CRM Blog

What is SaaS CRM?

SaaS means Software-as-a-Service, and the trend in the market right now is clearly from the license model toward the SaaS hosting model. As this is not a traditional pricing model, this article aims at covering the key CRM pricing questions that you need to ask.

CRM Startup Costs

This is a nice area for vendors to cash in on. Certain vendors have charged over $50,000 to simply begin the online service.

Contract Extensions

Be sure to find out what the pricing model will look like when your current CRM SaaS contract expires. Certain vendors are well known for giving stunning price breaks on the initial 12-24 months – yet not extending that pricing. If you are promised a price extension, get it in writing before you move ahead.

Included Features

This is a difficult area to analyze. It can be helpful to create a grid in Excel and compare the various features that each CRM system is touting. Be detailed, so that you can make a true apples-to-apples comparison. Although it might seem that all CRM solutions have the same basic features, this is not really true from our experience. 

Future Features

Don’t just analyze the features you need now. Make sure your strategic staff has discussed and analyzed the direction of your company. And make sure to bring up these points with your CRM vendor.

ERP Integration

Although everyone says that integration is possible, make sure to really define what “integration” means. Is it a view into the tables? Or rather an import? Does it include workflow or automation?

Synchronization

Does the CRM allow for offline synchronization. i.e. Are my users able to work in the CRM system while on an airplane flight? What are the extra costs involved with offline CRM sync?

Does the CRM allow for mobile integration? What mobile solutions are able to sync with the CRM? iPhone? Blackberry? Android? Windows Mobile 7? What are the extra costs involved with this mobile integration?

Storage

One of the most hidden costs in any CRM implementation is Storage pricing.  Do yourself a favor and clarify the storage costs for (a) for the database size as well as (b) attachments. Secondly, find out if those prices are on  per database or rather a per user basis. This is particularly crucial when examining Salesforce.com.

Data Extraction/Migration

PWill it cost me anything to move my data away from this CRM system in the future. Certain CRM systems will not allow this for the introductory pricing package. Therefore, unless you first upgrade for a year (per user), you don’t have access to your data. Be careful, or this one may come back to haunt you.

Bonus 1: Free Excel CRM Price Calculator. This tool will compare On-Premise as well as Online CRM Pricing.

Click here to access and download our Free CRM TCO Price Calculator.

With this tool, you will be able to identify the key Pricing line items that are relevant for any CRM implementation. We have also included data for contrasting CRM software systems such as Microsoft CRM, Salesforce.com, SugarCRM, Sage CRM, Sage SalesLogix and more. You will be able to view the 3 Year and 5 Year Total Cost of Ownership for both SaaS (Online/On-Demand) and Licensed (On-premise) pricing models.

TCO line items include:

1. Implementation
2. Annual License/User price
3. Network
4. Support
5. Mobile
6. Hardware (incl. Server and Users)
7. Staffing
8. and much more.

Bonus 2: Free Excel Tool to Compare CRM Solutions

Click here to access and download our Free Excel CRM Comparison Tool.

With this tool, you will be able to identify the key similarilites and differences between 9 of the top CRM systems, including Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Sage SalesLogix, GoldMine, Sage ACT!, Pivotal and more.

Comparison Topics include:

1. Pricing (Licensing, etc..)
2. Key CRM Features
3. Industry/NAICS
4. Hardware and Network support (Microsoft, Linux, etc…)
5. Available Modules (e.g. SFA, Marketing, Service, etc)
6. Feature Details (Sync, Call Center, Quoting, E-commerce, Lead Management, Security, Workflow, and much more.

National CRM Consulting and Training

With locations throughout the United States, Accent Gold Solutions is able to provide CRM training, consulting and implementation service whereever you are. Please contact us to find out the best way to get your CRM project underway. Remember, step 1 is to figure out what your business requirements are, and step 2 is to select the proper CRM system for your individual needs.

