The Future of CRM: Cloud Computing
A recent study by Goldman Sachs indicates that on-demand applications (also known as SaaS – “software as a service” – or cloud computing) might be the future of CRM. The report, “Techtonics: Unstoppable Shift to SaaS Continues,” revealed areas in which IT professionals are using on-demand applications. In the table below, applications heavily used by sales teams are in bold.
| Application Area | Â | Application Area | Â |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web conferencing | 66% | Business intelligence | 18% |
| Sales force automation | 64% | Security/compliance software | 18% |
| Accounting and billing | 49% | Call-center automation | 18% |
| 44% | Partner relationship management | 15% | |
| Collaboration | 43% | Enterprise resource planning | 13% |
| Web analytics | 41% | Performance and talent management | 12% |
| CRM | 38% | Learning-management systems | 10% |
| eRecruiting | 30% | Product life cycle management | 7% |
| Content management | 23% | Supply-chain management | 7% |
| Office-productivity software | 21% | Data warehousing | 5% |
| Human-capital management | 21% | Other | 10% |
The report also noted that most small and midsize firms have implemented a “SaaS first” policy; almost two-thirds of all companies (large enterprises included) always consider a SaaS option when shopping for software. Two-fifths of those decisions were in favor of SaaS solutions.
Nearly every application area saw gains in SaaS implemention. The only exceptions appear to be applications such as supply chain, which require in-house customization or detailed integration with legacy systems.
While on-premise CRM systems aren’t going anywhere, it looks as though the cloud-computing trend will eventually become a way of life for sales teams.
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