The introduction of the QR code brought to marketing and advertising a whole new way to drive more information to the consumer who was more likely in the buying mood. But is it possible these cute little squares of code are already on their way out? If so, what does this mean for cloud CRM?

This Soffront blog highlighted a study conducted by comScore (News - Alert) that found only 14 million Americans using mobile devices have actually interacted with a QR code. When you compare this figure with the total population, it represents only 5 percent of total Americans.

If you need further proof, Google (News - Alert) phased out its QR code support last year. And with the growing concern over cyber-attacks, QR codes actually serve as an easy way for fake websites to steal information and launch harmful apps that can render your mobile device useless.

Given this trend, what will serve as the replacement for the QR code to help drive the relevance of cloud CRM? Front-runners include mobile visual search (MVS) and near-field communications (NFC). Both of these features are easier – and safer – to use than the typical QR code, which in effect doomed the fun little tool.

For those on the forefront of cloud CRM, the use of the QR code is likely to look a bit old school. But, is NFC really safer than the QR code? According to a recent VSR piece, NFC can enable the mobile user to track coupons, pay for purchases, open a car or hotel door and even loan a friend 20 bucks without even carrying a wallet. Can this happen without revealing too much information about an unknowing customer?

Opponents of this technology suggest NFC puts the consumer at risk by sharing more information than they realize with the businesses where they shop, the makers of their mobile wallet, the issuers of their credit cards and even their smartphone carrier.

The perk of NFC is the ability to communicate between two devices by simply putting them close together. Software developers love this as it provides another communications protocol to meet consumer and business demand for faster and more frictionless methods of payment and to conduct transactions while on the go. 

How does this technology integrate with cloud CRM? For Soffront, the on-demand service is positioned for the mid-market company seeking to centralize the management of their customer facing processes, yet don’t want to manage IT infrastructure or use internal resources for the administration of the technology.

With Soffront cloud CRM, companies enjoy all the benefits of the enterprise CRM solution without the cost or complexity in management. This approach ensures company leaders can focus on their core competencies and not worry about the intricacies of managing a CRM platform. As a result, the customer enjoys the benefits afforded in CRM at low cost and low risk.

Regardless of the next big thing in consumer-facing technologies to effective advertising a product, cloud CRM will be an integral element to capture information and continue to drive revenue growth.

Want to learn more about cloud communications? Then be sure to attend the Cloud Communications Expo, collocated with ITEXPO West 2012 taking place Oct 2-5, in Austin, TX. The Cloud Communications Expo will address the growing need of businesses to integrate and leverage cloud based communications applications, process enhancement techniques, and network based communications interfaces and architectures. For more information on registering for the Cloud Communications Expo click here.

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Edited by Rachel Ramsey