Being certified in various CRM systems such as Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Sage SalesLogix CRM, Sage ACT!, SAP CRM and more, we are confident we can advise you as to the proper CRM software to fit your business.

Whether you are looking for a CRM implementation in Denver, Colorado or Des Moines, Iowa, we can get your CRM solution designed, implemented and trained so that your users will love it and use it. We define our success by your CRM adoption rate. So call us to get started!

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Pricing Webinars

Join us for our webinar series as we explore the points outlined below – and hope to provide you valuable insight about this top-rated CRM solution. We hope that our comparison with Salesforce.com will help you on in your CRM evaluation. We will be hosting this series every Wednesday at 11:00 am December – February.

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Few Differences between Hosted and Onsite CRM Systems

Although there remain a few differences between the hosted online and the on-premise versions of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, they are subtle.

The key differences that remain are as follows:

1. Deployment Time. Where the on-premise version requires hardware planning as well as the procurement and management of the installation and configuration, the online version can basically be “switched on”.
2. Less IT Involvement. Despite the system being installed elsewhere, the IT staff should still be required to take responsibility for administrative tasks such as database maintenance and backups. That said, be aware that because the CRM system is not installed on local hardware, it is easy to neglect the CRM system.
3. Integration. Although the entire suite of Microsoft products (Office, Outlook, Sharepoint) integrates excellently with both deployment models, it might be more difficult to integrate accounting or other ERP software products with Microsoft CRM. If such integration is required, Online CRM can still be deployed. But it might require working through a hosting partner rather than directly with Microsoft as the host.

At the end of the day, one of the great benefits of implementing Microsoft CRM 2011 is the ability to quickly and easily change deployment models.

Free Webinar on the Pros and Cons of SaaS vs On-Premise CRM for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011

Click here to access and view our Free Webinar on On-Premise vs Online versions of Microsoft CRM.

Free Excel Calculator to Compare Costs of Online vs On-Premise CRM

Click here to access and download our Free CRM TCO Calculator Tool.

With this tool, you will be able to identify the key cost line items that are relevant for any CRM implementation. We have also included data for comparing CRM software systems such as the online vs on-premise versions of Microsoft CRM, Salesforce.com, SugarCRM, Sage CRM, Sage SalesLogix and more. You will be able to view the 3 Year and 5 Year Cost for both SaaS (Online/On-Demand) and Licensed (On-premise) pricing models.

Cost line items include:

1. Implementation
2. Network
3. Annual License/User price
4. Mobile
5. Support
6. Hardware (incl. Server and Users)
7. Staff
8. and much more.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Informational Webinars

Join us for our webinar series as we explore the points below – and hope to provide you valuable insight about this excellent CRM solution. We hope that our comparison with Salesforce.com will help you on in your CRM evaluation.

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Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online combines everyday productivity applications with powerful CRM software accessed over the Internet

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a company-wide business strategy focused on improving interactions with customers. Organizations looking for technology to improve these customer experiences are often hampered by lengthy and costly implementations, inflexible software and poor user adoption. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online helps solve these challenges with powerful, easy-to-use CRM software delivered over the Internet to help organizations get up and running quickly and cost-effectively with the flexibility to meet the unique needs of any business.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online equips business professionals with online and offline access to customer information through a full suite of marketing, sales and service solutions within a familiar Microsoft® Office Outlook® interface to ensure rapid user adoption and fast results.

SALES: CLOSE CRM DEALS FAST

Enable salespeople to create a single view of the customer with tools that streamline and automate everyday sales processes promoting shorter sales cycles, higher close rates and improved customer retention. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online gives sales professionals fast access to customer data and history when connected to the Internet or while working offline so they can work smarter and spend more time selling. Wizard-driven communications tools help keep sales prospects and customers informed of new product and service offerings.

MARKETING: GENERATE DEMAND

Provide marketing professionals with intuitive data organization and segmentation tools, powerful campaign management features and insightful marketing analytics to increase the effectiveness of marketing programs, generate demand and better track key performance indicators. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online provides a comprehensive set of marketing capabilities so you can better understand customers and target your resources to the areas of highest return.

