Salesforce.com Introduces Enterprise CRM Product

Salesforce.com specializes in building CRM applications but delivers them as a Web service through an ASP-like model. The company has gained success with a low-cost online CRM solution that requires no heavy integration. In an effort to keep business growing rapidly, Salesforce.com has begun targeting larger customers with more than 1,000 sales personnel that are looking for affordable CRM solutions without the massive costs and integration work involved with ordinary software.

"With the new releases of the Enterprise Edition, Offline Edition and e-business suite, we're really demonstrating the scalability of the ASP and the ability to overcome of lot of these obstacles," says Marc Benioff, president and CEO of Salesforce.com. "Our goal is to demonstrate that Web utilities are much more successful as a model than traditional software, and we're extending our product line to sign up larger customers so we can demonstrate that."

Salesforce.com Enterprise Edition has all of Professional Edition's features, including sales force automation and customer support services, plus advanced CRM functionality such as product revenue tracking, recurring revenue and annuity revenue tracking, and the ability to redirect customer inquiries to an online self-service channel. Enterprise Edition also features open infrastructure that provides advanced customization, integration and administration capabilities for larger businesses.

The new release also offers XML-based integration with back office systems and enterprise applications such as ERP and supply chain management systems as well as Web services integration tools. Enterprise Edition is available for $125 a user per month. Professional Edition for small and midsize businesses is also available for $65 a user each month.

Salesforce.com's Offline Edition, which will be available in the second quarter this year, is designed to enable users to view and update customer and prospect information offline while using the same interface and functionality of the online services. The company also announced it plans to release an online CRM solution later this year with full back-office integration and visibility to give customers complete insight into all customer interactions, including orders, invoices and agreements.