BlueRoads rolls out pre-packaged integration with Salesforce.com for its PRM solution
San Mateo, CA — November 2, 2004 — Channel management specialist BlueRoads Corporation has rolled out packaged integration with Salesforce.com, combining best-of-breed solutions for partner relationship management and customer relationship management.
BlueRoads said its Integration Interface for Salesforce.com solution delivers bi-directional data integration between Salesforce.com, an on-demand CRM solution, and BlueRoads 5, the provider's solution for closed-loop sales and marketing processes intended to help companies sell more effectively through indirect channels.
The pre-packaged integration gives customers the ability to synchronize and share data between BlueRoads and Salesforce.com through a point-and-click mapping interface that requires no additional coding effort, BlueRoads said.
Customer relationship management (CRM) systems are fundamentally designed to manage direct sales engagements between a sales representative and a buyer. This one-to-one model revolves around collecting and sharing data throughout the customer lifecycle. Partner relationship management (PRM) systems, on the other hand, are designed to manage a complex ecosystem comprised legally independent partner organizations. This one-to-many model revolves around aligning business processes across the entire value chain from vendor, to partner, to customer. So while Salesforce.com is designed to support the direct sales process, BlueRoads 5 is designed to support complex, multi-tier indirect sales processes, BlueRoads said.
BlueRoads has developed a pre-packaged integration for Salesforce.com Enterprise Edition that supports bi-directional data integration and synchronization using the Sforce XML-RPC 2.0 API. This integration allows customers to capture sales opportunities within Salesforce.com and pass channel-specific opportunities to BlueRoads 5 for follow-up by channel partners. Using the Sforce web services APIs, opportunities are imported into BlueRoads 5 where partners actively participate in the sales process. As partners provide updates on sales opportunities, BlueRoads 5 sends the information back as updates to Salesforce.com. BlueRoads supports both scenarios where data can originate within salesforce.com or BlueRoads 5.
"Companies tackling CRM projects see application integration as their biggest challenge and consider integration capabilities to be vital to CRM technology," said Yankee Group senior analyst Sheryl Kingstone. "This partnership offloads the integration burden from the customer and enables companies to maximize the business value these best-of-breed solutions provide."
"BlueRoads understands the importance customers place on having pre-packaged integrations," said Axel Schultze, president and CEO of BlueRoads. "By joining forces with Salesforce.com and the Sforce partner program, we're enabling our joint customers to easily and successfully leverage their investments in on-demand CRM."
For an in-depth look at how Nortel Networks is increasing the effectiveness of its lead management program by using a partner relationship management solution, see the SDCExec.com article "Closing the Sales Loop at Nortel Networks."
San Mateo, CA — November 2, 2004 — Channel management specialist BlueRoads Corporation has rolled out packaged integration with Salesforce.com, combining best-of-breed solutions for partner relationship management and customer relationship management.
BlueRoads said its Integration Interface for Salesforce.com solution delivers bi-directional data integration between Salesforce.com, an on-demand CRM solution, and BlueRoads 5, the provider's solution for closed-loop sales and marketing processes intended to help companies sell more effectively through indirect channels.
The pre-packaged integration gives customers the ability to synchronize and share data between BlueRoads and Salesforce.com through a point-and-click mapping interface that requires no additional coding effort, BlueRoads said.
Customer relationship management (CRM) systems are fundamentally designed to manage direct sales engagements between a sales representative and a buyer. This one-to-one model revolves around collecting and sharing data throughout the customer lifecycle. Partner relationship management (PRM) systems, on the other hand, are designed to manage a complex ecosystem comprised legally independent partner organizations. This one-to-many model revolves around aligning business processes across the entire value chain from vendor, to partner, to customer. So while Salesforce.com is designed to support the direct sales process, BlueRoads 5 is designed to support complex, multi-tier indirect sales processes, BlueRoads said.
BlueRoads has developed a pre-packaged integration for Salesforce.com Enterprise Edition that supports bi-directional data integration and synchronization using the Sforce XML-RPC 2.0 API. This integration allows customers to capture sales opportunities within Salesforce.com and pass channel-specific opportunities to BlueRoads 5 for follow-up by channel partners. Using the Sforce web services APIs, opportunities are imported into BlueRoads 5 where partners actively participate in the sales process. As partners provide updates on sales opportunities, BlueRoads 5 sends the information back as updates to Salesforce.com. BlueRoads supports both scenarios where data can originate within salesforce.com or BlueRoads 5.
"Companies tackling CRM projects see application integration as their biggest challenge and consider integration capabilities to be vital to CRM technology," said Yankee Group senior analyst Sheryl Kingstone. "This partnership offloads the integration burden from the customer and enables companies to maximize the business value these best-of-breed solutions provide."
"BlueRoads understands the importance customers place on having pre-packaged integrations," said Axel Schultze, president and CEO of BlueRoads. "By joining forces with Salesforce.com and the Sforce partner program, we're enabling our joint customers to easily and successfully leverage their investments in on-demand CRM."
For an in-depth look at how Nortel Networks is increasing the effectiveness of its lead management program by using a partner relationship management solution, see the SDCExec.com article "Closing the Sales Loop at Nortel Networks."
