Microsoft offers Oracle, Salesforce CRM US$200 switch rebate

Hoping to rack up early wins for its global Dynamics Online CRM 2011 launch in January, Microsoft today revealed it would offer US$200 per license to Oracle and Salesforce.com CRM customers that transferred to its system before June next year.

Microsoft said the rebate, which was available to Australian customers, was "cash to help manage the expense of switching" from rival platforms.

"Think about it: switch 30 seats, get a check for $6,000. Switch 100 seats, get $20,000," the Redmond company said in its promotion.

"The $200 shall be paid in the local currency but will not be adjusted for foreign exchange rates," Microsoft explained in its terms and conditions.

Accessing the rebate, however, meant signing a two-year licensing agreement with Microsoft, and transferring at least 15 seats from Salesforce.com's Pro, Enterprise or Unlimited editions, or Oracle's Siebel CRM or CRM On Demand.

The rebate's upper limit was 250 seats (US$50,000), thereby excluding medium to large organisations, along with NGOs and government agencies, with the latter unable to access the rebate due to ethical standards.

In a supposed open letter penned by Michael Park, Microsoft VP of sales for its business solutions division, Park asked Salesforce customers to pester the rival's representatives at its upcoming Dream Force conference.

"We encourage you to ask the following: In this economy, how can I justify paying two to three times more for an enterprise CRM system than I need to?", comparing Salesforce's $125 per head a month Enterprise edition with Microsoft's $34 per month fee.