CRM Cloud Computing

Welcome to the week in review for the customer relationship management, or “CRM,” industry. Below are some of the top stories that came across the TMCnet news wires this week.

It was a big Tuesday on Dec. 29, for the CRM world.

First, Salesforce.com’s (News - Alert) Senior Manager of Product Marketing, Viviana Padilla discussed the company’s progress in 2009 and how the current economic climate is forcing companies to scale back and re-evaluate where monetary needs should go. 


And, going forward, Padilla predicts that 2010 will be a year of transition for companies to replace the expenses from enterprise software companies and migrating to built-in innovations of cloud computing, like the systems offered by Salesforce.com.

Then, Mike Burkland, CEO of call center software provider, Five9 Inc., told TMCnet in an interview that, despite troubled economic times, the company reported a record year. 

“The slower economy actually stimulated demand for Five9 products, as companies looked to cut costs by switching from premise-based call center equipment to on-demand virtual call centers,” Burkland said.

And, with the company’s industry first product release in 2009, the bar is set high to live up to the same standards in the New Year.

What’s ahead for Five9 in 2010?

“Continued demand for on-demand call centers – more and more larger customers have stopped presuming that call center solutions will be premise-based, and are expecting to deploy on-demand call centers,” Burkland said. “This trend bodes well for Five9.”

And, SIP-based VoIP call recording provider, SIP Print, discussed how the recession affected its customer base – namely the SMB market. 

“The recession is not good for any business, especially the SMB market,” SIP Print’s (News - Alert) CEO and President Don Palmer told me in a recent TMCnet interview. “The SMB market survives daily and decisions are made within minutes not weeks or months or even years.”

But, SIP Print was able to capitalize on the current economic situation by catering to these companies with its upgrade products and advanced business relationships. And, simultaneously, SIP Print’s business grew due to its ability to understand and connect with the SMB market, as it is a small business itself.

That’s the top CRM News for this week. Check back next week on TMCnet for more breaking news in the CRM industry.