Introduction
Salesforce and Dynamics 365 solve real problems, but their price tags stop a lot of small businesses before they even start. Salesforce Sales Cloud runs $25 to $350 per user, per month, and Dynamics 365 Sales lists at $65 to $150. For a five-person sales team, that's real money before a single deal closes.
Here's the thing: many businesses already have a workaround in their Microsoft 365 subscription. If you pay for Microsoft 365 Business (from about $6/user/month), SharePoint lists and libraries are included—no extra CRM license required.
This article walks through what a SharePoint CRM actually is, how to build one step-by-step, where it falls short, and when it's time to move on to a dedicated CRM.
Key Takeaways
- SharePoint hosts a basic CRM with lists, libraries, and views at no extra cost on existing Microsoft 365 plans
- Best fit for contact, deal, and task tracking—not forecasting or automation at scale
- Power Automate and Teams add alerts, approvals, and collaboration beyond plain lists
- Scaling pipelines usually require dedicated CRMs like Dynamics 365 or Salesforce
What Is a SharePoint CRM and What Is a CRM With Examples?
A CRM (customer relationship management system) is software that tracks your interactions with customers and prospects, from first contact through a closed deal. Common examples include Salesforce, HubSpot, and Microsoft Dynamics 365, each built for sales pipelines, forecasting, and reporting.
A SharePoint CRM is different. It's not a purpose-built product; it's a system you assemble yourself using SharePoint's native tools:
- Lists for contacts, deals, and pipeline stages
- Document libraries for proposals, contracts, and notes
- Views and filters to sort accounts by owner, status, or date
Instead of buying dedicated software, you configure what you already have to track contacts, deals, and communications.
Why this matters for small businesses: Cost-conscious teams (local service providers, small manufacturers, and B2B firms without a dedicated IT staff) often start here before buying specialized software. If you already pay for Microsoft 365, there's no new subscription to justify to leadership.
Does Microsoft Have a Dedicated CRM Platform?
Yes. Dynamics 365 is Microsoft's own CRM product. Microsoft defines CRM as the strategies, processes, and software used to manage customer interactions, and cites Dynamics 365 as an example.
It ships with sales automation, forecasting, and analytics. A DIY SharePoint setup does not; you trade built-in functionality for lower incremental cost.
How to Build a Simple SharePoint CRM Online (Step-by-Step)
Building a working SharePoint CRM doesn't require a developer. Follow these steps:
Create a dedicated SharePoint site. Set up a Team Site specifically for CRM data, separate from general document storage. This keeps sales information from getting buried in company files.
Build your core lists. Start with five: Contacts, Accounts, Opportunities, Activities, and Documents. Connect them with lookup columns so an opportunity links back to its contact and account.
Set up a document library. Tag client contracts, proposals, and correspondence to specific contacts or deals using metadata columns.
Use filtered views to connect everything. Build views that show related records on one page, so a sales rep can see a contact, their open deals, and pending tasks together.
Add automation with Power Automate. Trigger follow-up reminders, stage-change notifications, or approval workflows when list items update.
Work in this order so the build stays simple:
- Define minimum fields before you create each list
- Link lists with lookups once the fields are stable
- Add only high-value automations next: owner notifications and due-date reminders
Limitations of a DIY SharePoint CRM (and When to Upgrade)
SharePoint wasn't designed as a CRM, and the gaps show up as your pipeline grows.
What's missing out of the box:
- Sales pipeline visualization (kanban-style boards, drag-and-drop stages)
- Forecasting models and revenue projections
- Advanced reporting and dashboards without manual setup
Scaling concerns:
- A list technically holds up to 30 million items, but views can hit a list-view threshold error above 5,000 items
- Microsoft recommends keeping unique item-level permissions under 5,000, even though the system supports up to 50,000
- Once you're past a few hundred active records with multiple users, performance and governance both need deliberate attention
If your business needs deeper automation (lead qualification, quote generation, approval routing) without a full CRM migration, third-party workflow tools can bridge the gap.
We've worked with B2B service businesses weighing this decision: extend SharePoint with custom workflows, or move to a purpose-built CRM. Know when the DIY approach has hit its ceiling before you commit to a bigger platform investment.
SharePoint CRM Integration With the Microsoft Ecosystem
A SharePoint CRM runs inside Microsoft 365, so your pipeline data sits next to the tools your team already opens every day. Teams is usually the first integration people ask about.
Can I Use a CRM With Microsoft Teams?
Yes. Microsoft Support confirms that published SharePoint lists and libraries can be added directly as tabs in a Teams channel. Permissions carry over automatically for Teams-connected sites. Team members are added to the corresponding SharePoint groups without extra setup.
Is Microsoft Teams a CRM?
No. Teams is a collaboration tool, not a CRM by itself. It becomes a CRM front-end only when connected to SharePoint lists or, for bigger deployments, Dynamics 365. Dynamics 365 also integrates natively with SharePoint for document management. If you upgrade later, your document structure does not have to start over.
Can SharePoint Be Used as a CMS Too?
Yes, and this dual capability is one reason SharePoint appeals to smaller teams. Microsoft describes SharePoint as a platform for building websites, publishing content, and storing files. That same content management system (CMS) capability sits alongside your list-based CRM.
Using one platform for both content and customer management reduces software sprawl. You're not paying for and learning three separate tools:
- Publish and manage website or intranet content
- Store and version shared files in one place
- Run a list-based CRM next to that content
Businesses that invest in SEO and content marketing eventually generate more inbound inquiries than a shared inbox can handle. A simple SharePoint CRM gives growing companies a way to organize those leads without jumping straight to enterprise software.
That is a step we regularly see B2B manufacturers and industrial suppliers take once organic traffic starts producing real volume.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a CRM with examples?
A CRM is software that manages customer interactions and sales pipelines. Salesforce, HubSpot, and Dynamics 365 are common examples, each offering contact management, sales automation, and reporting.
Does Microsoft have a CRM platform?
Yes, Dynamics 365 is Microsoft's dedicated CRM offering. It includes sales automation, forecasting, and analytics that a DIY SharePoint build doesn't provide natively.
Can I use a CRM with Microsoft Teams?
Yes. SharePoint lists and document libraries can be added as tabs directly inside a Teams channel, and channel permissions carry over automatically.
Is Microsoft Teams a CRM?
No. Teams is a collaboration and messaging tool. It only functions as a CRM front-end when connected to SharePoint lists or Dynamics 365.
Can SharePoint be used as a CMS?
Yes. SharePoint supports website publishing and file storage alongside its list-based CRM capabilities, letting businesses run both from one platform.
How much does it cost to build a CRM in SharePoint?
If your business already has Microsoft 365, there's no additional licensing cost, only the time it takes to set up lists, views, and workflows. Compare that to $65+ per user, per month for dedicated CRM platforms.
