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DSC Tech Library
This section of our technical library presents information and documentation relating to CRM Applications and Customer relationship management software and products. Providing customer service is vital to maintaining successful business relationships. Accurate and timely information provided in a professional manner is the key to any business and service operation.
Telemation, our CRM software application, was built on this foundation. But the flexibility to change is just as important in this dynamic business environment.
Telemation call center software was designed with this concept from the very beginning.
That is why so many call center managers, with unique and changing requirements, have chosen and continue to use Telemation CRM software as their solution.
Our Telemation CRM solution is ideally suited for call center service bureaus.
Hidden Costs of Online CRM - Part 2
The following is an extract from the article "Hidden Costs of Online CRM - Part 2" by Erika Morphy from CRM Daily:
"Its cost is low, it delivers enterprise-level functionality, and it spares a company the ordeal of a time-consuming implementation project.
It is called "hosted software," and many say this software space is in its prime, as more and more companies -- both buyers and sellers -- jump on the bandwagon.
In Part 1 of this series, CRM Daily takes a look at the total cost proposition of online CRM -- which, while cheaper than on-premise software, is not necessarily as cheap as many companies would think. In fact, hidden or unexpected costs associated with these applications can easily catch companies off guard.
In this segment, we will take a look at an ASP's infrastructure and what it means to a user's total cost of ownership.
Plugging Holes Can Be Costly
In some respects, the infrastructure is the easiest piece to evaluate when going through the due-diligence and vendor-selection process. To cite an elementary example, it has become accepted practice that there should be two servers able to perform each function.
Unexpected costs arise when managers decide they want to mitigate certain risks in an ASP's infrastructure, says Gartner research director Lydia Leong. This is especially common with the smaller providers, which do not always follow best practices. For example, if a company realizes the ASP's monitoring services do not follow security best practices, a client may opt to supplement the provider's service with its own monitoring, rather than move to another vendor.
Enterprise Shortcomings
"Many enterprises don't necessarily have the highest-quality infrastructure either, so a comparison and risk-mitigation analysis must be done," Leong tells CRM Daily. "And more than likely, once this analysis is complete, a number of holes will have been identified -- either in operations down time, data loss or security issues."
If the application is not mission-critical, the impact of one of these holes being exploited might be relatively small, and a company may decide not to spend the extra money. But if the ASP is running, say, a call center , the subsequent vulnerability will be impressive, she says.
Some of these extra costs can be avoided, according to Leong. She outlines some examples in a recent report on evaluating ASP infrastructure. For instance, if a company considers the ASP's data center or network to be inadequate, it can request that the ASP host the company's equipment at a co-location facility. "You could also ask to supply your own connectivity," she writes. "The price of the service would be adjusted accordingly......"
To view the entire article, visit www.crmdaily.com.
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