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Soffront Software is an integrated CRM package that spans the enterprise and has the three major plus factors for a successful CRM solution: adaptability, flexibility, and affordability. In recognition of these factors, Soffront CRM has been named as a recipient of a CRM Excellence Award for 2006 by Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC(R))’s Customer Interaction Solutions(R) magazine. The awards were initiated in 1999 to recognize companies that excel as CRM partners to their customers and clients.   

Soffront has been at the forefront of the CRM movement since 1992, and offers end-to-end, fully integrated CRM software that caters to Fortune 500 companies, mid-sized businesses, and federal, state, and local governments.

According to KnowTia Corporation, the Oasis CRM product line will be enhanced with a new version 2.0. In the enhancement, new features such as Ajax dashboards and blanket order management will be included. The integration of Ajax into the main Oasis CRM interface is considered as the future of CRM platforms.

Ajax is considered significant for CRM products as it allows data to be pulled from the server without any disruption. KnowTia’s previous versions offered a suite that integrated with both Business Vision and QuickBooks accounting packages. Oasis products are preferred because they are easy to use and have customizable web-based interface and complete inventory management.

More Information: Read Here

Another feature of Oasis CRM is its integration with both QuickBooks & BusinessVision accounting packages. This lets business owners have their employees pull financial information about their client base without sacrificing their company’s financials.

If you are looking to roll out CRM, you must involve all parts of the organization irrespective of the size of your business. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) came into picture when the dot-com bubble burst in the beginning of the millennium. Most organizations had implemented CRM to get real benefits.

Technology has accounted for the majority of CRM implementation in companies. Retailers began to construct huge data warehouses and even small shops started launching their own loyalty card schemes. Technology companies believe that CRM would give them new insights. Many CRM projects were run out of the sales or marketing departments. CRM needs to be an overarching application across the organization.

If there is a failure in integrating the CRM with other areas of the organization that means that CRM could only deliver limited benefits. There are other aspects of the business such as finance, order processing, supply chain and distribution that are well managed by the CRM system.

What is a CRM?

A CRM is a program that helps you manage your relations with your client. CRM stands for Client Relationship Management. So a CRM is helping you know your clients better. Knowing your clients helps you answer better to their needs in a more professional and persuasive mode.

A CRM usually stores data like: Clients Name, Surname, Birthday, Company, Home Address, Telephone and Fax Numbers, E-mail addresses, Orders, Client Value and other (RELEVANT) data.

This data can be defined in the majority of CRMs. You can add new ones or exclude some of them. Basically, this is what a CRM does: a database full of important data about your client.

For example, knowing a client’s birthday, you could send him/her some good wishes (a birthday card). A client that knows you care about him will become a loyal and a repetitive client (and this is your purpose).

Also, knowing how much the client ordered may help you on the next order (some discounts, some favorite merchandise).

The CRM software also keeps track of the date of orders, quantity, value and also, they can be integrated with ERP (enterprise resources planning) software.

In this days, CRM software can do pretty much stuff (has a lot of functions), but always it’s place for more. For example some CRMs are capable of recording the calls you have with your client automatically, using Skype – isn’t it great? All your calls, all your notes will be stored in one database. So next time you would like to call a client to set a meeting you will have all your necessary data to prepare. But, are you able to prepare? Could CRM give you more than historical data? It will remain to see that. I will make some tests and tutorials the next days in order to see how good can we get.

There are a lot of CRM software on the market, which is the best for you, a commercial one or an open source CRM? It depends. Both will cost you money: implementation, training, administration, evolution (development) and so on. In my opinion the best option is always an open source solution. Why? Not because is free, because open source is not about the cost, is about the access to the source code. Having access to the source code of CRM software, it will help you make the necessary changes in the future.

Short Resume: CRM means client relationship management. This is a piece of software that will store for you information about your clients and your activities with them. This information will help you develop better relations with your clients making them loyal to your firm and business.

Tags: crm, client, management, definition

The industrial manufacturing sector has been witnessing a sluggish growth of only 7% a year since 1992. One of the various factors affecting it is the increasing customer service expectations. As a result, manufacturing companies are adopting new strategies for becoming more service-centric.

Implementing CRM is enabling them to be more competitive and profitable. Catering to their requirements is the Siebel CRM that is tailor made specifically for the industrial manufacturers according to their specific business practices.

This is helping the industrial manufacturers in achieving their objectives like:

-Improving field sales effectiveness and collaboration.

-Improving product, Quote and Order Configuration.

-Enabling sales and service collaboration with dealers and distributors.

