CRM Cloud Computing a Smart Choice for Small to Mid-Size Businesses

Posted by Commence on December 8, 2011 under CEO Corner | 2 Comments to Read

Hiring an on-site computer technician can be costly

The current economic uncertainty has forced many small to mid-size businesses to seek ways to reduce their operational cost. Many have downsized their operations and have had to reduce their staff.  One of the areas hardest hit is the IT department. Companies that once had technology people on staff no longer do and the local computer guy that could help out in a pinch is no longer in business.  These companies now find themselves working with dated computer hardware and software and nowhere to turn if problems occur.

Cloud computing seems to be just what the doctor ordered if you can come to grips with the fact that someone else will be managing and maintaining your data outside your facility.  CRM software programs that run in the cloud are web based, which means they operate over the Internet.  There are no specific hardware requirements and no software to install.  This alleviates the need to hire costly technicians or outside consultants.  The cloud has many other benefits as well. Typically, software updates are included in the monthly or annual service fee which ensures that you are always working with the latest supportable version of the vendor’s software.  The data center and hardware used by top tier hosting providers is also best in class and traditionally offers back-up and data recovery services that are far superior to anything the customer may have had on-site.  In addition, the systems are managed 24/7 by well-trained engineers.

One of the companies that is helping companies transition to the world of cloud computing and cloud based software is Commence Corporation, a provider of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software .  Commence, best known for their client server based desktop software, now offers CRM for the cloud and is helping both existing and new customers take advantage of the new cloud computing environment. To learn more about Commence CRM for the cloud, visit http://www.commence.com/crm/platform/

Image by Manchester Library, on Flickr available under a Creative Commons license

The Cloud is a Good Omen for Businesses

Posted by Commence on September 20, 2011 under CEO Corner | 2 Comments to Read

The folks at Commence CRM send a warm welcome to guest blogger James Kim of ChooseWhat.com as he discusses the pros and cons of cloud computing.

By James Kim

We are witnessing an increasing number of companies developing and implementing programs that work within “the cloud.” Because of this, services like word processors, data storage, online fax and CRM software are becoming hot online commodities. Below are some advantages and disadvantages of using cloud technology for business.

So, what is this illustrious cloud? You are already using cloud technology if you are utilizing web-based resources. Put simply, the cloud functions by means of a web browser. This is in contrast with client-server based computing, which requires users to download applications onto their individual computers.

The advantages of harnessing the cloud’s power are many and compelling:

-A greater number of clients are permitted to instantly use software and programs from diverse locations. This makes “increased equipment utilization” possible.

-Users are able to modify servers based on individual needs, cutting back on expensive energy features. This can happen because of the flexibility of the cloud.

-Also beneficial is the scalability of the cloud. As your business expands, you can increase server space with ease.

-Cost advantages are one of the most compelling reasons for businesses to switch to cloud computing. A report by WSP Environment & Energy asserts that when companies switch to cloud computing, emissions per transaction are decreased by approximately 95%.

As the cloud gains notoriety among technologically savvy groups, it has received some negative feedback from critics. In spite of its numerous advantages, utilizing the cloud might have a few possible cons:

-A few people believe that the immediate costs supposedly eliminated by cloud computing do not simply disappear in every scenario. Using the cloud requires a staff to keep track of databases, respond to helpline inquiries, and oversee applications. It should be kept in mind, though, that these potential difficulties are dependant on the number of employees at your business and the extent that you implement cloud computing into your operations. If you decide to utilize the cloud, you should make sure to determine exactly how much time and manpower you would like to devote to your projects related to cloud technology.

-Occasionally, outages are unavoidable. A prime example of this is the well-known fall of Amazon Web Services. A proven strategy to reduce the risk of losing important information is to take advantage of the services offered by several cloud providers. You should also back up information by inserting redundancies into applications.

Although there are a few potential pitfalls when it comes to cloud computing, businesses should still embrace this technology and stay ahead of the curve. The cloud is an exceptional vehicle for companies to provide online services to clients, expand their online presence, and cut costs.

