A cloud-based CRM is customer relationship management software hosted by a third-party provider and accessed by users over the internet. In this model, often called Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), the provider manages all infrastructure, maintenance, and updates, allowing teams to access centralized customer data from anywhere without the high upfront costs of traditional on-premise systems.
Cloud-based CRMs offer a suite of advantages that help businesses streamline operations and foster growth. By moving infrastructure off-site, companies can unlock significant improvements in efficiency, accessibility, and financial management.
Cloud-based CRM systems are packed with tools designed to enhance sales and marketing efforts. They centralize critical data and automate workflows, giving teams a unified view of the customer journey. Key functionalities typically include:
While often used interchangeably, the terms "cloud-based" and "SaaS" emphasize different aspects of modern CRM solutions.
This is how you can successfully implement a cloud-based CRM.
The future of cloud CRM is increasingly driven by artificial intelligence. AI will power deeper automation, handling tasks like data entry and generating personalized outreach. This frees up teams to focus on high-level strategy, guided by predictive analytics for smarter decision-making.
Hyper-personalization will become standard, with AI creating tailored customer journeys from unified data. CRMs will also offer more seamless omnichannel communication across all touchpoints. Enhanced mobile access will remain critical to support an increasingly remote and flexible workforce.
How secure is customer data in a cloud-based CRM?
Reputable providers use robust security measures, including data encryption, regular backups, and compliance with standards like GDPR. Your data is often more secure than on an on-premise server, as providers invest heavily in dedicated security infrastructure and expertise.
Can a cloud CRM be customized for our specific workflows?
Yes, most modern cloud CRMs are highly customizable. You can typically modify data fields, automate unique sales processes, and build tailored reports to align the platform with your specific business needs without requiring extensive technical knowledge.
What happens if our internet or the provider's service goes down?
While internet is required for real-time access, many cloud CRMs offer offline functionality, allowing you to work with cached data that syncs later. Reputable providers also guarantee high uptime (often 99.9%+) in their service level agreements (SLAs).
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Page views count the total number of times a page on your website is loaded. This metric is a key indicator of your site's overall traffic.
OAuth is an open standard for access delegation. It lets you grant apps access to your data on other services without sharing your password.
Lead scraping is the process of automatically extracting contact information and other relevant data about potential customers from online sources.
Dark social is the sharing of content through private channels like messaging apps or email. This traffic is hard to track as it lacks referral data.
Sales velocity is a key metric measuring the speed at which your company makes money. It shows how fast deals move through your sales pipeline.
A competitive landscape is an analysis of your direct and indirect competitors, revealing their strengths, weaknesses, and market positioning.
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User interaction is any action a user takes within a digital interface, like clicking a button, scrolling a page, or filling out a form.
A draw on commission is an advance payment a salesperson receives against future earnings, which is later repaid from earned commissions.
The buying cycle is the journey a customer takes from first realizing they have a need to making the final purchase decision.
A spiff is a short-term sales incentive, often a cash bonus, paid directly to a salesperson for selling a specific product or service.
Retargeting marketing is a digital advertising strategy that targets users who have previously interacted with your website or brand online.
A User Interface (UI) is the point where humans and computers interact. It encompasses all visual elements like screens, icons, and buttons.
Sales and marketing alignment means both teams work in sync, sharing goals and data to boost lead quality, conversions, and company revenue.
Event tracking is the method of collecting data on specific user actions, or 'events,' on a website or app, such as clicks or downloads.
Stress testing is a type of software testing that determines a system's robustness by pushing it beyond its normal operational capacity.
The Dark Funnel describes customer buying activities that are untrackable by companies, such as private chats and word-of-mouth referrals.
Data hygiene is the practice of ensuring your customer data is clean, accurate, and up-to-date by removing duplicates and correcting errors.
Application Performance Management (APM) monitors and manages an application's performance, availability, and the experience of its end-users.
Network monitoring is the continuous process of tracking a computer network's performance and health to detect and resolve issues proactively.
Lead conversion is the process of turning a prospect into a customer by getting them to complete a desired action, such as making a purchase.
Lead qualification is the process of determining which prospects are most likely to become paying customers based on predefined criteria.
A Content Management System (CMS) is software for creating, managing, and modifying website content without needing specialized technical skills.
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A Sales Qualified Lead (SQL) is a prospect vetted by marketing and sales, deemed ready for a direct sales pitch after showing intent to buy.
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A competitive advantage is a unique edge that allows a business to produce goods or services better or more cheaply than its rivals.
Touches are the individual interactions you have with a prospect throughout the sales process, from emails and calls to social media messages.
Multi-threading allows a single CPU core to run multiple independent threads (or tasks) at the same time, boosting efficiency and performance.
Sales prospecting software automates the process of finding, contacting, and tracking potential customers to help sales teams build their pipeline.
Contact discovery is the process of finding accurate contact details for potential leads, including names, emails, phone numbers, and job titles.
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Ad-hoc reporting is the creation of one-off reports to answer specific business questions as they arise, providing instant, targeted insights.
Sales enablement content refers to the materials and tools that empower your sales team to engage prospects and close deals more efficiently.
"Smile and dial" is a high-volume sales tactic where reps make numerous cold calls from a list, often with little to no prior research.
Digital contracts are legally binding agreements created, signed, and stored electronically, offering a faster, more secure alternative to paper.
Ramp-up time is the period a new hire takes to get fully up to speed and become a productive member of your go-to-market team.
Sales operations analytics is the practice of analyzing sales data to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the entire sales process.
The Challenger Sales model is a methodology where reps teach prospects, tailor their pitch, and take control of the sales conversation.
