Unlock the Voice of your People - Microsoft Dynamics CRM Team Blog - Site Home

We get a lot of questions from customers about the value of social capabilities in business applications. They're skeptical. They tell us that before they invest in social tools, they want to be sure they're giving their teams greater power to make a difference. What they don't want is to add more noise to the workplace and make people's jobs more complicated, rather than easier.

I understand the skepticism, but when it comes to social, I am a true believer. What convinced me? I want to share with you a compelling story that came from one of our partners regarding the impact social tools has had on their company.One of our partners has a software developer, a brilliant guy, who doesn't say much in meetings. He doesn't like to make presentations, doesn't share ideas through email. But where he finds his voice is in social media. So when the company started using social tools with its Microsoft Dynamics CRM system, they discovered this guy was more than a talented developer - he was a treasure trove of great ideas. Plus, he was passionately committed to helping the company be successful.Business has always been competitive. What's different today is the speed at which competition is happening. We can't afford for anyone in our companies to be silent. We need everyone putting their ideas on the table and enabling continuous innovation. That's the path to winning. What I find most exciting about social is that it's another forum for people to surface and exchange ideas, another way to harness great thinking and put it work for your business. Some people create best with pen and paper, some develop their brightest ideas in a conference room, and others get their brains humming through social. But our customers are right: social needs to drive productivity. And that's a guiding principle for us at Microsoft as we continue to expand the social capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Microsoft Dynamics CRM November 2011 Service Update takes social a step further, putting it right in the CRM system and giving each person in your organization access to the people and information needed to get the job done. It's connectivity in context: enabling people to get to the right resources quickly without getting lost in a jungle of irrelevant voices and information. Our goal is simple and focused. We want to help you collaborate with purpose - to solve problems faster, know your customers better and identify opportunities quicker than the competition.You can find out more about the November Service Update in Brad Wilson's blog or in our published Release Preview Guide. If you are assessing a CRM solution or want to see our social technologies in action take a free trial today here.And if you have any social success stories, I'd love to hear from you.

David Pennington