Salesforce.com bites bullet on need for integration

24.07.2006
Salesforce.com Inc. last week rolled out the latest version of its hosted software with added features that include a built-in link to SAP AG's ERP applications. The move is part of an effort by the customer relationship management vendor to address integration shortcomings cited by current and former users.

Several IT managers and corporate executives said that despite its continued momentum in the CRM market, Salesforce.com still faces the inherent limitation of selling a best-of-breed offering that doesn't easily connect with other business applications.

For instance, Tom Kramer, president of San Francisco-based Bella Pictures, said the wedding photography company had to build hooks between Salesforce.com's applications and marketing automation software from Eloqua Corp. Now Bella has hired a third-party consultant to link the Salesforce.com tools to Sage Software Inc.'s Peachtree accounting application.

However, Kramer said other vendors should take the initiative to develop hooks to Salesforce.com's software as well.

There will always be a debate over whether it's better to standardize on a single application platform or use best-of-breed systems, he noted. But he said that he's willing to accept the inherent problems of the latter approach. By using Salesforce.com's software, Kramer added, "we don't sacrifice on the technology that manages our biggest asset: our customer relationships."

In some cases, though, the lack of widespread integration offerings and the cost of running separate CRM and back-office systems have led users to defect from Salesforce.com.