Online CRM for Small Business has enhanced the working scenarios at Small Companies to a great extent.
Sales Force Automation was a major challenge before some decades that is successfully handled by our techno-giants. The entire business community was longing for a system that could control and monitor the track of sales and marketing activities.
Things were getting tougher for an executive or an entrepreneur to manually handle the entire sales process and organizational activities. Moreover, the interaction with the clients was worsened and highly unorganized. The answer to all those worries came in the form of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software. Sales Force Automation Software basically is another name for Customer Relationship Management Software. Its prime motto is to streamline interaction of organization executives with their customers. The primitive form of Sales Force Automation Software was just for maintaining contacts. But rapid advancement of technology and rigorous endeavors from the technocrats has made it capable of overpowering the entire sales stage.
The next phase of CRM Software we are looking forward today is Online CRM Software. Online CRM Software was the result of the millennium’s biggest technical boom-Internet and Web Applications. Online CRM Software encompasses cloud computing technology to perform the sales force automation. From Cloud Computing, we basically mean data to be stored in servers that are remotely located and are connected through network. Cloud Computing uses the SaaS module to provide this technology. SaaS stands for Software-As-A-Service. That means, the software needs not to be installed at the client’s computer. It is hosted from a remote server and its complete package can be accessed from there itself.
Online CRM Software has sorted out most of the problems faced by the entrepreneurs handling small to big organizations, including start-ups. The easy & cost effective CRM’s usability, portability and anywhere operable flexibility have proved its worth over the previously launched hosted application. Some benefits of Online CRM Software over the premise hosted software are
NO Software required:
Premise hosted need to be installed to a computer. Thus it gets system specific. You can’t avail the software once you change the software. Online CRM Software can be used anywhere and at any time; you can access the software any time you required.
No Capital Investment:
Online CRM Software’s are cost effective. Whereas premise hosted software are much costlier than that. Here, you pay as you use, and can start with a very low investment with only few users.
No IT Infrastructure Cost:
There is a lot of extra IT infrastructure needed to successfully run premise hosted application. Whereas online application provide all kinds of functional service on a remote access basis.
More Secure IT Environment:
The entire data load in case of premise hosted is upon your system. So, any time, there are chances of data crash and hardware failure. While in case of cloud computing, entire data load is upon the server. So your system is always safe from the impending dangers.
Choosing the Right Online CRM
When selecting an Online CRM system, small businesses should consider factors such as:
- Ease of Use: The system should be intuitive and easy to learn for users with varying levels of technical expertise.
- Features: The CRM should offer essential features like contact management, lead tracking, sales pipeline management, and reporting.
- Integration Capabilities: The system should integrate seamlessly with other business applications like email, calendars, and accounting software.
- Cost: Consider the pricing model (subscription-based, usage-based) and total cost of ownership, including implementation and ongoing support.
