HELP... Cloud CRM, ERP, and banking-related recommendations?

Discussion in 'Products & Tools' started by S_C, Apr 9, 2010.

  1. #1
    Hello all,

    I am developing a database-driven website, which is planned to be a fully-automated business (well, at least 90%), excluding sales reps. I would like to find the best provider(s) of the wares described below. I strongly prefer that the service be in "cloud" form, as opposed to software. Is there any one company or platform that you strongly recommend, which can handle all of this (or maybe two companies, if one is impossible)?

    • Shopping Cart - I only provide one service and a few payment options, but need to collect it online and without human input. (I already know who I'll use for the merchant account and gateway.) I can do this from a separate company, if necessary... much less crucial than the needs below.

    • CRM - I need to collect and store all customer info in my database: sales data, contact info, communication notes, emails sent and received, audit trails, etc. The CRM needs to be very powerful. (I'm not interested in Salesforce.com)

    • ERP - Since I won't offer or store a tangible product or have an inventory, my ERP needs are very light at most. However, I will need to keep track of sales reps' sales and their commissions and bonuses, etc., and be able to track and issue their residuals based on future online (no help by rep required) sales of their customers.

    • Loyalty/Affiliate Program - I will have a HUGE loyalty program, which will allow members to be paid a percentage of what they refer. This will recalculate on an annual basis, and will need to also keep track of recurring payments (not just the new ones from that year). I need something (which my developer can develop, if absolutely necessary) that will keep track of the referred member's purchases from each year, calculate the affiliate payment due to the referring member, and prepare a report that I can use for transferring the funds/payments.

    • Loyalty/Affiliate Payments - Is there anything that I can use to connect the report that my database/software will prepare to my bank for making fully automated annual payments to affiliates? Each affiliate's payment will vary in amount each year, so I can't do a "recurring payment", I don't believe, and there will be far too many affiliates to enter each transaction manually. I need a system that will (after I review the report that my system will generate) allow me to click a button and have all the ACH transfers sent out. The bank seemed lost when I asked them about this. Receiving funds are easy, but SENDING or pushing the countless, small payments TO individuals is where I'm having difficulty, even as batches (which I'll still need to send many of at once).

    Thank you very much for any input that you can offer!! You help is greatly appreciated.
    -SC
     
    S_C, Apr 9, 2010 IP