Here’s an article by Greg McNevin, worthy of some commentary, SMBs Want Simple, Accessible CRM:

According to US customer relationship management (CRM) software provider LogicBright, small business CRM users primarily stick to the basics when using CRM products, leaving many of the features being built into modern solutions superfluous.

The company says that with CRM software packages springing up all over the place, the marketplace is getting increasingly complex, and doing so unnecessarily according to its research data.

While it doesn’t give numbers of demographics, LogicBright says that it has surveyed users on what they want in a CRM package, and found that 81 percent want to use their CRM as a straightforward contact manager that is accessible by all employees.

Extra features such as mobile phone support, or an offline versions of the software are not needed according to the survey, with users preferring a basic system everyone in the business can access simultaneously to share company and contact information.

“It is no secret that in a troubled economy companies are looking to reduce their expenditures,” says Steve Schmidt, president of LogicBright. “It all comes back to keeping it simple and giving [..] customers what they ask for.”

This is the kind of rhetoric that starts to proliferate when times get rough and budgets are tight.  I do believe that as the CRM market has matured, more and more functionality has found its way into some of the leading CRM packages.

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Here is a synopsis of an excellent article by Fergus Gloster, Senior VP EMEA, at salesforce.com, Busting the Myths About SaaS:

A recent conference in Dublin heard that a third of traditional software projects fail. CIOs in large organisations are under increasing pressure from business units to deliver usable technology more quickly. As markets slow, business users can ill afford to wait around for 18 months while an on-premises software development is rolled out.

Speed, ease of implementation, no capital investment costs and rapid return on investment have been the driving force behind the growth of Software as a Service (SaaS). But can it deliver to enterprise the benefits it has demonstrated across SMEs?

I believe there are four great myths when it comes to enterprise implementation of SaaS…

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Here are several excerpts from interesting article by Brendan Read, Senior Contributing Editor with Customer Interaction Solutions, Mobile CRM: Are We There Yet?:

Getting the mobile channel to where enabling CRM through accessing applications or web sites a.k.a. mobile CRM is as seamless from desktops is akin to taking young children on a long ride who then inevitably ask: “are we there yet?”

The answers will depend to some extent on the nature of the journey being taken. If the trip is for work, such for field sales staff and support reps the destination is in sight.

“The days with a field sales rep or technician having to go back to the office to get on the desktop for updates and additional information, are over,” says Angie Hirata, director of worldwide marketing and business development, at Maximizer Software.

However, if the travel is for everyday business, such as banking, buying products, and obtaining service via the Internet or accessing data-rich content like videos, i.e. mobile commerce or “m-commerce” then there is a little more ways to go.

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Here is a synopsis of the 10 Most Influential Biztech Products of 2008 as seen by Larry Dignan, Sam Diaz and Tom Steinart-Threlkeld of ZDNet’s Between the Lines, fame.  Check out the complete source article for more detail on each product:

10. HP EliteBook laptops

Hewlett-Packard has already overtaken the top spot for worldwide PC sales, but the company is making a stronger run than ever at the business notebook market. HP’s EliteBook line of business laptops now offers a variety of industrial-strength features that cater to IT departments.

9. Zoho online productivity suite

Zoho has quietly been building an impressive fleet of Web-based productivity and business applications that are far more numerous and sophisticated than what Google offers and truly take advantage of the Web rather than just bringing offline apps into the browser. Especially for small businesses, Zoho is a viable alternative to Microsoft Office, and it not only saves money but also provides productivity benefits with online collaboration.

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Here’s an insightful, collaborative report from Peter Kim, a social computing strategist,  that includes the thoughts of some of the “best” minds in Social Media, Social Media Predictions 2009:

Community and collaboration are wonderful things.

Fourteen great minds on social media have shared thoughts on what 2009 may have in store for us.  Here’s some of what a few of them are thinking:

• “Although it is now cheaper to launch an initiative leveraging Web 2.0 technology - it requires qualified and passionate people to make them successful.” - David Armano
• “Intimacy touches emotion; emotion powers conversation.” - Pete Blackshaw
• The tipping point has not only *not* been reached, but could still tilt *away* from Social Media.” - Todd Defren
• “Dwindling budgets suddenly make low-cost social media look like the pretty girl at the ball.” - Ann Handley
• “Companies that focus on earning love will thrive during hard times, and kick ass when good times return.” - Andy Sernovitz

Everyone’s thoughts have been assembled in a free PDF download. Or you can read the entire report within the original post.  Also, these predictions are now posted on Slinkset, where you can vote on your favorites and submit your own.

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