Saturday, March 21, 2009

The Bottom Line on CRM Software Prices

By Mark Cooper

Many customer relationship management software programs are available for companies to use to keep track of customers, their needs and purchase history, and other specialized requirements related to your business. But, is now the time to be buying this software for your business with the economic turmoil?

Before you decide on what software to purchase, know that the prices can vary from hundreds of dollars into the tens of thousands of dollars depending upon the size of your company and features that you want. Most CRM software companies will provide you with a demonstration or access to a free product review. This will help you understand what features the software offers, how it works, and if it will really help your organization. You can also find web based CRM software solutions that might make sense if you have several office locations that you need to coordinate.

With so many different companies competing for your dollars, maybe considering webbased CRM software packages is a good idea for your small business. There is no extra software required and access is easily gained by your staff.

This is a good deal considering that it comes with so much features. Their general features include up to 500MB of storage, customer service and support, offline and wireless support, a set of workflow components such as email alerts, automated lead processing and customer approval processes. It also carries databases for storage of client account information, activity management which involves calendar listing of events, tasks, etc, product catalogues, market trends, forecasting, sales records and asset management. Customer service reports are also made available for the different plans.

Including case and email management, call center support and integration, self service potential for your own website and autoresponder emails, the online CRM software makes sense. Data management and storage amounts will vary depending upon what company you use. However, most will consider storage of essential records part of the package.

When it comes to security, most online CRM software packages are top notch. With firewalls and login restrictions that you control in place, no one can get in to certain documents or database records easily. With so many other features such as reports, contract management and integration with other products, you will certainly get your moneys worth with either a standard CRM software package or webbased CRM software solution. - 15246

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