We define enterprise CRM solutions as applications with an architecture solid enough to scale and improve relations regardless of company size. There are a large number of CRM products in the market today, but only a small share are capable of enterprise-level applications. To understand which CRM systems can handle the load of the biggest companies in the world, keep reading.

Defining Enterprise-level CRM by “Scalability”:

Enterprise CRM Improves Relations no Matter How Big Your Organization Gets:

CRM is meant as a tool to add quality and efficiency to the relationships you build as a business. The Sweeney Group ends their definition of CRM software with “enterprise”, suggesting that enterprise-level functionality should be inherent within the CRM.

“All the tools, technologies and procedures to manage, improve, or facilitate sales, support and related interactions with customers, prospects, and business partners throughout the enterprise”. – The Sweeney Group

It may be a stretch to call every organization an “enterprise”, as the definition eludes to. In fact, most of our clients that are in the process of reaching the enterprise level realize that a CRM is a critical growth component.

A CRMs “architecture” refers to how and in what language the CRM was built. For example, an open-source, PHP architecture (like SugarCRM) means that you can access and edit the source code of the software and that it is written in PHP, a very popular programming language. Salesforce, on the other hand, is a closed-source, APEX based architecture, meaning that you cannot access and edit the source code of the software, and it is written in a proprietary language. Neither architecture is “better” than another, but it may require more resources to accomplish some of the same customizations or alterations to your CRM. A “solid” architecture is one of few “bugs”(errors). If a CRM is built on a weak architecture, it could fail as you add more contacts and modules.

Enterprise CRM Software Comparison:

We identify four CRMs in the market place as truly “enterprise”.  To find out which ones qualify, start by downloading the CRM comparison white paper and chart below: