Free CRM, Cloud CRM and Web-Based CRM Vendor Reveals That 62% of Small Companies are Using Social Networking in Everyday Business

New Research From Free CRM, Cloud CRM and Web-Based CRM Reveals That Smaller Companies are Embracing Social Media to Source New Business and Stay in Touch With Existing Customers

LONDON, April 26, 2011 - A survey conducted by Really Simple Systems -
www.reallysimplesystems.com - Europe's largest free CRM
(www.reallysimplesystems.com/free_crm.asp), cloud CRM
(www.reallysimplesystems.com/release.asp?id=30) and web-based CRM
(Customer Relationship Management)
(www.reallysimplesystems.com/default.asp) vendor, has revealed that
great swathes of small and medium-sized enterprises are embracing social
media as a means of conducting business. The annual survey has traditionally
questioned small business owners, directors, sales, marketing and IT
managers, on their views of cloud services and the reliability of the
products currently available in the market and this year covered the issue of
social media for the first time.

From a sample of 862 respondents - the majority from small and
medium-sized organisations with less than 50 employees - 62% report that they
now use social networking in everyday business. The research also shows that
92% of those using it, do so to keep in touch with existing customers, whilst
78% are using it to find new customers.

LinkedIn is the most widely-used social media tool by small
businesses, with 83% of those that said they were using social media, using
the business-orientated social networking site. Facebook (72% of respondents)
is the next most popular means of conducting 'social business', followed
closely by Twitter (65%). Forty-four percent of these socially active small
businesses also run a company blog to engage with the public, but only 3.5%
reported to be using MySpace, and a handful of others are using other forms
of social media such as YouTube, Yammer, Xing, Quora and FourSquare.

John Paterson, CEO of Really Simple Systems
(www.reallysimplesystems.com/), comments, "We all know that enterprise
companies are rapidly adopting social media as a means of communicating with
existing customers and prospects, but I was surprised to see that adoption
among small businesses was so advanced."

Paterson continues, "Our survey shows that 80% of respondents
agree that cloud systems require less internal IT-support. And with 63%
stating that Software as a Service solutions are made more attractive by the
current financial climate, cloud solutions continue to be a major way for
companies to dramatically reduce IT overheads, removing the burden of system
maintenance for small organisations who would rather allocate that resource
to developing the business."

The use of cloud free CRM, cloud CRM and web based CRM by
small businesses has now overtaken in-house CRM, with 45% of respondents now
using hosted applications as opposed to 36% using in-house CRM. Paterson
comments, "In two years, we have seen a split of 47/36 percent in favour of
in-house, become a 45/36 percent split the other way. CRM is now being
delivered through the cloud to the majority of small businesses using such a
system."

The survey confirms that free CRM, cloud CRM and web-based CRM
systems remain the most popular type of Cloud-based solution used by small
businesses and 66% of respondents reported that they are now more confident
in hosted CRM systems than traditional in-house systems. The use of hosted
accounting, ERP, payroll and manufacturing solutions has gone up slightly
(between one and three percent), whilst one percent less companies are using
a hosted HR system. Despite only a modest rise in their use, confidence in
hosted systems over their in-house counterparts has risen in most areas, most
notably in the payroll market, with some 54% or respondents now more
confident in hosted solutions - up 10% on last year.

The survey also revealed that almost half of respondents feel
as confident about the reliability, speed, data safety, and functionality of
cloud applications as they do with in-house offerings. This is indicative of
the now almost identical usage of hosted and in-house CRM.

Perhaps surprisingly, 40% of those questioned plan to spend
more on IT in the next 12 months than they did in the last 12 months and a
further 38% will keep IT spend at the same level. Paterson concludes, "This
is good news for the IT sector as the signs show the dark clouds of recession
and austerity seem to slowly lifting. It's not yet business as usual, as
rising inflation should be factored into these results, but it looks like the
IT sector is on the road to recovery, with cloud vendors set to benefit from
increasing small business confidence in the economy."

Really Simple Systems plans to bring out its own range of
social features as part of its free CRM, cloud CRM and web-based CRM solution
but true to their word, plans to keep things simple.

About Really Simple Systems

Really Simple Systems Hosted CRM is aimed at small and medium
sized organisations with between 5 and 200 people who want a straightforward
hosted CRM sales, marketing and support system. The hosted model is
particularly suitable for companies with multiple locations and sales people
who work remotely or at home. Really Simple Systems, winner of the Software
Satisfaction Award in 2008 and 2010, is the largest European provider of
hosted CRM systems with offices in the UK, North America and Australia. Users
include the Royal Academy of Arts, the British Library, the Red Cross, NHS
and the Department of Health as well as many small and medium sized
companies.

    For further information, please contact:

    John Paterson
    Really Simple Systems
    Tel +44(0)1730-823300

    Max Deeley / Krista Le Beau
    itpr
    Tel +44(0)1932-578-800

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