The Cloud Trend
So we’ve talked about the benefits of SaaS (Software as a Service) including cost efficiency, scalability, and even its positive effect on the environment. However, most companies handle their Business Intelligence (BI) applications in-house. This may not be true in the next few years as SaaS usage is expected to grow to 23% by 2013.
What exactly are BI applications? Business Intelligence applications are computing utilities ranging from data mining and analytic programs to Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms.
CIO conducted a survey in May with over 300 IT leaders and found that 23% expect to utilize cloud of SaaS as their main BI solution within three years.
For SaaS vendors, this is incredibly good news, as 57% of those surveyed claimed they anticipate a bigger investment in BI applications within the next year. Opportunity is knocking!
The Benefits of SaaS
We’ve already discussed the benefits of SaaS, but we’re going to do it again!
Two Major Advantages of SaaS
- Cost Efficiency:
o SaaS eliminates the need to buy licenses in bulk.
o Rented on a month-to-month basis (lower upfront costs).
- Off Site Management:
o Reduces workload for in-house IT staff.
o Vendor monitors and updates application.
o Off-site automated backups available.
Its Up To You
Do you want to be ahead of the game and hop on the bandwagon now or later? Regardless of what you decide, SaaS is on the rise. Now is the time to start thinking about whether or not to head into the Cloud.
Web-Based CRM Software EquityTouch 2.2 Released Friday
Significant Speed and Functionality Improvements May Mean Easier Workdays
BOSTON—Boston software development company, Touch Ahead Software, released on Friday a version of its customer relationship management solution that contains significant improvements for its web-hosted CRM solution, EquityTouch.
The web-based solution is targeted toward the alternative asset industry, including private equity and venture capital firms. It specializes in deal-sourcing collaboration, which helps with the management of complex business relationships that come with the nature of the industry.
The main performance changes in version 2.2 consist of giving the user the ability to switch between tabs on Company and Person records more quickly, navigate Touch searches more quickly and perform full drag-and-drop. This means that the tabs labeled Company and Person were merged together so that the Summary, Touches, Details, and Relationships tabs all load at the same time. Now users don’t have to wait for the tabs to load, which increases speed. In addition, all field groupings within EquityTouch can now be dragged and dropped across the whole page so users have control over organization to best fit their needs. If someone doesn’t want to have the Groups grouping at the top of their screen, they can just drag it to the bottom of the screen and this view will be automatically saved.
In addition to these improvements, several bugs were fixed which will further enhance the functionality of EquityTouch. Touch Ahead Software continuously tests its solution to be sure that all features are working to the best of their ability and beyond.
All users of EquityTouch will see these changes and no action is required on the user’s side to implement them.
About Touch Ahead Software LLC
Touch Ahead Software is a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions company, focused on providing unparalleled benefits of advanced technology to the alternative asset community. The benefits include higher user satisfaction and increased deal sourcing productivity by utilizing user-friendly collaboration tools, as well as a dramatically reduced cost of ownership and time for implementation. Touch Ahead Software is the developer of EquityTouch®, the premiere deal CRM service for the financial industry and other specialized industries. For more information, please visit http://www.touchahead.com.
Press Contact
Cathie Briggette
Touch Ahead Software LLC
(p) +1 866 960 9301
(e) cmb@touchahead.com
SaaS and the Environment
The Green Debate
In many cases, cutting costs in business goes hand-in-hand with maintaining the earth’s natural environment. Web-based software is increasingly popular as organizations seek to optimize their technology to run more efficiently. However, there is some debate over whether or not the use of SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) as opposed to on-premise software actually reduces the negative effects that business has on the environment. There are several good reasons why the use of SaaS should be considered a green initiative, but for the sake of argument we will also touch upon the rebuttal.
How SaaS is Environmentally Friendly
1. Electricity Use Reduced, Thus Carbon Dioxide Emissions Reduced
How does SaaS reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere? Since the delivery model of SaaS consists of a vendor providing web-based software to another organization, it enables the organization it serves to reduce their server usage. In other words, the SaaS provider hosts the software from a separate server on which it typically uses to provide many businesses with that single application.
This model can be compared to public transportation. Instead of every person driving their own SUV with the intent of arriving at the same destination, a large group of people share a bus to arrive together, which results in reduction of fuel use, thus reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
With SaaS, instead of having each client use its own server (which usually isn’t used to its full capacity) to support on-premise software, the SaaS provider can host many organizations on a single server. This results in the reduction of electricity use and wasted electricity, which in effect reduces the amount of carbon dioxide released into the air as a result of electricity generation.
