Salesforce.com is a undoubtedly the strongest in the software as a service CRM industry. In CRM selling opportunities, Salesforce.com leads with sales force automation (SFA) and a suite of supporting tools.

Salesforce.com approaches the web-based CRM industry significantly different than any other software as a service competitor. The company’s main idea is “No Software”, a tag line illustration for the SaaS industry.

The SFA was Salesforce.com’s first product listing to the software as a service market. The company’s product management appears much more focused on adding additional software systems as opposed to advancing current products or adding weight to the CRM software modules. With no specific target market, the Company strives to serve all types and sizes of organizations.

FEATURES AND ADVANTAGES

Salesforce.com offers its service in different packages:

• Team Edition. 10 user work group limit. Limited functionality.•
• Group Edition: for 5 user license.•
• Professional Edition. Reduced functionality compared to Enterprise.•
• Enterprise Edition. •
• Unlimited Edition. Provides customers four more value added services .Unlimited permits an unlimited number of Salesforce generated applications on the AppExchange (Enterprise edition users can run a maximum of 10 AppExchange applications), increases storage per user to 120MB, provides access to Salesforce sandbox for testing, includes AppExchange mobile (via the Sendia acquisition) and training of Salesforce applications; and platinum support which includes an assigned support representative. •
• Platform Edition. This version gives users the ability to install and customize downloaded applications from AppExchange without the CRM. Software developers get access to Salesforce.com’s Multi-tenancy infrastructure and visual point-and-click tools with which to build their applications for a fee. Also included, the Apex Web Services API, analytics and the Apex code language. The users will use the underlying Salesforce.com hosting platform with the shared common data model, security architecture, interface, version tracking, and meta-data-based application development model provided by Salesforce.com’s .

MODULES

• Sales force Automation
• Partner Relationship Management
• Marketing Automation
• Customer Service and Support
• Content Management
• Innovation Management
• Real Time and Historical Analytics
• Desk Top and Mobile CRM
• Data Model Customization
• User Interface Customization
• Enterprise Administration

MARKET REVIEW

Salesforce.com’s skyrocketing growth is remarkably impressive. The company has succeeded in creating an enviable brand, a profitable business and shareholder returns. However, in many ways, Salesforce.com’s strategy places the company at crossroads.

The migration away from a Customer Relationship Management software solution toward a product platform or “SaaS operating system” as well as an emphasis on tools and third- party solutions may contribute to the ‘jack of all, master of none’ notion that makes its more traditional software as service CRM competitors significant upside.

Main competitors :

• Entellium and NetSuite at the low end
• RightNow and Aplicor in the high point .

However, Salesforce.com has its own weaknesses .Some of them may be delineated as :

• Lack of flexibility. While this solution does offer several customization tools, the fact is that Salesforce.com supports over half- million users using the same solution and varying too far from that solution is not a viable option.
• Lack of functionality. The company seems to use a tools approach (e.g. build it yourself with the Apex development language) to compensate for missing functionality that exists in competitor solutions such as Oracle on Demand and Aplicor.
• Systems downtime. Recurring system downtime and service interruptions over the last two years have been a major sore spot for many customers.

Microsoft offers flexible, easy-to-use CRM solutions designed for any business or government agency. Microsoft Dynamics CRM facilitates the company to strengthen their customer relations, manage sales and marketing efforts and follow developments.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM solution braces a wide range intelligent features which are affordable and help meet users specific needs. These solutions empowers employees to perform at best output levels, to deliver high-quality services and effective communications, in order to achieve better results from sales and service business.

Microsoft Dynamics core purpose is to support its customers and benefits by:

• Enhance customer relationships by providing an understanding of consumer knowledge base and abridges team collaboration.
• Provides intuitive and related tools to boost productivity and accomplish goals.
• Single, flexible software that is useful and meets the needs of different departments within an organization.

FEATURES AND ADVANTAGES

Microsoft Dynamic CRM provides three main service options:

• In Premise or On Demand deployment with the flexibility to trade options when ever required.
• Option to purchase directly, subscribe or finance.
• Integrates with Microsoft Office Outlook, a Microsoft Office SharePoint portal, customer portal, Web or a mobile device.

The success of Microsoft Dynamics CRM lies in its:

• Brilliant integration with other Microsoft software and third-party solutions.
• Instant automation of business processes.
• Secured data customization and management.
• Web based service aids in building and strengthening integrations across organization.
• Offers flexible options for deployment, purchase, and access.
• User friendly and familiar interface as it functions like other Microsoft products.
• Tailored to the business needs with the assistance of extensive customization option.

