Billy Joel…and CRM?
Mac or PC?
iOS or Android?
Proprietary cloud or AWS?
Choices abound with today’s technology, whether it’s the laptop on your desk or the phone in your pocket. So why should your CRM be any different? Recent events have shown us that when it comes to your data, you need to do everything possible to keep it safe and make sure it’s available when you need it. When choosing a CRM vendor, security and availability should be at the top of your wish list.
And while most businesses will look at the core feature set of a CRM to begin their research, it can be even more helpful to start by answering one fundamental question: How do I know my data will be accessible when my business depends on it? We live in a 24/7, always on society where we’re expected to have virtually every byte of data accessible to us in an instant. Expectations are high in the age of Google.
Why? Because if you want to sell more, you need to collect and act upon a vast amount of data. This data is the fuel that powers insight, and as we know, insight is the lifeblood of business relationships. The buyer journey used to be simple:
Not today. The route is significantly more complex, with numerous speed bumps to navigate:
As a business, you could slow down and be more careful when crossing those speed bumps with prospects. A good CRM will help you accelerate over them. A great one will remove these obstacles entirely by using data to drive predictive insights. This allows you to make the best possible decision in every scenario, every day, when it comes to not only creating new customers but delighting existing ones. At Sugar, it’s our mission to help your business create customers for life.
That aforementioned data? It’s only useful if it’s there, on the desktop, your phone or wrist. Can you reach it when you need it? Because it’s likely your competitors can. In business, sometimes a deal comes down to the wire, with last minute considerations driving the final decision.
You can buy a new car the first year it debuts. Or, you can wait a few years for the reliability ratings to roll in. Your CRM is no different. Hosting options abound: on-premise, proprietary, AWS, Azure…the list goes on. Each spawns the same questions. Who’s going to manage my data? What kind of SLA will I have? What does risk mitigation look like with my staff or provider?
SugarCloud is an AWS application. We leverage the AWS shared security model to ensure that your data is available when you need it, and we take extraordinary steps to keep that data secure. We have a deep relationship with AWS and continue to work hand-in-glove with their engineers, architecting Sugar specifically for them and taking advantage of their best of breed services. It’s a true partnership. We do one thing, and we feel that we do it very well: customer experience (CX).
“Do not try to do everything. Do one thing well.” – Steve Jobs
Sugar is changing the paradigm for businesses by allowing you to do as little data entry as possible, accelerating your marketing campaign results, and providing you with tons of value, all driven by data. We want you to create not just customers, but customers for life.
That data is unquestionably your most valuable asset. Will it be there when you need it? The answer lies in a song: as the piano man said, “It’s a matter of trust.”