Guide ToCLOUD BASED CRM SOFTWARE

CLOUD BASED CRM GUIDE

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REALITY, SIZE, AND SCOPE OF THREATSThe advantages of customer relationship management (CRM) software

are well established, which is why the industry is predicted to surpass the

$36 billion mark by 2017. However, for those new to CRM software the

advantages are as follows:

• Better organization and more granular lead tracking

• Powerful analytic capabilities that allow businesses to forecast sales

numbers and quota

• Integration with social media networks, which allow customer service reps

to respond to inquiries from multiple channels

• Increased collaboration among sales reps, which results in better customer

relationships

With the sales and customer service force increasingly working from mobile

sites or in different offices, companies are recognizing the need for better

remote collaboration tools. Following this trend, cloud-based CRMs have

grown in popularity. Salesforce, the largest CRM in the market, offers only

cloud-based deployment.

Cloud software also offers other advantages over locally hosted software

other than ease-of-access. Software updates are handled by the vendor, and

adding users for scale is much simpler since firmware resources are nearly

non-existent. Because of these advantages, buyers in all organizations should

consider cloud-based CRM programs. Here are four of the best.

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No CRM list is truly complete without

mentioning Salesforce. The CRM behemoth

currently sits atop the customer relationship

management vertical with an estimated 14

percent of the market in 2012. Salesforce was

founded in 1999 and was the first CRM vendor

to offer its services through the cloud.

Despite the size of the organization, its SaaS

product Sales Cloud caters to businesses of all

sizes, with prices per user beginning at $25 for

a Basic version and rising to $300 per user for

the Performance edition.

In terms of features and functions, Sales

Cloud’s arsenal is vast. Subscription to the

basic package grants you access to standard

CRM fare: account and contact profiles

that allow sales reps to better manage

customer relationships by recording detailed

information; task and event tracking that

notifies sales reps of upcoming or past due

action items; and the Salesforce1 Mobile

App that was launched last year. Other basic

features include customizable analytics

reports and access to Chatter, an internal

social network businesses can use to improve

collaboration among sales reps. The basic

edition even offers lead-scoring and email

marketing functions.

SALESFORCE

While Sales Cloud’s number of features is

impressive, it can also be overwhelming for

sales reps who simply want to streamline

their account management. And this is before

exploring the considerable depth of enterprise

features, such as workflow automation, profile

and page layouts, and Salesforce’s identity

management system. For smaller businesses,

such functionality could be overkill.

However, if a powerful suite of features is

what you require, Sales Cloud boasts a very

usable interface that makes navigating its

interface simple and quick.

For integration purposes, Sales Cloud syncs

with Microsoft Outlook, and the Enterprise

edition of the software grants users access

to a web service API so you can structure

custom integrations. The same subscription

level grants you access to Salesforce’s Private

AppExchange, which allows developers to

create custom applications for the Sales Cloud

software or purchase existing add-ons from

the exchange.

Salesforce is undoubtedly the market leader

for customer relationship management

software, and for good reason: the company

offers a library of options for users and has

Price Per User $25-125

iOS, Android

Outlook, Customizable API

Enterprises, Medium-sized Businesses

Mobile

Integrations

Best For

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an intuitive interface to ensure usability. However, some businesses may prefer

software with a more straightforward feature set and defined purpose. Also, the

cheapest subscription package tops out at 5 users. Adding more requires upgrading

to a $65 per user subscription, which may make the godfather of CRMs too

expensive for some businesses.

MICROSOFT DYNAMICS

If Salesforce is the established pro, then

perhaps Microsoft Dynamics is the ambitious

challenger in the CRM market. Though it

only commanded 6.3 percent of the market

to Saleforce’s 11 percent in 2012, Microsoft

recently overhauled the Dynamics user

interface in 2013, and the CRM platform has

forced its way into Gartner’s Leaders portion of

the Magic Quadrant.

For businesses one of the main value

propositions of Dynamics is its integration

with the entire suite of Microsoft software,

an extensive list that includes Office, Project,

Outlook, Excel, and Microsoft SQL server.

