CRM Made Simple
New Software To Supercharge Your Sales.
Published January 2007
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BUY A REPRINTFew pieces of tech jargon are as unwieldy as CRM--customer relationship management. But what CRM systems do is actually quite simple. A CRM system is like an electronic Rolodex souped up so that every entry yields not only a phone number but your entire business history with that customer. The systems also can scan data to spot trends, enabling you to refine your sales, marketing, and customer service efforts. Such systems traditionally have been expensive and complicated, challenging the skills of even the smartest techies. But that's changing. Forrester Research (NASDAQ:FORR) projects that in 2007, companies with fewer than 100 employees will account for more than a third of the CRM market. In other words, systems are no longer a luxury; increasingly, you need one if you're going to compete. Here's what the major vendors are offering.
Best for… Getting it all in one place
NetSuite
What it is: NetSuite provides a collection of software tools to manage nearly everything a business does, from accounting and payroll to e-commerce and publishing. CRM is one of the firm's signature offerings. Those tools, which handle sales, marketing, and customer support, can be purchased separately from, say, accounting tools. But the company's strong suit is the breadth of its software operations and its ability to integrate all of those functions into a single system.
What's cool: NetSuite is best known for its easy-to-use dashboard interface. Its CRM features make it easy for marketers to monitor and fine-tune their search-engine marketing efforts with a tool that tracks keywords and leads, from click to sale. A new feature called SuiteFlex allows people to tailor the software to specific industries, like retailing or maintenance. NetSuite Small Business is geared specifically toward companies with 20 or fewer employees.
Drawbacks: NetSuite's free e-mail support can take up to a week to respond to questions, so you may need to pay for a support plan.
Price: $499 per month, plus $99 per user per month
Best for… Easing the learning curve
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 3.0
What it is: The software giant's product for sales, support, and marketing. It's a licensed product that you install on your own servers rather than access on the Web.
What's cool: Dynamics CRM appears as a folder in Outlook, and for many users it will seem like it's another part of Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) Office. That means staffers will need less training--often the bane of CRM implementation. The system is especially good at managing contacts and creating account information.
Drawbacks: Microsoft is new to CRM and is still working to catch up to its rivals. For instance, there is not yet a sales-commission management tool.
Price: The Small Business Edition, designed for companies with fewer than 50 employees, runs $440 to $499 per user and $528 to $599 per server. The Professional edition costs $622 to $880 per user and $1,244 to $1,761 per server. Both versions include a year of support and maintenance.
Best for… Revving up the sales team
Salesforce.com
What it is: Salesforce.com is the original hosted CRM tool. Over the years, it has expanded from sales force automation to handle customer service, marketing, analytics, and more.
What's cool: It's flexible. The software's latest version lets you customize the way data appears on your screen. Another new feature lets you slide your mouse over a contact name and bring up a pop-up screen filled with data such as current deals in process and service call status. The company also has established the AppExchange, a directory of more than 400 applications that integrate with and extend the capabilities of Salesforce.com (as well as other applications).
Drawbacks: Salesforce.com remains best at what its name implies: managing sales. It's not as good at things like customer support and marketing.
Price: The Team Edition (maximum of five users) starts at $995 a year. The Unlimited Edition starts at $195 per user per month.
