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Friday, April 12, 2013

Acumatica CRM Review


The Customer Management Suite provides a web-based customer relationship management (CRM) application for managing leads, contacts, opportunities, and business accounts.
Integrated financials and content management foster a team approach and deliver a single consolidated view of all customer contacts. Dashboards and reports provide real-time sales data to accurately manage forecasts, quotas, and results.

Acumatica CRM Review 1

Company

Acumatica

·         Business Size: Large Business
·         Industry Solution: Consumer Packaged Goods, Financial, Manufacturing, Professional Services, Retail
·         Deployment Model: SaaS (Software as a Service)


LogicBox CRM Specifications

Acumatica CRM Review 2
Implementation Language    
.NET - ASP.NET - Java - PHP
Server OS        Windows
Office Integration       Yes
Time Tracking  Yes
Database Type            MySQL
Deployment Model     SaaS (Software as a Service)
Web Based      Yes
Languages Supported English


LogicBox CRM Features

Acumatica CRM Review 3

Analytics Features          

Dashboard Customization
Distilled View
Forecasting Customization
Reporting

Channel Management Features         

Customizable Forms & Data Fields

Collaboration Features  

 Workflow Rules & Management

Customer Service

Customer Service Integration

Integration 

Product Catalog Integration

Market Automation Features 

Email Marketing
Mailing List Management
Product Catalog Integration
Referral Tracking

Sales Automation Features

Contact Management
Customer Database
Lead Management
Lead Tracking

Security Features

Security Admin Profiles

Support Features 

Knowledge base
Mailing List

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LogicBox CRM Review



LogicBox CRM Review

Company

LogicBox Software, Inc.
·         Business Size: Small and Medium Business
·         Industry Solution: Financial, Hospitality, Manufacturing, Professional Services, Other
·         Deployment Model: SaaS (Software as a Service)
·         $49.00/User/Month


Every successful business is successful in its own way. Wouldn't it be great if there was a CRM that embraced your unique processes? With LogicBox CRM you can continue to scale and outpace your competitors with a highly customized, cloud-delivered CRM, built with cutting edge technology and a high-touch, "one-stop-shop" customer experience.
LogicBox CRM is “cloud”-delivered, making it affordable and removing all of the headaches of running and managing your own hardware and software. It is accessible anytime, from anywhere via any device with a Web browser (PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, etc).

LogicBox CRM Specifications

Implementation Language     PHP
Server OS        Linux    Windows
Office Integration       Yes
Time Tracking Yes
Database Type            MySQL
Deployment Model     SaaS (Software as a Service)
Web Based      Yes
Default Data Storage  0 MB
Languages Supported English

LogicBox CRM Features


Analytics Features          

Dashboards
Dashboard Customization
Forecasting
Forecasting Customization
Reporting

Channel Management Features         

Customizable Features
Customizable Forms & Data Fields
Multi-Currency

Collaboration Features  

Mobile Access
Remote Access
Remote Tracking
Workflow Rules & Management

Customer Service

Call Center Management
Customer Service Integration
User Interface Customization

Integration 

Data Import/Export
Legacy Integration
Product Catalog Integration

Market Automation Features 

Email Marketing
Mailing List Management
Product Catalog Integration
Referral Tracking
Territory Management

Sales Automation Features

Billing/Invoicing
Contact History
Contact Management
Customer Database
Lead Management
Lead Tracking

Security Features

Data Encryption
Group Creation and Management
Roles/Organizational Hierarchy
Security Admin Profiles

Support Features 

Email
Owner's/User Manual
Phone



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ADAPTcrm Review



ADAPTcrm




ADAPTcrm is an integrated CRM solution designed for businesses of all sizes, though it specializes in the needs of small to medium size business. ADAPTcrm was designed to provide the full scope of features found in much more complex and expensive CRM products in a package that is easy to implement, use and customize.


ADAPTcrm comes out of the box loaded with the product features and functionality that will help your business grow and is easily implemented.  ADAPTcrn comprises the following functional elements all as one product.


  • Calendar
  • Accounts
  • Contacts
  • Activities
  • Sales Opportunity Management
  • Service Ticket Management
  • Service Contracts
  • Items Owned
  • Defect Tracking
  • Marketing Campaign Management
  • Mail Fulfillment
  • Executive Views
  • ERP Integration
  • Knowledgebase


Most CRM products sell some or all of the above components as separate software modules, often developed by different companies. Furthermore, most CRM products do not seamlessly integrate with the accounting or ERP systems that their users use without considerable effort and expense.



source : http://www.adaptcrm.com/

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Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Assemble ones CRM perspective by first determining a very important customer practical knowledge.