About the Author:

ChooseWhat.com guides you through every step of the startup process, saves you time & money, and gives you the tools needed for your small business to succeed. Visit their blog or follow them on twitter.

Commence CRM Well Positioned for Continued Growth

Posted by Commence on August 5, 2011 under CEO Corner | Be the First to Comment

Companies seeking Customer Relationship Management software solutions (CRM) traditionally focus their attention on industry giants Microsoft and Salesforce.com, but if there is a true David vs. Goliath story in this industry it’s lesser known Commence Corporation.

For the past two decades Commence has been quietly providing high quality customer management software and services to customers around the world and boasts one of the highest customer satisfaction rates in the industry.  Commence’s origin comes from a team of Bell Laboratory engineers who founded the company and engineered one of the most flexible and reliable desktop CRM solutions in the world.  Better known for its engineering savvy vs. sales and marketing, Commence’s desktop solution was sold under a private label agreement with several enterprise giants like IBM, AT&T and Compaq computer.  These relationships enabled Commence to better understand customer requirements and design software solutions that were easy to implement and easy to use.

Today, the company’s CRM offering has evolved into a robust suite of applications for sales, marketing, project management and customer service and is one of the few CRM systems that may be deployed on premise or hosted via the cloud.  Under the direction of industry veteran Larry Caretsky, the company is expanding its sales and marketing organization throughout North America and Europe and is enjoying a great deal of success against the competition.

“Commence is simply easier to use, less expensive and offers the flexibility you don’t find with enterprise level solutions.”

Larry Caretsky
CEO, Commence Corporation

“This industry is full of hype” says Caretsky, “bolstered by the deep pockets of companies like Microsoft and Salesforce.com who continue to market the ‘one size fits all’ approach to CRM. This simply is not the case. If you are an enterprise organization that requires several thousand users and 10 different languages then these products make sense.  If you’re a traditional mid-size company or small enterprise however, Commence is simply easier to use, less expensive and offers the flexibility you don’t find with enterprise level solutions.”

Commence CRM offers several unique features that businesses have found extremely valuable. First, there is the account scoring capability that enables companies to color-code their customers based on the value they provide to their business such as, the revenue generated, profitability, cost to provide services and future growth potential as examples.  This scoring feature is also incorporated in the lead management module which helps the sales team qualify each new lead based on pre-defined criteria. Integration to Microsoft Outlook, Gmail and accounting systems like QuickBooks as well as full mobile integration is all part of Commence CRM.  In addition to these unique features Commence also offers a world class cloud CRM service via a strategic relationship with Rackspace, one of the top application service providers in the industry.  Added together, it’s no wonder that Commence is a top rated CRM solution for growing businesses.

To learn more about Commence CRM visit the company’s web site at www.commence.com or call Commence sales at 1-877- 266-6362.

Cloud CRM Vendors – Not For Beginners

Posted by Commence on July 1, 2011 under CEO Corner | Read the First Comment

The hype about cloud computing is all around us from television commercials, to businesses to college campuses and for good reason. Cloud computing has shown to provide exceptional value to businesses both large and small enabling them to scale their business and computer resources quickly with minimal upfront investment. In the Customer Relationship Management software (CRM) sector, CRM software providers are including “cloud computing” in their marketing materials and product presentations, but there are some false claims about some of the vendor’s cloud environments and multi-tenant architectures. This is because cloud computing is evolving and there is little consistency with regard to its definition or its meaning among consumers.

Cloud computing is all about providing shared configurable computer resources such as servers, applications, storage and other computer related services. Similar to application software hosting, cloud computing is a service, but with several very important differences. Cloud computing enables a customer to scale their computing requirements upward and downward often without vendor intervention, share virtual resources in a multi-tenant environment, access data anytime and anywhere via a PC, tablet or mobile device and pay only for the computer processing and resources utilized. Unlike a hosting service tied to a specific server or servers, with cloud computing the access to computer resources can in effect be limitless.

