With Microsoft making a foray into the CRM market, analysts are split over its chances for success. Ovum analyst David Bradshaw is one of the more cynical voices.
Microsoft said in early July that it would enter the growing CRM market, and plans to release two modules (one for salespeople and the other for customer service representatives) by year's end.
Hurwitz Group analyst Sharon Ward has called the company's entry into the market "one of the biggest CRM-related events to occur in 2002," and described the company's demos as "dazzling."
But Ovum analyst David Bradshaw has his doubts. He advises users to be wary of early versions of the product, and questions Microsoft's strategy of trying to integrate with two back office suites--Great Plains and Navision.
"When we first heard that Microsoft was entering the CRM market, we were tempted to give the advice "Wait for version 3.1," and leave it at that," Bradshaw wrote in a report.
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