Salesforce.com Announces First Online CRM Service

Robyn Greenspan

Updated · Mar 12, 2001

SAN FRANCISCO, CA–Salesforce.com has introduced a seamlessly integrated, online CRM system that can be operated without software installations or additional hardware. The fully customizable component hopes to revolutionize the manner in which e-businesses support and manage customer relationships.

The $50 per month subscription rate includes features one would expect from the more expensive and difficult-to-use CRM solutions. Benefits of the service include:

  • Fast access: Built for the web and available anytime, anywhere
  • Ease of use: Intuitive, easy to adopt, minimal training time, no IT resources necessary
  • Customization and personalization: Easily adapts to a company’s existing processes and staff structures and each user’s needs
  • Single view of customer: All departments share visibility into every aspect of customers and prospects
  • World-class functionality: Tracking, reporting, analysis and forecasting available for sales, marketing and support organizations at a fraction of the cost of traditional client/server CRM systems
  • Wireless access from enabled cellular phones, Palm OS(TM) devices and pagers
  • Multi-language support for Japan and Europe

In addition to the multitude of features, salesforce.com includes training, customer support, updates and upgrades as part of the monthly subscription rate as well.

John Dillon, president and CEO of salesforce.com stated, “In just over one year, more than 25,000 organizations throughout the world heard our message that the ‘End of Software’ is here and registered to use our flagship online sales force automation service. Today we are thrilled to announce the evolution of our service into a complete, powerful online CRM service.”

The customer list encompasses companies of various sizes from diverse industries, such as Time-Warner’s Road Runner Division, Neoforma.com, Berlitz International, Siemen’s Power Transmission & Distribution, Putnam Lovell Securities, R.L. Polk, Convergent Communications and Stonebridge Technologies.

“It’s possible that without salesforce.com, we would have spent $6 million on traditional enterprise software,” said Mike Bauer, Vice President Northern Region Sales, Siemen’s Power T&D. “Salesforce.com saved us significant dollars, took just days to get up and running and provides us with a powerful service that helps our sales, customer support and marketing departments work together to grow and retain our customer relationships,” said Bauer.

Robyn Greenspan
Robyn Greenspan

Robyn Greenspan, an independent researcher and speaker, is interested in innovation, market trends and information technology. She was a participant in the AI Summit and also took part in the IEEE International Conference on Edge Computing, International SOA Symposium series and the International Cloud Symposium series. She graduated from Temple University. She was previously the communications and research manager for the AMS, an internationally recognized professional association that advances knowledge in the IT and business management areas.

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