CRM seems to be a good place to be, at least on first glance.
Every business needs it, few have got something that really works, it’s a natural application for cloud computing and it doesn’t cost the earth to build.
That’s why CRM is one of the hottest topics, and why small software businesses are pouring in to it.
To put the application in perspective there are more than 35 million small businesses in the English speaking world, and more than 5 million starting up every year.
The problem for everybody is the typical e.g. salesforce model just doesn’t work for the majority, but when most developers build, that’s the model they follow.
This is a big mistake. Any software that attracts a “For Dummies” book will be too proscriptive for the majority of the market. It offers a way of doing things, but that way doesn’t fit with what the majority needs. They target simplicity (as opposed to the complexity of salesforce) but miss the point.
The real barrier to most businesses using a traditional model of CRM isn’t complexity, it’s capability. Will they be able to use it the way they work, or will it just get in the way?
What they really need is straightforward, generic business process to help them manage their “first call to cash” process.
They don’t need the bells and whistles designed for major corporates. They do need something to help them understand relationships, plan opportunities, schedule actions and assign tasks.
For these people the lack of “features” is a benefit, as long as the underlying workflow and data management lets them do it “their way”.
Less CRM and more generic process enables more people to add value to their business, for less cost.
Related articles by Zemanta
- Reports: Oracle planning more online software (news.cnet.com)
- SDC Will Strengthen Google’s Position In The Enterprise Cloud (techcrunchit.com)
- Gartner predicts silver lining for cloud computing (vnunet.com)
![Reblog this post [with Zemanta]](http://img.zemanta.com/reblog_e.png?x-id=000bc151-6526-4dfc-9523-abe7a4955b68)
You must log in to post a comment.
{ 2 trackbacks }