regular hours. Identify the time period during which they are less reliant on the database if they run around-the-clock.

Additionally, it’s a smart option to back up the data prior to actually moving it to a new source in case something unanticipated occurs.

Once the migration is complete, verify that no data sets are missing and that everybody has access to the brand-new data center. After that, the entire system must be thoroughly audited, and necessary modifications must be made.

• Salesforce CRM customization for individual requirements.

Initiate modifying the Salesforce CRM’s default functionality once all data manipulations are complete. Salesforce can be set up by producing new:

1. Objects
2. Domains
3. Reports
4. Validation guidelines

Additionally, users can enable preset email templates, add simple AppExchange apps, change the UI, and more.

If functionality that is not present in Salesforce CRM is required and cannot be changed with simple configuration, customization may be the best option. Generally, it’s necessary for bigger, trickier projects that involve a lot of external systems and considerable functionality upgrades.

By implementing a Salesforce CRM solution to the company, revenue and productivity can be boosted by customizing a Salesforce CRM solution as per the company’s requirements. Users can predict the progress of carrying out specific business activities and their long-term effects on their performance using comprehensive insights into the sales and marketing data.

• Check the Organization’s Security.

The scale of the data leakage disaster appears to be very high given that the company is constantly modifying, has increasingly complicated data flows across the departments, and integrates third-party systems. Being one of the top and flexible providers of CRM solutions, Salesforce CRM solution gives the option to audit one’s platform to find any security flaws that might have gone undetected. These problems are compiled in a report that can be used to pinpoint potential risks that can then be further addressed on a case-by-case basis.

Analyzing all of the real and potential system weaknesses is the first and most important step in strengthening the Salesforce org. It can be carried out manually or with the aid of specialized tools.

• Evaluate each deployment and finish the migration.

The key elements of the Salesforce CRM deployment must be tested before deploying a ready CRM solution to the production environment. Verify if:

1. The data was properly migrated.
2. Each and every allotted data field is visible and fillable.
3. The appropriate contacts are linked to the appropriate email addresses.
4. The two-way email sync function is operational, etc.

• Train administrators and end users.

The Salesforce CRM’s migration and implementation strategy must include training. By providing training and support, it is made sure that the users are familiar with the platform’s functions and at ease using it. The rate of adoption of the new CRM will also be significantly greater throughout the company if proper user training is provided.

To make sure that everyone in the company is familiar with how to use the tool, team meetings, group training sessions, and ongoing training can be set up.

Following that, insightful feedback can be gathered, and any required changes can be implemented to ensure quicker Salesforce adoption.

The front-line administrators of one’s CRM deployment and adoption must receive updated Salesforce CRM training. If they are to maintain the CRM after migration, they must have a deep sense of it.

• Make sure platform users fully adopt the new solution.

A key sign of a successful migration is a CRM implementation that works. Employees who feel their operations have gotten much simpler, easy, quicker, and more pleasant do so by using the CRM system with confidence and by logging in frequently.

However, Salesforce CRM adoption doesn’t stop once everyone feels at ease using the programme. The business is always changing, so the CRM needs to grow along with it. Therefore, the CRM needs modifications of the customizations in the future. The feedback should be regularly considered, and necessary adjustments are needed to be made to maximize the efficiency.

The migration of Microsoft Dynamics CRM to Salesforce CRM is challenging and fraught with difficulties that cannot be overcome through conventional methods. The benefits of Salesforce, which can boost your productivity to a new level, shouldn’t be overshadowed by these difficulties, though. The assistance of a CRM consultant can always be sought.