Customer relationship management (CRM) is a key component of running any successful business. CRM software allows companies to organize, automate, and synchronize sales, marketing, customer service, and technical support. With CRM, businesses can gain greater insights into customers, streamline processes, and improve customer relationships.
In recent years, the CRM software market has rapidly transitioned to the software-as-a-service (SaaS) delivery model. SaaS CRM tools provide many benefits over traditional on-premises CRM systems, including lower upfront costs, faster deployment, automatic updates, scalability, accessibility, and flexibility. This article provides an in-depth look at SaaS CRM, its key features and benefits, top tools on the market, implementation best practices, and the future outlook for this essential business software category.
What is SaaS CRM?
SaaS CRM refers to customer relationship management systems that are hosted in the cloud and delivered over the internet. Also known as cloud-based CRM, SaaS CRM tools are accessed on a subscription basis, eliminating the need for companies to purchase, install and maintain hardware and software infrastructure on their own premises.
With a SaaS CRM solution, the CRM provider hosts the application and data on servers in their own data center or with a cloud computing service provider. Users can access the CRM system using any internet-connected device, including desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones.
Some key characteristics of SaaS CRM include:
- Web-based access – Users access the CRM via a web browser instead of installing locally. No hardware or software to maintain.
- Multi-tenant architecture – Multiple customers share computing resources but their data remains secure and isolated. Enables cost savings.
- Automatic updates – New features and fixes deployed automatically by the vendor. No patches or upgrades required by customers.
- Subscription-based pricing – Customers pay a recurring monthly or annual fee to use the software, making costs predictable.
- Scalability – Vendors can scale hardware resources up or down to accommodate changing customer demand. Customers can adjust subscriptions based on needs.
- Integration capabilities – SaaS CRM tools can typically integrate with other cloud apps via APIs. Enables connecting CRM with marketing automation, e-commerce, ERPs, and more.
- Mobile access – SaaS CRM apps are optimized for mobile devices, enabling remote usage when reps are on the go. Offline access available.
Benefits of SaaS CRM
The SaaS delivery model provides many advantages that are fueling the rapid adoption of cloud-based CRM across industries:
Lower Costs
With SaaS CRM, businesses avoid large upfront costs associated with on-premises solutions, such as purchasing hardware and software licenses. Instead, customers pay a much lower monthly or annual subscription fee, making costs predictable and manageable. SaaS CRM also reduces IT overhead since the vendor handles hardware, upgrades, security, uptime and performance.
Faster Deployment
On-premises CRM deployments typically take months between purchasing, installing, testing and launching. SaaS CRM tools can be rapidly deployed, taking just hours or days to get started. This accelerated time-to-value means organizations realize ROI faster.
Automatic Upgrades
Vendors manage the CRM infrastructure and push out automatic updates and new features on a regular basis. This relieves the burden on internal IT teams to maintain and upgrade the system. Users always have access to the latest innovations.
Scalability
SaaS CRM enables businesses to easily scale their system up or down based on changing needs, including adding more users or functionalities. Vendors provide flexible subscription options to match requirements. Capacity can also be provisioned instantly to support periods of peak demand.
Accessibility
Since SaaS CRM is hosted in the cloud, users can access it from any device and location with an internet connection. This enables mobile usage and productivity when reps are on the road or working remotely. Offline access is also typically available.
Flexibility
Many SaaS CRM platforms offer add-ons and integrations with other apps, enabling businesses to customize the system to match their unique workflows and processes. APIs make it easy to connect CRM data with other cloud software like marketing automation, e-commerce, billing and more.
High Availability
Reputable SaaS vendors provide a highly available, resilient infrastructure and strong SLAs for uptime, typically guaranteeing 99.9% availability or better. This reduces the risk of downtime impeding business operations. Disaster recovery is also simplified without on-premises hardware.
Key Features of SaaS CRM Systems
SaaS CRM platforms share common capabilities that enhance sales, marketing and customer service for organizations:
Sales Force Automation
- Contact management – centralized database of prospects and customers with robust profile information.
- Opportunity tracking – manage deals through a structured pipeline.
- Lead management – track key metrics on potential sales opportunities.
- Forecasting tools – predict future sales results using different models.
- Email integration – track all communications between reps and leads.
- Workflow automation – create rules-driven processes and notifications like email alerts.
- Reporting and dashboards – gain insights into rep performance and sales activity.
Marketing Automation
- Campaign management – plan, execute, and track marketing campaigns and ROI.
- Email marketing – create, send, and analyze email campaigns.
- Landing pages/forms – build forms to generate leads and gauge interest.
- Lead scoring – automatically grade quality of leads based on activity and engagement.
- CRM integration – synchronize CRM contacts and marketing initiatives.
Customer Service & Support
- Ticketing system – track, prioritize and resolve customer support tickets.
- Knowledge base – repository of help articles for self-service.
