CRM Stands for Customer Relationship Management. It is a software which stores Customer information such as Contact persons and Addresses, Product details such as Products and related Price books and Transactional data such as Opportunities, Quotes, Orders, Invoices and so on and so forth. We can also store information related to Services such as Assets, Cases, … It helps to make a report using the above data and increase the sales revenue. Salespersons can easily get the information related to the organization and make decisions accordingly. It helps to maintain data at a centralized place so that, every person can access the same data. Now, we understood the importance of CRM. You may have a confusion in choosing the best CRM for your Business.
Here, we are comparing SAP’s C4C CRM and Salesforce CRM to find out the advantages and disadvantages of both and choose the best.
Salesforce is a cloud-based CRM, which mainly concerned about Sales and Services. It offers applications for small, midsize and enterprise.
C4C stands for ‘Cloud for Customer’. It runs on SAP HANA Cloud Platform and offers Sales and Services. It’s suitable for a large scale enterprise.
- When coming to User Interface, Salesforce User interface is very easy and SAP User Interface is not user-friendly. Considering a Salesforce Chatter UI, it’s very easy to use as it is taken from Facebook’s UI.
- Salesforce is also working on ‘Lightning’ which is being built on users feedback and enables salespersons to work faster and smarter.
- When you are highly interested in Industry-related components and solutions, SAP is very good at it. Salesforce is still limited to B2C. Maintaining third-party components is difficult due to frequent releases in Salesforce.
- The SAP provides 24/7 worldwide toll-free support for all non-technical queries. It takes time and energy to resolve the issues. Salesforce not only provides the support it also helps Customers to make decisions and grow their business. It has different levels of support based on which the response time can be reduced. There is phone support for which the customer has to pay 12-15% of their subscription charges.
- Salesforce acquired Krux, a data management platform, and it’s artificial intelligence software, Einstein to enhance the Salesforce Marketing Cloud. SAP BW provides Budget planning, tracking marketing spending, funds management & tracking ROI to organizations.
- Salesforce also has a mobile app. Custom apps can be built for Android and IOS and they can directly list in the App Stores. SAP Hybris helps to enhance the existing solution with microservices and software-as-a-service applications.
- Quip is acquired by Salesforce to centralize the team’s work and communication. Salesforce also enabled its users to use Single Sign-On (SSO) to access Quip with their Salesforce username and password. Salesforce provides Live Apps to centralize work into one place. In this, teams and users can embed anything from a Salesforce record to a poll, calendar, or full-blown native app into a Quip document.
- SAP has a cloud-based enterprise social networking suite called SAP Jam. It’s an app which helps organizations to connect their customers, partners, and employees in the cloud. It also offers project collaboration tools, task management, discussions and polls, instant messaging, discussions and chat rooms, document and content sharing, microblogging, and personal profiles.
CRM Comparison: Salesforce vs SAP C4C
| Category | Salesforce CRM | SAP C4C CRM |
| Platform | Cloud-based CRM focused on Sales & Services | Runs on SAP HANA Cloud Platform; suitable for large-scale enterprises |
| User Interface | Easy, modern UI; Inspired by Facebook; Chatter UI; Lightning UI for productivity | Not user-friendly; less intuitive UI |
| Industry Solutions | Limited to B2C; Industry-specific versions are costly/time-consuming | Strong industry-specific capabilities across 15 industries |
| Customization & Integration | Strong in cloud integration, app customization, third-party extensibility | Performs best within the SAP ecosystem; limited integration with non-SAP apps |
| Support | Tiered support with faster response times (paid 12-15% of subscription); advisory services | 24/7 toll-free support for non-technical queries; slower issue resolution |
| Data & Analytics | Einstein AI, Krux DMP for enhanced marketing intelligence | SAP BW for budget planning, fund tracking, ROI, and marketing spend |
| Mobile & App Development | Mobile app available; Build & list custom apps on app stores | SAP Hybris allows microservices and SaaS enhancements |
| Collaboration Tools | Quip: Centralized work, live apps, SSO support | SAP Jam: Social networking, collaboration, chat, microblogging, task management |
| Deployment Flexibility | Only available in the cloud | Available both on-premises and cloud globally |
| Target Business Size | Suitable for small to enterprise | Ideal for large enterprises; may not suit SMEs |
Pros & Cons Summary
| CRM | Pros | Cons |
| Salesforce | – Strategic advisory services – Superior UI & social selling – Strong cloud capabilities | – Industry-specific solutions are costly – Limited on-premise integration |
| SAP C4C | – Rich industry-specific features – Seamless SAP ERP integration – Flexible deployment | – Less intuitive Ul – Limited support/help desk efficiency – Not ideal for SMBs |
From the above, both CRM systems can address a wide range of business requirements including small and complex. CRM system should be chosen based on the business requirement and which can handle your future enhancements in the business. You should also consider the current system you are using and its compatibility with the new CRM. If you are using SAP ERP Applications, SAP CRM can seamlessly integrate with it. Considering a cloud-based ecosystem, Salesforce performs better with respect to cloud integration, software customization, and third-party extensibility.
Now, you can easily integrate your SAP ERP and Salesforce CRM to automate the business process!
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