Wow! This week has been a non-stop CRM week. I ended last week and started this week working with a customer after setting up a new SBS Server and re-initializing their CRM/PSA software. They are on TigerPaw CRM+. This is a very good system, that they paid a fair amount for, before I was involved mind you. Unfortunately they are not as invested in it processorally as perhaps they could and really should be. Then I spent Tuesday working with Sage Support to help a customer get their ACT! upgraded to 2007. That was a real mess, but these people are seriously invested in their ACT! system. Finally, at the end of the week, I spent a fair amount of time working on our internal CRM System.
So why the focus this week? It's really pretty simple, we sell and service opportunities. Sure we implement that opportunity through computers and systems. We are firm believers in exploiting information. We also believe that for our clients, we can help them identify business trends and opportunities through mining information. That starts with strong systems, especially through Customer Relationship Management. Most CRM systems are capable of mining information, they are all good at holding information, but the real value we bring is the delivery of that information to the people who need it, when they need it.
What sets ACT! apart is the depth of market penetration, especially in the SMB space. What is lacks is the integration with other systems. Frankly that is something that all CRM systems suffer from. TigerPaw CRM+ is a very good client-server application that is also known as a PSA (Professional Services Application). It is an all encompassing system that has the ability to link to Quickbooks and other systems...many of the integrations have been built and are available, requiring minimal ISV development.
The biggest issue with any CRM or PSA is adoption and use. Too often people invest in very good systems that provide a tremendous opportunity to be better organizations. Unfortunately, they neglect to marry processes with the systems. The first piece of that is training...Why should I put all that info into a system??? Rarely do organizations incent their people to make the invest of time to enter and maintain all that data. This is where we work hardest, delivering the information back to the people who need it. One of the best ways to deliver that info back through the organization is sharepoint, and formost of our clients that is companyweb. We often exploit FrontPage's built-in abilities to see data in a wide variety of data sources and then build BI out of that...For an SMB that's a source for real advantage...
If your technology partner cannot help you mine and find data, give us a call, we'll bring some real value to your technology investments.