Some of the top vendors of CRM solutions today promote that their CRM exists only in the cloud, so that it can be accessed through the web anytime, anyplace, anywhere.
But if CRM systems truly empower sales reps to sell—which should be the mission of all CRM systems—should they exist only in the cloud?
The Web Isn’t Everywhere
In large cities in the US, we have become spoiled by the amount of Wi-Fi available. You can find it in your local coffee shop, in most hotels, in many restaurants and even in some parks. But factually internet access doesn’t exist everywhere, and in many parts of the world, the poorest possible internet access is only had at considerable expense. In even other regions it isn’t available at all. This could change with innovations such as Google CEO Larry Page’s proposition of floating internet balloons throughout the world that would allow free or inexpensive internet access to anyone—but such a mammoth project is obviously a long way off.
Even where internet access is consistently available, outages of one kind or another occur, resulting from weather, power failures, and other factors. In other regions of the planet, there can also be political influences, where powers-that-be don’t want citizens to have access to the expression and free flow of information that the internet provides.
For the sales force, sales velocity is everything. If for some reason a sales rep doesn’t have internet access, that velocity is considerably slowed or even stopped—if CRM systems are only available in the cloud.
The Perfect Balance in CRM Systems
The solution is a CRM system that exists on a salesperson’s (or other company stakeholder’s) computing device and in the cloud. That means salespeople are truly supported no matter where they happen to be working—in a hotel room (with or without Wi-Fi), at a client location, in a parking lot or even on the side of the road. Such a solution automatically syncs up with the cloud when the rep is next in a location that does have access – helping the rep to stay on top of the opportunity management at all times.
With a CRM solution that works online or offline, the sales rep is enabled at all times. He or she is never let down, which means that the customer or prospect is never let down, either.
This kind of functionality is yet another way that leading-edge CRM systems empower sales reps.
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