Anyone using SalesForce?

DriverR · 15th June 2009, 17:05

Hi all, my company is in the process of evaluating the sales CRM application, SalesForce. While me and a few other people are evaluating it for a trial period, I'm wondering if anyone else here has used it in their organization, and if they can give their opinion of it. Until now we were using a homegrown sales system and therefore are looking for a scalable sales management system that can be used by our global sales team.

anurag_p80 · 15th June 2009, 17:14

Well, not used it per se as a user. I do not even officially work on it. But as a pioneer of the SaaS revolution, SFDC is close to my heart. Helped create a couple of apps (still WIP) for Apex. If you want to know anything specific (uptime/ availability, scalability etc.) do ask (BTW, you can do worse when it comes to uptime even with an on-premise SFA app). For pure SFA, IMO, SFDC is a great value proposition. I will leave the users to provide feedback on the usability front. Watching this thread with interest...

PS: What sort of business is your company involved in, if I may ask?

DriverR · 15th June 2009, 17:21

My business group is into Geo-Spatial solutions. This package is planned for our group first, before it is expanded to include the other business groups. Guess, we are the guinea pigs for this!

GTO · 15th June 2009, 18:29

I haven't used it directly, but have had a trial run and have walked away impressed. My cousin has been a salesforce customer for 2 years and swears by it. IMO a solid service for sales management!

DirtyHarry · 15th June 2009, 18:43

I've evaluated (not used) salesforce and sales logix and would recommend the later.

Take a look.

Red Liner · 15th June 2009, 20:13

I use this service called 24SevenOffice - 24SevenOffice - Web based systems for CRM and Collaboration and have been an avid customer for about 4 years now. Lets me do everything related to running my company - including sales management (so that is just a sub-set). So far so good...lets me do accounting, invoicing, connected to my bank accounts, email, sales contact lists, IP phone integration...basically anything I need online.

Samurai · 17th June 2009, 09:12

We just become Force.com ISV partner. Getting official training in India is a pain, only recently they are offering training in India. So I am getting couple of people trained in it. BTW, checkout Microsoft CRM too if you are on tight budget.

NetfreakBombay · 17th June 2009, 10:12

We used Salesforce.com for couple of projects.

It turned out to be too costly to integrate with internal data systems. E.g. if you have your own system for managing Reference data for Clients or you want to integrate MS Exchange + Awaya telephone systems so that calls/meetings with clients can be shown on dashboards.

In such cases, cost of License of SF + Dev costs and maintenance was way too high.

anurag_p80 · 17th June 2009, 10:20

SFDC is a great solution for SFA, and you cannot go wrong with it. I couple of groups in my company used it before we went for an on-premise CRM, and they swear by it. As long as you use it stand-alone, meaning nothing to pass from/ to legacy BSS/ OSS, it should be simple and quick to implement and to use. And you don't get tied in like on-premise. I'd say evaluate with an open mind (Sales guys don't like systems, in my experience

). They also have some great dashboards, and apps from Apex which you may consider using.

As Samurai said, MS Dynamics 3.0 is also a fairly decent SFA (am talking of the on-demand version here). Specially so if you use Exchange/ Outlook and other MS products internally. Works seamlessly with those. But it IS MS (Evil Side, you know

).

If undecided, you can also try the open source SugarCRM, or Highrise (CRM from 37Signals, of basecamp fame. Those guys are realllly good).

PS: I have a compare guide for some of the hosted solutions. Not very detailed, but a decent overview. PM me if you want me to share with you. This is not my org's IP, but downloaded from some web sources.

neoranjit · 17th June 2009, 16:42

I know folks in our office who use it everyday. PM if you have any questions , I can help you out with whatever I know .

DriverR · 17th June 2009, 18:13

Thanks guys. I'm trying to navigate around the application a bit first, else any documentations I ask for would go above my head if I don't understand which aspect of the application they are referring to and how it is supposed to behave.

neofromcapone · 2nd December 2011, 03:40

Wow, this is like waking up the dead,

but I am quite lost on my sales management CRM tool for choice of better words.

1.I need a simple input Name and customer details and vagre vagere.
2.Key is to put notes of each customer interaction. and that should appear in a thread like format.
3. A calender and reminder.

Can the guru's here point me to some solution.

Thanks In Advance

NetfreakBombay · 2nd December 2011, 08:33

CRM Open Source Business & Social CRM Software - SugarCRM try test-driving it. It should meet your needs and can be used for free.

Sahil · 2nd December 2011, 23:39

We were in the process on implementing Nokia TEJ and just got an email from them notifying that they are shutting the division down.

Can salesforce be a substitute for order bookings in a consumer products sales team?

