On Demand CRM

By Neil Zawacki
Updated: April 01, 2011

On Demand CRM is a web-based solution for managing customer and sales data at a small business. It uses a simple interface to perform administrative tasks, and is similar to hosted CRM since the service is provided by a hosting company and normally available on a subscription basis.

Benefits of On Demand CRM

The main benefit of On Demand CRM is that all of the data is live. If a customer service representative makes a change to an account, that information is immediately available for all to see. This can be of particular benefit to managers who need to assist employees with unhappy customers or potential clients. Similarly, if sales figures are modified or price lists should suddenly change, there is no delay that prevents the other employees from seeing this.

On Demand CRM also tends to be much cheaper than classic CRM solutions. You don’t have to purchase expensive hardware or server software for the service, nor do you have to pay someone to set up to the system. You simply pay a monthly fee that varies depending on the subscription plan you have chosen. You also don’t have to worry about maintenance costs since that service is performed by the hosting company.

Another advantage with On Demand CRM is the inherent scalability of the system. You can add employees to the database whenever your company grows in size, and remove them if they move on to somewhere else. You don’t even need to contact the IT department for this since the changes tend to be fairly simple to implement, thus freeing them up for other more important tasks.

On Demand CRM for Small Business 

The system can also provide a great deal of mobility to small businesses. Employees can access marketing figures and sales reports from any computer that has an internet connection. If they are using a mobile device, there is generally a streamlined version of the interface available. Many hosting companies can even provide offline versions of the data so you can still have access in the event of a power outage.

This type of CRM can also fully integrate all of the data that is entered into the system. This means you can quickly track data between departments and find information that otherwise might have been missed. You can also create highly detailed reports to help you sift through and analyze the data.

There are a few security concerns with On Demand CRM since the service is provided over an internet connection. This is addressed by most hosting companies with a dedicated team of security professionals, plus any information sent through the system is typically protected through the use of security certificates and an assortment of data encryption methods.

Overall, On Demand CRM allows small and mid-sized businesses to have the same type of customer management solution as a large multinational corporation. It can provide access to powerful tools to manage data and keep information current across every department at your company, all for a monthly fee.