CRM Programs: Strengths and Weaknesses of Major Brands

We are at a crucial moment in the life of companies. It is urgent to adapt to digital transformation and adopt new technologies that are an integral part of the company’s strategy. Every day new tools emerge that help managers gain control of data in real time, optimize tasks and simplify their daily lives. One of the technologies that is essential today in any company, regardless of size or area of activity, are the CRM programs.

CRMs allow you to store, in a single place, all customer-related data, from the date of the last purchase, to the history of interactions and contacts within each company.

Every year, Gartner produces the Magic Quadrant report, in which it analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the main market players in certain technologies.

Of all the CRM programs vendors evaluated in this Magic Quadrant, we will highlight Gartner’s assessment of just four – Microsoft, Salesforce, SugarCRM and Zendesk.

CRM Programs: Strengths and weaknesses of the Main Players

1 – Microsoft Dynamics CRM

Microsoft was this year faced with changes in its management. The system evaluated in the Magic Quadrant is CRM Dynamics 365 for Customer Service (v.8.2), launched in 2017, and whose data protection is done in compliance with GDPR.

STRENGTHS

• It consists of an intuitive interface and very easy-to-use customization tools that favor the mapping of customer service processes;
• Dynamics 365 is a system that allows you to get a complete view of your company by integrating data with other Microsoft apps such as Power BI and PowerApps;
• Provides both on-premise and cloud licensing, with very similar functionality, supporting multiple languages;
• Through a Unified Service Desk, it allows companies to enjoy integration and automation, both for their own data and third-party data.

WEAKNESSES

• The total cost of ownership (TCO) is no longer an advantage for those who only use the customer service module, since other functionalities were added that made the software more expensive;
• There is some staff shortage in Microsoft’s management, pre-sales service and direct sales, which leads to some messages and product demonstrations falling short;
• Data migration is considered difficult by customers. However, Microsoft recognizes this and provides additional migration tools through Microsoft FastTrack.

2 – Salesforce Service Cloud

The main reason for choosing Salesforce Service Cloud is the corporate strategic message and vision around business transformation, and is the leading vendor in terms of sales volume.

STRENGTHS

• The availability of Salesforce complementary software, together with hundreds of complementary vendors and more than 5,000 Salesforce AppExchange apps, are what attracts customers;
• For B2B customer service operations, Service Cloud is a frequently selected product. Through new partnerships, Salesforce is also beginning to make its presence felt in the public sector, communications, and insurance industries;
• New customers, both B2C and B2B businesses, have shown confidence in the CRM solution offering, abandoning competing systems and making heavy investments in Salesforce;
• Programs like Ignite and Trailhead reduce barriers to entry while helping Salesforce differentiate its product.

WEAKNESSES

• Customers report that the software is not strong enough in Business Process Management (BPM), where various parts of the process are external to Salesforce;
• The integration of some Salesforce modules into the Service Cloud, including data that customers already have, requires some work and time;
• For some industries, which need permanent synchronization and monitoring of processes, it is advisable to look for references of CRM implementation processes in businesses of similar complexity and size. This is justified because Salesforce still has a limited support offer;
• There are many future-facing features, for example mobile chat, virtual customer care, mobile messaging, phone call scripting, and email response management, for which there are no major benchmarks yet;
• Customers show concern about high price and vendor dependency after integrating various Salesforce or third-party components for industry specifics, IVR (Interactive Voice Response) and CTI (Computer Telephony Integration). The cost-effectiveness of the software is poorly rated.

3 – SugarCRM

Gartner evaluates Sugar Enterprise v.7.6 to 7.9, mainly implemented in SMEs, and considers that:

STRENGTHS

• The technology is robust and scalable, and is available with on-premise and cloud licensing;
• After implementation, it is simple to maintain, configure and customize the system, and has good workflows and navigation;
• SMEs, particularly B2B businesses, that are already using or planning to introduce sales automation flows should consider the SugarCRM product list;
• Customers’ assessment of SugarCRM’s value proposition is among the top two of any software vendor in this Magic Quadrant, and the cost of the software is below the average of the top five CRM vendors.

WEAKNESSES

• Customers rated SugarCRM’s product below average in this Magic Quadrant in terms of mobile messaging, mobile chat, CTI (Computer Telephony Integration) and call scripting support;
• The implementation of the systems outside the US has some limitations, such as poor project management skills, difficulties in communication regarding the design and implementation phases, and complex upgrades;
•  Sugar Enterprise is rarely mentioned by Gartner customers as an independent choice for customer support.

4 – Zendesk CRM

Zendesk’s customer service product is SaaS (Software as a Service) licensed, and is aimed notably at SMEs. It has one of the fastest growing customer bases in the CRM vendor market.

STRENGTHS

• Customers see Zendesk as having a good engagement vision and moving in the right direction in providing the tools they need;
• Customer evaluation of value proposition, ease of adoption, configuration and use, and API integration has one of the top scores in the Magic Quadrant;
• Zendesk has a good vision of offering customer experience support across all interaction channels;
• It received good ratings regarding the use of software partners and the competence and responsiveness of the technical support team. SaaS licensing allows the product to be implemented in most companies in the market.

WEAKNESSES

• Although Zendesk is present in many different industries (such as software, IT services, retail, communication, transportation, gaming and mobile apps), it does not provide industry-specific versions of the product. It is not tested for customer service in industries with more complex scenarios, such as banking, telecommunications and healthcare;
• It was poorly rated by customers on the parameters of social media engagement, content management, advanced knowledge management, and complex email workflow management;
• Setting up complex processes, tasks and support teams are difficult activities with this product;
• Zendesk focuses on simple deployment environments, leaving the task of more complex integrations to partners.

Which CRM to choose for my business?

The road to success begins before the software is chosen, with a survey of requirements, processes, and needs that the technology must address. To facilitate this task, we have prepared a template of requirements you should consider when choosing a CRM. A good job in this phase will ensure that your company’s CRM is a fundamental piece to support and amplify the strategy, mission, vision and objectives defined.

Talk to us and let’s define the right path for your business growth.