четверг, 9 июня 2016 г.

Microsoft and Salesforce invest in new CRM chat tool (MSFT, CRM)

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Microsoft and Salesforce invest in new CRM chat tool (MSFT, CRM)

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Microsoft and Salesforce led the most recent round of investments in Helpshift, a company that helps software companies build a chat service between their mobile app users and their customer service teams, according to TechCrunch.

Helpshift raised $36.2 million at the end of the series B funding. The involvement by Microsoft and Salesforce is notable because they are also two of the biggest players in the customer relationship management (CRM) market.

The latest round of investment will allow Helpshift to continue building out its mobile app chat business, which now boasts roughly 1.3 billion unique devices.

Furthermore, it will help the company expand its offerings into new territories beyond its chat feature. These will include more analytics services based on recurring themes in chat, as well as a move into voice services, and a desktop version.

Furthermore, the CRM market is extremely lucrative. In 2015 CRM software alone was worth $26.3 billion globally, according to Gartner.

In order to maintain their share in the market, CRM companies like Microsoft and Salesforce must ensure they're reaching consumers where they're spending their time: in apps. Helpshift’s focus on the mobile chat experience, which is not offered by the two companies, does just that, according to Helpshift CEO Abinash Tripathy.

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