Cloud CRM

The CRM industry saw much news this week including cloud deals and developments from the likes of Infor and Soffront.

In a $2 billion deal, Golden Gate Capital and Infor have purchased Lawson Software, a business software manufacturer in Minnesota. Approving the offer of $11.25 per share, Lawson’s board unanimously approved the buyout.

Having made an offer for Lawson in March, Infor and Golden Gate were the highest bidders for Lawson after the company contacted other potential buyers. Offering 13.9 percent in early March, Golden Gate and Infor were finally selected as buyers.

Additionally this week, TMC’s (News - Alert) Linda Dobel noted that customization is a particular area purchasers of CRM strategies should be savvy about when making comparisons. That’s because customization is a crucial feature when choosing CRM software. If a business doesn’t have the ability to customize its software to synch with its individual processes and workflow the potential to increase productivity and efficiency is lost.

According to Soffront, a provider of an integrated CRM suite spanning sales, marketing, service and operations as well as one of the first cloud-based CRM providers,  true customization means being able to change the look and feel as well as business processes based on a business’s individual requirements. It is very important, it says, that CRM software emphasize customization without programming.

David Sims also reported that cloud-based customer relationship management software is an increasingly prominent market. Officials of Maximizer Software recently announced Maximizer CRM Live, which is the on-demand version of its flagship offering with all the expected CRM software functionality, including sales and marketing automation, contact management, and customer support.

The system, the company said, “consolidates all contacts, action items, business communications, forecasts, reports, and results into one central hub.” Through opportunity dashboards, managers can assess their sales team’s performance, while e-mail alerts notify team members of changes to opportunities.”

Juliana Kenny graduated from the University of Connecticut with a double degree in English and French. After managing a small company for two years, she joined TMC as a Web Editor for TMCnet. Juliana currently focuses on the call center and CRM industries, but she also writes about cloud telephony and network gear including softswitches.

Edited by Juliana Kenny