What are the advantages of cloud-based CRM?

It’s simple.

Unlike with on-premise systems, cloud-based software does away with laborious implementation processes. There’s no elaborate software to download or install, and you won’t have to actually host your business’ data on physical servers at your office.

That means no faffing around with routers, cables, storage devices… you get the picture. Plus, the lack of actual equipment you’ll have to store on your premises frees up physical space, allowing you to expand your team… and maybe finally get that coffee machine the sales team have been pining for.

With cloud-based CRM, you just open up your browser, log in, and start working.

It’s collaborative.

That leads us to the next of cloud-based CRM’s key strengths – how seamlessly it facilitates team collaboration across multiple locations and time zones.

Cloud-based software updates in real-time. If you close a deal at 10am, your boss knows about it by 10:01. Plus, because you can save records of conversations (whether they took place via email, telephone, or social media) directly within the CRM, it’s easy to know who’s dealing with specific clients and requests, and avoid your sales and customer service agents treading on each other’s toes.

What cloud-based CRM also serves to do is remove the issues that ‘data siloing’ can have on your team’s effectiveness. There’s no information locked away in desk drawers or archaic email threads, and no important contact details buried in old, forgotten stacks of notebooks.

Nope – just everything in a single, centralised location, accessible in a click.

It’s mobile.

Why wait until you get into the office to check on the status of your latest big deal, or survey the health of your pipeline?

Cloud-based CRM is fully mobile. Most providers offer an app, which allows you to view and update information within the CRM in real-time. Again, there’s nothing to download or install, and no expensive or clunky tech to lug around.

It’s not ideal for your work-life balance, sure… but productivity-wise, it’s a dream!

It’s secure.

Ask any business owner why they’re yet to make the jump to the cloud, and they’ll most likely cite data security as the reason. After all, unlike with an on-premise solution, your data isn’t stored on servers located at your own place of business – rather, it’s hosted by your chosen cloud-based CRM provider.

So is there veracity to the claim that cloud-based systems aren’t safe?

In truth, there’s not. Considering how much it actually costs to ensure an on-premise system is secure – a price tag that’s probably beyond the budgets of most small businesses – it’s actually safer to go with a cloud-based service. Why?

Well, CRM providers utilise the finest in data encryption, ensuring that your business’ details are immune from cyber attacks. Cloud-based CRM companies also boast automatic data recovery features, as well as two-factor authentication – helping you stay safe, while remaining completely GDPR-compliant.

It’s affordable.

Cloud-based CRM all but eliminates the costs associated with implementation, installation, data migration, and maintenance. When you choose a cloud-based system, you also won’t pay any significant upfront CRM software costs – rather, you’ll pay only a monthly licence fee to use the service.

What this licence fee actually comes to will depend on several things – the features you require, the number of users that’ll need access to the software, and, of course, which cloud-based CRM software provider you choose for your business.

And as you already know, picking the right cloud-based CRM provider is easier said than done. So, to get an idea of how much a cloud-based CRM solution that’s tailored to your team will cost, let us help.

Simply tell us your requirements – that is, the amount of people that’ll require access to the system, and the specific features (if any) you’ll need. We’ll then work to match you with leading cloud-based CRM providers, who’ll be in touch with quotes tailored to your company. The form itself takes around 30 seconds to fill in, and it’s free for UK-based businesses.