A SaaS CRM is a sales relationship management software application hosted on the publisher's servers, and accessed by the customer via an Internet connection, usually after taking out an annual subscription. This model has become increasingly popular in recent years.
Here, Sidely invites you to explore the specifics - and above all the advantages - of sales software "on the cloud". We'll start by looking at the fundamentals of CRM, then explain the specific features of SaaS as applied to sales software.
Finally, we'll look at the most important questions to ask yourself when choosing your SaaS CRM.
The acronym CRM, for Customer Relationship Management, encompasses the strategies, technologies and practices that companies use to manage and analyze business interactions and customer data throughout their lifecycle.
In France, the term is mostly used to refer to commercial relationship management (CRM) software. The main aim of CRM is to improve customer relations, increase satisfaction and loyalty, and boost sales and profitability.
Most CRMs fall into one of three categories: marketing, sales and customer support.
Functionality may vary according to the type of CRM chosen. But the essential components are generally as follows:
There are also industry-specific CRMs, also known as "vertical" CRMs because they address specific markets.
CRM has become central to business, to the extent that almost 90% of French companies have already taken the plunge! This massive adoption has been boosted by the development of the technical and economic model known as SaaS, as we shall now see.
SaaS, or Software as a Service, is a software distribution model in which applications are hosted by a service provider and made available to customers via the Internet. In other words, rather than purchasing and installing software on individual computers, users can access SaaS applications via a web browser.
SaaS CRM is web-based software, which means that customer data is hosted on external servers (data centers), rather than on the company's own servers. The hosting infrastructure is decentralized.
SaaS CRM offers significant benefits:
SaaS CRM differs from licensed (on-premise) versions, where the customer buys the software, and open source, where an integrator implements a free program developed and maintained by the community.
SaaS CRM is a cloud-based service (see box below). This contrasts with on-premise CRM, a software solution installed and run locally on the user company's servers or computers. Unlike cloud-hosted solutions, on-premise CRM is managed, secured and maintained by the company itself.
This approach provides total control over data and systems, offering greater flexibility for customization and integration with other in-house systems. For remote or multi-site use, synchronization operations can be programmed to update data in a unified system.
When opting for a SaaS CRM solution, European companies are keen to choose a solution whose servers are located in the European Union and not in the USA (for example), as the same law does not apply!
🌐 S aaS mode does not exclude the possibility of accessing software services via an application installed on a device, such as a mobile app. In fact, SaaS mode has accompanied the development of user interfaces and new uses, particularly mobile ones, for example by enabling traveling sales reps to carry out their statements or take orders directly from a cell phone or tablet.
Cloud computing is a model that enables convenient, ubiquitous access to shared computing resources (servers, storage, applications, etc.) on demand, via the Internet.
Cloud computing can be divided into three main services:
Example: Microsoft Azure.
Example: Heroku.
Example: Trello.
SaaS platforms combine the functions of CRM (data centralization, sales tracking, e-mailing, sales pipeline, reporting, etc.) with the advantages of outsourcing, such as the elimination of software purchase and maintenance costs.
For - more often than not - a very moderate entry fee, SaaS platforms relieve organizations of many of the constraints associated with infrastructure management, regulatory monitoring, internal security management, license and hardware purchases, and even certain indirect costs associated with wear and tear, accidents and other unplanned downtime.
In most cases, therefore, SaaS is a strategic investment that not only optimizes operating costs and human resources, but also allows you to offload low-value-added tasks and concentrate your teams on developing your business. In fact, SaaS has made a major contribution to the widespread use of CRM, particularly among very small businesses, who now constitute a market segment in their own right, and for whom software publishers are targeting financially accessible offers tailored to their use. However, SaaS has conquered all sizes and types of company, from micro-businesses to start-ups, SMEs and multinationals.
To meet this growing demand for flexibility and mobility, all the big names in crm now offer their solutions in saas mode.
We're now going to go through a number of criteria that will help you better define your project. Because, if you're definitely sure you're going to opt for cloud-based web software, it's time to start working on your specifications!
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
Here are some of the most successful saas CRMs on the market, and a few criteria to guide your choice.
SaaS CRMs start at $30 per user per year. But depending on your needs and your workforce, prices can quickly reach several thousand or tens of thousands of euros.
There's no such thing as a free SaaS CRM, unless you opt for open-source. Take the time to study the cost of your CRM project.
In the vast majority of cases, the security of SaaS platforms is no longer in question. Indeed, the major CRM players comply with the RGPD regulation, and are careful to keep their equipment and software constantly up to date. For customers, outsourcing the hosting of an application such as CRM therefore offloads a large proportion of security activities and costs, and in no way prevents them from accessing their data at any time.
As an online services company, you may be offering SaaS software yourself. In that case, you might be wondering whether this could have an impact on the specifications of your future CRM.
In general, companies offering software in SaaS mode market their products online, directly from their website, and with a subscription-based business model, in order to generate recurring revenues without resorting to prospecting.
In this case, you'll probably want to move towards a "marketing" type CRM, better suited to e-mailing activities that support the automation of marketing operations. In this way, your CRM manager will be able to design the entire online sales acquisition process based on your new solution. This will include optimizing the user experience, as well as integrating web analytics and tracking functionalities to continuously improve automated marketing performance.
In addition, your online sales model will require you to connect your e-commerce platform to your existing tools (CRM, ERP, etc.). You'll want to pay particular attention to the integrations provided by your CRM vendor, as well as to the possibilities offered by the API key it has developed.
Finally, if your company is a start-up, it's likely that you're aiming for very rapid growth, with HR development proportional to your commercial success or fund-raising (we hope you do, anyway 🤞 ). It's therefore important to anticipate the evolution of your CRM in terms of the number of licenses and modules required for the future growth of your business. For example, if you're going to be running a large customer service department and moving towards a support-type CRM, you can estimate the budget based on the number of desk users you'll be recruiting as you expand your platform.
Ultimately, a company developing services in SaaS mode should anticipate the following needs in its CRM project (and expand on them in the specifications):
