Customer Relationship Management – An Important Factor to Any Business

3 Stars = It Rocks!
2 Stars = Not so Bad!
1 Star = Hope they didn’t quit their day job!

Batchbook
http://www.batchblue.com/

Freelance Weekly Rating:  3 Stars

About:  BatchBook is a three-in-one small business CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software.  The suite includes contact management, communications management and to do management all wrapped into one package!  Their motto says it all; “Easy to Use, Easy on the Budget.”

Set Up:  The web based software offers a 30 day trial period and can be setup completely over the Internet.  They have several pricing options and they are listed below:

Navy Blue:  $9.95/mo with 1 user and 2 Gig of Storage

Deep Blue:  $19.95/mo with 3 users and 5 Gig of Storage

Royal Blue:  $29.95/mo with 10 users and 10 Gig of Storage

King Fisher:  $49.95/mo with 25 users and 25 Gigs of Storage

Indigo:  $99.95/mo with 100 users and Unlimited Storage

Free Baby Blue:  The site offers this option so you can determine whether Batchbook is right for you and your business.  It is free for as long as you want to use it but comes with limited options.  It allows 1 user, 200 contacts, 1 Gig of Storage and 1 SuperTag (Customizable Tags)

All priced plans include 2 hours of free consultation to get you started, Unlimited Contacts, SuperTags, 3rd Party Integration, Industry Specific Standards, Customized Dashboard and 30 day trial period.

BatchBook

Navigation:  I am blown away by the organization of this site!  Its layout and color scheme is very pleasing to the eye and easy to navigate around.  I can see that it would be easy to get lost in all this software has to offer, however they have made it easy to understand due to its organizational layout.  BatchBook’s contact features include the ability to upload photos, import from all common social networking sites, communication directly from a contact page, export to a v-card format and custom dashboards.  Its communication features allow for entirely printable and customizable lists, reports, communication records and mailing labels.

Sharing:  Due to its ability to integrate with many outside sources, this CRM software will fill all your sharing needs.

Customer Service:  What an array of support!  With its FAQ section, screencasts, user groups, a new customer section and email support you are sure to find the answer to your questions.  They even distribute a monthly newsletter!

Recommendation:  For the small to medium business I highly recommend Batchbook and am confident that it will more than fill the needs necessary for a successful business.

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OnContact Software
http://www.oncontact.com/

Freelance Weekly Rating:  2 Stars

About:  OnContact claims to have completely redesigned its CRM software to better meet the needs of their clients.  With over 15 years of experience and 600 clients worldwide, their motto is to “Embrace your Vision.”

Set up:   This software is one that you will need to install.  It can be run over your server, workstation or web.  A customized quote can be requested at http://www.oncontact.com/products/request_info.aspx.  Information needed on the form includes your name, business name, current address information, number of users and time frame as to when you will be making your decision.

Navigation:  Upon browsing through this site I noticed that OnContact offers their clients more than just CRM software.  Although the site is well organized, I felt it lacked in specific information such as pricing options, tutorials, FAQ’s and other general information.  That being said, the software does “play well” with Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle, has been designed to give a look and feel that people are used to seeing (Microsoft platform) and offers marketing options and campaign ideas designed specifically for your product or brand.

Sharing:  Depending on the setup you choose, the software can be shared over many common 3rd party entities and is an industry standard .net platform.

Customer Service:  As stated before, the site itself does not have too many options for customer service.  However, integrated into the software is a full help desk module and I did find an online demo that can be viewed before purchasing.

Recommendations:  If you are looking for a company that will provide you with more than just CRM software, this is the site for you!

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Prophet
http://www.avidian.com/

Freelance Weekly Rating:  1 Star

About:  Upon entering this site Prophet’s vision statement is the first thing you see!  They wish to adhere to their clients using the 5 Guiding Principles:  Treat others the way you want to be treated, Respect a client’s needs, Maintain a high standard of excellence, Share success stories from other business’s, and Treasure their clientele from within.

Set up:  This software is designed to integrate and work inside of Microsoft Outlook.  They offer personal or individual options (runs locally on your computer) or server based options (runs over several computers) depending on your needs.  All paying clients enjoy free shipping, Prophet Mobile for your cell phone and the option to add unlimited training for an additional $50.00.  The pricing structure is as follows:

Prophet 5 Personal: $149.95 – Standard Features

Prophet 5 Advanced:  $249.95 – Standard + Sales Automation

Prophet 5 Premium:  $249.95 – Standard + Autowork Flow Management
Server quote options can be obtained at http://www.avidian.com/salesquestions.aspx. Just fill out the simple form found at the link and they will contact you.

Navigation:  The site itself is very easy to navigate, offers multiple links to important information and provides customer testimonials and reviews.  All inside Microsoft Outlook, you will enjoy a consolidated dashboard, sales track reports, auto workflows for all your employees, output to 5 different formats including Microsoft Word and Excel and advanced security if you choose the server option.

Sharing:  Although the personal edition does not offer much in the sharing department, the server edition comes complete with administrative services, the ability to apply user permissions, sharing across email or peer to peer networks and plays well with terminal services such as VPN and Windows Roaming Profiles.

Customer Service:  The customer service found on this site is unbelievable!  There are server installation guides, support forums, videos, FAQ’s and client reviews available.

Recommendation:  If you are an individual, or a small business with just a few employees this software would fit all your needs.  Its integration into Microsoft Outlook provides a user friendly interface that most are used to working with.  I was quite impressed with Prophet 5 and according to the reviews I read so are their current clients!