Is CRM in the cloud the best option?

Customer relations are an ever-increasing challenge for organizations, requiring more quality and agility. That's why a company needs to adopt technologies such as CRM (Customer Relationship Management) so that it can record all the stages of contact with its customers and potential customers or leads and maximize business opportunities.

For a company to remain competitive in today's market, it's crucial to provide quality customer experiences, which is why a strong CRM solution proves to be a necessity. Regardless of its size, any company will benefit: every business needs a CRM solution that aggregates all the relevant data and presents it intelligently and intuitively to the teams - marketing, sales and marketing, sales assistants, service technicians, and customer support teams.

CRM software is very useful for identifying and interacting with the right customers, improving customer interaction, centralizing information, tracking progress throughout the customer journey, and increasing the productivity of a team.

A CRM system solution must be:

• Extensible - it should support different types of deployments in the cloud or on local infrastructure.
• Secure - it should be a system that customizes security levels for users and works with their security function.
• Scalable – it should keep pace with the company's growth.

In this article, you'll learn about the advantages of installing a CRM system in the cloud!
 

What is CRM in the cloud?

A cloud CRM is one that is installed on a remote server, in a SaaS (software as a service) solution. There's no need to install the software or have a robust server in the company to store all the information. The CRM software provider does all the implementation securely and quickly. Cloud-based CRMs store all data in the cloud and are updated by the provider.

Find out more about on-premise vs cloud here! 
 

Benefits of CRM in the cloud

• Security

CRM solutions in the cloud have automatic backup strategies and data recovery plans in the event of a disaster. This makes these cloud systems more secure and reliable.

In addition, they come with robust security measures and certifications to protect company and customer information, such as two-step authentication and strong passwords, an important requirement for GDPR compliance.
 

• Flexibility

A cloud CRM can adapt to all companies. Small businesses can start with minimal functionalities that can help them with their current work, and then add more capacity, new functionalities, and advanced modules as they grow.
 

• Simple integration

A cloud-based CRM can be easily integrated with other applications and software, such as email clients and productivity tools, allowing you to perform tasks seamlessly and gain end-to-end visibility into the entire sales process.
 

• Easy to use anywhere

Work styles and workplaces have changed and employees need to be able to access data and systems on any device, anywhere, and at any time. The fact that the CRM is hosted in the cloud allows access to the system 24 hours a day. This way, teams have access to the information they need at any time, improving the efficiency of their work. 

From making urgent sales calls on the move, sending an email, quickly finding a prospect's cell phone number, or changing a sales proposal, a cloud-based CRM offers continuous access to the database at any time of the day.
 

• Simple to install

Installing a CRM in the cloud is quick and simple all you need is Internet access, meaning you don't need to install hardware, pay for server and software maintenance, have an IT technician on site 24/7, or worry about complex installations, data migrations, or even updates. 
 

• Lower maintenance costs

CRM in the cloud doesn't require local servers, which means that companies don't have to pay for them or for the electricity they consume. What's more, updates are done automatically and free of charge. 
 

• Task automation

With CRM, some tasks can be automated, making it easier to manage the day-to-day running of teams. This automation helps to eliminate errors, which has an impact on the quality of work and customer satisfaction. 


Choosing a CRM solution that matches your objectives and has the intelligence, ease of use, and data connectivity you need to benefit your entire organization can be quite simple with Microsoft's Dynamics 365 Sales CRM - a cloud-based CRM that brings together everything a good CRM should offer.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 provides several business applications with CRM functionalities that can be used alone or together to achieve your goals and are available to try for free. Discover all its benefits here!

But do you want to know which option is best for you? Schedule a demonstration now and talk to one of our sales consultants to find the best solution for your needs!