Dynamics has all the advanced features you

would expect from an enterprise-grade CRM,

like customer management, email marketing

with automation capabilities, sales automation,

and so on.

Where Dynamics really shines is the usability

and depth of the software. The CRM has been

structured for four broad use categories: sales,

service, marketing, and social. Each use case has

its own home page module inside the larger

platform that allows users to easily navigate

to the features they need within the larger

CRM platform. For example, the marketing

homepage will supply users with a number of

analytics reports and automation options, while

the social homepage empowers users to quickly

interact with customers across numerous social

media platforms.

Even on specific feature pages, like inputting

data into an account management form,

Microsoft has considerable usability. For

example, on the forms page, a progress bar

sits below the top navigation and visualizes

the different steps to completing the form,

so if a user is confused or needs to return to a

previous page, it’s simple to ascertain what to

do.

Price Per User $65

iOS, Android, Windows Phone

Microsoft Ecosystem

Enterprises, Medium-sized Businesses

Mobile

Integrations

Best For

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Microsoft also offers vertical specific versions of Dynamics for industries like

manufacturing, financial services, and retail. Similarly to Salesforce, it’s easy to get

lost in the ocean of features Dynamics has to offer. Microsoft has clearly tried to

balance the power of this software with strong usability, but the sheer scope of

the software could make it an intimidating undertaking for smaller businesses.

However, if your organization uses even one Microsoft application, the integration

opportunities offered by Dynamics can be quite appealing. It’s also cheaper than

Salesforce in most use cases.

Now that we’ve explored two large CRMs, let’s

look at options for users who don’t require

quite that level of functionality. Founded

in 2004, SugarCRM has been around for a

decade. While this platform is lightweight in

comparison to the two previous solutions, it

still supplies users with impressive capabilities.

Collaboration is a particularly strong area

for SugarCRM. Users can join and launch

LotusLive, Cisco WebEx, or Citrix GoToMeeting

directly from the CRM’s interface. Documents

can also be stored using cloud services like

Google Drive, then linked to specific accounts

or projects within the software.

For sales automation, SugarCRM features

real time forecasting and allow users to

see revenue, pipeline numbers, and more.

Dashboards also update in real-time so

users can stay informed about KPIs. Further

marketing functions include social listening

capabilities that allow users to transfer tweets

and other unstructured data directly into an

accounts profile for future reference and social

marketing integration that customer service

reps can use to respond to customer inquiries

directly from Sugar’s platform.

Perhaps the most unique feature of SugarCRM

is its open-source architecture, which allows

developers to create custom applications

and add-ons for this cloud-based CRM. These

add-ons help it stay competitive with larger

vendors. Like Salesforce, SugarCRM also offers

SUGARCRM

Price Per User $25-125

iOS, Android

Outlook, Customizable API

Enterprises, Medium-sized Businesses

Mobile

Integrations

Best For

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customers the ability to purchase module extensions through the SugarExchange, an

online store similar to Salesforce’s PrivateApp Exchange.

So while SugarCRM may be less powerful than Dynamics or Sales Cloud, it still offers

plenty of marketing and sales features, and the price range makes it ideal for small or

medium sized businesses, though it can also scale for enterprises.

The lightest of these four cloud-based CRMs, Zoho’s pricing makes it ideal for

startups and small businesses looking for a solid CRM without the expense or

complexity of larger products. Zoho’s interface is simple and intuitive, and the

platform performs all the functions you would expect of a quality CRM: lead capture,

sales automation, pipeline management, and more.

Zoho integrates with a number of Google Apps, leveraging Google’s existing

functionality and helping to keep expansion costs low when scaling users. However,

should your organization need features that Zoho doesn’t already support, they

offer an open API for custom-development.

Despite its low price, Zoho still offers complex functionality, such as real-time

forecasting and dashboards, as well as social marketing functions. For SMBs or

startups looking for a plug and play CRM, look no further than Zoho.

ZOHO

Price Per User $25-125

iOS, Android

Outlook, Customizable API

Enterprises, Medium-sized Businesses

Mobile

Integrations

Best For

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