The CRM imaginative and prescient vision need to be over the organizational mission record. Lots of companies develop a fantastic customer-centric slogan with virtually no helping initiatives—an approach that may build additional backlash than goodwill. CRM is around over optics along with claims—it’s with regards to aligning your own organization’s data along with functions to produce a purchaser knowledge of which sustains these types of promises.
The CRM imaginative and prescient vision just isn't some sort of “nice-to-have” part of some sort of CRM method; it’s absolutely essential. Since Gartner

Exploration records:

The CRM imaginative and prescient vision must amount the consumer living never-ending cycle along with many details associated with interaction, and yes it must operate the purchaser knowledge being a layout position to the imaginative and prescient vision. Without having imaginative and prescient vision, there is no main objective regarding purchaser cures. For most CRM attempts, this specific will result in minimal improvements which might be usually remote in an position in just a organization process. It will don't enhance the general purchaser knowledge, generate profits or even increase purchaser benefit. Many techniques focus on merely one facet of the consumer living never-ending cycle (such since acquisition) in the expense associated with some others (such since retention). This imaginative and prescient vision should seem naturally through the purchaser living never-ending cycle, from assortment along with order to help storage along with cross-sell, along with create important modify. some
The CRM imaginative and prescient vision provides a reasoning for your ideal along with tactical CRM attempts. It will help pun intended, the pitfall associated with centering CRM pursuits as well narrowly on one part of the purchaser knowledge or even lifecycle. Without having this specific imaginative and prescient vision, some sort of CRM implementation’s complete risk of profits expansion along with purchaser faithfulness is not noticed.

CRM 4 ME


For a number of shoppers, CRM is often a driving a car pressure with their corporate imaginative and prescient vision and has made it possible for some sort of multi-channel approach regarding purchaser relationships of which amount customer-facing sectors
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Monday, April 8, 2013

CRM Is Not a Software Purchase. It’s a Strategy.


No technology—no matter how sophisticated—can be successful without a strategy to guide its implementation and use. Business strategy and technology must always work hand in hand to bring a customer-centric plan to fruition.

CRM solutions can help you get to know your customers better, understand their needs, and respond to those needs to create a valuable customer experience. But without a solid CRM strategy based on clear goals and a particular vision of the customer experience, technologies alone will fail to achieve a customer centric outcome. As Gartner Research advises, companies evaluating CRM options should “[k]eep in mind that CRM is—and will continue to be—a business strategy that requires the proper alignment of people, business processes and technology to create long-lasting, profitable relationships.” _ Consequently, before your company even considers assembling lists of requirements or evaluating available solutions, it should take the time and effort to clearly articulate its CRM strategy and goals.

With this understood, how should you embark on defining your CRM strategy? 


Companies looking to become customer-centric must develop CRM strategies that make customers-more than products, processes, or even profits—the focal point of their business. Start by looking at how your enterprise can build value through stronger customer relationships and improved customer loyalty. Then define the full arc of the experience you want your customers to have: an experience distinctive, consistent, and positive enough to cement deeper relationships and enhanced loyalty. Above all, it is this experience—from first encounter through post-sales service—that will determine whether your customers buy more, stay longer, or recommend you to others.

In the words of Gartner Research, a customer-centric CRM strategy “aims to effectively manage the customer life cycle from selection and acquisition through retention and cross- sell.” _ It takes its direction from the company’s business goals and aligns those goals with the company’s customer-facing channels and processes.

To develop a solid CRM strategy, you must understand the market, industry, and customer drivers that influence the selection and use of your company’s products and services. You should also understand your competitive environment and consider how your firm can differentiate itself from competitors through the customer experience. You should carefully consider the impact and requirements of your strategy across different geographies, languages, markets, and channels.

Developing your CRM strategy is one of the most difficult building blocks of CRM success, because it cannot merely be based on a simple set of rules or mirror another company’s strategy. Your CRM strategy must be informed by your company’s goals, customers, conditions, and environment—as such, it must be unique. If you asked ten of our customers to describe their CRM strategies, you would likely get ten different answers, which merely goes to prove that when done right, CRM helps create differentiation across
firms, not uniformity.

