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Majority Of Businesses Not Familiar With CRM
By Mike Sachoff
Staff Writer
Article Date: 2009-04-06
The majority of small to medium businesses (SMBs) are unfamiliar with the terms Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Software as a Service (SaaS), and those that do know about CRM connect it to products that only apply CRM in indirect ways, according to a survey from software firm Avidian Technologies.
Nearly three-quarters (70%) of those surveyed did not know what CRM meant and only 47 percent were even sure they had heard of it. Familiarity with SaaS was even lower, with 74 percent reporting they were unfamiliar with the term.
Of those involved with CRM, 32 percent were in the early discussion or product selection stage of implementing a CRM solution. Most of the respondents said they are looking for CRM to improve customer service (46%), increase efficiency when working with customers (44%) and increase productivity (45%).
Companies who have implemented CRM solutions have seen the results exceed their expectations in the following areas:
Increasing efficiency working with customers: 64 percent vs. 52 percent expected
Increasing sales: 28 percent vs. 20 percent expected
Improving business insight: 36 percent vs. 28 percent expected
Increasing visibility into the sales pipeline: 40 percent vs. 32 percent expected
"This research confirms what we are seeing in the field," said James Wong, Avidian's CEO. "While some companies may be unfamiliar with the term 'CRM,' ultimately they want the services this kind of technology provides."
"This illustrates that CRM is a growing industry with viable growth potential in the SMB market. They are also looking for a tool that is simple and effective."
About the Author:
Mike is a staff writer for WebProNews. Visit WebProNews for the latest ebusiness news.
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