Sales Force Marketing - Salesforce.com CRM:
CRM Software - Hosted or In-House?

Any software that a business comes to depend on for its continued existence is sure to raise lots of controversy when a change to the status quo is imminent. Customer relationship management software is increasingly being seen as the key business software due its power and capabilities. CRM software is being used for everything from online sales to market research to customer support, and has become a single source business decision making application.

This integration of capabilities is one reason why Microsoft is getting into the CRM arena in a big way.

Many sales-oriented businesses have tried various CRM software solutions with varying degrees of success. This makes the decision to adopt new CRM solutions more controversial. The main end users, sales, cs rs, and the IT technicians may have preferences that conflict and there are cost considerations too. The choice then in whether to upgrade or to try a whole new type of CRM system is a difficult one, yet it managers and sales managers don't have the depth of information to help them avoid disastrous choices.

All businesses however grow and reach transition periods where they may find their old software systems don't meet their needs. New technologies such as the wireless revolution present service challenges for software manufacturers. CRM software is an information technology asset that sometimes can't meet current business needs and must be upgraded.
Sometimes, a company's IT department and sales department experience bottlenecks in performance along with software bugs and glitches, that make them wonder if a better CRM solution is available. Then they learn of the bewildering array of options now available.

For medium and small business enterprises, there is a price and performance issue that forces managers to consider outsourcing CRM functions such as application development, hosting, training, and even to consider hosted, web-based CRM services (software as a service). On the other hand, some hosted software solutions can be hosted in-house with a little outside support and training. A completely new system may not be needed. In fact, an upgrade and installation may be all that is required.

While an industry trend is toward adoption of web-based CRM solutions such as Sales force, in-house solutions such as Microsoft CRM and Sage Saleslogix CRM may be more appropriate for particular companies such as medium sized enterprises who need customization and good support. Popular hosted software choices look good at first, yet after sales support and assistance may not be what was expected.

CRM Software Reviews

You may have visited software review and comparison sites hoping they hold the wisdom to help you make an easy decision. The basic comparisons there however, may be biased and skewed to support the particular software, vendor, or type of solution they sell. Whitepapers are popular too as they appear to demonstrate real world applications of those CRM solutions.
Since the matter is complicated and tainted by a particular Web site's sales motives, it may present a picture that doesn't respond to your real business needs.

While many medium and small business IT managers and sales managers choose to go it on their own in making decisions on CRM needs and decisions, approaching a CRM consulting firm that provides a variety of CRM solutions. Some CRM consulting firms offer design audits. These are fundamental precursor to successful CRM selection and implementation. It establishes the overall vision for your CRM solution and determines a direction to take that matches your business needs.

During a design audit, the CRM consultants study existing systems where there appears to be an opportunity for enhancement or migration to a superior platform, existing and proposed IT infrastructure, high-level business processes, existing reports and required documentation. The audit also assists in determining whether adopting a hosted or in-house solution would work for your situation and what the strengths either would have. There may not be a perfect match that solves all demands. For instance, a hosted service such as Sales force may free you from technical costs initially, but may not be customizable. Hosted solutions such as Saleslogix may be more expensive initially yet offer outstanding features needed for modern sales forces including sales automation and support for Blackberry, Pocket PC, and Smartphone devices.

In making your decision on the right CRM solution, you're vulnerable to the hype, flashy sales techniques, expert reviews, and the opinions of your technical team and sales people. Getting an experienced, third party view of your circumstances and real needs can save you aggravation and time and help you find the right hosted or web-based CRM solution.

Source: Gord Collins link

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