MODULES

Microsoft Dynamics is available in 3 modules:

Sales: This module provides a highly intuitive interface with embedded Microsoft Office capabilities to increase sales productivity, streamline sales cycles, automate- lead management, and gain insights to drive more sales.

Customer Service: A Microsoft Dynamics CRM customer service solution supports customer service operation and converts it towards a strategic advantage. It provides access to the most comprehensive customer information, assisting the representatives to resolve issues quickly and reduce handling times. Consequently, it ensures delivery of consistent customer service and reduces operational cost.

Marketing: Microsoft Dynamic CRM marketing solution is flexible, easy to use, and engineered to fit any business. It assists to identify potential within the existing customer base. With marketing management and automation software from Microsoft Dynamics CRM, you can sell more effectively, improve productivity, and obtain actionable insight into your marketing campaigns.

MARKET REVIEW

Microsoft has several, large on-premise customer accounts, however no large software as a service- hosting accounts. Key on-premise CRM competitors include Sage SalesLogix and Maximizer. Microsoft occasionally competes with Oracle’s Siebel or Onyx in larger- on-premise deals. Key SaaS CRM competitors include Salesforce.com, Oracle OnDemand and Aplicor.

The main hurdles faced by Dynamic CRM are :

Many regard user interfaces and navigation as complex and unintuitive.
SaaS solution was late to market and does not yet compete well with SaaS pure plays.
Limited to small- business organizations

While Microsoft did originally brand the combined ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and CRM applications under a collective (Great Plains) Dynamics banner and establish an enterprise level integration project, code named Project Green, intended to consolidate the applications into a common code base over a multiple year period, the plan failed and was eventually cancelled.

Today, the portfolio of Microsoft ERP and CRM products clearly overlap, convey no group synergy and cause unusual customer confusion. The Microsoft products require a one company focus, well defined product road map, common framework, common development teams (some development teams such as Solomon are outsourced and seem to be slightly more than software maintenance evolution) and normal distribution channel (the partners have authority for only one of the various enterprise applications).

The SAP CRM program offers immaculate functionality that supports sales, service and marketing processes. The application supports customer life cycle and therefore enables organizations to craft their strategies around the core objective of enhancing the customer experience and stimulating growth.

SAP CRM application has proven to boost Customer Relationships in more than 25 industries.

Usability of SAP CRM:

• Capitalize on customer insight
• Drive consumer demand with targeted- marketing messages,
• Identify and maintain high-value customers with customer loyalty programs •
• Streamline key business processes across customer touch points.•
• Adapt to changing the business and customer needs.•
• Improve front-line efficiency and effectiveness.•
• Reduce cost and increase your decision-making ability.•
• Align marketing resources to support organizational objectives.
• Understand the returns on your marketing spend.
• Accelerate-marketing processes with increased visibility and control

FEATURES AND ADVANTAGES

SAP CRM empowers the marketers to make intelligent decisions, by providing an insight into valuable business elements. The solutions help them to focus all their efforts on the customer to boost demand, increase retention of the customer better management of allocated resources.

SAP Sales On-Demand backs account and contact management, sales management, opportunity management, quotes, pipeline and forecasting, calendar and task management, integration to Microsoft Office applications.

SAP Marketing On-Demand comprise of Lead Management, Customer Segmentation, Campaign Management.

SAP Service On-Demand braces the customer support, help desk, escalation of calls, ticket management, distribution based of rules, routing of service tickets, service level monitoring and analytics on service.

MODULES

• Brightens User Experience : Magnifies CRM above usual process automation to a flexible, user-driven end-to-end business process execution platform that offers business users the ability to access what they want the way they need it•
• Pipeline Performance Management: Provides targeted, role-based interactive solution for sales representatives and sales management•
• Business Communications Management: Provides an all-IP software-based, end-to-end contact center solution, including queuing and routing capabilities, eliminating the need for costly communications hardware•
• Real-Time Offer Management: Makes real time recommendations; cross sell, up sell, retention, marketing messages or actions•
• Trade Promotion Management & Market Development Funds: Provides centralized management of all trade funds and capital related activities; budgeting, allocation, utilization, and expense•
• Service Parts Management: The solution backs the parts management, manages the inventory deployment and replenishment of part. It also ensures the placement of service parts, in order to reduce the service time and improve the effectiveness.
• Enterprise SOA: Provides modular, service-enabled processes.

