With Hosted CRM All the Rage, Is There Still a Place for Desktop CRM Applications?

Although I've been writing a lot lately about hosted CRM applications, today's news that AT&T has acquired Wayport reminds me that not all sales professionals are tethered to a 3G network. In fact, some folks operate in places where you can't always get to Wi-Fi, nor would you expect to.

I am reminded of growing up in the 1980s, working for my Dad in his mobile service unit. Our CRM application was a few milk crates full of service records and invoices tucked, behind the passenger seat. Many of the inner-city neighborhoods we served back then still don't have Wi-Fi, nor do they have the most reliable cell phone service.

Desktop CRM applications, like ACT!, GoldMine, and Daylite, aren't ready to be put out to pasture. In fact, for some professionals, they probably offer a better solution than web-based CRM systems.

For instance, solo professionals without support teams or virtual assistants can enjoy the full power of CRM software without paying monthly hosting or service fees. If you don't have to worry about syncing your CRM database to other users, keeping all of your data on the cloud becomes a less appealing option.

Likewise, mobile professionals who require fast access to small business CRM information can also get a lot from desktop CRM applications. If you're the only person working an account, you can wait until you get back to the office to synchronize with the rest of your team. The ACT! suite does this very well, especially for real estate professionals.

Of course, we're only a few more years away from nearly total network penetration. At that point, most sales and service professionals will be able to choose between totally hosted CRM applications and hybrid systems that sync to the cloud in the background. Until then, the right choice is whatever tool gets you the information and the insight you need, when you need it, wherever you happen to be working.