Providing application software that performs properly in a cloud computing environment is not for the faint hearted. It starts with the selection of a world class cloud computing service, offered by several companies including RackSpace and Amazon.com as examples. This is coupled with CRM software that has been designed for a multi-tenant architecture and can perform well under high transaction volumes. Many CRM vendors have struggled with delivering reliable and scalable software solutions in a hosted environment and simply do not have the experience to migrate their solutions to the cloud. As a result many customers have experienced poor performance and downtime. The way to avoid this is to select an established proven CRM software provider that has the experience and track record for delivering their customer management software in the cloud.

Companies like Commence Corporation have been delivering software as a service or (SaaS) based solutions for several years. Commence began as a hosting service and has evolved into a true cloud based computing offering that offers the scalability, resource pooling, reliability and performance you would expect from a top rated CRM software provider.

For more information about Commence CRM and the Commence cloud services, call one of our experts at 1-877-266-6362 or visit the company’s web site at www.commence.com.

Image Credit: by Bpgriner at en.wikipedia source Wikimedia Creative Commons

Commence CRM and Sugar CRM

Posted by Commence on May 24, 2011 under CEO Corner | 2 Comments to Read

A Brief Comparison of Two Middle Market CRM Providers

Mid-size businesses and small enterprises looking for a CRM solution typically focus their energy on a few specific CRM software providers.  Two of the companies battling for a slice of this middle market are Commence CRM and Sugar CRM.  Both are considered high quality alternatives to the more expensive and complex Salesforce.com program, but there are several differences between the two.  This brief report highlights some of the differences that consumers may be interested in.

Functionality: Both Commence CRM and Sugar are comprehensive offerings that rival enterprise level solutions such as Oracle and SAP.  In addition to contact and account management, calendaring and activity management, both solutions support sales force automation, lead management, marketing campaign management, customer support, e-mail integration, document management, mobile integration, reporting and analytics.  Integration with third party accounting solutions is also offered by both providers. Both products offer robust functionality and it is unlikely you will require features that are not offered by either CRM vendor.  Commence also offers an integrated project management solution which is attractive for companies that require this functionality.

Advantage:  Commence CRM if project management is required.

Customization: Both CRM solutions are customizable. Sugar CRM was originally released as a free open source CRM program, but is now sold under an annual subscription license.  The product is written using the PHP language which is not highly regarded as an enterprise level language and while the product can be highly customized it does require PHP knowledge for most customizations. Commence CRM is designed using Java, an industry standard for scalability and high speed performance.  Commence has incorporated a lot of flexibility within the user interface which enables the system administrator to tailor the applications without programming knowledge.  More sophisticated customization however would require Java expertise.

Advantage:  Commence CRM due to industry standard Java programming language.

Deployment: Both Commence CRM and Sugar CRM are online web based CRM solutions that may be deployed on premise or via a cloud computing environment.  Both offer a tremendous advantage over Salesforce.com who does not offer on-premise deployment.

Advantage:  Sugar CRM. Commence limits on-premise deployment to larger organizations.

Hosting & Data Security: Commence CRM has a strategic partnership with Rackspace, the industry’s number one rated hosting facility which has datacenters in the United States, Europe and Asia.   Rackspace provides the highest level cloud computing environment in the industry.  Sugar CRM can be hosted by the client or any third party hosting provider.  This may be of concern to customers looking for continuity with regard to new product releases and high quality support services.

Advantage:  Commence CRM. Rackspace is a recognized cloud computing leader.

Customer Support: Sugar CRM offers several customer service plans. They are separately priced from the product’s annual service fees.  Commence bundles in telephone support into the annual service fee.  Support is provided directly from the company’s headquarters in the United States.

Advantage:  Commence CRM. Telephone support included in annual service fees.

Price: Both products are attractively priced as compared to rival Salesforce.com and offer good value.   Sugar offers two editions: Sugar professional at $360 annually per user and Sugar Enterprise for $600 per user per year.  Commence CRM offers a bit more flexibility with regard to the selection of functionality and price, and lets you build your own CRM system by selecting the functionality you require at a price that meets your budget. Prices start at $220 per user annually and go up to $780 annually per user.

Advantage:  Commence CRM, due to flexible applications selection and pricing.