2. Web Access Enables and Eases Telecommuting
If an employee needs to work away from the office, it is easier for them to access software via the web rather than having to either come into the office just to use the software or to go through extra steps to access the software remotely. For companies that haven’t been able to utilize telecommuting, SaaS makes it easier to adopt this practice. Since accessing software solutions such as CRM applications through your web browser is quick and easy, employees can cut down on transportation, which in turn reduces the carbon dioxide emissions that we discussed above.
3. Replacement Rate of Computers Decreases
Companies often find themselves upgrading their computers to fit the needs of an on-premise software solution. Since SaaS doesn’t consist of a program being installed on your computer and using your computer’s processing resources, you just have to open a web browser to access it. This means that you are not required by the SaaS application to get rid of your computers and buy new ones to fit its specifications. In addition to saving time and money, the benefit in this is that you can reduce the amount of e-waste (electronic waste) you produce. The more e-waste that is produced, the more likely it is that harmful contaminants are released into the environment when they are handled after the company gets rid of the computers.
This also reduces the amount of equipment shipped to your business which can also decrease carbon dioxide emissions by reducing fuel consumption. While this doesn’t seem significant as it applies to just one organization, if you think of thousands of firms collectively decreasing their shipments, it makes a difference.
The Rebuttal
Despite the fact that SaaS vendors can provide their solutions to many clients from a single server, some people claim that using SaaS doesn’t actually do anything about the carbon dioxide emissions. They claim that using someone else’s server means you are just transferring the environmental burden to someone else, which is just enabling the cycle to continue. Also, some claim that there is no standard way to measure efficiency of cloud computing and that by introducing SaaS, people are just creating another need for energy consumption. Data centers, which house application servers, are noted for consuming a lot of energy. However, it is important to keep in mind that there are energy efficient data centers and to take into consideration the amount of energy used at each individual client organization if on-premise software is used.
The Conclusion
Embracing environmentally-friendly business practices may seem like old news at this point, but it is actually important to keep up with new trends. Doing this will not only enable you to be more environmentally responsible, but to also cut costs as a result and allow you to better serve your clients. Remember - it also doesn’t hurt to choose a SaaS provider noted for its internal environmental efforts such as recycling and energy efficiency initiatives such as having office space that is LEED certified.
Is Social CRM Necessary for Your Organization?
Social CRM (sCRM) is a-buzz in the marketing and software industries, and many organizations consider embracing it to become more involved with their customers. Although the media may make social CRM seem like a must-have, not every organization would benefit from that specific type of solution.
Since social CRM works by aggregating content about your brand or company from social media sites like Facebook and Twitter and allowing you to respond through the CRM application, there is no definite benefit to using that type of CRM unless your customers are using these sites. While it is usually a good thing for an organization to have a presence on social media sites, it doesn’t necessarily mean it needs a software solution that heavily focuses on social media.
On the other hand, social CRM is worthwhile for organizations whose customers are active on Twitter, Facebook and blogs and who also publish any other social content. Since customers have more power than ever before to influence others’ opinions on an organization, it is important for a lot of companies to keep track of the conversations and engage in them. It allows them to participate in the discussion and address any concerns a customer might have. For instance, I went on Yelp the other night to look for dining suggestions, and I read a review from one girl who recounted her experience with a particular restaurant. She said she had a bad experience with the restaurant and wrote about it in her original review, but now she favors the restaurant and has changed her review. Why? Because after she posted her original review recounting her bad experience, the owner stumbled upon it and contacted her immediately to make amends. The owner changed what was wrong at the restaurant just because of her review. This is one example why it is important for organizations with customers active on social media sites to keep up with conversations. Organizations have not kept up with customers’ conversations in the past, but now social CRM allows them to address concerns by aggregating this content.
If you find that your customers are typically not on social media sites, but you still want to have an online presence and receive relevant information from these sites, it may be nice for you to have a CRM solution with web 2.0 integration. These CRM solutions allow you to access sites like Twitter or LinkedIn with the click of a button. This way, you can quickly gather information and stay in the loop about what’s going on without having to consume yourself with social media. This allows you to have social media as a small bonus to your CRM initiatives instead of being at the center of them.
10 Steps for a Successful CRM Implementation
With more than 21 years of experience as an IT support person and software developer, Nancy Keddy, Co-Founder and CEO of Touch Ahead Software, has "seen and heard about many CRM implementations that have gone poorly, but [has] also had the pleasure of being involved with many successful implementations."
