Cloud CRM software provider guarantees return on investment

3 July 2012 - Workbooks.com, a web-based CRM provider for SMEs, has turned CRM investment on its head, with a new approach that guarantees success. Customers pay half project fees upfront and if objectives are not met, they do not pay the remainder. SME CRM projects often fail because businesses struggle to set goals; Workbooks helps set objectives and, as the CRM system is its own, tailor the technology to meet the desired outcome.

Workbooks is participating in CRM Idol 2012 - a competition run by CRM influencers, which sets out to champion the next big thing. Paul Greenberg, a CRM Idol judge, said: “We are in the middle of a growth period in the small business CRM market.  That means businesses looking for a new CRM system are going to be flooded with offers for new systems. It can become difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff, businesses need reassurances that they are not just throwing money down the CRM drain.”

In the Workbooks Shared Success program, customers pay an initial 50% of the services up front, and the rest in stages against progress. Typically, 25% of the fee is paid once the first set of agreed business goals have been achieved, with the remaining balance settled at the project’s conclusion. If objectives are not met, customers simply do not pay the remaining balance.

“Workbooks.com delivers a joined-up, Cloud-based CRM system that brings businesses together at a time when many of them have drifted apart, using a wide range of apps and programmes. A system that can be accessed from anywhere, by any employee, unlocks the true power of information held within a business. By offering SMEs this Shared Success option, Workbooks is committing to improving their business, not just delivering technology,” said John Cheney, CEO of Workbooks.com.

For the process to be a success, Workbooks.com takes time to understand the businesses’ needs. Initially the team gains an understanding of the customer’s “Current State”: what systems are being used and what the current pain points are. Then the “Future State” is drawn up: where would the business like to be once the project has been successfully implemented?

With a common understanding of the SME’s current position and where it would like to be, successful CRM implementation is a tameable beast. With stakeholders and leaders sharing a common vision, the Workbooks.com team invests time with the customer’s team ahead of any financial commitment from them.