November 28 2022

HubSpot vs. Microsoft Dynamics

Patrick
️ Blog
14 min. reading time

Chances are you already have an idea of ​​the impact the right CRM can make for your organization or company. It is a choice that can increase the success of your marketing efforts for years to come, but a wrong choice can also hinder your success. In short; there's a lot at stake in choosing the right CRM. Many marketers therefore limit their choice to HubSpot or Microsoft Dynamics – two proven good choices. Still, both platforms have some differences that make you lean towards HubSpot, or rather towards Microsoft Dynamics. 

This blog explains the similarities and differences between both CRM systems to prepare you to make the right choice. But to be able to make a good comparison, we would like to refresh your memory first about what a CRM is and what you can do with it. Are you already familiar with this? Then go directly to the similarities and differences

What is a CRM?

With a Customer Relationship Management system – read: CRM – you organize and manage all your organization's relationships. In this system, all data of all these persons are stored in a clear place. Think of the customer data of potential customers or the status of a partner's contract. With a CRM system you are just a mouse click away from all this information. Some systems are more extensive and also offer the option to automate and streamline associated marketing and sales processes. 

What are the possibilities of a CRM?

There are many reasons why companies use a CRM. But the overarching goal is to improve the customer experience and increase sales. 

In general, a CRM works best for considered purchases or service providers. In practice, these are often companies with a longer decision period – something that consumers want to think about and compare with the competition. The same goes for B2B, especially those with longer sales cycles such as SaaS companies, also benefit from a system that simplifies business processes.

Handy, because this way you create one up-to-date point of truth that everyone can access and you do not have to pass on information to multiple departments. Do customers have regular contact with your organization? Then you can easily document the interactions with your customers with a CRM.

HubSpot vs. Microsoft Dynamics; the similarities and the differences.

Power and functionality

HubSpot CRM combines a consumer-level user experience with enterprise power. Sales Hub offers contact management, sales analytics, sales engagement, sales automation, pipeline management, custom objects, CPQ, and much more. Thousands of growing mid-market B2B companies, enterprises, and high-growth unicorns rely on Sales Hub to grow with them. 

Dynamics offers sales execution (lead management, forecasting, CPQ, etc.), reporting and more. They offer a wide range of powerful products for businesses of all sizes. however, you will need to purchase add-ons to gain LinkedIn Sales Navigator functionality and contextual insights (pipeline forecasting, email engagement, predictive scoring, relationship analytics, and more).

Both HubSpot and Dynamics have advanced tools for scaling sales teams. 

Ease of use

HubSpot is considered the most user-friendly CRM and B2B software, with rep adoption often cited as a key benefit among HubSpot users. Due to higher rep adoption and usage, customers switching to HubSpot often see an improvement in their data quality. Combined with HubSpot's powerful reporting and automation features, high-performance data leaders can better understand the overall health of their business. 

Dynamics has robust reporting that is highly customizable. This tweak can take time to implement and requires training to master. G2 users preferred HubSpot over Dynamics 365 Sales for ease of setup). But once you master Dynamics or hire an administrator, you can create robust custom tools to improve your sales process.

All-in-one platform

HubSpot's CRM and supporting Sales, Marketing, & Service Hubs are all built from the ground up by HubSpot. you get a unified and consistent experience where data, reporting and individual tools look and feel the same. 

Dynamics offers more products like marketing, sales, customer service, field service and more, but the extensibility means more maintenance and a higher learning curve. If you are a Microsoft 365 user, you will find that Dynamics is a good fit for you as it fits into the same platform. For example, an integration with Outlook allows users to keep track of email appointments, tasks and contacts in the same system.

HubSpot and Dynamics are all-in-one platforms. They both offer a CRM along with all the tools your front-office teams need, including sales, marketing, and service tools. Connected tools help your team collaborate better and create a cohesive customer experience.

Scale and customization

HubSpot offers ease of use and supportive practices to help businesses get started. HubSpot also provides a flexible data structure for your CRM with custom objects, making custom implementations a breeze. HubSpot's usability means you have the flexibility to change and customize your HubSpot instance over time, making more adjustments and nuances as your business grows.

Dynamics provides powerful customization capabilities for complex and sophisticated organizations. For example, tools like Flow and PowerApps can quickly respond to complex business needs, especially for companies in the manufacturing sector. However, these tools are not included in the base price and must be purchased separately.

In addition, Microsoft Dynamics is HIPPA Compliant, which makes it easier for large organizations to handle customer data securely.

While it's possible to stay GDPR, CCPA, and HIPAA compliant with HubSpot, the platform doesn't include built-in compliance features like Dynamics does.

HubSpot and Dynamics provide the power growing businesses need. These companies need CRMs that can grow with their needs. That's why it's important to have the flexibility and control to adapt your CRM to your business process.

Ecosystems

HubSpot's App Marketplace takes the same approach to third-party integrations as its own software — with a strong focus on power, ease of use, and quality. Installing and configuring integrations through the marketplace is easy with over 500 apps and integrations, many of which are native (HubSpot-built) integrations.

Dynamics connectors library offers hundreds of tools you can use to integrate with Dynamics 365. Connect tools within the Office suite or third-party apps. You can also link two or more apps with flow templates to perform a specific process. 

HubSpot and Dynamics both offer excellent add-on functionality through a robust app ecosystem. Both offer open APIs and developer tools to customize your CRM for your business.

Our verdict

Of course, the platform you choose should fit the needs and goals of your business. The first step in choosing a CRM is to identify these marketing (attribution) goals and needs. Based on the information in this blog, we can roughly draw the following conclusion:

HubSpot: If you're a small to medium-sized business that wants more analytics across multiple channels, HubSpot will probably be the smarter choice. This will apply to most companies looking for a (new) CRM. HubSpot is simpler, more intuitive, and integrates easily with other programs. 

Microsoft Dynamics: If you are a large complex enterprise with strict data management needs, Microsoft Dynamics may be the better option.

Do you need help with your CRM strategy, CRM implementation or do you just want to spar? Take contact with us! Social Brothers is a Digital Agency and Platinum HubSpot partner. As a team we are driven by the challenges of our clients. Growing together is something that makes us enthusiastic. 

Our team of advisors, designers, marketers and developers is fully focused on online growth. We have been on a playing field that changes daily for more than a decade. With new channels, changing resources or innovative techniques. Every day we help our clients with the foundation of their business. A little better every day, that's what we stand for. Curious about what we can do for you? Click here

PatrickContent Marketer[email protected]

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