What are the advantages when using Cloud CRM?
CRM System are an important tool for the success of your company – you should be aware of that by now. Today we are facing a global technological change – Cloud CRM (also known as CRM on Demand). And the cloud is getting bigger and bigger offering more and more options for business. But what are the real advantages for you?
Access
CRM on Demand has access from everywhere and users can login from just about anywhere there is an internet connection. This is very helpful when field workers require corporate information or when salesmen want to close a deal in the last minute. Accessibility form a restaurant where he or she sits with the customers is well appreciated and gibe the sales team an advantage.
Mobile Apps
Today most of us poses a smartphone or a tablet. And the demand for those gadget is booming. CRM on demand tends to provide users with application that are suitable for these gadgets. And the apps help users access information from anywhere. This is a great advantage to people who travel a lot.
Take a look at the user interface from Salesforce – it is all done today with an internet browser and they launched the Salesforce1 Mobile app that provides all the corporate information to your handy or tablet. The future is here.
Flexibility of Migration and Updates
Because of the fact that the system is stored on the vendor’s servers and hardware is responsible for the updates and version migrations. And that my friends is a great advantage. And only because that you won’t need to deal with purchasing new hardware or suffer from test and transitions phases.
Integration of Additional Tools
Additional services such as Email, web shops or social media services are easy integrated. These types of solution offer an exchange of data and information that is becoming standard today (for example, via XML). And many CRM cloud solutions support this data export.
The most known are the open source CRM solutions such as SugarCRM; many vendors offer solutions for seamless SugarCRM data integration with external systems such as Outlook, Office 365 or web shops.
Data Backup
The concern of data backup is no longer on your hand. I have been around and visited many companies; many times I saw how each morning workers were carrying magnetic tapes or cassettes of yesterday’s backups and deposit them in a fire proof chamber… No more. The backup is done by the CRM on demand vendor.
But you must (!!!) inquire what is backed up and what your option for retrieval are. When applying with Microsoft Dynamics – Microsoft performs regular backups. In cases of critical user error, customers may request Microsoft to restore their CRM Online organization to the most recent nightly backup by calling a local hotline.
Social CRM Options
Today business environment understands that social CRM is the future. And hence most of the CRM cloud solutions offer social CRM applications that allows interactions with clients and customers on the different social platforms. It is true that installed base CRM systems have the same options.
But with the CRM on demand the web environment is of advantage; you do not need any sync, updates or linkage to web applications. Trust me – it is technically difficult to exchange data with web applications (such as Facebook or Twitter) and if a system offers that as a standard, I would definitely check it out.
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