15th June 2009, 17:05	#1
DriverR BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 414 Thanked: 526 Times	Anyone using SalesForce? Hi all, my company is in the process of evaluating the sales CRM application, SalesForce. While me and a few other people are evaluating it for a trial period, I'm wondering if anyone else here has used it in their organization, and if they can give their opinion of it. Until now we were using a homegrown sales system and therefore are looking for a scalable sales management system that can be used by our global sales team.
	() Thanks

15th June 2009, 17:14	#2
anurag_p80 BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 314 Thanked: 7 Times	Well, not used it per se as a user. I do not even officially work on it. But as a pioneer of the SaaS revolution, SFDC is close to my heart. Helped create a couple of apps (still WIP) for Apex. If you want to know anything specific (uptime/ availability, scalability etc.) do ask (BTW, you can do worse when it comes to uptime even with an on-premise SFA app). For pure SFA, IMO, SFDC is a great value proposition. I will leave the users to provide feedback on the usability front. Watching this thread with interest... PS: What sort of business is your company involved in, if I may ask?
	() Thanks

15th June 2009, 17:21	#3
DriverR BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 414 Thanked: 526 Times	My business group is into Geo-Spatial solutions. This package is planned for our group first, before it is expanded to include the other business groups. Guess, we are the guinea pigs for this!
	() Thanks

15th June 2009, 18:29	#4
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 70,616 Thanked: 301,553 Times View My Garage	I haven't used it directly, but have had a trial run and have walked away impressed. My cousin has been a salesforce customer for 2 years and swears by it. IMO a solid service for sales management!
	() Thanks

15th June 2009, 18:43	#5
DirtyHarry BHPian Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 59 Thanked: 8 Times	I've evaluated (not used) salesforce and sales logix and would recommend the later. Take a look.
	() Thanks

15th June 2009, 20:13	#6
Red Liner Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 5,214 Thanked: 18,209 Times	I use this service called 24SevenOffice - 24SevenOffice - Web based systems for CRM and Collaboration and have been an avid customer for about 4 years now. Lets me do everything related to running my company - including sales management (so that is just a sub-set). So far so good...lets me do accounting, invoicing, connected to my bank accounts, email, sales contact lists, IP phone integration...basically anything I need online.
	() Thanks

17th June 2009, 09:12	#7
Samurai Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Bangalore/Udupi Posts: 25,836 Thanked: 45,715 Times View My Garage	We just become Force.com ISV partner. Getting official training in India is a pain, only recently they are offering training in India. So I am getting couple of people trained in it. BTW, checkout Microsoft CRM too if you are on tight budget.
	() Thanks

17th June 2009, 10:12	#8
NetfreakBombay Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,467 Thanked: 1,027 Times	We used Salesforce.com for couple of projects. It turned out to be too costly to integrate with internal data systems. E.g. if you have your own system for managing Reference data for Clients or you want to integrate MS Exchange + Awaya telephone systems so that calls/meetings with clients can be shown on dashboards. In such cases, cost of License of SF + Dev costs and maintenance was way too high.
	() Thanks

17th June 2009, 10:20	#9
anurag_p80 BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 314 Thanked: 7 Times	SFDC is a great solution for SFA, and you cannot go wrong with it. I couple of groups in my company used it before we went for an on-premise CRM, and they swear by it. As long as you use it stand-alone, meaning nothing to pass from/ to legacy BSS/ OSS, it should be simple and quick to implement and to use. And you don't get tied in like on-premise. I'd say evaluate with an open mind (Sales guys don't like systems, in my experience). They also have some great dashboards, and apps from Apex which you may consider using. As Samurai said, MS Dynamics 3.0 is also a fairly decent SFA (am talking of the on-demand version here). Specially so if you use Exchange/ Outlook and other MS products internally. Works seamlessly with those. But it IS MS (Evil Side, you know). If undecided, you can also try the open source SugarCRM, or Highrise (CRM from 37Signals, of basecamp fame. Those guys are realllly good). PS: I have a compare guide for some of the hosted solutions. Not very detailed, but a decent overview. PM me if you want me to share with you. This is not my org's IP, but downloaded from some web sources.
	() Thanks

17th June 2009, 16:42	#10
neoranjit BHPian Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Chennai Posts: 588 Thanked: 196 Times View My Garage	I know folks in our office who use it everyday. PM if you have any questions , I can help you out with whatever I know .
	() Thanks

17th June 2009, 18:13	#11
DriverR BHPian Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 414 Thanked: 526 Times	Thanks guys. I'm trying to navigate around the application a bit first, else any documentations I ask for would go above my head if I don't understand which aspect of the application they are referring to and how it is supposed to behave.
	() Thanks

2nd December 2011, 03:40	#12
neofromcapone BHPian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Bombay Posts: 415 Thanked: 440 Times	Re: Anyone using SalesForce? Wow, this is like waking up the dead, but I am quite lost on my sales management CRM tool for choice of better words. 1.I need a simple input Name and customer details and vagre vagere. 2.Key is to put notes of each customer interaction. and that should appear in a thread like format. 3. A calender and reminder. Can the guru's here point me to some solution. Thanks In Advance
	() Thanks

2nd December 2011, 08:33	#13
NetfreakBombay Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,467 Thanked: 1,027 Times	Re: Anyone using SalesForce? CRM Open Source Business & Social CRM Software - SugarCRM try test-driving it. It should meet your needs and can be used for free.
	() Thanks

2nd December 2011, 23:39	#14
Sahil Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 6,296 Thanked: 7,615 Times	Re: Anyone using SalesForce? We were in the process on implementing Nokia TEJ and just got an email from them notifying that they are shutting the division down. Can salesforce be a substitute for order bookings in a consumer products sales team?
	() Thanks