When using Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM, companies essentially have two choices: either to employ in-house specialists to manage the system or hire an outside dedicated team of experts for that.
Over the past two decades, our OMI team has talked to many businesses who cannot decide which option is better, and we don’t claim that an outsourced team is better in all cases. At the same, in this article, we’ll focus on why you consider choosing the latter option – keep reading to find out about 10 benefits of managed IT services for Dynamics.
10 Benefits of Managed IT Services for Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM
According to our experience, businesses most often reap the following benefits of managed services:
- Operational cost reduction
- Better team performance
- Access to powerful tools
- More focus on core business tasks
- Little to no downtime
- Rapid troubleshooting
- Direct connections with Microsoft support
- Operational risk reduction
- Better third-party vendor management
- Ensured license compliance
Next, we will delve into these managed services benefits to gain a more in-depth understanding of what they are.
Cost Savings and Predictable Budgeting
With an outsourced team, businesses don’t need to spend money on recruiting, training, salaries, and perks. On top of that, companies don’t have to worry about the struggles of replacing a specialist as the managed services team covers that as well. The providers also offer customizable pricing structures that enable companies to pay for only the services they require without incurring additional administrative expenses.
Enhances Business Performance
Businesses can also use the knowledge of managed service providers to optimize their CRM setups, processes and automations, improving team performance. Providers tend to spend a lot of time studying your corporate objectives, so that they can come up with strong process enhancements and user adoption tactics. In turn, these result in boosted sales, marketing efficiency, customer service quality, and other KPIs affected by the CRM.
Access to World-Class Tools and Expertise
Outsourced teams service many clients, and so they will often have strong expertise across many industries and they will keep track of new tools and features better than most internal teams.
A lot of the teams are certified Microsoft partners, which means that they must consistently maintain high standards of service, otherwise they’d lose their partner status. That’s why their knowledge of latest trends will enhance system performance, system health, and enable better preventative maintenance, among other things.
Allows Your IT Team to Focus on Core Business Activities
By delegating CRM management to a managed service provider, the internal IT staff (or staff in general) is free to concentrate on key business operations. Those include fostering innovation, streamlining business processes as well as conducting sales, marketing and core service delivery more efficiently. Finally, getting rid of a big amount of routine operational workload allows businesses to see farther ahead and better make their long-term, strategic plans.
Minimizes Downtime
One of often overlooked benefits of managed services is that outsourced teams proactively monitor and maintain the health and functionality of the CRM system, reducing downtime. They spot possible problems through ongoing system monitoring and take action before they get worse. This way, the system is kept reliable, safe, and always accessible to users so that it doesn’t fail your sales or marketing team in the worst possible moment.
Fast Response
There exists a misconception that internal teams would be quicker at troubleshooting and responding to incidents, however, normally, the opposite is true. Fast response times are a top priority for managed service providers, and they’re usually able to resolve issues quicker because of their much more extensive experience with the platform. They have specialized support groups on hand to offer quick help, minimizing downtime and the effect on business operations.
Escalate Directly to Microsoft Support
At the same time, managed service teams also often have direct access to Microsoft support channels, allowing them to address serious issues much quicker. This also eliminates the need for businesses to deal with Microsoft support altogether, which isn’t always the most straightforward operation.
Lower Risks
Managed service providers are usually very knowledgeable about security precautions and best practices, which reduces the risk of incidents like sensitive data breaches to almost zero. They make sure that businesses stay compliant and safeguarded against any possible threats or system vulnerabilities by keeping up with all upcoming changes.
Third-Party Vendor Management
Businesses tend to combine their CRM system with several third-party services and apps, which are usually managed more efficiently in the case of an outsourced team. They have rich experience of cooperating with outside developers and facilitate smooth data flow, resolve integration problems, and put upgrades or improvements into place. And thanks to this thorough vendor management, businesses can streamline processes and improve the overall CRM experience.
Easy License Compliance
It’s essential to stay license compliant in order to prevent legal and financial repercussions, and managed service providers help with that. They maintain and oversee user licenses, and prevent over- or under-licensing by ensuring optimal allocation and utilization. They also aid with licensing administration, track license renewals, and provide recommendations for license optimization.
Recap
The managed services benefits are plentiful enough to at least consider using them instead of the traditional in-house full-time employment model. If business-oriented perks such as increased team productivity and decreased costs are not enough to convince you, there are also technical ones like minimal downtime, better license compliance and faster response times. And if you feel like trying managed services out, don’t hesitate to contact OMI – an expert outsourced team with a 25-year proven track record.