CRM strategy


Though each CRM strategy is unique, there are often similarities in the kinds of goals companies are looking to achieve. Gartner surveyed mid-sized businesses to learn about their CRM goals and objectives. Not surprisingly, top CRM objectives among these firms included a desire to obtain a _60-degree customer view and to automate and manage sales-related processes. Other common goals include reducing cost of service, improving collaboration and efficiencies, accelerating the sales cycle, managing leads more effectively, and deriving greater insight into sources of value and opportunities for cross- selling and up-selling within the customer base.

Beyond just benefiting customers, a successful CRM strategy must be congruent with an organization’s greater business goals. As Gartner Research notes, “CRM benefits come from using customer insight to deliver relevant, value-added products and services that benefit the organization making the investment as well as the customers affected.” _ Companies need to define their business needs first to ensure their CRM investment aligns with the people and processes that support their objectives. Our most successful customers have been those that have taken this principle to heart and taken a strategic approach to CRM. Their experiences show a close correlation between CRM vision and business strategy.

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How to select a Development Partner for your CRM


If you're more dedicated that can be done this kind of without having additional help—think yet again. Contemplate these types of issues:

• Include when I labored via lots of CRM implementations and gained observations in exactly what do not work out and the reason?

• Include I got knowledge within info importance and rubbing down techniques gained through decades regarding CRM implementations?

• 'm when I confident with my own chance to translate a small business course of action in software workflow and monitor patterns?

• Can I invigorate the particular self-confidence inside make fish an additional sector expert can easily?

The very first job in the act regarding discovering the right partner is to build a short listing of prospect firms. Try looking in the particular orange webpages within Consumer Marriage Operations, by all means, to begin with.
Among your easiest sources of good facts is the best peers that are operating their particular businesses—ask your current skilled colleagues if they include any constructive recommendations regarding firms centered on this type of do the job.

Development Partner for your CRM


An additional method to come across probable companions is to glimpse one specific in the CRM software you need to carry out, to see their okayed improvement companions. Be sure you get a partner concentrated not just on marketing or maybe web hosting the software, but also around the improvement regarding tailor made advancements on the common software—as you should have a few undoubtedly.
SugarCRM, by way of example, on www.sugarcrm.com, features a directory of their companions prepared by region, having links time for the particular homes webpages of each one of those corporations. Be aware that you should not automatically rule out someone since they're certainly not in your city or maybe region.
Your final suggestion regarding creating your current shortlist regarding candidates to get your current CRM improvement partner is to merely hunt for the particular identify in the CRM you need to employ, on Google, and glance at the ads around the suitable, in addition to the links around the still left.
When part in the crew has the shortlist regarding prospect firms put together (about 3-4 could be the many people want), they'll likely should take the particular record time for the particular CRM rendering crew to be okayed, also to assign the particular assessment do the job.
and create a document and a professional recommendation on the crew. Stress ought to be added to personal compatibility while using internal Venture director, confirmed knowledge and information, top quality reference implementations, any trustworthy and satisfactory offered undertaking schedule, and satisfactory pricing having understood top grade for the price range.
Prior to deciding to make your current closing collection of someone, the particular crew should complete a sensitive choice, dependant on primary requirements and the prospect firms' projected improvement price range. Then you definately should band together to help collectively develop a closing agreement with a incredibly in depth specs, and a preset improvement expense. If you possibly could make it happen successfully, you might have your current CRM improvement partner.
When you make the last collection of your current CRM improvement partner, you will likely include manufacturing a substantive primary deposit against the improvement do the job to be carried out after which it you happen to be installed and operating

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Sunday, April 7, 2013

10 Considerations before Implementing A CRM


In the process of implementing a CRM application the whole company must participate in the process of adoption of a CRM system. How?

Barton Goldenberg, an experienced expert in the industry, has outlined in 10 successes

Implementing A CRM


Factors:

1) Determine the functions that you want to automate

2) Automate only what needs to be automated

3) Get the support and commitment to high levels of the company

4) Use technology wisely

5) Involving users in the system construction

6) Make a prototype system

7) Train users technologically

8) Encourage and motivate staff to use it

9) Manage the system from within

10) Keep an administrative committee system for questions or suggestions

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Most mistakes on CRM Implementation


• Inability to get anyone to take property in the method through begin to finish.

• Inability to be able to require the stakeholders, specially the conclusion consumers, right from the prerequisites gathering point.

• Lacking the focus on the existing enterprise method, the particular intended enterprise method upgrades, plus the specifications for a technique that can influence of which change.

• Convinced that applying the CRM indicates acquiring CRM computer software, adding that over a server, after which it showing the folks exactly who should put it to use.

