CRM offerings in the market.

There was a lot of hype around CRM (Customer Relationship Management) just before the Y2K period. Siebel (acquired by Oracle) positioned itself very strong in this market, new CRM players appeared, and ERP vendors were playing catch-up by incorporating a CRM solution in their ERP solution.

CRM as a business concept is one of the oldest and most vital business concepts existing in history. It is the IT Business Solution market that can assist the business with this. With the range of CRM solutions available to your business nowadays, there is a wide range to select. Beside what is available out of the box, integration with productivity tools such as Microsoft Outlook, Office and Mobile devices, and adaptability of the CRM software itself, it is the offering model that determines the breadth and depth of these previous points.

What offering models are there available on the market?

1. On premise – the CRM software application is installed and configured on your server within your network;
2. Co-location – the CRM software application is installed outside your network and your business owns the server and CRM software;
3. Hosted – the CRM software is available via an internet browser. The CRM software and server is outside your network and is not owned by your company.

Which model suits your company best?

The table below provides you with an overview with the set of critical points per offering model. Depending on your business CRM strategy, each of these offering models have pros and cons.

I hope this provides you a framework to advance the right CRM software for your business.