Siltek Distribution Dynamics is helping the Channel break into the lucrative customer relationship management (CRM) market with an offer of 30-day free support to end-users who buy the Goldmine 5.0 sales and support automation solution from SDD value-added resellers and retail dealers.
Commenting on the offer this week, Sharonne Parsad, Software Product Manager for Goldmine at SDD, says the deal was designed to help ease the CRM sale to the small to medium-sized business.
"CRM is being pitched as a complex, project-based, sale into the large corporate moving to the e-business model, but, in fact, it's equally as applicable to the smaller company that wants to retain and expand business among existing customer bases.
"Goldmine 5.0 is the ideal, affordable, starter for the smaller company looking to get onto the CRM ladder and with our offer of one month's free support, our VARs should be able to dismiss any fears their customers might have of the perceived complexity of CRM," she says.
SDD has negotiated the 30-day end-user support offer with a Solutions Partner. Users have the option at the end of the period, to sign a further support contract or to manage themselves. All Channel support is provided directly by SDD.
"It's always those first few weeks that are problematic with any software implementation. They can be very expensive for the dealer who has to field such queries unless it forms part of his own value-added service.
"In negotiating this third party support, we're aiming to relieve the task of those dealers who do not currently have the knowledge to provide such services, while still helping them sell a leading global product into a rapidly growing local market," she adds.
Goldmine, the South African-developed product now has some 700 000 users worldwide. It is used in more than 100 000 companies, providing the tools businesses need to gather, store and analyse customer information in order to win and retain customers. The global CRM market itself, is expected to hit the $11 billion mark by 2002.
Retailing at around R1 300, Goldmine is said to bridge the gap between expensive Sales Force Automation Solutions and lower-end Contact Management Software, enabling companies to get an affordable entry into CRM.
In addition to its affordability, Goldmine is also easily implemented and is totally compatible with Microsoft products. In particular, it can be fully synchronised with Microsoft Outlook.
"Once companies are comfortable with the system and reaping the benefits of being able to collect and manage customer and sales information easily, they can then upgrade to the high end Goldmine Font Office 2000 Suite effortlessly," says Parsad.
FrontOffice delivers a single complete view of an organisation's customers by integrating account management, sales and marketing automation, management intelligence and support desk tools.
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