CRM software with a specific feature
January 20, 2012 9:53 PM Subscribe
Looking for free or low-cost CRM with a specific scheduling feature.
We are currently using an old, clunky CRM-ish package, which got embedded into our workflow long before I took the helm. I hate it. It's Windows-only, and it is frustrating to use. The one feature that I use all the time and can't do without is called "Action Plans". Action Plans are user-created series of tasks, that with one click, are applied to a contact. For instance, I can have an Action Plan called "After Sale Follow-Up", and when I click to apply this to a contact, the following all gets scheduled automatically X number of days from the (selectable) Effective Date:
•1 day - To-Do: Complete paperwork for sale.
•1 day - To-Do: Register warranties; apply service contracts
•1 day - Call: Call to follow up, thank you for sale.
•2 day - To-Do: Send thank-you card.
•7 day - Call: Follow-up call
•14 day - Appointment: Schedule follow-up appointment
With one click, all six of these actions are scheduled the correct number of days from the chosen Effective Date. I use this all the time for service contracts, lease expiration, follow-ups, warranty expiration, and so on. This is the single biggest feature I'm looking for. Tasks don't have to be sorted (call, to-do, appointment), just so they show up.
It'd be great if the system was web-based so it could be accessed outside the office. Mobile (iPhone) access nice, but not necessary.
I have tried the (free) Community Edition of Sugar CRM, but it doesn't have this function. I have checked the previous CRM-related questions here on AskMe, but rather than sign up for/install/uninstall oh-so many trial versions etc., what I'm really looking for, for starters, is someone to go "Yes, I use such-and-such application, and it does just that (or something very similar)." Thanks!
We are currently using an old, clunky CRM-ish package, which got embedded into our workflow long before I took the helm. I hate it. It's Windows-only, and it is frustrating to use. The one feature that I use all the time and can't do without is called "Action Plans". Action Plans are user-created series of tasks, that with one click, are applied to a contact. For instance, I can have an Action Plan called "After Sale Follow-Up", and when I click to apply this to a contact, the following all gets scheduled automatically X number of days from the (selectable) Effective Date:
•1 day - To-Do: Complete paperwork for sale.
•1 day - To-Do: Register warranties; apply service contracts
•1 day - Call: Call to follow up, thank you for sale.
•2 day - To-Do: Send thank-you card.
•7 day - Call: Follow-up call
•14 day - Appointment: Schedule follow-up appointment
With one click, all six of these actions are scheduled the correct number of days from the chosen Effective Date. I use this all the time for service contracts, lease expiration, follow-ups, warranty expiration, and so on. This is the single biggest feature I'm looking for. Tasks don't have to be sorted (call, to-do, appointment), just so they show up.
It'd be great if the system was web-based so it could be accessed outside the office. Mobile (iPhone) access nice, but not necessary.
I have tried the (free) Community Edition of Sugar CRM, but it doesn't have this function. I have checked the previous CRM-related questions here on AskMe, but rather than sign up for/install/uninstall oh-so many trial versions etc., what I'm really looking for, for starters, is someone to go "Yes, I use such-and-such application, and it does just that (or something very similar)." Thanks!
One more thing, being a Microsoft product, it is IE / Outlook only. However, when I occasionally need to log in from home it works just fine with IE under Wine on Linux.
posted by COD at 6:08 AM on January 21, 2012
posted by COD at 6:08 AM on January 21, 2012
Check out Daylite for Mac/iOS. Not free. Inexpensive, though, and well done.
http://marketcircle.com/daylite/
posted by bfu at 7:46 AM on January 21, 2012
http://marketcircle.com/daylite/
posted by bfu at 7:46 AM on January 21, 2012
Response by poster: Thanks for the leads. ^^ I should have been clearer; I'm looking for a product that is ideally platform-independent, or at least with Mac & Windows versions. Daylite looks very interesting, though.
posted by xedrik at 10:34 AM on January 21, 2012
posted by xedrik at 10:34 AM on January 21, 2012
Response by poster: Thanks, everyone. Lots to check out now! :)
posted by xedrik at 9:14 AM on January 23, 2012
posted by xedrik at 9:14 AM on January 23, 2012
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by COD at 6:06 AM on January 21, 2012