Google Apps Marketplace touts CRM offerings

More than a dozen customer relationship management applications are available through Google's (NASDAQ: GOOG) Apps Marketplace, the company touted in a post on its official blog. Several of the CRM apps focus on general customer service and the sales cycle, while others deal with engaging customers through social networks or handling projects.

The CRM applications integrate, in one way or another, with Google's productivity tools, and some can be used in conjunction with apps designed for invoicing or email marketing, reports Chris Kanaracus of IDG New Service.

Some analysts see a need for greater guidance for the Marketplace's business users, however. Users tend to look for insight on which apps might be most suitable for them, said Denis Pombriant, an analysts with Beagle Research. "This all seems to prove the point that CRM is a discipline and an approach to business, not simply a technology set," Pombriant told Kanaracus.

Google's effort to broadcast the CRM offerings in its Apps Marketplace comes just weeks after Microsoft unveiled an online store for applications that run with its CRM and ERP packages. As ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley noted at the time, Salesforce.com customers have been able to buy applications online from partners at the AppExchange for several years.

For more:
- see Google's blog post
- see Chris Kanaracus' article at InfoWorld
- see Mary Jo Foley's article at ZDNet

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