subject: The Different Types Of Crm Available For Your Business [print this page] Have you ever heard of CRM? Well, this is Customer Relationship Management software that can be used in businesses to enhance the relationship that exists between the business and its customers. The main reason why CRM was introduced was due to the fact that it offers an opportunity for businesses to find their way out into the hearts of their customers. Customers are not easy to please; today they would demand for this and tomorrow they would ask something else. A successful business knows when to deliver certain products to a certain group of customers. This is where CRM helps the successful businesses.
There are different types of CRM that you can choose to install in your business; based on their platform they are hosted or web based.
Hosted solution
This is the type of CRM where it is installed on the computers that we have in our organizations. The main reason why it is preferred is the fact that you will have full control of the software once you have installed it in your system. In this option, you will have to install software on the computers that you use in your businesses.
The hosted CRM is normally used by small businesses because it has several advantages:
It is affordable
It is easy to install
It has a fast implementation
Web based solution
The web based CRM is the latest CRM that was introduced to the market thanks to the internet. This system is somewhat similar to the latter but the main difference is that with this CRM, you access everything via the internet. This means that you would not have to install any software on your computers. Servers/hosting services would have to be rented from a third party elsewhere. Hence, firms also have to choose the vendors that they would be dealing with wisely. The good vendors in the market are those that would provide you with services without causing you any form of inconvenience in terms of dealing with your clients.
Why should you choose the web-based CRM?
The web-based CRM is considered by many to be the best solution that you can use in your business. This is mainly due to the fact that it came after the hosted solution. The other reasons can be attributed to the advantages of this solution which are:
Fast access to online services
Better customer service
Easy marketing techniques
Choosing between hosted and web-based CRM
The choice of whether to use the online solution or the hosted CRM rests on the business owner. You should know your business in detail to be able to make this decision. If you are running a big business with numerous operations then it wise that you settled for web-based due to the fact that it will help in automating some activities. A small business can be a good reason to choose the hosted solution. But you should plan upgrading to the web-based option if it turns out you need to.