In our white paper, "10 Steps for a Successful CRM Implementation," Nancy makes critical points on key elements that organizations must consider when considering a CRM implementation.
Without considering these key elements, a company's CRM initiative could fail. Read the white paper and see what valuable information you have yet to discover about correctly choosing and implementing a CRM solution!
Here is a preview of the contents of the white paper:
1. Business Process
When implementing a CRM solution, the organization as a whole needs to become accustomed to the application. Successful companies use CRM as a tool to give them the information they need so they can be more effective. When you implement a CRM system, you cannot hold the preconception that people do not like change or that everyone has their own way of handling information. Let us be clear here, it is not about each person individually, it is about the team as a whole. It’s about the organization’s goals and achieving them, which in the end benefits each person.
Hold your team accountable and get your statistics from your CRM. Do not allow users to provide other sources for their information. If they had ten meetings in a month, the CRM should have a record of those ten meetings.
Garbage in, garbage out! In order for the CRM to work optimally within your organization, you must ensure your users enter content completely and consistently. This way, the information you get out of the system will be helpful to you and everyone else.
2. Ease of Use
Ease of use allows for a smooth user adoption experience. Day-to-day activities need to be simple and quick. CRM is about having information at your finger tips. Managers need to access the pipeline and statistics quickly. The whole team needs to be efficient. Adding key information needs to be quick and simple, and it needs to follow the work flow. For example, if certain users are fast on a keyboard, the CRM should have keyboard equivalents to get through the process with less mouse clicking...
We hope you enjoyed the preview!
To continue reading, please click the link below or the image above.
10 Steps for a Successful CRM Implementation
A Response to Inc. Magazine's June 1 guide, "How to Build Business Alliances"
http://www.inc.com/magazine/20100601/how-to-build-business-alliances.html
The process involved in determining which CRM solution is right for your organization is one that should not be underestimated and takes careful consideration. If from the start your CRM solution does not work well with your organization's goals, then there could be trouble.
This is the way in which the adoption of a CRM application is comparable to forming a business alliance. Inc. Magazine, the publisher that advises business leaders on starting, operating and growing their businesses, created a guide to forming a strategic alliance. After reading this guide, it became apparent that I could draw a lot of parallels to the process of CRM execution.
Inc. divides its guide into three sections: "Selecting a Partner," "Cutting a Deal," and "Making it Work."
Although best practices for CRM implementation has to be broken down into more than just three major categories, this guide definitely hits the nail on the head when it comes to making an important decision or investment meant to improve a business operation of any sort.
As Inc. insinuates, the selection of a partner is a very important part of the formation of a successful business alliance. It states that, "it pays to be very selective about whom you team up with." This holds true for organizations that seek to invest in a CRM application to improve operations, as well. While it shouldn't scare you away from adopting a CRM solution, you want to be sure that the amount of time and money you use to research solutions, purchase one, and train employees (which rightfully comes along with the implementation process) will be worth it in the end. You don't need to be skeptical if you are certain from the beginning that the CRM you choose is a good fit for your organization.
Inc. also claims that "cutting a deal" involves planning that sets your organization up for success with its new alliance. The same goes for CRM adoption. We can safely say that how well-though-out your organization's plan is for using CRM will determine the success of your investment. Inc. suggests that in this stage you need to "draw the big picture" and "establish subjects and a timetable for the talks." The better your employees understand the benefits of CRM to the team as a whole, the more everyone will get out of it. Time should be set aside for employees to be trained and educated adequately so they will know how to use the system to the benefit of the organization.
When you choose to implement a CRM system, "making it work" is very important. Similar to the importance of planning who will make which decisions in a company once an alliance is formed, it is important that a plan is in place regarding how the CRM will be used routinely and how each person can make the most out of it. In the case of business alliances, Inc. suggests finding a person within the partnering company who is really passionate about having both firms work towards moving in the right direction. Similarly, you should identify a person who is very skilled and consistent with using the CRM application within your company. This person would be someone who can lead by example and who employees can look to for help if they have questions. This should help improve the CRM adoption rate amongst your employees.
Although building business alliances and CRM implementation are two separate subjects, the best practices for building business alliances can be applied to how your organization goes about adopting a CRM system.
How Deployment of Mobile CRM Can Help Your Business
Because pads of paper aren't enough!
Chances are that your employees already use a smartphone such as a BlackBerry for work. With the ease of mobility and the convenient size of the smartphone and other web-enabled handheld devices, why not choose to make your CRM application accessible on there, as well? Employees who work remotely are able to access client data in a matter of seconds with mobile CRM.