- Community forums – allows customers to interact with each other.
- Multichannel support – email, voice, live chat, and social media.
- Customer portal – self-service account management and ticketing.
- Workflow automation – create rule-based processes like ticket escalations.
- Reporting – track CSAT, agent performance, ticket volumes, and resolutions.
Analytics & Reporting
- Custom reports – generate reports on all CRM data.
- Dashboards – customizable views of key performance metrics.
- Segmentation – divide contacts into groups for targeted campaigns.
- Data visualization – charts and graphs for gleaning insights.
- Predictive analytics – analyze data to forecast future outcomes.
- Business intelligence integration – connect with BI tools like Tableau or Power BI.
Other Common Features
- Customizable roles and permissions
- Native mobile apps
- Cloud storage integration
- Third-party app integration
- Audit logs and activity history
- Custom fields and objects
- Record assignments
- Chatter-like activity streams
- Sales gamification
Top SaaS CRM Solutions
The SaaS CRM market has expanded rapidly, with dozens of solutions catering to businesses of all sizes and verticals. Here is an overview of some of the top SaaS CRM platforms:
Salesforce Sales Cloud
The #1 CRM tool, Salesforce pioneered the SaaS CRM industry. Sales Cloud delivers complete sales force automation for maximizing sales productivity. Features include contact management, opportunity tracking, lead routing, sales forecasting, workflow automation, and robust reporting. There are also add-on clouds for marketing, service and more.
Best for – Companies wanting the most popular CRM with advanced features and a huge app marketplace.
Pricing – From $25/user/month for Essentials plan up to $300/user/month for Enterprise plan. Custom quotes available.
HubSpot CRM
HubSpot offers a free basic CRM plus a full-featured enterprise-level CRM with robust sales and marketing features. Flexible workflows, powerful reporting, and native integrations with HubSpot’s inbound marketing software make it a top choice.
Best for – SMBs and companies focused on inbound marketing techniques.
Pricing – Free or starter $45/month base plan. Enterprise plans from $800/month. Volume discounts available.
Zoho CRM
Zoho is packed with sales automation, email and campaign integration, lead management, forecasting, and mobile access. Customization and integration capabilities are strengths. Ideal for small businesses looking for a low-cost but highly capable CRM.
Best for – Growing SMBs wanting an affordable but customizable cloud CRM.
Pricing – Starts free up to $50/user/month for Enterprise plan. Offers volume-based discounts.
Pipedrive
Pipedrive is designed for smaller sales teams to manage deals visually via pipeline boards. Strong focus on activity-based selling makes it great for companies with straightforward sales processes. Limited customization capabilities.
Best for – Startups and SMBs that value simplicity and ease of use.
Pricing – Starts at $12.50/user/month to $59/user/month. Offers deals for annual contracts.
Freshsales
Designed for high-velocity sales teams, Freshsales offers lead, deal, and account management with AI-powered lead scoring, email tracking, and reporting. Excellent for companies that value productivity and insight.
Best for – High-growth startups and SMBs that want data-driven sales capabilities.
Pricing – From $19/user/month to $79/user/month for advanced plan. Discounts on annual plans.
Microsoft Dynamics 365
A complete CRM and ERP cloud solution from Microsoft. Dynamics 365 seamlessly integrates with Microsoft apps like Outlook and Office 365. Ideal for companies invested in Microsoft technologies. More complex to customize than other CRM platforms.
Best for – Larger enterprises committed to the Microsoft tech stack.
Pricing – Several sales-focused plans from $65/user/month to $190/user/month. Custom quotes available.
Oracle CX Sales
Part of Oracle’s large CX customer experience cloud, Oracle CX Sales provides sales force automation, marketing automation, customer data management, and built-in analytics. Best suited for existing Oracle clients.
Best for – Large enterprises that run Oracle databases and cloud applications.
Pricing – Contact for custom quote. Offers variety of bundling options.
SugarCRM
SugarCRM offers flexibility with both cloud and on-premises deployment options. Out-of-the-box sales automation along with third-party integrations and open source customization. Ideal for full control over CRM infrastructure.
Best for – Companies wanting flexible deployment options and development capabilities.
Pricing – On-demand plans from $40 to $150/user/month. Perpetual licenses also available.
Implementing a SaaS CRM System
Adopting a new SaaS CRM system involves careful planning and execution to drive maximum value. Here are best practices to follow:
Map Workflows
Document current sales, marketing and service processes to identify areas of efficiency or inefficiency. Use this to understand workflows you want to replicate or improve in the new CRM.
Set Objectives
Define specific, measurable goals you want to achieve with the CRM implementation, whether increased lead conversion, shortened sales cycles, or improved cross-sell rates. This provides focus for launch plans and sets metrics for success.
Perform Data Migration
Extract legacy CRM data and ensure it is clean, deduped and properly formatted for importing into the new platform. Validating data integrity beforehand minimizes migration issues.
