Bitrix24 cloud service seeks foothold in China

The Chinese market might not seem like a likely target for a new cloud service that is not yet out of beta, but Bitrix24 is already moving in that direction. 

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What is Bitrix24?

Bitrix24 is a cloud-based combination of collaboration, communications and other business tools that can best be described as a social intranet.  By unifying a CRM with file sharing, tasking, project management and other tools on a platform that supports commenting, liking, and an interactive activity stream, Bitrix24 is very much like an internal Facebook where social means the style of work, not socializing.

 

Why China?

Bitrix24 targets small business, so the Chinese-speaking world is naturally one of the highest and most desirable markets. Small business is present in China on a scale that is difficult to imagine, with around five million small companies operating in every conceivable area. As its economy evolves, the role of information exchange will only become more important. Furthermore, social interaction is a relatively new phenomenon, especially among small businesses.

“Every time we have entered a new market, we have learned lessons which have increased our products’ value to users,”

says Dmitry Valyanov, President of Bitrix, Inc.  “Our new cloud product helps people communicate easily and accurately, and so wherever there are small businesses looking to communicate we know we can find a niche. We are excited to see how Bitrix24 will be implemented by this fast-moving market.”

 

Mutli-Language Support

One feature that will be useful to users of Bitrix24 will be the choice of interface languages made available to each user.  This means that a half of a team can work in Chinese and the other half can work in English, German, or any of the other languages which are being added to Bitrix24. As the top exporter in the world, China’s market is full of companies who will benefit from this option.

“We have experienced success in several countries by working with partners who are responsible for the localization and support of customers in their region. However, the cloud enables us to expand our footprint in a way that our traditional, licensed products would never allow, since potential clients can create a free plan and get a full picture of the product within minutes,” added Valyanov. “There is no substitute for people on the ground, however, so we always welcome qualified new partners who can add value to the customer experience in their locale.”

Bitrix24 will be out of beta in 2012, but available now at www.bitrix24.com.