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| Views on Salesforce.com | Views: 1861 |
| Jun 10, 2005 11:41 pm | | Views on Salesforce.com | # |
Nick Heaps | | Hi,
I'm about to evaluate Salesforce.com as a tool for creating a virtual sales and marketing team (collaborative team) whereby I can segment and target client databases and initiate direct mail and e-mail campaigns, my telemarketing partner can qualify/update call records whilst the client's sales team follow-up leads, record opportunities, set actions and build the pipeline.
Are there any pitfalls / product deficiences that I may come across?
Can anyone recommend a hosted e-mail service (preferably UK-based) that integrates with Salesforce.com?
Would welcome any advice or relevant experience.
Thanks,
Nick
Private Reply to Nick Heaps |
| Jun 13, 2005 1:29 pm | | re: Views on Salesforce.com | # |
Priyanka Sethi | | Hi Nick
Salesforce is a nice product. If you are looking at using email , telemarketing campaigns extensively you can also look at www.officespark.com. Its more compact, local and flexible.
This is a UK based company for web applications. Let me know if you would like to know more....
Regards
PriyankaPrivate Reply to Priyanka Sethi |
| Jun 13, 2005 1:33 pm | | re: Views on Salesforce.com | # |
jack Alan | |
Sales force .com is having a conferance in SF
on the 23rd , of June: I suggest you call and register:
Cheers,
Jack Private Reply to jack Alan |
| Jun 13, 2005 2:51 pm | | re: re: Views on Salesforce.com | # |
jack Alan | |
The conferance is on the 21st: Private Reply to jack Alan |
| Jun 13, 2005 3:12 pm | | re: Views on Salesforce.com | # |
Douglas Karr | | Nick,
ExactTarget has a fully integrated email solution with Salesforce that's one of the best in the business. They have some dynamic content options in their software that are incredible. It's a fantastic tool... truth be told, I am starting work with them today full-time. I've been working indirectly with them for the last 2 years.
I believe they have offices in the UK but not sure if they host locally. http://www.exacttarget.com
Salesforce. I just completed a Salesforce/ExactTarget implementation for the Indianapolis Colts. It was a small learning curve but Salesforce is incredibly flexible for customization. The only issue I had was how they determine an Account vs. a contact. I had to redesign my export scripts a couple times to get it right.
The advantages to both these solutions are their robust API (Application Programming Interfaces) that can allow you to connect your systems internal to their application to have a 360 degree movement of data.
If you'd like, you can PM me and I can get you some contact info for both companies in the UK.
Doug
Private Reply to Douglas Karr |
| Jun 13, 2005 7:08 pm | | re: Views on Salesforce.com | # |
Chris Young | | If you are located outside of the United States, I would be very wary of using US based ASP's to store your confidential information due to the lack of privacy guarantees that are a result of The Patriot Act. http://www.epic.org/privacy/terrorism/usapatriot/
Services like Salesforce.com, while technically fantastic, are compelled to make their data warehouses available to the US Government.
Call me paranoid but, customer contacts and the like are sensitive information and should be closely guarded trade secrets and not open for data mining by Goverment agencies who could use it to promote their own economic interests and not just to guard against terrorism.
If you are in need of a CRM solution, look into one of the many Open Source CRM products that are available at a much lower cost than the $65.00 monthly subscription fee for Salesforce.com
Regards,
Chris
http://www.savingcents.infoPrivate Reply to Chris Young |
| Jun 14, 2005 11:42 am | | re: re: Views on Salesforce.com | # |
Douglas Karr | | That's an interesting note re: privacy and The Patriot Act. It's been active for quite some time and I have not heard one complaint from any organization required to release private data.
Even if the DHS (Department of Homeland Security) did require access (which I believe is a stretch), they do not 'open it up' to the public to view nor would they share it with anyone. It would strictly be utilized to investigate when there is ample proof of a threat.
I might add that Open Source CRM products would not have a hint of the intrusion and security features that Salesforce.com would have. So, while you might be save from Uncle Sam, you are definitely opening yourself up to every hacker out there. Unless of course, you have your own security team monitoring and testing your CRM's intrusion.
Doug
PS: I'm paranoid as well... but as a database marketer, I'm realistic about who is really after my personal data.Private Reply to Douglas Karr |
| Jul 17, 2005 10:59 am | | re: Views on Salesforce.com | # |
Kumaran V. | | Hi,
Why don't you consider mySAP CRM instead? If you just need a lean version, SAP provides what's called Sales Express. Talk to the SAP folks in your country.
Regards
VKPrivate Reply to Kumaran V. |
| Jul 20, 2005 12:11 am | | re: re: re: Views on Salesforce.com | # |
Peter Davis | | Doug, I don't see how an in-house CRM based on one of the open source software available would be less secure than a web-based service. Unless you connect it to the web, the only way someone could access your data would be to break into your office. Private Reply to Peter Davis |
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