Choosing the best Microsoft Dynamics CRM outsourced team can be just as challenging as hiring in-house employees. There are a lot of teams to pick from and a lot of factors to consider, which can make the recruitment process very lengthy, costing your company money every day.
Our OMI team has been interviewed as an MSP candidate hundreds of times and we know what companies usually look for (reasonable pricing, good track record) and what important criteria they sometimes forget about (security policy, communication channels).
In this article, we’ll try to help you make your recruitment as smooth and efficient as possible – we’ll provide you with key points you should take into account as well as advise you on how to make your final decision.
How Do I Find the Right Dynamics Managed Services Provider?
The most reliable method of finding some of the Dynamics CRM companies is to ask your partners or contacts from your network if they could recommend the services of their provider (if they have one).
If you don’t have this opportunity, then feel free to use Google to search through a couple of dozen websites of managed service providers and narrow it down to about 5-10 candidates. Your initial choices will depend on availability of case studies describing challenges similar to yours and belonging to your business niche, as well as testimonials from other companies. Another important thing to look for is content in the form of blog articles, guides, whitepapers and ebooks – this is usually where companies let their expertise, providing you with an extra opportunity to get a perspective on whether this candidate is right for you.
Alternatively, you may use a review aggregator like Clutch in a similar way – browse and select a number of companies that appeal to you from the standpoint of the pricing range, client ratings and general company info.
Once you’ve done that, contact the chosen candidates and start narrowing down your candidate list even more according to the criteria provided in the section below.
Key Considerations for Choosing a Microsoft Dynamics 365 Managed Services Provider
To efficiently hire Microsoft Dynamics CRM developers and managed service teams, you need to account for the following points:
- Your business needs
- Their software expertise
- How effective their communication is
- Their track record
- How flexible they are
- How much they will cost
- What their customer support policy is
- Their security policy
Your Business Needs
Your unique corporate needs must be your starting point – choose a partner that can fully comprehend all the intricacies of your business, preferably with previous experience of working with similar companies in your sector. They need to be aware of your strategic goals as well as day-to-day difficulties you encounter. This way, they will be able to give you specialized solutions that will help you get the most out of your Dynamics 365 CRM system.
Their Software Expertise
When you want to hire Microsoft Dynamics CRM developers and you’re not an expert in the subject, interviewing the team on their expertise will not make much sense. Instead, ask them about evidence that you can evaluate, such as their partnerships and certifications. It’s always a good sign when a candidate is an official Microsoft partner as partners are required to maintain high service quality standards to avoid losing their status.
Communication Effectiveness and Channels
A successful engagement with a managed services provider also depends on effective communication. Look for teams who keep lines of communication open and transparent, offering frequent updates, progress reports, and immediately addressing your queries and worries. Naturally, you can only tell how effective the comms are when the work begins, but even before that, you can make conclusions based on how the team is putting itself forward during the selection process.
The Team’s Experience and Track Record
Choose a team that has a proven track record of managing and implementing Dynamics 365 CRM solutions. See what their clients say about them – and not only on the team’s website but also third-party websites. Additionally, learn more about their prior projects by asking for case studies, preferably the ones that pertain to your industry. We also encourage you to ask them for references from businesses with requests similar to yours, so that you could reach out to them and ask questions to understand whether this candidate is a good fit for you.
Flexibility and Scalability
Also take into account their capacity to manage upscaling or downscaling requests and integrate the CRM with other programs. The team’s flexibility guarantees that the Dynamics system can develop along with your business, supporting growing user counts, more data storage requirements, and changing functionality.
Pricing and Cost Structure
Transparency is key in many areas of business, but nowhere is it more important than pricing. The expenses associated with deployment, continuing support, and any additional fees for customization or integration work should all be included in the pricing breakdown you request. Also ask about how flexible they can be if their involvement needs to change overtime in case you are under financial restrictions.
Customer Support and Response Time
Make sure to examine their response time guarantees, service-level agreements (SLAs), and support procedures. Trustworthy Microsoft Dynamics CRM implementation companies will offer quick resolution of non-critical requests and even quicker response to urgent problems. Check out their ticketing system, escalation procedures, availability of support channels, and hours of operation to make a well-informed choice.
Security and Data Protection
Finally, ask the team about their security precautions, data encryption methods, backup processes, and adherence to relevant laws. Some of the main points to cover are how the team is going to secure your private CRM data, prevent illegal access, and guarantee compliance with industry rules like GDPR.
Interviewing Potential Providers
The most important thing in the interviewing process is to take as long as you can afford to – the wrong choice of provider can be difficult to recover from quickly. It’s up to you to decide which criteria are the most relevant – pricing, level of expertise, quality of communication or flexibility.
At the same time, you should be relatively safe from risks when choosing a certified Microsoft partner since this status isn’t easily obtained and maintained. Just make sure that the team can provide proof of their credentials and certifications – cases when outsourced Dynamics CRM companies give false information about their credibility are not uncommon.
Generally, the more eager the team is to have calls with you as opposed to just email comms, the more open and transparent they are, the higher is the likelihood of them being a good choice. Still, you should probably avoid teams that heavily rely on aggressive sales pitches and a lot of communication – real experts will be confident in their ability to show their expertise and will respect your choice either way.
Making the Final Decision
If you were very thorough in your vetting process, but you still have a couple of candidates left, it’s likely that any of them will be a good pick. There are plenty of great Microsoft Dynamics CRM implementation companies out there and your final choice will mostly depend on what you believe is the best value for money.
Before you sign the contract, make sure that the paperwork and the SLAs are in order – long-term commitment for a package that is not what was promised can be very costly.
About OMI’s Dynamics 365 CRM Managed Services
OMI has been at the forefront of software implementation and business intelligence for more than two decades now, being founded in 1997. We provide a wide range of Dynamics CRM managed services such as:
- Dynamics CRM Consulting
- Dynamics CRM Implementation
- Dynamics CRM Integration
- Dynamics CRM Administration
- Dynamics CRM Development
We’re an official Microsoft Dynamics CRM partner and our team members are certified, seasoned, well-trained professionals that have made possible many success stories. Want specific numbers and examples? Check out our Ebook here to see how we’re helping businesses be successful.
Conclusion
Don’t hesitate to take as much time as you can afford to choose the right Dynamics CRM managed services provider. Start by using search engines like Google or review aggregators like Clutch to select up to 10 possible candidates. Then start thoroughly interviewing them and ask them many questions about their pricing model, their success stories, certifications, communication channels, scalability and security practices.
Once you’ve narrowed it down to the last couple of options, it’s safe to assume that any of them will be a good choice – go with what feels like the best value for money for your business specifically. And don’t hesitate to contact OMI and include us in your candidates list – our expertise and dedication will definitely be very competitive.