Image Credit: Sugar cubes by Original uploader was Creet at en.wikipedia – originally by Uwe Hermann source Wikimedia license CC Free photos from acobox.com

Are You Paying Too Much For SalesForce.com?

Posted by Commence on January 28, 2011 under CEO Corner | 6 Comments to Read

Just over a decade ago Salesforce.com introduced Customer Relationship Management software (CRM), delivered over the Internet as a SaaS CRM service. Being the first to market provided them with the advantage of establishing a high price point for their offering and many companies seemed all too willing to pay for it, until now. What has changed over the past ten years is that there are now dozens of alternatives to Salesforce.com and several high quality trusted companies that offer similar functionality at a significantly lower cost.

Commence Corporation is one of these companies.  Commence has a rich history and has been providing on-premise CRM software to small enterprises and mid-size companies for more than two decades. In fact, Commence was the original developer of IBM Current, a desktop contact manager, and SuperSELL, IBM’s sales force automation offering. As such, Commence is no stranger to the CRM sector.  A few years ago the company expanded its product line by migrating its award winning desktop CRM software to the cloud.  Commence is one of the only companies that offers its customers the “freedom of choice” to deploy the software via the cloud or on premise.

Why Commence Makes Sense

One of the key CRM selection criteria that are driving customers to Commence CRM is that the company does not force you into a “pre-defined” box. Salesforce.com forces customers like you to select a specific product edition that locks you into a set of pre-defined features or limits the number of users you may have based on the price you paid. In fact, Commence does not have any restrictions of any kind.  The product is modular in design which means you can select the functionality you require today and add additional modules or users at any time without incurring a substantial price increase, just because you switched to a different “pre-defined” box or edition, or added additional people.

If you took a survey of companies that have selected CRM software, you will discover that many of them fell into the feature trap, where they ended up paying for more functionality than they end up using. This is because the vendor has forced them into buying a product edition with pre-set functionality as mentioned above.  This just doesn’t make sense.  To make matters worse, the majority of these companies are utilizing functionality that is standard in most quality CRM solutions like Commence, such as account and contact management, activity management, sales management, lead management, and Outlook and email integration.  Add those that also use it for marketing campaigns or mobile access and you have covered the lion share of the market.  Commence offers all of the above along with a help desk or customer support module, a document library, a project management application and integration with accounting systems like QuickBooks.

The point is this:  Trusted CRM providers like Commence have leveled the playing field and can provide similar functionality to products like Salesforce.com at a fraction of the cost.  If you’re an organization that requires a lot of users, the cost savings with Commence can be substantial.  If you are considering a CRM solution, take a few moments to evaluate Commence CRM. To learn more about Commence visit the company’s web site at www.commence.com or ask for a free CRM trial and experience Commence CRM for yourself.

Commence Announces New Product Release with Year End Celebration

Posted by Commence on December 30, 2010 under Commence News | Be the First to Comment

Tinton Falls, N.J. December 30, 2010 — Commence Corporation a leading provider of Customer Relationship Management software for the mid-market is doing a bit of celebrating to end the 2010 fiscal year.  The company has recorded a record number of new customers and just completed the release of a new version of their cloud based CRM product that incorporates a Project Management application and a Customer Service portal.

“The new applications add significant value for our customers” said Larry Caretsky, President of Commence Corporation “ and continue to differentiate Commence in a very crowded market.  The Project Management solution is designed to enable project managers to properly assign resources, manage project delivery dates, stay within budget and address issues before they become a significant concern and impact deliverables. The integration of this information with all other CRM data provides authorized personnel with complete access to full account, contact and project information.”

“The Customer Service Portal is all about enabling our customers to provide customer self service to their customers by allowing customers to update their profile, check the status of a service ticket or access the company’s knowledgebase for information anytime and anywhere.   This capability significantly enhances the quality of service Commence customers can offer to their customers and should give them a leg up on their competition”.

The company concluded the year with a company luncheon that included several international dishes followed by a highly competitive miniature golf tournament inside the company’s corporate headquarters in New Jersey.  “We don’t have the luxury of going outside this time of the year” says Caretsky, “so we had the course set up inside our offices.  We also offered prize money for first, second and third place which made the tournament highly competitive.”

