The Next Billion: A CRM Magazine Special Report
Think back to what CRM used to be: Ten years ago, the technology was too big, too slow, too expensive. And then along came Salesforce.com, with an offer seemingly too good to be true: software-as-a-service, magically delivered via the Internet. Just the right size, just the right speed, just the right cost.
No one believed Salesforce.com would fulfill its promises. No one believed a revolution had begun. No one believed that CRM—and every other enterprise technology under the sun—could be anything other than lumbering and slow and expensive.
Ten years ago, Salesforce.com was barely an idea. Today, with more than a million users and more than a billion dollars in annual revenue, it’s helped alter our very notion of what technology is and can be.
This month’s issue of CRM is an examination of how Salesforce.com covered so much distance in such a short time—and a warning of sorts about the nature of change.
Ten years ago, Siebel Systems defined the boundaries of CRM. Salesforce.com defied those boundaries—and then demolished them. That’s what it was built for—to foment a revolution.
But what happens after the revolution? —The Editors of CRM magazine
.
For the rest of the November 2009 cover package—a look back at the first 10 years of Salesforce.com—click on the links below:
After the Revolution
The Cloud Pleaser
Salesforce.com's Secret Weapon
Cloudy, with a Chance of Reign
Required Reading: Cloud Formation
There's an App for That
At Your Service, But Not Yet?
You may leave a public comment regarding this article by clicking on "Comments" at the top.
To contact the editors, please email editor@destinationCRM.com.
Every month, CRM magazine covers the customer relationship management industry and beyond. To subscribe, please visit http://www.destinationCRM.com/subscribe/.
Related Articles
CRM Magazine Announces Winners of 2010 CRM Market Awards
02 Aug 2010
CRM Evolution '10: As CRM magazine's annual conference gets under way, the ninth annual awards honor companies, customers, and industry visionaries for successes in the CRM marketplace over the previous 12 months.
Salesforce.com Brings Social to the Enterprise
27 Nov 2009
Dreamforce '09: The software-as-a-service pioneer unveils what it calls its fourth cloud -- the Collaboration Cloud -- as well as a product called Chatter.
They’ve Got Your Number
01 Nov 2009
Enterprises now see the potential for telephone-enabling technologies and software-as-a-service to help capture the voice of the customer.
Sales Away into the Cloud
01 Nov 2009
Software-as-a-service has expanded horizons—but your sales reps may ultimately need a unified solution.
The Vendor Vultures
01 Nov 2009
CRM providers are like scavengers these days, eager to poach from a competitor's client list.
Marc'ing Time in San Francisco
15 Nov 2009
It's been 10 years since the founding of Salesforce.com, and CRM has never been the same.
A Salesforce.com by Any Other Name
01 Nov 2009
What do you do when your brand no longer reflects your offerings?
Salesforce.com: One Leader. One Decade. $1 Billion.
01 Nov 2009
Salesforce.com has proven the importance of making sure its customers are successful.
Salesforce.com Invests in a Provider of Software-as-a-Service Accounting
02 Oct 2009
Coda 2go, an application built natively on Salesforce.com's Force.com platform, becomes FinancialForce.com, a new company backed by Salesforce.com and Unit 4 Agresso, parent company of accounting software vendor Coda.
Salesforce.com Finally Finds the Contact Management Space
09 Sep 2009
The company brings forth its fifth option for CRM users, Salesforce Contact Manager, geared toward the smallest of businesses.
CRM Magazine Announces Winners of 2009 CRM Market Awards
24 Aug 2009
Companies, customers, and industry visionaries honored for successes in the CRM marketplace over the previous 12 months.
Salesforce.com Adds Service to the Cloud
15 Jan 2009
The software-as-a-service CRM vendor's new Service Cloud solidifies crowdsourced customer support.
Buyer's Guide Companies Mentioned