Benefits of a hosted CRM solution

By Manas Kumar, CEO Genesis Interactive

The whole idea of a software being available as a hosted solution is enveloped in a cloud of confusion and poorly represented information. It is important to understand the critical differences between hosted software and installed software.

We assume you are looking for a CRM system because you want to keep track of your customers and find ways to market to them. Live CRM is a great way to do that, since it collects information and allows you to use that information to build a long lasting, strong relationship with your customers.

So what is hosted CRM?

A hosted CRM works through a separate company so that the company that is interested in collecting the customers information (i.e. you) does not have to worry about how it is going to do that. In addition, most hosted CRM is much less expensive than the CRM software that is used on-site by companies. This cost savings can be very important, especially in the case of small business CRM where a company might not have a lot of money with which to create CRM solutions, but may still need CRM and its advantages in order to keep the company growing and working well against its competitors. Since hosted CRM does not come with any added burden of maintaining an in-house I.T infrastructure or deploy specialised hardware equipment, is far more affordable.

Your choice to use a hosted CRM is one of the best choices you can make from a purely financial standpoint. One concern that some companies have is that, if a CRM solution is very cheap, it will not be effective or efficient. This is the get what you pay for adage that often holds true for many things. Where hosted CRM is concerned, though, this does not appear to be the case. It can do so much for a small business that needs good CRM software without being required to pay a high price for it, and this helps both small businesses and larger ones to expand their customer bases and continue to grow and prosper.

When businesses use installed CRM or on-site software, they find that they often have to have someone come and set up the software for them. This costs both money and time for a small business that might not be able to afford either one of them. The unfortunate part of this is that customers also suffer when companies have these kinds of problems.

In order to get the best CRM solutions, companies must utilize all of the information at their disposal, so that they have what they need to make the right decision for their customers and their salespeople. Because CRM software can do so many things, the idea of getting the right type is significant for most companies, and this is especially true of smaller ones that are working very hard to keep up with competitors and allow their businesses to grow and prosper. These companies cannot afford costly mistakes where their customers are concerned, and so they must be more careful. For them, hosted CRM is a great solution. They will basically get all of the benefits of the on-site CRM solutions, but they get these things at a much lower cost, and they do not have to spend the time to set up the software or have someone else do it entailing further expenses that they do not need.

The Live CRM hosted CRM solution, however, is not just for small business. Live CRM has so many features which allow it to be used by almost every type, style, and size of business out there that decides it wants to have CRM capabilities. Because of this, and because of the lowered cost and ease of use that comes with Live CRM, the options for businesses and their customer management today are almost endless.
Here are some of the quick value points for Live CRM’s hosted CRM solution

* No additional I.T investment required
* Turn-key solution – Get started right away
* Time to market is extremely fast
* Platform independent (Windows, Mac, Linux)
* Desktop Integration (Windows and Mac)
* Available on demand through www.livecrm.co.nz
* Secured using 256 bit SSL encryption (more about data security)
* Only business application in New Zealand with Hacker Safe Certification
* Extremely low learning curve
* Can be customized to your needs.

About the Author
Manas Kumar is CEO of Genesis Interactive, the parent company behind Live CRM and many other SaaS initiatives

Tags: CRM, CRM Software, Hosted CRM, Live CRM