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’s an excellent series of articles from BNET,  Smart Business for Tough Times:

As the recession deepens, businesses are scrambling to adapt. Some are in serious trouble and looking for a lifeline. Others in better shape are searching for smart ways to take advantage of soft markets or weakened competitors. From either perspective, these are times that test a company’s resilience and savvy. Those who make smart decisions now can survive — and may even come out ahead. To sharpen your strategic thinking, we’ve gathered a set of tactical plays on both sides of the ball.

Play Defense -

Refinance Your Debt
Prioritize Your Debt
Raise Cash Through “Factoring”
Sell of Non-CRitical Assets to Raise Cash
Price Optimize for Your Best Customers
Rebalance Compensation from Top to Bottom

Play Offense -

Land a Private Placement to Fund Capital Investments
Exploit Revolving Credit
Take Advantage of Training Programs
Cherry Pick Top talent Away From Rivals
Double Down on Strategic Advertising
Capitalize on Affordable Luxuries

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Here are several excerpts from an article by Lauren McKay, Editorial Assistant CRM Magazine, Small Businesses Want to Get Social, Too:

There has been lots of talk of social networking penetrating the enterprise, but what about the little guys?

According to research from AMI-Partners and analyst Nikki Lambda, the uptake of social networking by small businesses is set to double over the next year. In fact, research shows that 600,000 small businesses, (companies up to 99 employees) plan to deeply integrate social networking services in the next 12 months. That number is up from 300,000, which is approximately five percent of the total number of small businesses (SBs) in the United States. Lambda’s research on social networking is part of a larger AMI-Partners report entitled “U.S. Small Business Overview and Comprehensive Market Opportunity Assessment.”

Lambda writes, “SBs form an emerging audience for social networking services. While the proliferation of these services among the general public has been extraordinary, SBs remain a largely untapped opportunity - what could amount to a small boon for those willing to seek them out during these troubled times.”

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Here are several excerpts from an article by Barney Beal, News Director with SearchCRM.com, Poor Customer Service, Not Price, is Driving Customer Churn:

The notion that customer service is imperative in a recession got a major boost from a recent study by Accenture.

The New York-based consulting and services firm surveyed more than 4,100 consumers over the summer and found that service — more than price — is a clear differentiator.

According to the online survey, 67% of respondents reported switching companies because of poor customer service, compared with 59% last year. U.S. respondents were even more service sensitive, with 73% reporting that they switched companies owing to poor customer service, compared with 47% switching over lower prices. All indications are that the importance of customer service is only growing. Four years ago, when Accenture first began conducting the annual study, only 48% of respondents said they were switching businesses because of customer service.

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Here are several excerpts from an article by Marshall Lager, Senior Editor of CRM magazine, about a recent Forrester Research report on CRM 2.0 and social customer strategies, CRM 2.0 Is for Real:

Industry analysis firm Forrester Research has been placing heavy emphasis of late on the emergence of CRM 2.0, the confluence of social computing and business. In its latest report on the topic, William Band, a principal analyst at the firm and one of CRM magazine’s 2007 influential leaders, examines how early adopters are implementing strategies for the social customer.

“Leading-edge organizations are actively using social technologies to forge new and tighter relationships with their buyer communities, and social technologies are driving business results,” Band writes in CRM 2.0: Fantasy or Reality? How Trail-Blazing Companies Are Implementing Social Customer Strategies. “Now is the time to take action to start gaining the practical experience you need to break out of old mindsets and grasp new opportunities. Those who wait to join in will find it increasingly hard to catch up.”

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