Strong and innovative solution, but tricky customization (CRM 2013)

What are the best aspects of this product?

As a current user of Microsoft Office Ribbon, I find the interface familiar and easy to navigate. The system does untie hands to do your own customization, as for instance to manipulate field traits, to form layouts, and even to manage your entire business flows. You're absolutely free to add views, entities, and dashboards; and you're in permanent control of who is seeing them. I couldn't complain on integrations or security either, the guys really thought of everything.

What aspects are problematic or could work better?

As a developer, I might have an extended list of requirements, but I honestly think there are gaps that even savvy users can see. For instance, inconsistency with every possible code-promotion model (doesn’t refer to unmanaged solutions only, but the managed ones too). Movement is not among the things you're controling, not even with TSF. Modest users would compensate with SDK kits or third party software, but in a developers' world, you must have a method that stops overwriting, or moves and deploys elements. This way, I'm updating elements in target deployment manually, and it exhausts me. Another thing that takes control out of my hands are limited field transformations (only by names, not by roles). What do you do then, when your entire system is based on them?

What specific problems in your company were solved by this product?

The tool was not meant for us, but for users who needed to centralize their lead gathering procedure, or at least to formalize it. We're already working to integrate it with backend processes, and to provide a common interface for users to launch services easily (and we're doing one hell of a job!). Our managers are simply crazy about it, and they say a lot of good stuff related to monitoring, accurate sales, great reports, etc.

Are you a current user of this product?

Yes