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Home > Evaluating sales force automation (SFA) software vendors |
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Table of contents:
This section was designed to review sales force automation (SFA) software options. Learn how to start evaluating SFA, how to weigh the pros and cons of hosted SFA software and how to weigh SFA vendor options. Once you've reviewed SFA technology, move on to the next section of the Sales Force Automation Learning Guide to learn more about mobile CRM.
What to consider when evaluating sales force automation When evaluating SFA tools, think about the size of your sales force. Many of the self-described "midmarket" sales force automation vendors place their sweet spots between 40 and 250 users. In very broad strokes, organizations with sales forces of less than 250 users should look at midmarket vendors; between 250 and 500 users can be a coin toss between midmarket and enterprise vendors, and anything over 500 should look at only enterprise vendors According to sales effectiveness expert Liz Roche, an organization with a 250-member sales force should consider the following top SFA vendors:
Forrester Research Inc. in Cambridge, Mass., evaluated eight of the leading on-premise midmarket SFA vendors based on its Forrester Wave methodology in a report in November 2005. The tools and vendors considered were FrontRange Solutions Inc.'s GoldMine, Maximizer Software Inc.'s Enterprise, Microsoft CRM, Onyx Software Corp., Pivotal, SageCRM (formerly ACPAC), Sage SalesLogix and Siebel Professional Edition. According to the report, the best SFA systems for midmarket CRM were Siebel's Professional Edition, Sage Software Inc.'s SalesLogix and Pivotal. FrontRange and Maximizer Software were said to best fit the needs of small businesses. According to Forrester analyst Liz Herbert, Microsoft was a victim of timing, as Forrester evaluated its 1.2 CRM product and not the 3.0 version, which was not yet out. Microsoft, along with Sage, was identified as the company best positioned to offer an all-in-one solution. The companies were the only ones evaluated to have ERP applications in their product portfolios. On the other hand, Gartner's Magic Quadrant for SFA from July 2006 put Siebel in front. The analyst firm's regular market report on technology for sales professionals placed Siebel, a part of Oracle Corp., in the leader position. Germany's SAP AG was called visionary, and San Francisco-based Salesforce.com was named the sole challenger. The Magic Quadrant takes into account a vendor's functionality, presence in the market, sales execution, customer experience, and market and product strategy.
Is hosted SFA right for you?
Hosted SFA products generally offer a much quicker time-to-value and lower up-front financial risk. The downside is they are generally more difficult (if not impossible) to both customize and integrate with existing systems.
Much of the interest in hosted sales force automation applications has come from small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) looking for quick deployment and lower initial investments in their SFA technology. Pricing has been a prime motivator for SMB investment in hosted SFA, and vendors are responding. Forrester evaluated eight vendors in the hosted SFA market in 2005. The analyst firm considered each product's setup and configuration, sales management, sales analysis, usability, offline and wireless access, integration, vendor strategy and market presence. Siebel OnDemand and Salesforce.com were identified as leaders. RightNow, NetSuite, Salesnet and Entellium ranked as strong performers in the study, and SalesCenter was named a strong contender. Recent trends in hosted SFA have been a move toward verticalization and the resurgence of interest in wireless options. Top SFA vendors: News and advice Salesforce.com News:
CRM software isn't just for CRM anymore -- at least according to Salesforce.com. It's the non-traditional uses of the software that have piqued the interest of some in the CRM industry. Read how three firms are incorporating Salesforce.com screen tabs, data fields and workflow into applications that have little or nothing to do with sales or CRM. As it looks to extend its platform, the CRM and Software as a Service (SaaS) company will release features to help users integrate with Oracle 11i, middleware vendors and legacy systems. Following a rash of outages with its software service, the hosted CRM vendor has launched a site to keep customers informed of its system performance. Advice: This chapter gives step-by-step instructions on how to use, modify, create and organize reports in Salesforce.com. Learn how Salesforce.com's new programming language, Apex, will change the market and what it means for current Salesforce.com customers. Read advice on the importance of reliable connectivity and how on-demand CRM stacks up. Learn best practices to utilize if your on-demand CRM application goes down. Microsoft News: Microsoft's on-demand CRM application is now available, and the company is taking aim at Salesforce.com. Four new programs from Microsoft link Office 2003 to back-end business management apps like Dynamics AX and CRM 3.0. As consolidation dominates the enterprise CRM market, attention is turning toward the midmarket. A Forrester study identifies the top SFA vendors. Advice: Microsoft CRM offers several sales forecasting options to help organizations get quick and accurate access to the sales information they need to run their business. Learn how to track sales rep performance in Microsoft CRM using Excel integration and SQL Reporting Services in this tip. Find lead generation advice, including information on how to convert an email to a sales lead, in this tip from Richard Smith, a Microsoft CRM expert. Is Microsoft CRM Mobile client worth the investment? Read advice, including benefits and functionality for the Dynamics CRM Mobile client. Learn best practices for lead management in Microsoft CRM with this expert tip.
Learn how Microsoft CRM's Outlook integration makes it possible for users with non-Windows mobile devices to access CRM data on the road in this expert tip. Oracle/Siebel News: The latest release of Oracle's SaaS product features integration with Internet portals and mobile workforce enhancements. USA Technologies, which produces hardware and software for cashless vending machines and laundry facilities, said growth is forcing the company to integrate its systems. Gartner's latest Magic Quadrant names Siebel the leader in SFA technology, but on-demand vendors and SAP are gaining ground. Advice: Learn about the new usability, productivity and social networking features in Oracle CRM On Demand. Is Siebel still the best option for SFA? Read Bill Band's answer. If you're considering an upgrade of Siebel CRM, read this tip from William Band, including budgeting costs for Siebel CRM and how to build a business case for upper management. SAP News:
Running SAP CRM natively on the BlackBerry -- and other SAP applications in the future -- promises to change the mobile access game, according to SAP. p> Böwe, Bell + Howell selected mySAP CRM to replace an old Vantive system thanks to a site visit and the promise of integrating GPS. With a rollout of SAP for Mobile Sales and a tablet PC deployment, Lincoln Electric transformed its sales system and processes. Advice: SearchCRM.com's expert helps a midmarket CIO decide whether on-demand or on-premise SAP CRM software is more appropriate for his group of 75 sales agents. SAP CRM expert Srini Katta advises a reader on the main points to consider for a smooth SAP CRM upgrade. One reader asks what marketing can expect during a CRM implementation. Read expert advice here.
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