• Not necessarily creating a specific in addition to ongoing attempt through the entire task to be able to converse the huge benefits particular to be able to each user in addition to stakeholder, to guarantee their own buy-in.

mistakes on CRM


• Gnawing at off too big a first task period, or simply just carrying on as if stages of development are usually intended for sissies. This can load too much outlay in the beginning, postpone execution, in addition to produce the particular space with time between primary very good may in addition to early on task achievements way too good to be able to fill.

• Seeking way too firm the growth method. CRM techniques are definitely more in relation to folks as compared to there're in relation to technological innovation. An activity such as Agile Coding (Google will disclose a great document for the subject through Martin Fowler) will be the almost technique that you should utilize. In this particular technique early on prototypes are utilized to build opinions, in addition to successive iterations in the interface make sure that consumers think engaged, stimulated, in addition to content. Several enterprise consumers could photograph every previous detail of the technique or maybe display at the outset. And also few technique designers understand just what consumers would like. Find reasonably shut, then give it a shot, in addition to produce adjustments. Replicate when necessary.

• Not necessarily coaching the trainer early on sufficient, not giving them sufficient resources to coach many consumers carefully, instead of preparing the particular roll-out to permit intended for sufficient coaching time period.

• Declining to be able to determine what effective execution looks like at the start in the task.

• Declining to be able to initiate the routine writeup on the particular CRM technique, in addition to ongoing stages of development associated with growth, for boosting enterprise techniques in addition to user achievement.






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Planning CRM Implementation


Now that we have these very essential concepts in the top side of your mind—let's plan your execution.
First—you need to look at the record reverse, and convert it into the right individuals, and the right variety of individuals, in your organization. Clearly, the dimension the team and the preparing attempt should be appropriate to the dimension the organization. For a ten-person organization, it is likely that 3-4 individuals need to be engaged in the execution. For an organization the dimension RayDoc—about 25 people—probably 6 or so individuals have a part to perform. This easily tapers off, and in a 200-person organization you will need no more than 10-12 individuals to be engaged in the CRM execution procedure.

Planning CRM Implementation


Your two most essential gamers are the professional attract, and the venture administrator. Your venture administrator will offer the generate to make sure the venture is implemented efficiently, and your attract will offer the motivation and sources to all other members to perform their aspect as well.
Commonly, the professional attract may be the Chief executive or proprietor, the fund primary, or sometimes the sales director. If you have an in-house MIS team, the attract should not be someone from that team. You need the organization and individual’s aspect of this formula to execute out effectively, as well as the technology—and seriously, the technological innovation aspect is not the greatest risk. You need to be sure that the CRM execution is being performed because of recognized organization procedure disadvantages, and that the chosen remedy will be chosen because it best details them. Your venture should not be motivated by a technological innovation force, but by a organization take.

Your venture administrator needs to be someone inside your organization, not someone shortened for the job. They can always execute with their counterpart on a retailer's execution team, but they need to be someone that all the stakeholders know and believe in. As well as being an individual known for being very qualified and detail-oriented, you need someone who is also known for interacting freely, taking recommendations, and not being far too governmental. If the individuals playing the execution team experience they are just display putting on a costume, and not really engaged in the procedure, they will easily turn adverse. If the remedy seems enforced, team will respond with cynicism, level of resistance, and at best low dedication.

Your venture administrator needs to be your champion—someone with the manners to get workers throughout the organization thrilled about the new CRM system. And as the execution will require a lot of execute from your venture administrator, you need to deal with their regular amount of work to create room for the CRM-related execute.

sucess CRM Implementation


Like any attempt, it is best to execute from something other than an empty piece of document. While you do not want to exist the CRM execution team with a fait accomplished at the first conference, neither do you want to simply ask them "What you think should be done? What are the goals? What are the prospective technological innovation solutions?"
In order to concentrate and handle the procedure of accepting upon a particular set of objectives, a particular technological innovation remedy, and a particular resource for personalization, it would be recommended for the venture administrator and the professional attract to get ready an preliminary briefing observe for the first meeting—stating what some of the key recognized disadvantages are in the existing organization procedures, some of the prospective alternatives, the make-up of the CRM execution team, the suggested routine, and applicants for the technological innovation to be used.

In conditions of the technological innovation applicants, it is best if all alternatives on the narrow your search of applicant techniques have trial editions available for associates of the team to try out. Clearly, from the headline of this guide, I think that for business owners, Glucose Start Source is a very good cost-effective applicant for that technological innovation. By now, with fortune, so do you. But it is essential that other views on the topic be observed.

