Free, SaaS or Enterprise?You’re asking the wrong queson!Polcode's guide to picking the right CRM system.

What are they?

What kind of CRM systemdoes your company need?

Are you asking yourself that queson? As important as the debate is, there are more important quesons to be asked about your perfect CRM.

Before we get to that, let's start with a few facts:

CRM systems is a fast-growing field with a projected yearly compound growth of 14.8 percent through 2017.

SaaS CRMs grow parcularly fast, taking a market share of 50%.

Back in the day, only large companies could use CRM systems to help them improve their sales processes.

Today, access to advanced funcons such as automated mailing or one click reports is easy for any kind of company.

The three types of CRM systems when it comes distribuon:

Free – soware you don't have to pay for in order to use it.

SaaS – soware distributed on the web and usually paid for on a monthly basis.

Enterprise – self-hosted soware for companies that have the ability to store data on their own IT infrastructure.

Are free CRMs a thing?

Yes! The two most popular ways to use CRM system for free are:

to use a freemium SaaS CRM that charges only for some extra features and larger capacity (Bitrix 24, Appvo)

or to use an open source self-hosted CRM system (Suite CRM)

Is it really free?

When a program is free, there has to be another way that the company makes money, which may include aempts to moneze the client company's data.

Companies that are not able to moneze their soware may go out of business, leaving a client company with a lot of problems, such as the need to retrieve data and migrate to another soware provider.

When the number of free users increase, the quality of customer service of freemium companies may deteriorate.

There are valid reasons why some companies are wary of free and freemium CRM systems:

SaaS to level the playing field

In the past, only giant companies could afford to develop such soware.

Today, one-size-fits-it-all SaaS soluons can be accessed via web browser.

While less customizable, they sll give you all the expected CRM features and are also easy to learn.

The emergence of SaaS CRM systems made it easier for small- and mid-sized companies to compete:

Some of most popular SaaS systems include SalesForce, NetSuite, OnContact, SalesNexus, InfusionSo and the paid version of SuiteCRM – SugarCRM.

Enterprise-level CRMs

It requires the company to use its own infrastructure to host data.

It's usually quite costly with expensive licenses charged per user.

Implementaon may entail further cost.

Learning curve is steep.

Enterprise-level soluons are highly customizable and give companies full control over their data. But that comes at a price:

Popular choices include: Oracle's Siebel, SAP CRM and Microso CRM. Sugar CRM and Suite CRM can also be self-hosted, but their capability is more similar to that of SaaS soluons.

Five most importantquesons to ask

You may already have an idea about the kind of CRM you want. But before you make a decision, stop thinking about the distribuon model and focus on

what kind of features you want your system to have.

Does it allow me to easily keep trackof all customers?

allows different access levels

provides a clear big-picture overview of all customers and their variables (lead source, type etc.)

has features such as a powerful search and the ability to import and export databases

Pick a system that:

Does it integrate seamlessly with my email as wellas other services important for me?

allows them to save email conversaons with customers

integrates with other soware they use such as Magento or calendar and invoicing apps you use

Most of the me, clients need a system that:

Is it convenient to use on mobile devices?

free mobile apps

convenient ways to save and type data on mobile devices

at the very least a responsive web app

The best CRMs provide:

Does it make it easy to coordinate efforts on boththe individual and department level?

the ability to set goals and noficaons, assign tasks to others

an easy way for sales people or customer service employees to input informaon on the fly for the markeng department to find

The best rated systems simplify cooperaon between various departments. Some examples may include:

Does it include markeng and salesautomaon capabilies?

target mulple customers at once with scheduled communicaon that takes into consideraon the sales pipeline

track goals in the form of micro and macro conversions you can set up

easily and automacally generate reports from all the data

These are some of the most innovave new features. They have the potenal to:

Make your CRM obey you,not the other way around.

Considering how incredibly helpful CRM systems may be to your organizaon, you shouldn’t make your decision based on the distribuon model or price in mind as the first priority.

Pick one that has just the right features you need and not toomany of those you are not planning to use.

by

Thanks for reading!