Introduction To CRM, Cloud Computing And Salesforce
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a term that refers to practices, strategies and technologies that companies use to manage and analyze customer interactions and data throughout the customer life-cycle, with the goal of improving business relationships with customers, assisting in customer retention and driving sales growth.
Cloud Computing:
Is a model for enabling worldwide network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources
Cloud computing and storage solutions provide users and enterprises with various capabilities to store and process their data in third-party data centers.
It relies on sharing of resources to achieve coherence and economies of scale, similar to a utility (like the electricity grid) over a network. At the foundation of cloud computing is the broader concept of converged infrastructure and shared services.
In simple words, Cloud Computing has reduced the GIANT Cost for Network, Data Centres and Maintenance in any organization.
Saas: Software as a Service- Replaced the old tradition of customer services and data maintenance that used be provided by the heavy and complicated software with just a browser and internet connection to provide maximum level of services
Paas: Platform as a service- Enhanced formula to provide customized, on-demand Application development using Force.com and Heroku etc. to reach the next level of achieving business requirements.
Applications are developed on Salesforce.com built-in sophisticated object oriented language Apex, Visualforce Pages, SOQL etc., fulfilling MVC model requirements in a software development.
What is Salesforce:
Salesforce.com is a cloud computing and social enterprise software-as-a-service (SaaS) provider based in San Francisco. It was founded in March 1999, in part by former Oracle executive Marc Benioff.
Of its cloud platforms and applications, the company is best known for its Salesforce customer relationship management (CRM) product, which is composed of Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Force.com, Chatter and Work.com.
In one and half decades, Salesforce has been worldwide implemented in almost all the possible industries in all the possible size of businesses.
Salesforce has become the best Sales Automation provider, best customer service cloud, best marketing Analyst and proving rich development support.
Why Salesforce is just not a CRM:
Salesforce.com is a search stopper for all you want.
It has beautifully organized the Editions and Clouds according to:
Business Needs: What you need is what you get..
- Group Edition: CRM for Five or Fewer Users
- Professional Edition: For Small to Mid-Sized Companies
- Enterprise Edition: For Enterprise Needs
- Unlimited Edition: An Enterprise Platform for all your needs
Business Orientation: Salesforce has amazed users with their wide range of service oriented clouds and apps..
- Sales:
-Sales Cloud- Sales force Automation and CRM
-Data.com- B2B Prospecting and Data Cleansing
- Service:
-Service Cloud- Fully customizable support and helpdesk
-Desk.com- All in one customer support for small business
- Marketing:
-Marketing Cloud- Digital Marketing Platform
-Pardot- B2B Marketing Automation
- Community:
-Community Cloud- Connect Customers, Partners and Employees
-Chatter- Enterprise Social Network
- Analytics:
-Wave Analytics – Business Analytics on any data any device
-Wave Apps- Apps that drives sales insight and customer delight
- Platform and Apps:
-Salesforce1- The #1 cloud development Platform
-Force.com- Automation of business with apps
-Heroku- Building engaging customer-facing apps
- Marketplace : Buy and sell Apps
- For Developers: www.developer.salesforce.com is a boon for those who want to learn, develop, implement on Force.com platform. Developer forum encourages developers to keep innovating…
See getting started with force.com in next blog..
- Integration with External Systems: 100% API Support, Data Loader for complete enterprise implementation externally.
- Community: They say..Make your workplace a better place to work.. because working together is fun!!
Integrating developers, partners and customers is what Salesforce believes in. Therefore there are Discussion Forums for all.
- Partners: Anyone who wants to join and grow along with it… Salesforce Welcomes..
Developers develop their third party apps and sell it over marketplace called AppExchange…
Why Salesforce is successful
- Stable Platform
- Innovative Technology (Salesforce is Forbes #1 innovator )
- Regular Releases (3 release in a year ensures continuous innovation)
- Very strong API system
- Affordable for all
- Developer friendly
- Amazing Partner EcoSystem. Salesforce Takes very good care of partners and Nurtures them very well which in turn brings them good business and loyal clients
Awards and Achievements :
It is really hard to sum up the names of Awards of a Company that consistently wins 15 awards every year!!!
Thank You.
May Salesforce Be with You.