Understand CRM Implementation


By having the CRM execution team fulfill consistently for a couple of several weeks, and do off-line research and planning between conferences, you should easily get to a set of organization objectives, as well as an agreed-upon technological innovation platform and requirements for personalization. These requirements can be as simple as printed duplicates of display templates with changes noticeable on them.
This is where you need to get to before you discuss to anyone outside your organization.
As guidelines, here is what your preparing needs to achieve:


  •  Executive attract determined 
  •  Project administrator determined 
  •  People the CRM execution team decided 
  •  Initial briefing observe produced for the first team conference 
  •  First conference organized 
  •  Obligations allocated for research and team briefing on key topics—these subjects include: 
  •  Business procedures requiring enhancement 


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CRM VS Social CRM Application


The latest progress of web-based CRM programs is the Public CRM space, which helps businesses manage client connections via social media programs. While conventional CRM Applications target potential brings through email or phone strategies, social CRM is an confident technique where companies practice public discussions with their customers.

CRM VS Social CRM Application


According to John Greenberg, Writer of the best-selling CRM at the Speed of Light:
Essential Customer Strategies for the Twenty-first Century in Focus, conventional CRM “is a viewpoint and company technique, reinforced by a system and a technological innovation, developed to improve human communications in a company environment”. Public CRM according to Greenberg “is a viewpoint & a company technique, reinforced by a technological innovation foundation, company guidelines, work-flow, procedures & social features, developed to interact with the client in a collaborative discussion in order to provide mutually beneficial value in a reliable & clear company environment. It’s the Business's reaction to the client's possession of the conversation”.

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Saturday, April 6, 2013

What Is A Cloud-based CRM Application




Simply put, software that can be utilized via the Internet with a customer name and security password is a reasoning centered program. Cloud centered CRM Programs are applications dedicated to Client Connection Control that can be utilized through the reasoning. CRM applications usually have a data source, a ticketing system, the capability to monitor notices about clients that can be distributed throughout the company and more.

Cloud-based CRM Application


The reasoning allows growth and improved accessibility a new creation of CRM products designed particularly for the needs of the small to midsized company market by considerably decreasing the cost of accessibility.

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What Is A CRM Application


As stated earlier, CRM programs are amazing resources for calculating and pricing client connections. They are capable of gathering loads of details on prospects, clients and connections and planning them in a useful manner quickly. Little companies can use these details to evaluate processes, prospect new company and gain the most value from existing clients and connections.

What Is A CRM Application


CRM application and programs have totally changed the way companies approach down line building and client life-cycle control. CRM grew out of contact store that was first prominent in the 90's. In the early 2000s, CRM application appeared with more sophisticated resources for managing and caring client connections. These programs not only allowed companies to manage brings and clients, but also offered collaborative systems so that internal groups, like advertising and marketing, could arrange their strategies.
In the beginning, the company was the one section that experienced these new feature-rich CRM applications which required vast server storage space and deep pouches.
But as the concept of storing brings and connections in the reasoning became more well-known, the ability to present CRM abilities to all sizes of companies became a reality.
Now any company, large or small, can have access to affordable and reliable company level CRM resources.

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Friday, April 5, 2013

Magic Steps to a Successful CRM Implementation


As you accept your CRM affectionate  before we get into a lot of specifics, you should realise that there is one preponderant conception to any roaring CRM feat. This communal businessperson is yawning and predominant connection and collaboration.
The regular groups that are leaving to be significantly smitten by a new CRM group, and thus testament poorness to be active in its selection, usage, and transfer are the people:


• Lead trainer 

• Administration management

• Implementation team 

• Executive sponsor 

• Administration general staff 

• Finance management 

• Sales management 

• Sales general staff 

• Project manager 

• Internal or external network administration and MIS

Successful CRM Implementation


This assemble testament be your CRM enforcement squad.
Undefeated CRM implementations part added fundamental calculate. The effectuation team should succeed the direct relatively conservatively-set practical goals, form the deed in overmodest steps, and analyse the total writ as one of revenant melioration and not as a one-time event. To repeat Clint Oram (a co-founder of SugarCRM) "Expect big, start moderate, and change quick."
Other vituperative figure in any fortunate CRM feat is to canvass the opposite soul groups-especially the high fin groups listed above-and piddle trustworthy that in your firstly enforcement each of these groups perceives whatsoever treasure to them personally in making the labour and sincerity to livelihood the process and to use the grouping once it is implemented.

For example-sales widespread body may be motivated if the scheme calculates direction reports-and present be hospitable to the argumentation that the drawing testament exclusive be penalise if all opportunities and stoppered sales are in the grouping.