About Commence:

Founded in 1988, Commence develops and delivers a diverse suite of award-winning CRM solutions that integrate people, processes and technology.  Delivered via the popular software as a service (SaaS) model or implemented as on premise software, Commence CRM solutions are used by thousands of businesses to streamline sales and customer service front-end business processes. As a result, Commence clients increase workforce productivity, generate positive customer interactions and reduce operating cost.  More information about Commence can be accessed at www.commence.com or by calling Commence sales at 1-877-COMMENCE.

Media Contact:
Nicole Reed
info@commence.com

Hosted CRM Makes Good Sense

Posted by Commence on November 12, 2010 under CEO Corner | Read the First Comment

Staying in touch with your customers has never been more important than it is in today’s business environment. The competition for every dollar of revenue has never been this fierce and the more the economy continues to stagger along, the harder it gets. If you want to be able to take care of your customers in an expeditious manner you need customer relationship management software that enables you to capture, track, manage and share vital information with the people and departments that need it to efficiently do their jobs.

The days of thinking you could manage all of your customers using a paper filing system are long gone, and in most cases you have far too many clients to even begin tracking in this archaic fashion. Today there are numerous choices when it comes to finding the right CRM software for your business.  For the past few decades the most common solution was desktop based contact management software that was installed on your internal PCs and server.   These programs did a good job of tracking basic customer information, but were limited in functionality and scalability.  Many were also proprietary solutions that required updates each year in order to take advantage of new features or remain compatible with desktop operating systems.  Customers that did not upgrade their software often found themselves in a very difficult and costly position as conversion to current versions of the software were expensive and simply not as easy as they had anticipated.

As with many other platforms, customer relationship management software has begun the move from internal servers to the cloud.  This migration to cloud based computing offers several benefits and customers who have switched to an online CRM service are realizing a higher degree of value than they did with previous platforms. Perhaps the biggest benefit is simply the ability to access data anytime and from anywhere via an internet connection.   In the past, employees using desktop CRM software often found themselves tethered to their desktop computer with access only to e-mail via their cell phone while away from the office.

The newer hosted CRM services have implemented mobile platform support for use with the latest smart phone or handheld devices. This makes it possible for your staff to access information on the go, providing sales people with the opportunity to immediately follow-up on new inquiries while your support team delights your customers with rapid customer service.   Hosted CRM services also provide you with product updates and enhancements that are fully implemented for you and ensure that you remain current with the latest technology advances.  This has proven to be an arduous task for IT managers maintaining in-house environments where the updates must be installed on in-house servers and desktop PCs.

Some company IT executives continue to debate the issue of desktop or on premise CRM software vs. online CRM claiming security concerns and runaway costs for hosted services each year, but industry reports indicate that web based CRM solutions are growing at a pace of more than double that of desktop software offerings. Companies are also finding that security concerns have been addressed and that due to the competitive landscape, online or web CRM offerings are now more affordable than ever.  This makes the case for hosted CRM quite compelling.

If you are looking for a cost efficient way to improve sales execution and customer service and provide your staff with anytime, anywhere access to vital customer data using a PC, Apple Mac, or Mobile device, you should strongly consider an online CRM solution hosted by a reputable company.  If this sounds like the winning formula for you, consider Commence CRM from Commence Corporation. The company has a twenty year track record for delivering comprehensive CRM software applications and high quality customer service.

Is Your SMB’s Marketing Strategy Product Centric or Customer Centric and Why Should You Care?

Posted by Commence on March 16, 2010 under CEO Corner | Be the First to Comment

Small to medium sized businesses (SMBs) can deliver customer value by being product centric, i.e. providing product leadership, or by being customer centric or customer intimate. In the former instance, the SMB tries to continually improve the products and services they provide to their customers. In the latter instance the SMB strives to understand their “favorite” customer, anticipate future customer requirements, and to respond to those needs.

