Microsoft unveiled its delayed CRM software update yesterday, displaying its new capabilities for current users and new options for small businesses, reports Internet News. The announcement came at TechEd 2005 Europe in Amsterdam. Microsoft CRM 3.0 will provide CRM functionality already found in competitors' products, including marketing and campaign management automation.

The updated software will come with two new modules: one will automate the management of direct marketing campaigns, and one will manage complex personnel and resource scheduling requests, writes Techworld.

Microsoft is skipping a generation and moving directly from the current version 1.2 to the new version 3.0. The last release was in December 2003 and has gaps in synchronization and data de-duplication.

To make it easier to use, CRM 3.0 will provide a suite of marketing, sales and service capabilities with the look and feel of a Microsoft Office and Microsoft Outlook user interface, according to Computer Weekly.

The new version will include a special edition for small businesses, a subscription-based license for hosting services and support for more languages. Current Microsoft CRM customers will have the update at the end of the year, with general availability expected in the first quarter of 2006.