CRM Providers

CRM is an abbreviation for Customer Relationship Management. There are dozens, if not hundreds of companies, which offer a solution of sort for the very problem CRM is invented for. It's a way of dealing with and getting new customers in a streamlined, logically structured way. It's also great for customer service tracking.  If you've ever worked in the business sector, you might have seen a CRM implementation. If I really had to put it simple, CRM is a database management system that exists for one reason, to make the business work better and make more profit in the process.

There are many points where money -or customer satisfaction- can go south in a company not managed properly. If a salesperson doesn't have the right tools to keep track of all the contacts they need to reach, you've already lost customers. If a customer comes back to complain about a product, and the customer support representative has no idea about the particular item, mainly because of lack of relevant information, the person being unhappy will have just another reason to contact the competition.

A CRM system is a solution used to oil the engine of the business.


What is a CRM provider?

CRM software comes in different 'editions' or 'packages'. If you're lucky enough to have been around when these systems were first deployed, you might have heard of the most simple way of selling the product. In the early days CRM software was sold on floppy disks in dull looking boxes just like any other program at that time. Today it's a bit more complicated than buying a box off the shelf, for worse or for better. The internet has reached such a penetration that it can be used as a way to use the product online. We're not talking about downloading the file, it's more like a channel through which all employees of your company can log into the service just like they do on social networking sites.

CRM Providers

The only difference between using Facebook and the CRM service of your choice of provider is that they work with the latter, which brings us to our next point.

The CRM solution provider is the company, which makes sure your employees can access all relevant data, whenever and wherever they need to. The provider also allows them to use the proper set of tools when dealing with enquiries, complaints, or request. Without these functions your people would be using floppies and word documents to store form letters in; just imagine the system in operation with more than three people in the office; grim picture isn't it?


Why does a business need a good CRM system?

Not all CRM solutions are the same. You already knew that, but it's important to know what makes the difference. A good solution is one that your people can understand. It must not take a long time to get used to and should follow a logical structure so that anyone who uses it can find the functions that they need for their job. Here is a good resource about how to compare CRM products if you need help in that category.

A recent survey shows that CEOs and those who need to worry about company-wide issues find most CRM implementations cluttered and hard to follow. They also think that one of the biggest problems with such systems is that most functions go unused. Even frequently used functions consume valuable man hours to get used to, especially for new employees.

Thus a good CRM system is easy to learn, doesn't contain unnecessary functions, or can be customized to fit the needs of the company. Security of the data center, options for upgrade and the upfront cost of the whole installation are all important factors to be taken into consideration.


Big players on the market

Where to look for the perfect fit? Current trends show that web based services, SaaS (software-as-a-service) CRM providers gain more market share every day. These solutions steal the slice of pie from the oldest participants, such as SAP. These providers have a large share of the small business CRM market. It's easy to see why web-based products gain traction, but it's still not easy to spot the one you'll commit your business' resources to.


NetSuite

NetSuite has been one of the CRM service providers since 1998, which may not sound impressive considering that there are solutions with more than thirty years of history. With more than 6,000 customers worldwide NetSuite has proven that hosted services work, and work well. All the mandatory functions are available, and then some more. The main selling point of NetSuite CRM+ might be the relatively low price, and the fact that everything is available right through the browser of any computer in the office. Or the other side of the country, should your business span multiple states.


SalesForce.com

One of the elite CRM software providers, SalesForce has more than 70,000 customers worldwide. It is easy to use and is as simple as a piece of stone. The great part is that while you can't keep your customers happy with a stone(or you shouldn't), SalesForce takes pride in its rich set of functions that don't obscure the normal flow of work. Obviously it will take additional research to fulfill your need of information but the key features of the software are:

-Easy integration with your existing databases
-Straight forward use
-Low monthly cost per user(from $25pu to $65pu)
-Secure access to the cloud
-Easy access from mobile devices


SAP

Since 1972 SAP has gained the trust of more than 100,000 customers in more than 50 countries. Should you take a quick look around online job sites, you'll find a tangible demand for SAP specialists. If a service is good enough to have a job title named after it, it has to be a bit of something, right? Sadly enough, it's not that simple; the price range of SAP solutions start at around $2,500 upfront plus you have to buy your set of servers and the personnel to maintain it. In the corporate world where thousands of employees need to have access to the system, there is probably no better solution, for smaller companies it might make sense to find out more about other cloud-based CRM solutions first.