Mobile CRM can be very helpful to your team. Many businesses have employees on-the-go, and yours could very well be one of them. What's surprising is that not as many businesses as you may think have taken advantage of mobile CRM - which is an opportunity for your business to get ahead.
The ability to access client data and manage complex business relationships while out of the office is invaluable. Why not take advantage of the opportunity to increase productivity while improving organization and communication?
Using a CRM application that has mobile capabilities helps you to stay on top of data entry. For example, if you just met with a client, and you agree to set a date for another meeting, you have your CRM at your fingertips. With some solutions that have Outlook and calendaring integrated, you could immediately check what dates and times work for you and enter the appointment right then and there. This decreases the chances that you will forget about your future meeting or forget to put it on your calendar. Many CRM applications allow you to enter your points of contact with a person, whether it is a meeting, phone call, or E-mail. Mobile CRM allows you to enter this information instantly before you get back to the office and while the information is still fresh in your mind.
Mobile CRM is an easy, secure way to get the information you need, when you need it. An interesting statistic is provided by the maker of BlackBerry, Research In Motion. It collaborated with Forrester Research to survey the market for mobile CRM, and they found that more than half of the people who responded to their study lost business opportunities before they made their CRM available on the road, because they couldn't access the information without being in the office.
This is another reason why making CRM available on-the-go is so important. Try not to use lack of time and money as an excuse to not invest in mobile CRM, because the business opportunities that are lost as a result of inaccessible information will cost you time and money in the long-run.
CRM SaaS Exhibit at Boston ACG Conference
EquityTouch®
CRM to Be Exhibited at ACG Conference
Boston, MA, June 3, 2010 - Touch Ahead Software, developer of EquityTouch®
CRM, will be exhibiting at the June 9 & 10 ACG Capital Growth Conference in Boston. Touch Ahead Software has attended past ACG conferences, both locally and nationally. One of these includes the recent 39th
Annual ACG InterGrowth Conference in Miami Beach, Florida, which took place from May 4-6.
Touch Ahead's booth will be at table 14d
The ACG Boston Growth Conference takes place annually and attracts the private equity and alternative investments industry. The conference consists of guest speakers and networking opportunities. When exhibiting EquityTouch®
at past ACG conferences, Touch Ahead received a great deal of positive response from attendees.
John Binda, Director of Sales at Touch Ahead, says he is looking forward to Touch Ahead being a silver sponsor for the upcoming ACG conference. He says, "This event gives us a huge opportunity to showcase EquityTouch®, since it is designed specifically for the alternative asset community, whose members will be attending the conference, as well."
Nancy Keddy, founder and senior partner of Touch Ahead, is also thrilled about the event.
"I look forward to connecting with the many successful deal makers and finding out what is on the horizon."
Binda and Keddy are not the only ones excited about the upcoming Boston conference. According to Co-Founder and CTO Tim Lasonde, "ACG is a great place to connect with experts in the deal world and get an understanding of what is happening in our economy. I am interested to learn what companies are using to get deals done in this new landscape."
John Binda, Director of Sales, left
and Nancy Keddy, Co-Founder and CEO, right
Touch Ahead just released an updated EquityTouch®
2.1 on Friday, May 21. This update included the ability to use keyboard navigation in search results, color coding, and advanced relevance sorting. Touch Ahead is constantly coming up with new ways to improve user experience, which is another reason to get excited about what is to come at next week's ACG conference.
About Touch Ahead Software LLC
Touch Ahead Software is a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions company, focused on providing unparalleled benefits of advanced technology to the alternative asset community. The benefits include higher user satisfaction and increased deal sourcing productivity by utilizing user-friendly collaboration tools, as well as a dramatically reduced cost of ownership and time for implementation. Touch Ahead Software is the developer of EquityTouch®, the premiere deal CRM service for the financial industry and other specialized industries. For more information, please visit http://www.touchahead.com.
Press Contact
For more information, please contact:
Cathie Briggette
Touch Ahead Software LLC
(p) +1 866 960 9301
(e) cmb@touchahead.com
Touch Ahead Software Releases Updated EquityTouch®
2.1
Popular CRM deal sourcing application receives update; including Keyboard Navigation in Search Results, Color Coding, and other enhancements.
