On-Site vs Cloud CRM: B2B Organisations need to Re-evaluate their Tech

It’s 9.30am and you’re due to start work. You’ve got an important email to send and a contact to get in touch with. There’s just one problem - you’re stuck at home. And your company server is down. You can’t access the CRM. You could lose business.

This is the reality for thousands of sales and marketing professionals around the world today, as the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many of us to work from home, and brought us face to face with the realisation that the tech and software we’re currently using just isn’t up to scratch. With the pandemic not looking to stop any time soon and most of us having to work from home for the foreseeable future, a CRM that you can’t access remotely just won’t do anymore. 

Your on-site CRM may have been fine up until now, but this unprecedented situation has you thinking: is it time to move to the cloud?

Well, in short, yes. But here’s why.

1. A cloud-based CRM is more easily accessible

Working from home aside, having a CRM that you can access from anywhere is vital, even when it comes to normal day to day business. If you have employees that are always on the go, often outside the office and out of scheduled hours, having a cloud based CRM is essential. Because most cloud-based CRMs are mobile friendly, it means your team has access to customer information no matter where they are or what they’re doing.

Users can quickly upload and review information across a number of mobile devices (laptops, tablets, mobiles) instantly, providing they have internet access. This helps keep all employees up to date with customer information, and it comes in very handy for salespeople, who can update and change information while they’re in meetings. 

On-site CRMs are naturally more restrictive - the system may only be set up on certain machines, or may require multiple logins to the company’s VPN, which, when your entire office is working from home, isn’t ideal. You’ll also face server issues when multiple people are accessing the system at once because it isn’t designed to be used this way, whereas a cloud-based CRM doesn’t tend to face these issues.

2. A cloud-based CRM requires less IT infrastructure

For Enterprise level companies, having mass amounts of IT infrastructure isn’t always an issue, as they can budget for the maintenance with a dedicated IT team. However, for most companies, this isn’t the case. On-site CRM systems often need checking and updating regularly, which has proven to be a huge issue in the current climate. Also, the time your IT team spends fixing issues is time that could be better spent on other business priorities. 

When you have a cloud-based CRM, managing the infrastructure is the job of your provider. They’ll have a team dedicated to performing the maintenance needed to keep the system running, and will make adjustments as and when needed. This means that not only do you not necessarily need a dedicated IT team, your time can be better spent prioritising key business operations - which is crucial in this time of worrying uncertainty. 

3. A cloud-based CRM is secure

Data security is a priority concern for many B2B organisations, and it’s likely that in the current situation, you’re maybe now realising that your data isn’t as secure as you’d like. This isn’t to say that on-site CRMs aren’t secure, but that you are completely responsible for maintaining that security. 

Many companies are apprehensive about moving to the cloud because they’re protective over their data, however with a reputable third party cloud CRM, the provider will make sure that security is always at maximum; so while they will store your data, it will be with the utmost safety and compliance. This is because SaaS companies have to adhere to data regulations themselves and hire experts to do so, who are likely to be much more efficient than an on-site IT team. 

Cloud CRM providers also have advanced back-up policies in place for if a breach does occur - which is likely to affect your business much less than if you’re responsible for your own security. There are a number of suspicions surrounding the cloud, but they carry little weight - unless you’re a business where it’s absolutely vital that you are in control of your own data security, there’s no reason why moving to the cloud wouldn’t benefit your business.

4. A cloud-based CRM will integrate with your current systems

In today’s day and age, there’s absolutely no reason to have a CRM that refuses to work alongside any other system, and stand-alone products are no longer desirable. After all, what’s the point in having a system that doesn’t integrate with the other programmes you use?

A good cloud CRM will offer a number of integrations that make all business processes seamless. For example, HubSpot, a powerful cloud based CRM and all-in-one marketing automation tool, has a huge ecosystem of programmes and applications that can all be integrated with it easily. This means you don’t have to open multiple systems to get what you need, as cloud CRMs like HubSpot can do the work for you. This is absolutely essential in the modern business environment where your customers expect more from you - don’t be left behind.

5. A cloud-based CRM is more user friendly

There’s nothing worse than an unresponsive, uncompromising piece of software that’s incredibly difficult to use. However, this is what most companies now working from home are realising - that their on-site system no longer works for them - employees can’t use it effectively, and it’s causing more problems than it’s solving. The modern business moving forward needs a CRM system that everyone can use, no matter their job title - otherwise, what’s the point? 

That’s why HubSpot CRM is an excellent option, as it has user-friendliness at its very core. You’ll struggle to find a cloud CRM that is as straightforward to use as HubSpot, as the system is designed for people of all abilities to use and get to grips with quickly and easily. HubSpot even has an academy filled with free resources, classes and training sessions so that if there’s anything you or your team are struggling with - there’s always something to help. 

6. A cloud-based CRM has a flexible potential to adapt and grow

Easily one of the greatest advantages the cloud-based CRM model has over it’s on-site competitors is the capability the system has to be flexible to your needs, adapt over time and grow as you expand your business. With an on-site CRM, it can be very difficult to add new capabilities to a rigid, legacy system - whereas with a cloud CRM, the system will always be improving and offering new capabilities.

The cloud model is also a lot more scalable, as you won’t have to rewrite an entire system and wait for it to go live, but simply choose the modules or extra capabilities you need from the provider and add them to your current plan. It’s also a lot easier to add more users to cloud CRMs, and they’ll never be confined to one machine. If you’re an organisation that’s looking to grow once the uncertainty is over, then a cloud CRM is seriously worth considering.

As we move further into the global pandemic, it’s likely that many of us will be working away from our offices for the foreseeable future, meaning you can no longer afford to have tech that’s holding you back. The cloud CRM that’s helping thousands of businesses move through this difficult time is HubSpot, which with it’s enhanced capabilities, ability to be used anywhere and user friendliness is making the lives of many employees easier and as close to business as usual as possible. HubSpot also recognises that not all organisations are in a position to make such a huge purchasing decision, which is why they offer a completely free CRM to get you started.

If you’re not quite ready, request your free custom HubSpot demo from us today, and see what you can expect from such a powerful cloud based CRM.

Why not give it a go? See what moving to the cloud can do for your business.