Springboard VP software, Michael Barnes, says vendor
strategy in the region has focused primarily on reaching out to
customers directly, however, according to Barnes, “that severely
restricts vendors’ ability to reach a wider base of customers.”
“Existing vendor resource constraints, combined
with the size and complexity of the APEJ market, make it imperative for
SaaS CRM vendors to leverage channel partners, who will not only be
able to tap a wider base of customers, but can also play a significant
role in ongoing customer support.”
Springboard reports that the SaaS CRM market is dominated by a single
vendor, with 41% of survey respondents using Salesforce.com.
According to Springboard, Salesforce.com’s strong market share is due
to its long presence in the region combined with its dominance in the
global market. The survey also found that 25% of SaaS CRM subscribers
indicated using local SaaS CRM providers, with some of the other SaaS
CRM vendors mentioned repeatedly by name including Digital China, Gate
13, Microsoft, Netsuite, Siebel and SugarCRM.