SERVICE: DELIVER RESPONSIVE SERVICE

Deliver customer information, case management, service history and support knowledge to the desktops of customer service personnel, giving them the tools to deliver consistent, efficient service that enhances customer loyalty and profitability. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online provides a comprehensive customer service solution that is familiar to users, and is completely customizable to match your support process.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online provides a host of additional features and capabilities that enable your organization to:

GET STARTED QUICKLY

Using your Microsoft Internet Explorer® Web browser, you can quickly create your online CRM solution and begin transforming your business right away without complicated technology server setup. Start using the marketing, sales and service capabilities in Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online immediately or utilize the intuitive configuration capabilities to quickly add or modify fields, forms, workflow and reports to tailor it to fit your business needs.

ACCESS YOUR CUSTOMER DATA

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online helps ensure that your customer data is available when and where it’s needed and in the necessary format—through the user interface, Web services interface or as an exported file.

DRIVE USER ADOPTION AND PRODUCTIVITY

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online works in a way that is familiar to your users. Whether accessed through a browser or from within Microsoft Office Outlook, users can work in an environment they already use and understand.

STREAMLINE BUSINESS PROCESSES

With Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, business users can quickly design workflows to standardize and streamline their business activities, automate repetitive tasks and enable the consistent execution of marketing, sales and service processes to ensure your best business practices work as they should.

REPORT WITH EASE

Turn customer data into actionable insight with wizard-based tools that enable end users to create sophisticated reports on their own. Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online gives people rapid, relevant access to reporting and data so they can make faster, better-informed decisions.

GROW WITH YOUR BUSINESS

Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online can fit the unique needs of any size business and can adapt and grow as your company grows without expensive upgrades to hardware.

CUSTOMIZE TO MEET YOUR NEEDS

Customize and extend your Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online solution through easy-to-use wizards and point-and-click customization tools. Connect your CRM data with existing business system data in real-time by leveraging native Web services.

WEBINAR: Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Online Evaluation

Click here to view our Free Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Evaluation Webinar.

Topics addressed include:

1. Salesforce.com vs Microsoft CRM
2. Pros and Cons of SaaS vs On-premise CRM
3. Crucial User Adoption Factors
4. Total Cost of Ownership of Microsoft CRM

Join us for our webinar series as we explore the points outlined above.

Free Pricing Tool: Compare Online and Onsite CRM Implementations

Click here to access and download our Free CRM Pricing Calculator Tool.

With this tool, you will be able to identify the key TCO line items that are relevant for any CRM implementation. We have also included data for comparing CRM software systems such as Microsoft CRM, Salesforce.com, SugarCRM, Sage CRM, Sage SalesLogix and more. You will be able to view the 3 Year and 5 Year Total Cost of Ownership for both SaaS (Online/On-Demand) and Licensed (On-premise) pricing models.

TCO line items include:

1. Mobile
2. Staffing
3. Implementation
4. Support
5. Hardware (incl. Server and Users)
6. Annual License/User price
7. Network
8. and much more.

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MS CRM 2011 On-Premise released!

Last week Microsoft officially released Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 for on-premise as well as their for their partner-hosted deployments. 

This new release scales up to over 100,000 users in a single instance. It complements the latest version of Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online, which delivers Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 as an on-demand service from Microsoft’s own data warehouses.  

Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 is available worldwide and provides customers as well as partners with point-and-click configurability, enterprise scalability, and integration with existing applications and databases.

Benefits of Microsoft CRM 2011 On-Premise

CRM 2011 provides users with numerouos benefits:

• familiar experiences through a next-generation native Microsoft Outlook client
• consistent experiences via designed process dialogs
• easily accessible reporting and  business intelligence for performance and goal management
• real-time drill-down user dashboards, providing information critical for sales, service and marketing professionals
• connected experiences through cloud development
• Windows Azure interoperability
• Microsoft SharePoint capabilities

Evaluation of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011

Click here to access and download our Free Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Analysis.