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How to Integrate Social Media into CRM for Better Customer Relation.


“To start integrating social media into existing CRM, we are seeing that initially:You have to understand your customers’ conversation pattern. Do research to find out if they’re using social media and which social media.
Define your goals and objectives based on your needs and requirements – Based on the research, and in line with customer strategy, choose which social media channels are going to be implemented and have significant impact. Do you need to be on Facebook? Or is Twitter sufficient?
Does this require integration with an existing contact center?
Finally, you have to establish a project team who will be responsible for thorough implementation of this initiative.
Create a pilot case for the social media integration, define the new business process, assign the PICs of each task and have the existing CRM system ready for social media integration.”
-- Aina Neva Fiati, Founder of www.ThinkAboutCRM.com

Social Media into CRM


“There are a lot of recommendations and advice available to those seeking to leverage social media as part of a CRM strategy. I tend to look that these questions very pragmatically. We are past the point of talking conceptually. I think folks are looking for practical applications that can be implemented and that will deliver measurable value.
Here are three thoughts that hopefully achieve that end. In the simplest terms,
Agree on what social media is. Practically, social media is a communication channel. Use it as such.
Modify your CRM business processes to incorporate customers’ social activity and identities into your customer master. Its flying blind to be tweeting with @The Dude, not knowing if he’s one of your most valuable customers or not.
Collect and analyze only that social data that demonstrates how to improve your customer experience design. If it doesn’t do that, if it doesn’t move the needle on your customer experience metrics, don’t waste your time.
Now, that is certainly not an exhaustive list of things to think about with respect to social CRM.
But, a laundry list of a thousand items starts with number one.”
-- Barry Dalton

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Why you need to Selecting a CRM Implementation Partner ?


As your company embarks on a CRM initiative, the software selection is only one facet of a successful project. As part of this process, you may consider implementing your CRM system with internal resources. Some software and on-demand vendors’ position their products as easy to implement and easy to use, suggesting that your organization try to do it itself. As outlined in this article, there are many benefits in selecting a CRM implementation partner.
Even in providing a very simple CRM system to your organization, a variety of steps need to take place including project management, requirements gathering, planning, configuration, pilot-program, rollout, training, and support. An experienced CRM implementation partner has the resources to address each of these areas, providing a company significant benefits that increase the chances of a successful system.

CRM Implementation Partner



Planning


In planning a CRM system, you have a variety of people involved in the process including sales, marketing, and customer service at various levels including staff, management, and executives. This can be a very complicated and difficult process, dealing with potential political issues and personalities. One of the services that a CRM implementation partner will provide is a resource that can act as a facilitator and buffer during this process. They can use their experience to guide the organization in the appropriate direction.
As noted above, there are various steps that need to take place in a successful CRM rollout.
A CRM Implementation Firm has the experience to properly plan the various steps in this process.

Installation, Configuration, and Customization


Once a company has determined what they need from a CRM system, those requirements need to be translated and configured within the CRM product. Although a company may have technical resources within their organization, there is still a learning curve involved with a new product. In addition, there can be more than one way to configure a CRM system. An experienced CRM implementation firm can provide you with the most efficient configuration that will provide the optimum ease of use.

Better Access to Technical Support


Although your CRM system will provide the end-user with technical support, your CRM implementation partner has access to a higher level and faster response technical support service provided by the vendor. In addition, they may have more leverage in getting a technical issue resolved more quickly than through end-user channels.

CRM Implementation Partner 2

Business Process Experience


A CRM implementation partner has gathered significant business process experience from their previous engagements. You need to have a certain skill set to evaluate an organization’s business processes, make recommendations for improvement, and apply those processes to a CRM software system. Without this particular experience, it is very difficult and time consuming for a company to do this with internal resources.

Depth of Skill Set


Implementing a CRM system takes a variety of skill sets including configuration experience for that particular product, programming and development experience, database knowledge, project management capabilities, training skills (both technical and presentation), and report writing experience. Very few companies have all these skills available and even if they do, they must be pulled away from their regular jobs.

Resource Constraints


As mentioned above, your organization maybe large enough to have the various skills needed to implement a CRM system. But people have their regular jobs and responsibilities on a day-to-day basis. Reassigning them to a CRM project can cause a variety of issues. A CRM implementation firm provides you with the experienced resources you need without having to tap and strain your own staff.
Although you may think that using an outside firm is more expensive, that is not the case.
When you calculate the cost of your own staff and their overhead, the additional time it takes to learn the CRM product, and the cost of their daily responsibilities not being completed, you will find that using an outside firm is not more expensive.
A CRM implementation firm can provide you with the right resources at the right time that will allow a company to complete a CRM rollout on a timely basis.

