Web Based CRM Advantage

By Brian Boguhn
Updated: September 15, 2011

A variety of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions exist in today’s market. Businesses can install a complete system at their site and maintain and control it themselves. If the business prefers not to make such an investment, a hosted solution from a third party is a viable alternative. A third option also exists. Web Based CRM is succeeding in finding a customer base.

A Review of CRM

For those who are not familiar with the topic, a brief look at CRM is beneficial. CRM is a means for managing a company’s dealings with customers, clients, and sales prospects. Through the use of technology, CRM helps a company acquire new business, retain the clients it has, bring former clients back into the fold, and enhance the customer service it offers. This is all done at any eye towards reducing costs. The business processes targeted by this strategy are sales, marketing, customer service, and technical support.

What is Web Based CRM?

At first glance, Web Based CRM might seem very similar to a hosted CRM solution. While a web based CRM is indeed a hosted solution, all hosted CRM solutions are not web based. Many hosted CRM solutions work in the client-server architecture. A client with a piece of CRM software installed accesses a dedicated server that has been configured on the backend with another piece of the CRM software. The client software is needed to access the backend server.

Web Based CRM offers a different model. While a backend server still exists, there is no client to install onto a workstation. Users access the client software via a web browser. This significantly reduces the costs involved with the traditional client-server configuration. The customer doesn’t have to purchase any software; it is provided with the Web. IT doesn’t have to go from workstation to workstation installing a client; if a user needs the software, they simply have to point to the correct URL to begin working. The system as a whole is easy to maintain, as any changes made to the software will be seen throughout the entire system. The entire Web Based CRM process is simple to maintain and very cost effective.

Why does this matter? If you’re in business, you’re in business to generate a profit. You probably like what you do very much, but the bottom line is still to increase the company’s revenue. Web Based CRM provides a very efficient means to do this. Your company still enjoys the benefits of a hosted solution, but at a significantly cheaper cost.

What Kind of Company Used Web Based CRM?

The companies currently using Web Based CRM are small to medium sized business. Why? Web Based CRM allows them to enjoy enterprise features without the cost associated with a full-blown enterprise solution. They enjoy all of the benefits of CRM at a fraction of the cost of an in-house solution or a traditional hosted solution that requires a client installed onto each workstation accessing the software. In effect, they experience a “double whammy” of savings. CRM itself helps these companies save money by what it does. Add in the additional savings through the use of a Web Based solution, and you’re looking at a very wise business decision.

A business savvy customer will take a good hard look at Web Based CRM to see if it will benefit their company. With the benefits provided by CRM as a whole, as well as the reduced cost of a web based solution combined with a rich feature set, Web Based CRM is a solution people should be looking at to save money and raise profits for their businesses.

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