SAP vs SalesForce - Which is Better? Comparison between SAP and SalesForce

SAP v/s SalesForce - Which is Better?

What Makes CRM A Business Imperative?

Technologies are advancing fast. They become more scalable, robust, secured, and innovative with each passing day. To be in sync, the business ecosystem must evolve all together. Enterprises must look beyond the traditional approaches to source data, identify prospects, generate sales, make follow-ups, and close business deals. They need a more comprehensive support system that can cater to all such needs. This is where the CRMs come into play.

CRMs have the ability to not only use their intelligence to store data and communicate with prospects, but they also have the features to guide you throughout the sales cycle. Research statistics from LinkedIn suggest that over 91% of sales professionals employ the CRM advantage to reduce the sales cycles, generate better revenue, and finalize business deals. Another 90% of sales experts believe that CRM technologies are business-critical in identifying and finalizing deals.

Recent trends suggest that the current primary business focus for any CRM are these four features: Sales Force Automation (SFA), customer service and support, digital commerce , and marketing automation. The big CRM market players like Salesforce, SAP, Oracle, and Microsoft are competing hard to deliver the best business-optimized CRM solution that comprises these four technology gains.

SAP or SalesForce? Which One Has Better Rewards?

Well, it’s hard to comment! Both, SAP, and Salesforce CRMs have carefully designed and customized offerings to meet business needs and deliver desired results. They comprise all the premium features that any leading-edge CRM would want to offer.

SAP vs Salesforce - Featurewise Comparison

Platforms It Supports:	Web-based	Web-based iPhone app Android app
Target Customer Base	Organizations with 1-50 employees & less than $50 million in revenue to organizations with more than 51-1000 employees & $51-$100 million in revenue.	Organizations with 1-50 employees & less than $50 million in revenue to organizations with more than 1000 employees & $101 million in revenue.
Deployment	Cloud deployment model to deliver their software as a service (SAAS). On Premise deployment is also supported by SAP CRM. Mobile compatibility is supported as well.	Cloud deployment model to deliver their software as a service (SAAS). On Premise may or may not be supported depending on the compatibility mobiles and computers.
Features	Lead management Salesforce automation Contact History Contact management Document management Sales reports Pipeline management Time tracking Email marketing Partner management	Customer data management / contact management Workflow management Territory management Opportunity management Integration with email client (e.g., Outlook or Gmail) Contract management Quote & order management Interaction tracking Channel / partner relationship management Lead management Email marketing Task management/ reporting Forecasting Pipeline visualization Customizable reports Social engagement Marketing automation Compensation management
Applications	Marketing Automation Sales Automation Customer Support Call center Channel Management Social CRM Web Self Service Lead/Opportunity Management	Marketing Automation Sales Automation Customer Support Call center Channel Management Social CRM Web Self Service Lead/Opportunity Management
Customisations	Customize SAP Sales Cloud to a degree and as far as low-code tools relies on a reseller agreement with Mendix.	Customize the standard tabs and types of records, custom fields and page layouts. Customize the search, tagging, and user interface options.
Integrations	Makes available SAP Hybris Cloud for Customer Element, a separate turnkey cloud service for API integration as well as SAP Cloud.	Integrations are available via their AppExchange. Outlook, DocuSign, or MailChimp.
Security	Authentication and authorization process	Encryption of sensitive data at rest HTTPS for all pages (web-based apps) Reports/alerts for security breaches Multifactor authentication options
Pricing	Cloud-based: Monthly subscription fee for each user login. Standard, Professional, and Enterprise editions. Recruiting cost: Subscription-based license fees cover maintenance, support, and managed services. On-premise: Perpetual license fee, paid upfront, for each user. Recruiting cost: Perpetual licenses require annual maintenance and support contracts.	Salesforce CRM offers four SMB and enterprise pricing plans billed annually. Here are the plans: Contact Manager – $5/user/month Contact management for up to 5 users Group– $25/user/month Basic Sales & marketing for up to 5 users Professional– $65/user/month Complete CRM for any size team Enterprise– $125 Customize CRM for your entire business Performance– $300 Extend CRM to accelerate performance A Sales Cloud Lightning and Service Cloud Lightning bundle is also available upon request.
Customer Support	24/7 toll-free support (worldwide customer service for non-technical issues only). Annual maintenance and support on a contractual basis. Self-service portals, knowledgebase & live customer support options. Online training modules along with certifications (paid).	Limited support for all users 2-day response and 12/5 support (12 hours a day, 5 days a week) from their technical team Guided journeys Community forums Access to Trailhead, which is a series of online tutorials Events Interactive webinars Premier, Premier+, and Priority plans offer additional guidance and support at a cost.
Training	Documentation	In-person Live Online Webinars Documentation

The Advantageous Match

When it comes to a decision between two almost equal counterparts, the best strategy to evaluate is to analyze which one has the most ‘pros’ or ‘benefits’. Apart from product features, there are many other aspects that can help you decide the best option among these two CRMs. Here’s a quick look:

Comparative Elements	SAP	Salesforce
User-friendliness	Not user-friendly and requires a lot of time to adapt to	Flexible and easy to manage.
Time Efficiency	Very slow and time-consuming<	Real-time analytics technology is quick and effective.
Usage	The tendency of freezing 90% of the times during integrations.	Salesforce-Sync which enables you to work offline, boosting efficiency.
License Purchasing	Not cost-effective. Multiple user utilization is also not available	Very cost-effective and value-added packages.
Functionality	Strong SAP background is a must for adaptation to its functionality and immensity.<	The high degree of adaptability, easy of understanding the layouts, workflows, and processes
Integrations	Integrations between SAP and third-party software can become troublesome.	AppExchange enables the seamless integration of other apps and software.

How to Decide?

Salesforce is a much widely used CRM software across industries owing to its popularity and easy onboarding process with minimal required training. Most sales representatives or teams find Salesforce to be more flexible and time effective as compared to SAP CRM. Even industry statistics strongly advocate the adoption of Salesforce for enterprise-level usage as it can guarantee a better increase in sales, faster deployment, enhanced customer retention, and strong marketing ROI.

Moreover, Salesforce CRM provides you with flexible utilization of cloud integration, app customization, and third-party extensibility. It delivers a user-friendly interface and more engaging social marketing adaptability.

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