• by Jess Nelson , March 10, 2016

Salesforce announced the availability of SalesforceIQ for Outlook on Thursday, a customer relationship management (CRM) add-on for the Microsoft Outlook email service. 

The integration will merge Salesforce’s CRM system with Microsoft’s popular email service. The integration covers Microsoft’s Outlook desktop system, as well as Microsoft’s Office 365 mobile application.

Microsoft is a popular business email provider and Outlook.com has more than 400 million active users, according to Microsoft’s company Web site.

SalesforceIQ Inbox streamlines data from a variety of sources, including customer contact information and calendar schedules, for better business management in the Inbox. The integration might be especially beneficial for sales and marketing professionals who already leverage Salesforce’s Marketing or Sales cloud.

"Companies deserve a tool that allows them to spend time focusing on what matters most, connecting with their customers," states Steve Loughlin, CEO of SalesforceIQ. "SalesforceIQ Inbox supercharges productivity by streamlining tedious tasks that sales reps are inundated with like updating CRM data, scheduling meetings and answering emails."

SalesforceIQ Inbox for Outlook is available for Salesforce Sales Cloud users for a monthly fee of $25.

Salesforce originally launched IQ Inbox in January for Android and iOS devices, as well as the Google Chrome Web browser.

The integration of SalesforceIQ to Microsoft’s email systems marks another announcement in the ongoing partnership between the two technology giants. With shared Enterprise customers and collaborative technologies, Salesforce and Microsoft first announced an ongoing partnership in May 2014 to merge Salesforce’s CRM applications with Microsoft’s Windows and Office.

Salesforce most recently announced an integration with Microsoft’s Skype and OneNote platforms in September.