| By :
Troy Netreba
Last month my fridge broke down and it got me thinking about the CRM software industry. While scoping out different fridge models I found my wife was very suspicious of the new brands. Whether it was companies fresh on the market or more established brands (like Samsung) that had just started manufacturing refrigerators, she said 'you just can't rely upon them'. As a result we stretched our budget a bit to purchase a Westinghouse, because they've been making fridges forever… that makes them better right? Well I still believe we made the right decision on the fridge. But with CRM software the opposite principle applies. Older isn't better when you're looking for CRM software. In fact when you go older in the CRM industry you find inferior software, increased costs and less reliability. Over the past 18 months or so a new generation of CRM providers has entered the market. By working on new frameworks they have been able to create CRM software that is easy, fast and comprehensive. These new CRM programs also have an unprecedented level of customization in built. And finally by creating agile web based solutions these CRM software packages meet our modern business lifestyle by being easily accessible from multiple computers, Smartphone's and even tablet technology. But you might be asking why aren't some of the older more established (or trusted?) providers adopting this new technology? In short, most of them can't. The framework behind their software just can't accommodate rapid change, high speed and large updates. Imagine you have an old 1800's era ship. You can do small upgrades, add an engine but it will never ever be a super yacht. All the small upgrades you make will take time, cost a lot of money and in the end you will still never be able to compete with the newer vessels. It may be quaint but no-one in their right mind would build a business on racing such an old piece of machinery. This is what the old CRM software frameworks are like, any changes take a huge commitment in time and budget. Then all these expenses are passed on to the consumer. Older technology usually carries a lower price tag. But in the CRM software industry the old providers charge the highest prices. This is because they are not as agile as CRM providers operating on cutting edge frameworks. For example the typical price for an established Web Based CRM system (from one of the old school CRM companies) is $100 per user, per month. If your company has 5 or more employees you'd be looking at a minimum spend of $500 per month (or $6,000 per annum). Notice I say 'minimum spend' because the big CRM brands charge extra for training and all customization. Compare this against your average new generation CRM software provider who will give you access for up to 5 concurrent users for under $90 per month, meaning your yearly spend is only $1,080. And most new generation CRM providers include training videos and self customization modules at no extra charge. The new CRM systems also include a lot of extra functionality. For example many of the old systems stuck to CRM and CRM functionality only. While newer systems incorporate document management, task management, billing, accounting and inventory all in the one place. This means that you can have all the parts of your business linked up in the same system starting from $90 per month. So while older is better in many industries in the CRM world it is the new providers who offer the best software and the best value for money.
|
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.articlesbacklink.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
