Salesforce is the BMW of CRM systems. It may be a little more expensive, but partners like Trask will show you the factors that make it worth it.
Salesforce is the most important player in the CRM (Customer Relationship Management) market, but it is also perceived as a product with a higher price tag. Indeed, it’s true that you need to invest more money in its acquisition than into competing products. Even the cheapest option starts at $25 per user per month, which is five to ten dollars more than the others. And Salesforce’s unlimited option costs many times more - $300 per user per month.
Nonetheless, 89% of companies find Salesforce pays for itself already in the first year. In most cases, it is advisable to have a consultant to help you decide what is worth paying extra for and what is not. Trask is precisely the Salesforce partner that can provide you with advisory (through to end-to-end) solutions, even with other providers.
It’s important to note that Salesforce is no longer just a CRM product, but a complete platform that leads the industry with its various modules and extensions. That’s why International Data Corporation has named it the top CRM provider for nine years in a row. The price difference between competitors can often be attributed to the desire to at least compete with Salesforce, but naturally at the price of fewer functionalities and configuration options.
Consultation and analysis are important
There are ways to save through employee, customer and partner portals with cheaper licenses and discounts directly from Salesforce vendors. It is also important to have a frank discussion with the client about the adequacy of their requirements and to focus on the return on investment (ROI). For example, together we consider which Salesforce modules the client really needs and which ones they don’t. If Salesforce isn’t a viable solution, Trask does not limit itself to this option. One example is the CRM reporting tool called S-Drive, which generates reports for importers, dealers and headquarters. This tool is built on the SAP and Google Analytics platforms. We always prioritize what best fits the client’s needs and do not want to limit them to a single provider (being vendor-locked).
High investments pay off
Despite the high investment, companies that use Salesforce CRM see an average return of $8.71 for every dollar spent on the system, according to a Nucleus Research study. Salesforce explains this high ROI by the following factors:
1. Their products can cover most enterprise applications and thus simplify the management of these applications and the cost of the various licenses in these programs. This reduces overall technology costs by up to 20%
2. 26% increase in employee productivity
3. 27% faster business process automation
4. 29% increase in sales
Gene Marks of US Forbes reports that whenever he encountered a company unhappy with Salesforce, it was almost always because they didn’t implement it correctly or used only a fraction of the capabilities it offers. The CRM department at Trask was responsible for successful CRM transformation at ČSOB, for example, making us a laboratory for the entire KBC Group.