Product Centric Strategy

To pursue a strategy of product leadership or product centricity involves delivering customer value through leading edge products and services.  This entails a continuous stream of new products and services, and creatively adapting to new and changing market conditions while constantly pursuing new solutions on behalf of clients and customers.

To do this effectively, the business needs to be very research and development centered and extremely knowledgeable about the products and services currently being developed and considered in the market place. Sales & Marketing needs to be closely tied to customers in order to teach them new approaches and solutions to their problems. This also requires the ability to direct customers into avenues they hadn’t entertained on their own about the use of new products and services.

Larger companies can execute this strategy more effectively than SMBs, because they have the resources to devote to research and development and also have larger sales, marketing and support organizations that are able to stay in touch with their customers.  The company’s personnel often act as advisors and consultants to their customers assuming the role of fitting their product to the customer’s needs.

Customer Centric Strategy

Customer intimacy or customer centricity entails precisely segmenting and targeting markets, acquiring detailed customer knowledge, developing an operational flexibility that allows for immediate response to customer needs, and securing customer loyalty. The value added component of this strategy is to attain intimate knowledge of the customer’s requirements or pain points and outlining a specific solution to address those requirements.

This strategy demands a very active marketing, sales and customer service department geared to relationship selling.  In fact, these departments drive the SMB’s business and are the company’s primary interface to prospects and the customer base.  As such, they need to continually solicit customer information, sort it, analyze it, and use to define a consistent message for all who interact with the customer.

One of the ways to capture, manage and share this vital customer information is through the use of Customer Relationship Management software (CRM).  Large organizations have been using CRM solutions for some time to automate and streamline the interaction between the company and the customer. The utilization however is mostly to gather contact management information about the customer and to use that information to drive and fine-tune the sales cycle.  The objective is to find creative ways to sell additional products and services to the customer by convincing the customer that there is a fit between their requirements and the products or service the sales representatives is selling.

While this is fine, in order to execute a customer centric strategy you need a CRM solution that is designed for customer collaboration. The CRM software must solicit not only geographic customer data, but also demographic data to help build a detailed picture of the “favorite” customer makeup.  In addition, the sales, customer service and any other personnel with customer contact need to be trained to solicit and collect psychographic and behavioral data that help define how and why the customer buys.

Social Networking

The rapid expansion and utilization of social networking can provide essential customer centric information for sales and marketing organizations.  Sites such as Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn are being used by today’s businesses to communicate and interact with similar organizations. These conversations provide valuable insight into customer buying patterns, likes and dislikes and behavioral data. Best of all, you don’t have to be an enterprise company to access social media sites, capture and analyze information and produce a marketing message that fits the customer’s pain points and buying habits. What is important is that the SMB selects the right CRM platform which will enable them to directly link to these sites, capture the information and utilize it to gain a competitive edge.

Commence Corporation, a leading provider of cloud computing based CRM software, is taking a leadership position in this area and understands that the future of customer relationship management will be driven based on the collaboration and partnership with customers.  Commence is busy restructuring the data points that their system collects to include the needed demographic and psychographics data that CRM systems do not capture today.  Commence is also working to seamlessly interface the product with social media applications so that it can collect and analyze all of the different streams of customer conversations that are currently on the web, then use this information for targeting effective marketing campaigns.

Having the right business strategy in today’s challenging economy is critical for success.  A sound customer centric strategy gives you the ability to craft a company wide marketing message that is used by all to communicate your value not only to your current customer base, but also to those prospects that your sales team can readily qualify and close. To do this effectively, you need to select a CRM software provider that offers a platform that can support the customer collaboration that will need into take place in the future.

About the author: Larry Caretsky is the president of Commence Corporation, a leading provider of CRM software which can be deployed in a web-based, cloud-computing environment or on premise. Caretsky is considered an expert in Customer Relationship Management and has written numerous white papers on the subject, which may be accessed via the company’s web site at www.commence.com.

