Microsoft acquires gamification platform FantasySalesTeam to bring fun to Dynamics CRM

When you work in sales, there can be rewarding moments, but there are many negative moments too. Not only can the career be boring at times, but it can also be very stressful. You constantly have to worry about meeting goals and performing well. A bad month or quarter could mean a loss of employment or the inability to pay bills.

Gamification, however, can make reaching goals fun. If you aren't familiar, this is a method of integrating video game type badges and levels into boring work tasks in an effort to make it more fun and less stressful. Today, Microsoft announces the acquisition of Incent Games Inc, and its gamification platform, FantasySalesTeam.

"With Microsoft’s focus on productivity and our obsession with customer success, this acquisition is a great fit. To help drive adoption of our CRM solutions in fun and creative ways, we are integrating FantasySalesTeam into our offering. Our focus continues to be on not only providing the best solutions to our customers, but also helping them be wildly successful. We are committed to going the last mile in helping them impact revenue growth. We believe that motivating users of Dynamics CRM to focus on their most important metrics while simultaneously increasing usage and adoption can help drive tremendous impact on our customer’s success", says Bob Stutz, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Dynamics CRM.

Stutz further explains, "in the coming months, we will integrate and offer this service to our customers and will continue to support customers using FantasySalesTeam with other CRM solutions. The potential of applying this feature beyond the sales scenario to other fields and areas within a business is exciting as well. We will evaluate these other scenarios closely as we integrate and evolve FantasySalesTeam into the Dynamics ecosystem".

This acquisition can really make Dynamics a fun platform for salespeople and other workers too. Imagine selling 10 cars and getting an "Elite Sales" badge, or "leveling-up" based on the number of extended warranties you sell. Rather than a salesman being Bob, the guy who met his sales goals, he could be Bob the Great, Level 4 salesperson with Platinum warranty powers.

Does it seem childish? Sort of, but you'd be surprised how quickly people buy into gamification. It can increase sales, performance, and employee engagement too, as workers focus on the metrics that matter most.

Does your company use gamification as a motivator? Tell me about it in the comments.