Train Employees
Conduct user training to build familiarity with the new CRM. Combine instructor-led sessions with online lessons and manuals that users can reference later. Ensure admins and support staff have in-depth technical knowledge.
Customize Intelligently
Start with out-of-the-box features and adjust processes to align with the platform before heavily customizing it. Too much customization can reduce system flexibility and increase maintenance burdens over time. Focus on simple configuration changes first.
Integrate Systems
Leverage native integrations and APIs to connect the CRM with complementary systems like email marketing, billing, ERPs, and other sales and productivity tools. Building a comprehensive tech stack amplifies the CRM’s capabilities.
Refine and Expand
Continuously collect user feedback after launch to identify areas for improvement. Look for additional features and functionality that could further sales, marketing and customer service goals. Treat CRM optimization as an ongoing process.
The Future of SaaS CRM
The SaaS CRM market is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 12% through 2026 as more businesses switch from legacy on-premises systems to the cloud delivery model. Here are some emerging trends shaping the future of the SaaS CRM industry:
AI and Predictive Analytics
Vendors are infusing CRM platforms with artificial intelligence and machine learning to unlock more advanced analytics, personalized recommendations and predictive capabilities. AI can help uncover new revenue opportunities, recommend best actions and even automate routine CRM tasks.
Omnichannel Customer Experiences
Supporting coordinated customer experiences across every touchpoint and channel is becoming more vital. SaaS CRM systems are optimizing their support for omnichannel strategies spanning social media, messaging apps, live chat, email, mobile and more.
Vertical-Specific Solutions
Developing industry-specific solutions tailored to the workflows and processes of individual verticals. For example, CRMs designed specifically for real estate, finance, healthcare, manufacturing and other fields. Helps ensure the platform aligns closely with vertical needs.
Integration and Consolidation
CRM solutions are expanding native integrations with complementary apps or consolidating those capabilities within the core platform via mergers and acquisitions. Allowing businesses to manage more marketing, sales and service functionality under one umbrella.
Increased Mobility
As the workforce becomes more mobile, CRM adoption on smartphones and tablets is surging. Vendors emphasize mobile optimization and offline access of data and key features to support productivity on the go. Mobile CRM usage now accounts for more than 50% of time spent by reps.
Key Takeaways
- SaaS CRM provides lower costs, faster deployment and increased agility compared to legacy on-premises CRM systems. The SaaS model is fueling rapid industry growth.
- Core SaaS CRM capabilities include sales force automation, marketing automation, customer service, reporting and analytics. Leading tools also offer ecosystem app marketplaces.
- Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho, Pipedrive, Freshsales, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Oracle CX and SugarCRM are among the top SaaS CRM solutions available.
- Following best practices for data migration, training, customization and integration during CRM implementation ensures successful user adoption and maximum value realization.
- The SaaS CRM industry will continue expanding as AI, predictive analytics, omnichannel delivery and mobility become more integral to customer experience strategies.
FAQ
Why are businesses switching from on-premises to SaaS CRM solutions?
The on-demand delivery, faster deployment, lower costs and increased agility of SaaS CRM are driving the mass migration from legacy on-premises systems. SaaS removes IT management burdens and offers anytime, anywhere access as well.
What are some key factors to consider when selecting a SaaS CRM platform?
Important selection criteria include identified business needs, ease of use, flexibility of workflows, integration capabilities, scalability, mobile functionality and total cost of ownership. Comparing vendor SLA guarantees for uptime and support is vital too.
How long does it typically take to roll out a SaaS CRM system?
For small to mid-sized deployments, SaaS CRM can usually be live within 2-4 weeks if the implementation is well-planned. Larger, more complex deployments with extensive integrations or data migrations may take 6-8 weeks or longer.
What are some tips for driving employee adoption of a new SaaS CRM platform?
Executive sponsorship, communication of benefits, training, user support resources, soliciting feedback, gamification and tying usage to incentives/metrics can improve uptake. Change management and addressing resistance is also important.
How do you integrate a SaaS CRM system with other cloud applications?
SaaS CRMs provide pre-built connectors and APIs to facilitate integration with various apps for marketing automation, billing, ERP and more. Consulting partners can assist if any custom development or systems integration work is required.
Conclusion
SaaS CRM solutions empower businesses to transform sales, marketing and customer service operations with cloud-based tools that are flexible, scalable and mobile-enabled. The widespread adoption of SaaS CRM reflects its advantages over legacy on-premises systems for reducing costs, driving efficiency and keeping pace with rapid innovation.
Leading SaaS CRM platforms like Salesforce, HubSpot and Zoho combine powerful automation with data analytics, omnichannel delivery and intelligent technologies like AI. As vendors further enhance solutions with predictive analytics, deeper customization and vertical-specific capabilities, SaaS CRM will continue playing a central role in supporting customer experience strategies across industries.