No wonder, 7 out of 10 Global 500 Industrial Manufacturing companies have chosen Siebel CRM.

Detailed report on Siebel CRM here

Cisco has decided to enhance its CRM software for small and mid-sized businesses. It has integrated the software with an improved version of Microsoft’s Dynamics Customer Relationship Management. Cisco’s Unified CRM Connector works with Dynamics CRM to streamline contact-center functions. The software also creates automatic pop-ups with caller information.

Cisco’s latest model, called Version 3.0 is integrated with the recently announced Dynamics CRM 3.0. The new CRM Connector can deliver a subset of information to Cisco IP phones. Integration with CRM is a unique method that relates the customer information with phone calls. Hence, many Small and Medium Business enterprises have shown interest in adopting CRM software.

More Information: Read Here

The prospect of using CRM Connector convinced GreenStone Farm Credit Services in East Lansing, Michigan, to adopt IP telephony. GreenStone, which has 37 locations in Michigan and Wisconsin, is deploying IP phones companywide.

Recently, Terence Chan of Siebel Systems spoke to SDA Asia Magazine on the status of the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) market. According to Chan, Siebel’s flexible solutions fit any size organization. It also provides a range of solutions that have been customized for sectors such as financial services, insurance, telecommunications, media and energy, public sector and high technology. Chan added that Siebel’s CRM offerings cover the following categories:

• Business Intelligence
• Marketing Automation
• Call Centre and Service
• Sales Force Automation
• Customer Order Management
• Self-service and eBilling
• Customer Data Integration

Siebel Systems captured 10.7 percent of the worldwide CRM applications software market in 2004. This is obviously the lion’s share of the global CRM market. Chan believes that CRM has become more interconnected with Business Intelligence.

More Excerpts from the Interview: Read Here

According to analyst estimates, the worldwide market for packaged and custom-built customer analytic applications is expected to grow at a CAGR of 15 percent from US$6 billion in 2001 to more than US$7 billion in 2006.

Another new CRM solution has been launched in the industry by Pervasive Software, Inc. The new embedded integration solution is designed for Eloqua Corporation. Eloqua’s Conversion Suite platform is helpful in executing and measuring advanced multi-channel business-to-business marketing programs.

It has been acknowledged that clients need more improved solutions that will fulfill their requirements. The new CRM integration solution enables clients to deploy ‘closed-loop’ marketing process in order to improve marketing effectiveness, transparency and accountability.

Pervasive Business Integrator is built on an open and transparent XML-based repository system. It provides the integration platform for Eloqua’s Marketing Conversion Suite. The new solution has the flexibility to manage and update the integration process for Eloqua’s customers.

More Information: Read Here

The solution delivers instant CRM integration capability to support Eloqua’s full marketing automation offering, allowing it to expand its market opportunity and to rapidly, reliably deploy integration to customers leveraging reusable solutions.

Alphacam has introduced the latest version of integrated business management system that has the new CRM capability, Alphacim V7. This is beneficial for order-based manufacturing operations in the industry. The new CRM Module provides comprehensive customer contact and other functionalities. It also provides a diary with automatic prompting of follow-up actions.

The new CRM Module has the ability to provide effective management of external marketing activities from initial contact to final order. As the product has not been launched in the market, it is yet to be seen whether it can be live up to its expectations or not. However, Alphacam is confident that its new CRM Module will be widely adopted in the market. It will be nice to receive comments from the consumers on this matter. MCAD Cafe reports:

Further enhancements in Alphacim V7 include improvements to the automated generation of commercial documentation - such as quotations and delivery notes - and streamlined production of families of parts including fascia doors, fabricated doors and window units.

According to the reports, Elisa Corp. has decided to choose Microsoft Customer Care Framework 2005 communication platform. The move will be helpful for Elisa to improve its contact center. Elisa Corp. is one of the leading telecom companies of Finland that have established themselves in the telecom industry.

The new product will improve the usability and support of customer process and will make customer service more efficient and transparent. The Microsoft Customer Care Framework has been designed in a unique manner so that it guides customer inquiries from multiple channels. It has the flexibility to allow Elisa to adapt easily to different CRM products.

The new platform will be used by more than 2,500 customer service representatives. Elisa sources said that their previous contact center product did not offer them an effective way to integrate systems. Now they are confident that the new product will meet all their requirements. It may be turned out to be a single and comprehensive service from the customer service representatives’ perspectives.

More Information: Read Here

Microsoft Customer Care Framework is based on Microsoft’s latest .NET technology. SQL Server is used as a database and BizTalk Server as an integration tool, while the server platform is Windows Server.