Boston, MA, May 26, 2010 - Touch Ahead Software, LLC released EquityTouch® version 2.1 this past Friday. EquityTouch, a customer relationship management (CRM) software application is unlike other CRMs on the market in that all transactions or communications are recorded as "Touches" that are then easily referenced to multiple companies or individuals. Ideal for Private Equity and Venture Capital firms, EquityTouch allows users to easily organize and chronicle the deal cycle.
Founder and Senior Partner, Nancy Keddy says that the updates provide additional functionality and ease of use. "EquityTouch makes you feel like you are using an application locally, yet it is on the web." The newest version contains multiple program enhancements such as Keyboard Navigation, Color Coding, and Advanced Relevance Sorting. "These additions give users a more efficient method of working through their data, making them more productive," says Keddy.
EquityTouch 2.1 Updates Include
- Keyboard Navigation in Search Results
- Users can now use the keyboard arrow keys to navigate search results.
- The feature offers ease of use, eliminating the need for multiple mouse clicks. Users can move back and forth with simple keystrokes.
- Color Coding in Search Results
- Company search results can now be configured to be color coded based on Company Type.
- The Color Coding option is available under the Administration section.
- Advanced Relevance Sorting
- Companies with the exact search string in their name or alternate company name will be placed at top of the search result list.
- The results are then sorted by where the search string appears in the Company Name.
Current EquityTouch users automatically received the update. Any technical questions/concerns can be directed to Touch Ahead Support via email (help@touchahead.com) or phone (1-866-960-9301).
For additional information on EquityTouch or to request a demo, please visit http://www.touchahead.com/equitytouch.html.
About Touch Ahead Software LLC
Touch Ahead Software is a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions company, focused on providing unparalleled benefits of advanced technology to the alternative asset community. The benefits include higher user satisfaction and increased deal sourcing productivity by utilizing user-friendly collaboration tools, as well as a dramatically reduced cost of ownership and time for implementation. Touch Ahead Software is the developer of EquityTouch, the premiere deal CRM service for the financial and other specialized industries. For more information, please visit http://www.touchahead.com.
Press Contact
For more information, please contact:
Cathie Briggette
Touch Ahead Software LLC
(p) +1 866 960 9301
(e) cmb@touchahead.com
Company Participates in 6th Annual Texas Hold 'Em Tournament Fundraiser
Credit: Children's Hospital
Boston, MA, May 20, 2010 - Touch Ahead Software, creators of EquityTouch® deal sourcing CRM software, recently participated in the 6th Annual Texas Hold ‘Em Tournament for the Children's Hospital Boston. Held in the Wharf Room of the Boston Harbor Hotel, the event drew the best in business from Boston and New York as well as World Series of Poker Champion and Celebrity Apprentice Star, Annie Duke. In addition to purchasing tickets that allot a stack of chips and a seat at the table, the tournament also held an auction, which included prizes such as "Friends and Family" seats at a Red Sox game with VIP On-Field Access.
Touch Ahead joined other business leaders in hopes to raise funds for continuing care and research at Children's Hospital Boston. Nancy Swan Keddy, founder of Touch Ahead, was accompanied by Director of Marketing for Touch Ahead, Cathie Briggette. Both volunteered as "dealers" for the tournament and the two had a wonderful time. According to Briggette "Both of us were a little nervous. We thought it was going to be really serious, however because no one was a winner (in that all proceeds were going to the hospital), it was a very fun and causal atmosphere."
The event, co-hosted by Tony DiNovi of Thomas H. Lee Partners and David Filkow of General Catalyst Partners has raised over $2,000,000 to date for the hospital. "The tournament was a lot of fun" claims Keddy. "You could feel the excitement escalate at the table when the river card was about to be turned." As a company that provides deal sourcing collaboration tools, Keddy is committed to making connections outside of the workplace. "We are in the business of building relationships and it is important to build and maintain relationships with the community."
For more information about the tournament and how you can get involved for next year's event, please visit: http://howtohelp.childrenshospital.org/texas.
About Touch Ahead Software LLC
Touch Ahead Software is a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions company, focused on providing unparalleled benefits of advanced technology to the alternative asset community. The benefits include dramatically reduced cost of ownership and time for implementation, as well as higher user satisfaction and organizational profitability through deal sourcing and powerful collaboration tools. Touch Ahead Software is the developer of EquityTouch, the premiere CRM service for the financial and other specialized industries. For more information, please visit http://www.touchahead.com
Press Contact
For more information, please contact:
Cathie Briggette
Touch Ahead Software LLC
(p) +1 (866) 960 9301
(e) cmb@touchahead.com