Organisations are experiencing project savings of between 25%
and 40% by deploying CRM applications via the
software as a service (SaaS) model, says analyst
Gartner.
Gartner says firms are making these savings from reduced
application expenses and lower implementation costs.
Much of the savings that firms are making are a result of a
lesser dependence on large external service providers (ESPs). ESPs
typically help businesses improve customer processes as part of a
CRM deployment, but they play less of a role when SaaS is involved,
said the analyst.
Among the top 100 SaaS deployments in 2007 and 2008, fewer than
10% involved a large system integrator or an external business
consulting team, Gartner said.
"This would indicate that the role of ESPs in designing,
measuring and driving CRM process improvements will diminish at
enterprises deploying
SaaS solutions for CRM," said Gartner.
By 2012, 30% of new customer service and support application
investments will be through the SaaS model, predicts Gartner.
The suitability of SaaS for delivering CRM applications will be
discussed at the
Gartner
Customer Relationship Management Summit 2009, taking place 3-4
March in London.