Interaction - Vibhav Vankayala, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Zoho

Vibhav Vankayala, Senior Product Marketing Manager, Zoho Corp talks to us about SaaS and software integration industry

How is the software integration landscape evolving in 2021?

Vibhav Vankayala - The SaaS industry has been on a consolidation wave for some time now, and 2021 is no different. This massive consolidation is driven by the need for software unification to help customers achieve vast functionality through specialised business areas all working together as one. This unification wave will continue as larger software vendors look to enhance their portfolio so that they can serve their customers wholly. While most vendors are on an acquisition spree, a few vendors are patiently building everything from scratch. To put it in one line, unification is the new integration.

What is the acceptance graph of CRM among the MSMEs in the IT sector?

Vibhav Vankayala - It is quite low, and there is a long way to go. The good news is that, with the rapidly increasing internet and smartphone penetration, more and more MSMEs are adopting CRM and other technologies today to transform themselves and grow their customer base.

One reason for low CRM acceptance is the complicated user experience offered by most business applications, let alone CRM solutions. To put things into perspective, how widely is Paytm used by Indian MSMEs? Why can't CRM be used as much? The answer is that CRM is not as simple or easy to use as Paytm. This needs to change. Business apps like CRM should focus on delivering a consumer app-like experience if they are to drive acceptance among MSMEs.

Do you plan to bring more IT MSMEs into CRM fold? If yes, what's your strategy?

Vibhav Vankayala - Yes, solving the CRM adoption challenge is an important focus area for us. One of the major concerns for MSMEs about CRM solutions is the perception that they are complicated and we aim to change that with Canvas, the latest capability addition to our CRM offering. Canvas delivers personalisation and experience, the two important directions that can transform the CRM industry.

Imagine a reality where the CRM system is tailor-made for each employee's role. That is true all-around personalisation, and that's what we are bringing to market. We believe it's a more natural solution to the challenge of software adoption. Our ultimate aim is for businesses to create enterprise-wide software experiences with consumer-grade simplicity.

Additional info about the capability (Canvas) -

• Fully no-code, just drag and drop - Canvas sports a simple drag and drop editor that facilitates extensive customization without needing to write a single line of code.
• Pre-built template gallery - Businesses can pick a pre-set template that speaks to them and their industry, and dive right in.
• Industry-relevant views - Companies can create views that are relevant to their industry, their work culture, their sales process, and more.

How can security be ensured on a CRM platform?

Vibhav Vankayala - Data privacy and security concerns are at the forefront of every customer's decision-making. As such, businesses need to ensure that their customer data is secure and their privacy protected while simultaneously providing necessary access to their users to do their jobs on a day-to-day basis effectively.

• Authentication - Businesses need to authenticate the users before letting them access the CRM system. This can be done in many ways like multi-factor authentication. Various authenticators can be used in this process.
• Permissions - It's crucial to streamline who sees what information. Therefore, permissions based on roles, profiles, fields, IPs, etc.
• Data Encryption - Fields containing highly sensitive customer data can be encrypted in the CRM system. This encryption can be leveraged for data at rest in the database as well as for data is in transit, to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks.
• Integration with Directory services - Integration with directory services like Microsoft Active Directory or Zoho Directory, gives CRM administrators a stronger hold on the organisation's CRM account by enforcing password security, IP restrictions, and other policies.