Microsoft announced that InsideView Insights, it’s OEM integration for Microsoft Dynamics, will no longer be available as a free service.  Current users will continue to receive the integrated sales solution through August 15th at no charge. Customers may continue to use Insights, without disruption, simply by signing a license agreement directly with InsideView.  To expedite the contracting process, InsideView is offering early bird pricing as low as $16 per user per month through the end of March.  Licensors would then begin paying for the service after the August deadline.  New user bundles are initially available for $399 per month for up to ten seats.  After March 31, the new user bundle price rises to $499 per month for up to ten seats.

c“Our goal is to make it easy to switch,” said VP of Global Alliances, Heidi Tucker.  “All they [customers] have to do is make a decision, there’s no need to reinstall the software.”

Insights is a fully featured sales intelligence service delivered as a native application within Dynamics 365.  It is equivalent to InsideView for Sales and available on AppSource.  Key features include

• Build-a-list Account and Contact prospecting
• Integrated viewing of Account, Contact, and Lead records
• “Stare and compare” record updates and “add contact” to CRM
• Account profiles with family tree hierarchies, competitors, SEC filings, and income statements
• Industry profiles
• Alerting and watchlists (daily opportunity alerts)
• Mobile support
• Connections (six degrees tool)

InsideView VP of Product and Solution Marketing Joe Andrews described the six-year Microsoft relationship as a “long, fruitful OEM partnership” which resulted in more than 2,000 joint customers and more than 100,000 users.

“We are actively transitioning customers to a direct relationship and making sure they have no disruption for their sellers,” said InsideView CMO Tracy Eiler.  “The product experience is the same; this is a licensing change where now they will contract directly with InsideView. We’re set up to help them with on-boarding new users and continuing to make current users successful.”

Once customers transition to an InsideView license, they will be assigned a Customer Success Manager and have improved access to training programs.  A direct license also improves InsideView’s ability to cross-sell its DaaS and Marketing Services including Apex (ICP/TAM), Refresh (Automated Data Hygiene), Enrich (Real-Time Match & Append), and Target (Prospecting).

According to InsideView, continuing to license Insights is seamless, with customers simply needing to sign a contract directly with InsideView  “InsideView Insights looks and acts like the Insights you’re familiar with and comes with InsideView’s excellent customer support,” wrote the firm in an FAQ.  “When you switch to a direct license, you will not notice any change and all your data, watchlists, and previous preferences will remain the same.“

While OEM deals provide a set of new customers and income, they often leave the OEM partner disintermediated.  The platform maintains the relationship with the end users and it is more difficult to conduct user research, provide training, support users, or improve the workflow and user experience.

With Insights no longer holding a preferred position within Dynamics, customers must choose whether to license Insights or transition to competitive offerings from LinkedIn (a Microsoft subsidiary), Dun & Bradstreet, Zoominfo, DiscoverOrg, or other partners.

InsideView described LinkedIn Sales Navigator as a complementary service.  Sales Navigator is part of the Relationship Sales bundle for Microsoft Dynamics.  InsideView listed the following reasons to license Insights alongside Relationship Sales:

• Deeper account research and has broader account coverage
• Find and research executives who are not on LinkedIn
• Access a broader connections network that includes LinkedIn, email contacts, partners, alumni, work colleagues, and other social networks all in one place
• Find direct email addresses
• Add company and contact data to Dynamics 365
• Update your CRM accounts and contacts for higher data quality
• Keeps users in CRM to boost usage
• Minimizes extra training – fully integrated into Dynamics with an intuitive user experience

InsideView did not provide a reason for the end of the OEM deal, but it is likely due to Microsoft looking to expand the number of partner solutions it offers including its own LinkedIn SNAP integration.  When the OEM deal was originally signed, Dynamics CRM had a smaller market share and fewer partners.  Since then, Microsoft has been the second fastest growing CRM behind Salesforce and has added most of the key sales intelligence and B2B DaaS vendors as partners.