Salesforce is what is known as a platform as a service (PAAS). It basically operates as a customer relationship management software, but what is unique about Salesforce is that it works in the cloud. With companies such as American Express, Sony and Coca-Cola headlining Salesforce’s users, here are some benefits that Salesforce offers if you join the ranks of its users.

It’s cheap : Salesforce is only $50 a month, which is a steal considering how much they offer. This is a perfect customer relationship management service for small businesses or start-ups. To make things even better, if you only require 2 users and/or 10MB of data, you can get a “developer edition” for free! One point of note is that the free edition does not come with customer access portals, but you can always do the learning yourself. You can also sign up for the free edition as a trial run before you commit to a paid Salesforce subscription.

No installation required : As mentioned, Salesforce is found in the cloud. It is a subscription-based service, and thus you do not have to install it. This makes updates and maintenance very easy, as you will not have to install any updates as well. This gives you the benefit of being able to sit back and relax without having to go through any further hassle. Furthermore, your team will be able to access Salesforce anywhere, anytime, as long as they are connected to the Internet.

Ease of use and customization : Salesforce users love the service for how easy it works. With a simple drag and drop framework, Salesforce is not complicated at all! If you are a newbie, you can always make use of Salesforce’s standard applications that have been designed for standard processes such as Sales, Customer Service and Marketing. If you want to venture out and add your own personal touch, Salesforce allows you to customize and tailor the service to suit your own needs as well. With this, you can create customized automated e-mail or billing processes. Salesforce gives you everything you need in customer relationship management, all in one place. In addition, if you are a growing business, this customization allows you to re-align Salesforce to any of your changing needs.

Seamless integration : The Salesforce team developed it to integrate with various third party platforms such as Gmail. Many accounting services also mesh well with Salesforce. However, customers have reported that it is difficult to integrate Salesforce with other customer relationship management services, so Salesforce requires a dedicated commitment.

A vibrant community : Salesforce has been determined to foster and sustain a growing community of fellow users to share and chat about how best to work with Salesforce. This allows “old hands” at Salesforce to guide newbies on how to fully unlock all of Salesforce’s potential, and the community can also help to assist each other in various problems and look for common solutions. Furthermore, Salesforce is active in monitoring these community platforms and in responding to any issues. Salesforce even organizes an annual conference called Dreamforce, for its users to come together and network.