Data encryption translates data into another form, or code, so that only people with access to a secret key or password can read it.
Buying criteria are the specific requirements and standards a customer uses to evaluate products or services before making a decision.
The decision stage is where a well-researched buyer chooses a vendor. They compare specific products and pricing before making their final purchase.
Product recommendations are a marketing strategy that uses customer data to suggest relevant products, boosting sales and customer engagement.
Account-Based Selling is a B2B strategy where sales and marketing treat high-value accounts as markets of one, using personalized outreach.
Data-driven lead generation is the process of using data insights to identify, attract, and convert high-quality leads into customers.
Data mining is the process of discovering patterns, trends, and useful information from large datasets to make better business decisions.
Customer retention refers to the strategies and activities a company uses to prevent customer churn and encourage them to continue buying.
A sales bundle groups multiple products or services into a single offering, often at a discounted price to provide greater value to customers.
Churn, also known as customer attrition, is the rate at which customers stop doing business with a company over a given period.
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Dynamic territories are fluid sales assignments that adjust based on real-time data, ensuring reps can focus on the highest-value accounts.
Loss aversion is our tendency to feel the sting of a loss more acutely than the pleasure of an equivalent gain.
Sales rep training is the process of equipping your sales team with the skills, knowledge, and tools to effectively sell and hit their targets.
Virtual selling is the process of selling to customers remotely using technology like video calls, rather than meeting them in person.
A hard sell is an aggressive sales technique that uses high-pressure tactics to push a customer into making an immediate purchase decision.
Product-market fit is when a product meets the needs of a strong market, leading to high demand, customer satisfaction, and organic growth.
An API (Application Programming Interface) is a software intermediary that allows two applications to talk to each other and exchange information.
WordPress is a free, open-source content management system (CMS) that allows you to easily create, manage, and publish websites and blogs.
Kubernetes is an open-source system for automating the deployment, scaling, and management of containerized applications.
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Marketing automation uses software to automate repetitive marketing tasks, such as email marketing, social media posting, and ad campaigns.
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A tire-kicker is a prospect who shows interest in a product but has no intention of buying, wasting a salesperson's time and resources.
Average Revenue per Account (ARPA) is the average revenue generated from each customer account, usually measured on a monthly or annual basis.
Inside sales is a remote sales process where reps sell products or services via phone, email, and other digital tools instead of in person.
Intent leads are prospects who show buying signals through their online actions, indicating they're actively looking to make a purchase.
A knowledge base is a self-serve online library of information about a product, service, department, or topic.
A touchpoint is any time a potential or existing customer comes in contact with your brand, from seeing an ad to receiving an email.
A Software Development Kit (SDK) is a set of tools that allows developers to create applications for a specific software package or platform.
Order management is the end-to-end process of tracking customer orders from placement to fulfillment, ensuring a seamless customer experience.
Going dark is when a once-responsive prospect suddenly stops all communication, leaving you wondering what went wrong.
A sales call is a real-time conversation between a salesperson and a prospect, aiming to persuade them to purchase a product or service.
SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is increasing the quantity and quality of traffic to your website through organic search results.
A sales coach is a mentor who trains and guides sales reps to enhance their skills, boost performance, and ultimately close more deals effectively.
A Content Delivery Network (CDN) is a system of distributed servers that deliver web content to users based on their geographic location.
Trade shows are events where companies in a specific industry showcase their latest products and services to find new customers and partners.
Warm calling is contacting prospects with a prior connection, like a referral or social media interaction, to make your outreach more relevant.
The marketing mix is the set of marketing tools a company uses to sell products, defined by the 4Ps: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion.
Rapport building is the process of establishing a connection and mutual understanding with someone, creating a foundation of trust and affinity.
Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) is a business model where companies sell products directly to customers, bypassing traditional retail middlemen.
A Customer Data Platform (CDP) centralizes customer data from all sources to create a complete, unified profile for each individual customer.
User-generated content (UGC) refers to any form of content, like images, videos, or text, created and shared by users on online platforms.
Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are websites that look and feel like native mobile apps, offering features like offline access and push notifications.
A Single Page Application (SPA) is a web app that interacts with the user by dynamically rewriting the current page rather than loading new pages.
A headless CMS is a back-end content repository that delivers content via API to any front-end, decoupling the content from its presentation layer.
NoSQL ("Not only SQL") databases offer a flexible alternative to relational models, excelling at managing large and unstructured data sets.
Regression analysis is a statistical method for estimating the relationships between a dependent variable and one or more independent variables.
A sales sequence is a series of automated touchpoints sent to prospects over time to guide them through the sales funnel.
Cohort analysis is a behavioral analytics tool that groups users with common traits to track their actions and engagement over time.
Inside sales metrics are quantifiable measures used to track the performance, activities, and effectiveness of an internal sales team.
Average Revenue per User (ARPU) is a key performance indicator that calculates the average revenue generated from each user or subscriber.
Sales Operations KPIs are measurable metrics that track the efficiency and effectiveness of a sales team's operational processes.
Digital analytics is the analysis of data from digital channels to understand user behavior and optimize online experiences for business goals.
Personalization in sales means tailoring outreach to a prospect's specific needs, interests, and context to make communication more relevant.
Account-based advertising is a hyper-focused B2B strategy that targets key accounts with personalized ads across multiple channels.
Sales and marketing analytics involves measuring and analyzing performance data to maximize effectiveness and optimize return on investment (ROI).
“Always Be Closing” (ABC) is a sales mantra meaning every action a salesperson takes should be with the ultimate goal of closing the sale.
A Customer Data Platform (CDP) is software that gathers and organizes customer data from various touchpoints into a single, unified profile.