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Thursday, April 4, 2013

Hosted CRM vs On-Premise CRM based on Company Size


Hosted CRM vs On-Premise CRM


Under 10

Hosted CRM

Good solution, more affordable, easy to install and maintain, can grow with company.

On-Premise CRM

Could be expensive and difficult to install and maintain.

11 – 50

Hosted CRM

Good choice, predictable scalability up and down, predictable cost, easy to implement and operate.

On-Premise CRM

Price could be an issue. Integration into other parts of business operations could be a plus.


51 – 100

Hosted CRM

Price could become an issue. Predictability from a cost standpoint an advantage. Performance could be a problem.

On-Premise CRM

Price could be an issue. Integration and customization a plus. Performance could be a plus.

101 – 300

Hosted CRM

Price likely to be an issue. Performance might be an issue. Predictability and ease of operation still a plus.

On-Premise CRM

Price could be a plus. Integration and customization with existing systems a plus. Performance a plus. Could be issues with operation.

301 +

Hosted CRM

Price an issue. Performance an issue.

On-Premise CRM

Integration and customization clear benefits. Performance a clear benefit. Price could be a benefit.
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Hosted CRM vs On-Premise CRM vs Hybrid CRM


Hosted CRM vs On-Premise CRM vs Hybrid CRM


Hosted CRM


Description

Provided as a service and equipment hosted by provider

Advantages

Predictable cost, easy to implement, easy to operate.

Disadvantages

Customizing more difficult. Possible performance issues.

Example Solution Providers

Salesforce.com, Omnivue, Agile Wave, Oracle, NetSuite



On-Premise CRM



Description

Complete CRM which runs on equipment within the business.

Advantages

Customizable, flexible, can be higher performance.

Disadvantages

Cost can be higher. More difficult to implement. Can costly to operate.

Example Solution Providers

SugarCRM, Microsoft, Onyx, Siebel (Oracle), SAP, Pivotal

Hybrid CRM


Description

CRM solutions that try to blend the advantages of hosted and on-premise.

Advantages

Tries to offer the advantages of both hosted and on-premise combined.

Disadvantages

Can be hard to implement all features.

Example Solution Providers

Most on-premise offer forms of hybrid solutions. Some hosted providers with offerings.
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Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Hosted CRM Solutions


Hosted or on-demand (or even SaaS) CRM refers to a solution where much or all of the functionality of a CRM solution is outsourced to a solution provider that is not located on the premises of the organization. Usually this simplifies implementation since additional hardware and even software is not required and the pricing structures are highly predictable since providers charge on a monthly basis. In addition, it frees the company to focus on its core business and on making effective use of the solution.
Third party research has shown that typically over 80 percent of companies that use a hosted CRM solution achieve a positive ROI. It is a particularly effective solution for smaller organizations where the costs of implementing on premise solutions can be too high a barrier to entry. However, hosted solutions do have drawbacks. The primary drawbacks are flexibility and customization. Hosted providers cannot truly integrate their solutions into existing operations, whereas on-premise CRM solutions can be tailored to the particular needs of an organization. Furthermore, on-premise solutions are easier to integrate into a company’s existing business processes and applications.


Hosted CRM Solutions


For small- to medium-size businesses, however, the price is right when it comes to hosted CRM tools. By paying per user per month, a company can gain access to a sophisticated application in a mere 30 days without having to burden its IT department or cut off its cash flow. And of particularly good news to growing companies is the fact that today’s on-demand CRM solutions are highly scalable and easy to upgrade.

Advantages 

Hosted CRM advantages

The advantages to a hosted CRM solution for a business are compelling. A predictable pricing structure makes it easy to calculate ROI and predict cost. Rapid deployment can have your team up and running in days if needed. Easy and automatic upgrades can take place without your IT staff's intervention. Flexible options and a wide range of add-on tools and capabilities are also available because of hosted CRM's success.
Other potential advantages can include lower operating costs, greater safety because of automatic off-site backup and a lower overall IT cost. However, these advantages can be matched in many cases by a good on premise solution.

Cost 

Hosted CRM cost

Hosted CRM solutions are usually priced in two parts. The first is a setup or overall fee that can be one time or monthly and can range from free to as high as $200 per month or several thousand dollars one-off. Much of that cost depends on the size of the installation. Then there is typically a per seat per month fee that can be as little as $15 per month to as much as $100 per month depending on the solution and options. For a small business of about ten to twenty seats, a typical cost would be a $200 setup and $40 per seat per month.

