Outlook gets its own lightweight CRM, Outlook Customer Manager

 

Microsoft is adding a new customer relationship management tool that is accessible via Outlook to its Office 365 Business Premium plan for no additional cost for subscribers. Microsoft officials described the service as a tool for managing customer relationships from inside Outlook. How? Outlook Customer Manager automatically organizes customer information like emails, meetings, tasks, deals and deadlines which appear in an additional pane in the Outlook interface, right alongside the inbox.

To help users keep track of their deadlines, commitments and other aspects of healthy customer relationships, Outlook Customer Manager automatically surfaces reminders.

Earlier thisyear, the company launched Skype Meetings at no cost to small businesses. Available to users with a business email address, Skype Meetings offers a remote meeting experience with screen sharing, PowerPoint presentation capabilities and video calls with up to 10 participants, a number that drop to three people after an initial 60-day trial period.