Every business needs a feasible platform to interact with current as well as potential customers. This important process has long been managed by a technology called Customer Relationship Management (CRM). In the current era of cloud computing, CRM has largely been taken over by Salesforce. Salesforce once operated out of a small flat in San Francisco and is now a community of over 10 million innovators.

IT companies work with a lot of data and this makes hosting CRM within their personal servers highly impractical. It also means an added expenditure of time, money and other resources. Salesforce solves this issue as it simply uses cloud computing, instead of requiring local resources.

T-Mobile is a brilliant example of how Salesforce software can help firms stay ahead of their competition. T-Mobile CEO, John Legere, has credited their recent successes to the enhanced interaction with their customer base. This helps them understand the requirements of their consumers better and turn this into profitable productivity.

In this blog, we will explain the benefits of Salesforce and how the IT sector can take advantage of this.

What is CRM?

A company can only derive profitability if it can build a strong relationship with its customer base. CRM or Customer Relationship Management is a strategy that helps in making interaction with customers easier. It is a viable tool for building a potential audience as well.

The term CRM usually refers to CRM system that is useful in terms of sales management, workflow processes, contact management and a lot more. Building strong relationships is integral for every company, regardless of whether it is with its workforce, suppliers or customers. With CRM, you can build your connections with individuals which in turn can be highly profitable for the business.

It is wrong to limit an indispensable asset like CRM to a sales and marketing tool. While it is used to build targeted business strategies, but it also takes care of the tricky part here; which is getting reliable information. Means of receiving data are many but only a CRM system gives you a clear picture of what a customer wants. There are many different CRMs in the market currently such as HubSpot, Zoho, Freshsales, Pipedrive and more.

What is Salesforce? 

Salesforce is a cloud-based software company that provides software solutions to developers and users around the world. It started as a CRM platform but quickly transformed into a cloud computing system to track information. Accessing it is as easy as logging on to one’s personal Gmail account.

Right now, it is the most renowned integrated platform that brings customers and companies together. Corporations favour the Salesforce platform primarily because their customers get to enjoy a personalised experience, which in turn leads to profits. Be it commerce, sales or IT, this service can radically improve the functioning of any sector.

While newer than other CRMs such as Oracle, SAP, Microsoft and more have entered the market and created their own niches, Salesforce continues to dominate the market.

One of the biggest perks that Salesforce offers is customizable reports which is useful for sales manager and executives. This means they have easy access to real-time data. Microsoft Dynamics CRM also has report generating features backed by a rigid SQL. SAP CRM also gives its users the benefit of interactive reporting and so does Oracle CRM. Though, the features in Salesforce such as multiple ready-to-use analysis, win-loss analysis and historical trend analysis help in completing sales and market report instantaneously.

Why are IT companies switching to Salesforce? 

While CRM caters to the need of many sectors and can be used by business of various kind, its usefulness in IT sector is indispensable. From meeting deadlines to adhering to a certain budget, it serves many needs. The IT sector deals with a vast amount of information and CRM can help to analyse the data, follow leads and manage customers.

There are advantages that IT industry can gain in terms of integrating with core systems and reducing security concerns. CRM is also useful for them to scale the business.

All the advantages that Salesforce comes with have caught the eye of corporations. Here are some other benefits of salesforce in the IT industry:

1. Better access to information 

For a sector that runs on data, retrieving information with accuracy is vital. Salesforce is an excellent way to collect customer information, in terms of both quantity and quality. Every minute detail that is of importance is collected and stored by the software and can be accessed easily. This accumulated data, all in one place, helps you to network well as you can target leads effortlessly.

2. Switch from manual to digital 

Cloud computing means digital freedom as it doesn’t require local resources. Files, spreadsheets and excel sheets are replaced by a convenient data storage system which can be used easily.

An additional plus is that work can be delegated to associates without the hassle of data exchange.

3. Account planning

A single place where you can access all information makes it possible for all representatives to connect with clients and work on accounts independently. Salesforce for IT provides an interactive approach to all tasks, leading to better workflow and efficient client management.

4. Effective management of time 

With all customer data in one place, ready for use, the company can use all the saved time on other important things.

Salesforce also has other useful organizational features such as a built-in calendar to help you keep up with your daily schedule.

5. Strengthening team work 

Sharing data across various sections within IT departments is a complicated and tedious task. Yet, team collaboration is required for many projects and certain information must be made available to each group. A feature of Salesforce called “Chatter” allows you to add your team members to your account so you can all access the same information and share ideas.

6. Easy access 

Cloud computing provides access to information easily, and this means business owners can keep track of their team and communicate with them easily. The software also keeps you up-to-date with client needs. The flexibility of Salesforce is what makes it so popular.

What gives Salesforce an edge over traditional CRM software?

In today’s era of fast-paced technology, traditional CRM may not be suitable for the IT industry. With Salesforce, you get five great advantages that are crucial to progressing and beating competitors:

  • The software is very easy to incorporate and use, unlike CRM software that can take an entire year just to be installed;
  • You can easily integrate Salesforce with third-party apps such as Gmail – this is harder to do with CRM software;
  • Salesforce is far more affordable than traditional CRM software;
  • Salesforce is simpler to use and easier to understand; and
  • Salesforce i can be easily customised in accordance with business needs.

If you are planning to have a successful career in the IT field or wish to establish your own business, University Canada West offers a variety of courses that will meet all your academic  needs. Enrol today to kick-start your bright future.