Avidian Technologies Survey Reveals Small to Medium Businesses Want CRM Simplicity and Compatibility

REDMOND, Wash.--Avidian Technologies today released the findings of its Customer Relationship Management (CRM) survey. The survey found that the majority of small to medium businesses (SMBs) are unfamiliar with the terms Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Software as a Service (SaaS), and that those who do know about CRM connect it to products that only apply CRM in indirect ways. Of those surveyed, 70 percent reported they did not know what CRM meant and only 47 percent were even sure they had heard of it. Familiarity with SaaS was even lower, with 74 percent reporting they were unfamiliar with the term.

Of those involved with CRM, 32 percent were in the early discussion or product selection stage of implementing a CRM solution. Most of the respondents said they are looking for CRM to improve customer service (46 percent), increase efficiency when working with customers (44 percent) and increase productivity (45 percent).

In spite of the lack of familiarity with CRM, those companies who have implemented CRM solutions have seen the results exceed their expectations in the following areas:

• Increasing efficiency working with customers: 64 percent vs. 52 percent expected
• Increasing sales: 28 percent vs. 20 percent expected
• Improving business insight: 36 percent vs. 28 percent expected
• Increasing visibility into the sales pipeline: 40 percent vs. 32 percent expected

The most common products being considered for CRM are Microsoft Outlook and QuickBooks (31 percent and 28 percent, respectively), which are also the products most familiar to respondents (67 percent and 47 percent, respectively). The survey also found that most respondents (67 percent) want CRM that runs inside of Outlook, and 62 percent said they want CRM data stored in Outlook. In addition, 69 percent want a solution that runs over the Internet, yet 57 percent want a solution that is also available offline.

“This research confirms what we are seeing in the field,” said James Wong, Avidian’s CEO. “While some companies may be unfamiliar with the term ‘CRM,’ ultimately they want the services this kind of technology provides. This illustrates that CRM is a growing industry with viable growth potential in the SMB market. They are also looking for a tool that is simple and effective, two areas in which Avidian far excels beyond other CRM offerings.”

Eighty-two percent of respondents also reported that the most important feature was ease of use, followed closely by not requiring significant support (79 percent) and the ability to customize an existing sales routine (74 percent). In short, SMBs are looking for simplicity and compatibility.

About Survey

The CRM survey was conducted in December of 2008 by Market Tools. The survey targeted 202 adult professionals from the United States. For more information, please visit http://www.avidian.com/ProphetCRMSurveyforSMBCRM.pdf.

About Avidian Technologies

Avidian Technologies is a software company specializing in creating software solutions for users of Outlook and Exchange. Prophet, developed by Avidian Technologies on the .NET platform, is the leading contact management and CRM software built inside Microsoft Outlook. Prophet is currently being used by more than 15,000 companies worldwide to help them achieve sales success. The company is headquartered in Redmond, Washington. For more information, please visit http://www.avidian.com.