Topics addressed include:

1. Salesforce.com vs Microsoft CRM
2. Pros and Cons of SaaS vs On-premise CRM
3. Crucial User Adoption Factors
4. Total Cost of Ownership of Microsoft CRM

BONUS: Free TCO Calculator for CRM Projects

Click here to access and download our Free CRM TCO Calculator Tool.

With this tool, you will be able to identify the key TCO line items that are relevant for any CRM implementation. We have also included data for comparing CRM software systems such as Microsoft CRM, Salesforce.com, SugarCRM, Sage CRM, Sage SalesLogix and more. You will be able to view the 3 Year and 5 Year Total Cost of Ownership for both SaaS (Online/On-Demand) and Licensed (On-premise) pricing models.

TCO line items include:

1. Annual License/User price
2. Support
3. Hardware (incl. Server and Users)
4. Implementation
5. Staff
6. Network
7. Mobile
8. and much more.

BONUS: Free Excel Tool to Compare CRM Systems

Click here to access and download our Free Excel CRM Comparison Tool.

With this tool, you will be able to identify the key similarilites and differences between 9 of the top CRM systems, including Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Sage SalesLogix, GoldMine, Sage ACT!, Pivotal and more.

Comparison Topics include:

1. Key CRM Features
2. Pricing (Licensing, etc..)
3. Available Modules (e.g. SFA, Marketing, Service, etc)
4. Feature Details (Sync, Call Center, Quoting, E-commerce, Lead Management, Security, Workflow, and much more.
5. Hardware and Network support (Microsoft, Linux, etc…)
6. Industry/NAICS

BONUS: Free Microsoft CRM 2011 Webinars

Join us for our webinar series as we explore the points outlined below – and hope to provide you valuable insight about this top-rated CRM solution. We hope that our comparison with Salesforce.com will help you on in your CRM evaluation.

Search terms for Compare CRM:

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OnDemand CRM: Is a monthly SaaS contract worth it?

This is probably the biggest question right now for companies considering an OnDemand CRM implementation. Most companies have great experience with On-Premise and are wary of Online due to the monthly CRM OnDemand contract. So we’ve listed a few factors for you to consider in your CRM deployment decision.

How do I know if On-Premise CRM is for me?

1. You are averse to a monthly CRM OnDemand fee. Or for some reason, you might not be able to write the monthly cost off as an investment.

2. You require bidirectional data integration with an internal accounting or ERP system that is not compatible with the OnDemand CRM system.

3. You already have an IT infrastructure and staff that can handle the OnSite CRM  implementation.

How do I know if OnDemand CRM is for me?

1. You don’t have your own IT staff who can manage an installed CRM.

2. Your IT staff does not have the capacity to take on this new administrative task. Thus you can take advantage of a simplified CRM OnDemand login.

3. You need a quick CRM OnDemand deployment and rollout. If you need to be up and running quickly, then online is probably the way to go. You can always go back to on-premise at a future time.

4. Only a few users need to have an offline, sync database.

5. You prefer a monthly OnDemand CRM fee to a one time license purchase.

6. You are averse to updating your hardware more often than normally required for typical office software such as Outlook, Office and Internet Explorer.

7. You prefer regular updates pushing out – rather than having your IT staff “touching” each computer in regular intervals to update the CRM On-Premise system.

CRM OnDemand Free Webinar: Pros and Cons of SaaS vs On-Premise (MS CRM 2011)

Join us for our webinar series as we explore the values of the OnDemand CRM vs on-site deployment models of Microsoft CRM. We hope that this comparison will help you on in your CRM evaluation.

Siebel CRM OnDemand Login

Microsoft is not the only company going strongly in this direction. Oracle has a strong enterprise offering in the OnDemand CRM arena: Siebel CRM OnDemand.

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