Software Solutions

Once a small company has outgrown the limitations of MS Outlook and Excel/Access as tools for keeping track of business, they will need to focus on some serious software not only for datafile financial systems, but also for customer tracking and enquiry-tracking. I recently spoke to a retailer who was selling CRM software and he told me a story which admittedly was designed to put his product in a good light, but even so is probably true.. He was looking for a specific item and emailed three suppliers whilst browsing the internet. Two of the three did not even acknowledge his email, the third (and successful) supplier whilst in conversation revealed that he used one of the more professional CRM tools such as 'Goldmine' or act 6. This is the tool which enabled him to successfully keep track of incoming enquiries.

One of the most required functions of CRM & financial system nowadays is intergration between packages. For instance ACT is now marketed by 'SAGE' who are most well-known for their accounting software, Goldmine and other CRM's can also be cajoled into interfacing with SAGE through SQL database queries. Some programs are designed to work together or can liaise via a third-party software interface.
Interestingly, Microsoft have also come up with a microsoft crm which of course integrates with MS Office products. There are a host of soultions out there and it is worth sitting down with a retailer who knows a lot about their products. I have seen CRMs come and go in my place of work - we had three in about five years, and the best advice I can give is try and get it right first time by working out exactly what your existing and future requirements are likley to be...then talk to a company that can offer you the perfect solution.