MARKET REVIEW

While SAP claims to be the CRM software solution market leader, that affirmation is objected by Oracle and a bunch of analyst firms. SAP is aware that it must strengthen its CRM software solution in order to take on Oracle’s Siebel CRM solution.

SAP is not known for deployment of a single line of business applications such as CRM software, accounting software or distribution software. While SAP is an ERP global giant, its CRM claims and reputation are much more questionable. The company is using its back-office ERP weight to gain traction in the CRM (Customer Relationship Management) market.

SAP’s On-Demand CRM product line remains in its first version. The product has limitations, complex to use and is short of intelligent feature sets found in more sophisticated competitive CRM hosted solutions. The On-Demand product line is unsuccessful in providing an offline edition, wireless edition and many other valuable tools provided by other SaaS CRM competitors.

With the addition of Siebel’s leading CRM solutions, (June 1, 06) Oracle now offers a complete, complementary, world-class number of customer-centric applications. Oracle Siebel CRM is the world’s most comprehensive CRM solutions.

Functionality of Siebel CRM helps organizations to distinct their business in order to achieve maximum top-and bottom-line growth. It provides tailored solutions to more than 20 industries. It offers a combination of transactional, analytical, and contractual features to handle all customer facing operations.

Siebel’s biggest advantage is the sheer brilliance and breadth of its functionality. Siebel products are continually rated at the top in sales, marketing and customer service, as well as secondary CRM areas.

FEATURES AND ADVANTAGES

Oracle Siebel stands out as the most comprehensive CRM solution. It benefits the sales, marketing, support, contact center, order management and customer data management capabilities of an organization. Consequently the organizations establish an array of satisfied customers.

It has options specific to the industry and thus provides tailoring of total CRM as per the business needs. Hence, enhances the customer experience and provides a competitive advantage to the company.

Additionally, it offers flexibility to companies, with the option to have it ““On Demand” which is an efficient, cost-effective way to manage your technology over the long term.

The main advantages of “ON Demand CRM” are:

• Liberate the company from daily software maintenance routines.
• Strikingly lower operational risks and cost.
• Users throughout the organizations can benefit from the CRM capabilities, irrespective of their location.

With the prebuilt integration, it coordinated business processes, business rules, decision support resulting in reduced operational cost and improved customer satisfaction.

MODULES OF ORACLE SIEBEL

Oracle Siebel, as mentioned earlier is available “On Premises” or “On Demand”. Further they are offered in the following modules
• SALES
• MARKETING
• CONTACT CENTER AND SERVICE
• SELF SERVICE AN
• E-BILLING
• CONTACT CENTER INFRASTRUCTURE
• ORACLE CRM ON DEMAND
• PARTNER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT
• QUOTE AND ORDER CAPTURE
• PRICE MANAGEMENT
• CUSTOMER DATA INTERGRATION
• BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE APPLICATION

REVIEW

Oracle Siebel CRM is the world-wide leader which backs over 20 industries with its industry specific CRM application. Oracle Siebel is rated as the number one CRM solution by topmost of Market research organizations. Analyst firm IDC reports that Oracle Siebel CRM is the leader in the Customer Relationship Management software categories of sales force automation (SFA), marketing and customer service.

Within the transactional CRM applications market, Oracle is ranked the number vendor with a 15.6% market share. Research firm Datamonitor also names Oracle CRM the principal leader in the CRM software market.

According to the Datamonitor , Decision Matrix, “Oracle’s CRM products, and especially Oracle Siebel CRM, are among the best solutions in almost every facet of CRM technology, outpacing all other competitors.

To encapsulate, Oracle’s Siebel CRM is a brilliant and powerful CRM solution. It empowers the organizations to improve their customer experience with its distinctive and user friendly customer service functionalities.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a business conviction that involves identifying, understanding and providing superior solutions for your customers in the context of a relationship which improves customer satisfaction and maximize profits. CRM is about understanding, anticipating and responding to customers’ needs.
Since we are in the information (technology and knowledge age), there is a growing demand for adept CRM software solutions because studies have shown that a decent CRM package can increase sales by as much as 40-50%!

A strong CRM suite is a must-have in today’s business world if one wants to develop, manage, and increase your business because CRM helps organizations retain customers and at the same time expand customer base.

Any businesses, large or small needs a CRM solution that is a perfect fit for them since CRM solutions can be used out of the box or customized.

Most popular CRM Applications may be delineated as:

1. Oracle Siebel CRM
2. SAP
3. Microsoft Dynamics
4. Sales force
5. Sugar CRM
6. Aplicor
7. Zoho CRM
8. Right Now
9. Epiphany
10. Maximizer Software