Tag: Salesforce alternatives

Salesforce CRM is a first-rate cloud-based CRM solution, but several businesses are also there those that are not that happy using Salesforce and hence they look for Salesforce alternatives, as- ‘Salesforce is not for everyone.’

The main reasons why small and medium businesses looking for Salesforce alternative are:

• Cheaper prices
• More customizability options
• Simplistic features for easy adoption and learning
• Ease of use to meet their CRM requirements.

So if you are considering replacing Salesforce or just starting out on your search for buying a Customer Relationship Management platform, but is not sure of which one will be the best for your business, it is a good idea to try our several Salesforce competitors available in the CRM marketplace.

Much like Salesforce, there are also several (practically all) Salesforce alternative CRM that provides a free of cost trial of their services. Some of them even offer a free account. Hence, go ahead, use these risk-free and safe alternatives, and attempt to evaluate as many Salesforce competitors as you like, and then after your search, select the winning CRM that fits your sales and marketing team.

Here are some of the parameters that can help you to find the right CRM that you need for your business:

Price

Of course, for all businesses understanding your budget is an important element of any purchase. Moreover, do not always consider the upfront cost, but do your research on the long-term costs versus the benefits that your CRM solution is going to deliver over time. Consider the cost of upgrades, training, and ongoing services, which generally comes out of the same fund allocated for the initial payment. Apart from this, you also need to take into account the cost of software customization, system integration, and the price of additional equipment, like PCs, server or notebooks. Avoid buying a cut-rate Customer Relationship Management application that may suddenly inflate your overall price tag while looking for Salesforce alternatives in the marketplace.

Clearly-Outlined Business Objectives

Before purchasing your CRM, involve your sales, marketing, and customer service departments to provide you a compilation of wish lists and their mandatory requirements so that they can champion and support your decision. In addition to the IT department, you should secure buy-in from one of your C-level executives for your selected CRM platform, so that the person can provide the required capability needed for the yet-to-be-acquired software.

Apart from these, create a checklist of weighted, measured, and prioritized requirements for your CRM software selection, which can act as a benchmark for follow-up analysis of the success of the new software and its return on investment before looking for Salesforce competitors in the marketplace.

Scalability

While finding a CRM for your business always measure the scalability of the software, to ensure that your present choice will not become next year’s lament. You need to understand that you are buying the CRM for helping it to make your business grow, and so the CRM also needs to grow unless you are ready to buy a replacement system a few years down the road.

Ease of Use

Consider the expertise level of your office staffs before purchasing your Salesforce alternative CRM platform. Since, if your chosen CRM software is extremely complex and cumbersome to operate, your employees may shy away from using the software that will at once decrease the software’s value and therefore hit hard on your ROI.

Vendor Strength and Reputation

Scrutinize the reputation of your selected vendors on your short-list. Check into social media networks which give user reviews and independent analysis of CRM software. You can also speak directly to existing customers of your short-listed CRM software and know about the brand’s strength and weaknesses; especially how well the CRM support staffs helps their customers by keeping them in the loop on future developments and updates of the CRM platform.

Conclusion

Therefore, in a gist, never be in a haste to clinch a new CRM solution. To find your Salesforce alternatives, always carefully consider your objectives, expectations, and requirements and then meticulously plan your purchase to ensure your purchasing decision delivers both savings and improvement in your business’s workflow, by truly living up to its promises and benefits until the end.

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