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On Premise CRM Solutions


On-premise CRM solutions involve either software or hardware and software in combination that are purchased outright and installed at the organization's location. Usually they are a software solution that runs on the organization's servers and that can be integrated with existing software to make a more customized solution.

The biggest single advantage for an on-premise CRM solution is that you own it. You own the software, you own the data, you control everything and if it is what you need then theoretically there is nothing else to purchase ever again. But, like with all software, there are licensing issues – and the most important ones are likely to do with support and upgrades. If you will need support, then you can expect to pay for it after an initial period – and it is likely to be costly.
But there are other reasons to go with an on premise solution. One is performance. With a hosted solution you are limited in control over implementation and are limited to the performance you provider can offer. That may not matter for some but if you want to be able to tune your performance and to offer things like virtualization where you might be able to scale dynamically and have much greater performance at certain times of day, for example, then an on premise solution is likely to work better.

On Premise CRM Solutions


Another reason could be regulatory – some organizations require complete and total control of data by federal or industry regulation. The most obvious example is the healthcare industry where patient data is strongly protected by HIPPA. While there are a few hosted solutions that can provide more expensive solutions to control data with proper audit trails, they are less certain, less flexible and could cost more.
Finally, on premise solutions offer the ability to integrate and customize more than even the most flexible hosted solution. If your CRM applications require extreme integration and customization, then an on premise solution may be your only choice.

Advantages 


On Premise CRM advantages


Many of the advantages of an on premise solution have been covered already. Since it is software that you bring in house and run on your own servers, you have full control. You can choose the level of installation, the amount of integration and customization and you control the software itself and the data on your own servers. This means that you can do more customization and integration, making for a potentially more effective solution. If you already use software from a suite provider of on premise solutions then the integration may already be done and be very tightly coupled.
However, you will have higher initial costs for purchase of software and hardware, higher installation costs and possibly higher maintenance costs. You may be slower to receive upgrades if you choose not to upgrade you core software as often (at an additional cost). And you are tied more tightly in to the solution you choose so your decision must be a good one.

Cost 

On Premise CRM cost

The initial cost of an on premise solution depends on the needed hardware and software. While there are technically 'free' open source solutions, they still require adequate hardware and integration so they are not truly free. A typical initial cost will be at least a couple of thousand dollars and could go as high as tens of thousands of dollars. On the other hand there are no additional costs later apart from maintenance – which is not inconsiderable but could work out as a cost benefit over time versus a hosted solution for a large enterprise.

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Have a look on CRM Market and History



CRM has its roots in customer and contact management software. In the 1980's, tools like Goldmine and ACT provided good resources for managing customer databases and customer contacts so that companies could call or email more effectively. But these tools were mostly used simply to gather existing customer information and incoming customer contacts and then treat the whole customer list as one.
In the 1990s, enterprises began to need to treat their customers in a more sophisticated manner and treat customer groups differently. Early CRM pioneers started to treat enterprise management software categories as serious business. SAP, PeopleSoft and Oracle had broad solutions that included CRM solutions as part of a package and Siebel started with CRM and then added to it. Interestingly Oracle has consolidated two of these companies into itself, making it one of the market leaders. SAP remains a strong overall solution but with CRM as one module within a larger offering, which is where Oracle has taken its consolidated offerings.
In addition there are many smaller companies specializing in CRM. In fact the original contact manager companies like Goldmine and ACT expanded their offerings to become true CRM. Goldmine is now part of the Front range suite and ACT is part of the Sage range of offerings.

Infographic: Lessons from the History of CRM

Lessons from the History of CRM


The biggest change in CRM, however, came about with the advent of SaaS in the 2000's. The biggest trend is the rise of SaaS or hosted solutions and the leading name there is Salesforce.com. Salesforce.com dominates the hosted CRM market and has taken a lead in making a hosted solution acceptable even to the largest enterprises. The second development is the rise of open source solutions that start with free offerings and range on up to paid and fully supported enterprise class solutions. The leader in this area is SugarCRM. Microsoft is also a player in the hosted and on premise arenas with its Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution.
This brings us to the present day where there are a wide range of CRM offerings that cover a gamut from small to large hosted solutions, on premise offerings and even free CRM solutions. For anyone wishing to purchase a CRM solution there is absolutely a good solution available, but sorting out the details and making the right choice can be very difficult.

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