You may have heard the term “cloud computing,” and thought that it was some sophisticated technology that only IT professionals could understand. While there are certainly very complicated aspects to cloud computing, at its heart is a simple concept—running applications on the Internet, instead of using on-premises software. You probably already use the cloud much more than you realize—free email providers, social networking Web sites and other popular interactive sites are almost all run in the cloud.
For businesses, the cloud offers innumerable ways to grow, increase sales and satisfy consumer demand. The freedom to utilize software whenever and wherever the business needs allows phenomenal new applications of traditional models to be visualized. Completely new models are also starting to emerge, as well. Dell, a major global computer systems and services company, wanted to provide a view of its pipeline that would complement its global reach. It also wanted to provide increased collaboration between its sales teams, who were necessarily spread out around the world.
Customer resource management, or CRM, streamlines the way that customers interact with your business. CRM does this by tracking generated sales and focusing marketing efforts on relevant niches. Before cloud computing came along, this could only be done by either pen, paper and elbow grease, or with expensive software programs that required licenses, installation and training—as well as the server to store them on and all of that server’s associated costs.
Using cloud-based CRM applications, Dell managed to massively increase both customer and employee satisfaction by creating new ways for employees to interact across different departments and different countries, and even different continents. By integrating internal networks and providing correlations with consumer-generated data, Dell is now able to better judge trends in the computing industry and better serve their customers. Its sales teams are able to gain visibility into the sales pipeline, collaborate using online documents and other tools, and improve productivity by minimizing administrative work.
One of the biggest advantages offered by a suite of applications that are run in the cloud is that the business instantly has access to all the features of major internal network architecture—without the physical hardware and property costs. Ordinarily, a business the size of Dell would need vast facilities where servers, network hubs and other equipment could be stored and operated. Cloud computing erases this need by transferring the data storage and networking capabilities to the Internet. While this is a boon to Dell and other major corporations, you can see that it’s also incredibly valuable to small businesses, that may not have the wherewithal to purchase the infrastructure necessary to support their computing operations, but which can easily achieve all of their objectives on a pay-as-you-go basis with cloud computing.
Cloud computing also allows business to upscale and downscale their operations easily and quickly. This lets companies respond to market conditions without having to reorganize their business structure—or worry about their bottom line. Seasonal businesses or those that are just beginning to grow really benefit from this kind of flexibility.
Mobility is another reason to choose cloud computing—especially for sales teams, whose members are constantly on the go. Being able to receive leads, complete sales reports, input account details, access inventory or competitors’ promotions and research products online is a time saver for the sales rep. And managers can keep better track of deals when they receive the information in real time. Freeing up the sales team to do what it does best—spend QT with customers and close more deals—may be the number one service provided by sales force automation apps embedded in the cloud computing architecture.