Redefining Customer Relationship In CRM

Posted by Commence on March 8, 2010 under CEO Corner | Read the First Comment

As small to mid-sized businesses (SMBs) struggle to survive in this economic climate, they are placing a major emphasis on increasing sales. Whether through finding new customers or attempting to increase the volume of purchases by the existing customer base, the attention is on getting the sales organization to be more productive.  SMBs, in spite of tough economic times, are investing in technology to enhance the productivity of the sales force and for the most part are implementing Customer Relationship Management tools to make this happen. While this is decidedly a step in the right direction, there may be additional ways to increase sales productivity.  This article examines a more effective way of utilizing CRM software to increase customer acquisition and revenue growth.

The Role of Technology

The last several years have brought a radical change in the relationship between the customer and business as a whole.  More and more customers are collaborating with businesses and technology is playing a key role in this new collaboration. An increasing percentage of interaction with customers is coming by way of social networks and online communities.  These interactions include suggestions for product improvement, requests for help, information requests and even customers assisting their counterparts directly.  These customer conversations are driving the need for the business to respond in a timely fashion and to also convince potential customers of their ability to adequately address their needs.

This is driving executives to focus more attention on discovering the “favorite” customer or target market and crafting a marketing message that resonates with that target market.  To do this effectively, the business needs to gather and analyze all of the relevant customer data points,  In addition to demographic and geographic data, the business needs to understand why customers are buying their products or services and more importantly, what specific language the “favorite” customer is using to describe the buying experience.

The Changing Customer Role

This calls for the establishment of a close collaborative effort between the business and the customer base.  Sales and any other part of the organization that is in direct contact with the customer needs to listen closely to the conversation in order to hear what the customer is saying.  The data gathered needs to be analyzed so that not only does the business then understand which customers comprise the target market, but also how those customers think and how they communicate.

This effectively achieves two goals.  First, it allows the sales force to be immensely more productive by getting them to concentrate on that part of the general marketplace that has these pre-qualified prospects that have the same profile as the “favorite” customer. Secondly, it gives the marketing side of the business the ability to script a marketing message that resonates with the customer since it uses the information gleaned from the customer and can be written in a language that the customer understands.

Even more importantly, with more customers using online communities and social networks, it is essential that the key phrases that the business uses are the same as the key phrases that the customer uses in their posts on Facebook and LinkedIn or in their tweets on Twitter.  It also allows the business to search engine optimize its web site because the language and the keywords used are the ones the favorite customers are accustomed to.

So now, the business has a marketing message that resonates with the customer.  The sales force has a sales pitch that is geared towards solving the customer pain and is in a language the customer understands.  The customer feels that the business is listening and hearing them and prospects not only find the business, but when engaged by the sales force are easier to bring to a close.

Can current CRM systems play in this arena?

Most current CRM systems are very effective at helping the sales force automate the sales process and manage the sales cycle.  The way they do this is by collecting customer and prospect data that the sales force uses to manage sales campaigns, schedule sales calls and keep the sales cycle moving along.  To meet the new paradigm of target marketing that requires collaboration with our customers, these CRM systems need new functionality.

Commence Corporation is taking a leadership position in this area and understands that the future of customer relationship management will be centered on the collaboration and partnership with customers.  Commence is busy restructuring the data points that their system collects to include the needed demographic and psychographics data that CRM system do not capture today.  Commence is also looking closely at interfacing the product with social media applications so that it can collect and analyze all of the different streams of customer conversations that are currently on the web, then use this information to targeting effective marketing campaigns.

As a result of the economic downturn, many SMBs are struggling to justify the capital outlay to upgrade or implement a new CRM system because of cost and business uncertainty.  To survive in today’s economy, you need to implement a CRM software solution, but you need to do it for the right reasons.  Don’t implement a CRM solution to simply automate the sales process.  Growing your business will require the ability to capture, manage and share vital customer information from several data sources and then use the information to gain a competitive edge.  Select a CRM software provider that offers a platform that can support the customer collaboration that will need to take place in the future.

About the author: Larry Caretsky is the president of Commence Corporation, a leading provider of CRM software, which can be deployed in a web-based, cloud-computing environment or on premise. Caretsky is considered an expert in Customer Relationship Management and has written numerous white papers on the subject, which may be accessed via the company’s web site at www.commence.com.