Many small businesses are now switched on to the benefits of looking after their customers using a CRM tool – but sadly many are also disappointed. Why? What is it about the system thathas not delivered what they had anticipated? Often it’s because the business did not have a clear idea of how that tool was going to be used over time as things get more complex. We don’t always anticipate what the future holds! But by then we’re tied into an application that doesn’t fit.

However, businesses are now waking up to the fact that a well-deployed CRM system actually links into the complete business process – giving a better total picture. That means first classcustomer service which allows all kinds of flexibility like changes to product development based on customer feedback. When businesses tailor their processes to the application they get the most out of their CRM system.

The advent of cloud technology means small businesses are free to make new investments in CRM systems which might not have been possible before due to cost – no need to be once bitten twice shy!

And if you still need convincing – here are some benefits from investing in cloud CRM over on-premise systems:

1. Pay monthly subscription fee vs one off fixed licence fee – licence can be turned off if its not delivering
2. No new hardware required to deploy the solution
3. All back-up, security etc is undertaken by the supplier
4. Quite often there is no need for an IT manager to manage the solution
5. Upgrades are more seamless

These benefits mean businesses can concentrate on what they do best – growing.

What’s more – cloud CRM is typically quicker and more agile to implement.

The add-ons are fantastic too, like mobile applications that enable access to the system 24/7. Imagine your sales people on the road having up-to-date information on a client before attending a meeting? That means more time to focus on the client relationship.

Rebecca Wetteman, Vice President of Nucleus Research says “Mobile access to CRM has increased productivity by 14.6 per cent on average, making mobile access a must have for new deployments”.

Based on a survey of 223 CRM decisions-makers Nucleus Research found the return on investment (ROI) of Cloud CRM was 1.7 times the ROI of traditional on-premise deployments.

So businesses can make changes over time as their processes change – that is the real benefit of cloud based CRM.