Infoman - CRM

C3IP CEO to Address BroadSoft Connections on How to Create Revenue-Generating Voice Mashups

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:57:55 GMT

SCOTTSDALE, AZ -- (Marketwire) -- 10/06/08 -- C3IP Communications, LLC, aprovider of hosted voice and data IP solutions for business powered by CommPartners Connect, aleading IP network and applications company, announced today that its CEOCory Miller will present at the BroadSoft Connections 2008 Executive UsersConference on how developers can create revenue-generating voice mashups.

C3IP's VoIP AddOn for ACT! is the first carrier-grade voice mashup with theACT! contact and customer management software. VoIP AddOn seamlesslyintegrates Sage's ACT! solution with BroadSoft's BroadWorksÂ® VoIPapplication platform. C3IP's solution was the first voice mashup onBroadSoft's Xtended Marketplace, and the first Xtended mashup to generaterevenues.

Miller will present on the panel "Xtending Web 2.0 Solutions: Leveragingthe Power of the Xtended Marketplace." BroadSoft Connections is the telecomindustry's premier executive users ...

Still Cold Calling? You're Doomed

Landy Chase — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 04:00:00 GMT

"... The most productive and under-utilized prospecting tools available today are the contact mangement software programs such as ACT!, Maximizer and Goldmine. These programs have teh ability to store and manipulate data on prospects and customers. They also have the ability to put you in the direct-mail marketing business with an often-overlooked function called Mail Merge."

Sage MAS 90 and 200 Extended Enterprise Suite

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Wise move

Sage Software has unveiled its new Sage MAS 90 and 200 Extended Enterprise Suite, which offers small and medium-sized business customers access to financial, operational, customer relations, and business intelligence applications.

The Sage MAS Extended Enterprise Suite provides employees in sales, service, finance, operations, and management with an integrated 360-degree view of business operations through embedded front-office and back-office functionality. At the heart of the suite, Sage MAS 90 and 200 ERP and Sage MAS Fixed Assets provide back-office financial and operations functionality. Embedded SageCRM supports front-office sales, service, and marketing automation, while Business Insights Explorer and the Business Insights Dashboard provide business analysis functions.

By enabling business information to flow between different functional areas of a company, the Sage MAS Extended Enterprise Suite empowers every employee to improve the bottom line. For example, salespeople using the customer relationship management (CRM) functionality have instant visibility into inventory levels, credit holds, purchasing cycles, and more. This visibility improves each salesperson's effectiveness. Additionally, the Sage MAS Extended Enterprise Suite gives marketing personnel visibility into warehouse overstocks, so promotions can be designed to improve inventory turnover.

Affordable CRM Business Intelligence Software (SaaS) Made Possible for SMBs by DecipherTech

Wed, 29 Oct 2008 04:00:00 GMT

-- DecipherTech, Inc., an expert in Business Intelligence (BI), has launched a Software as a Service (SaaS) solution that will allow small to medium sized businesses gain unparalleled insight into their CRM activities; the life blood of their rapidly growing enterprises. Decipher CRM(â„¢) is an online analytics tool designed to condense data from a multitude of structured systems (SFA, CRM, ERPâ€¦) and non-structured data sources (spreadsheets, etc.) into manageable, insightful and actionable information.

In order to help businesses with the first step in evaluating their BI capabilities and needs, we have assembled world class research, white papers and web articles in the Resources area of our web site.

Decipher CRM includes a suite of 3 BI applications: Sales Analytics, Order Fulfillment and Profitability Analysis. All modules can be fully integrated with reporting from our clientâ€?s existing CRM and ERP applications (e.g. Salesforce.com, MS Dynamics, ...

SalesLogix Down Under

David Sims — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 04:00:00 GMT

According to industry observer Vera Alves Sage Business Solutions has announced the availability of its Sage SalesLogix v7.5 Customer Relationship Management (CRM) suite in the Australia-New Zealand region.

"Personalized welcome pages, enhanced lead-management and list creation capabilities are some of the new features of the product," she says, noting that "in addition, integration with Web 2.0 technologies such as Google Maps and LinkedIn has been added."

Mike Lorge, Managing Director of Sage Business Solutions ANZ, said Sage SalesLogix "can mash-up contextual information from the Web, such as LinkedIn profiles and Google Maps geographical information."

Alves reports Lorge saying "we collected an incredible amount of product feedback this year, and the most important themes we heard were the ability for users to work anywhere on a variety of devices."

The company has also announced the availability of ACT! by Sage 2009 (11.0), the latest version of its customer and contact management solution, Alves says, adding that "the new features include improved integration with Microsoft Outlook, improved calendar and activity visibility and greater database search capabilities."

First Look: Sage ACT! 2009

David Bailey — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Sage ACT! 2009 offers CRM for smaller firms

Sage smartens up its ACT and adds a host of new features to the popular CRM package

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One of the problems with upgraded software packages is finding out whether the new features are worth the extra cost, or that the vendor, having such a mature product, tinkers at the edge, codes in a few insignificant bells and whistles, and bumps up the price, a business model that is replicated across the entire software industry.

Customer relationship management (CRM) was one of those areas targeted years ago by software vendors seeking to help sales and marketing staff move from Excel spreadsheets, which were impossible to manage, to a package which dramatically shortcuts contacts information processing.

Sage ACT! has been such a product for many years, serving smaller firms whose budgets tend to get personal scrutiny more often than the larger enterprises.

We looked at two versions, the standalone one and the Premium version targeted at small to medium businesses. The standalone version install took under 15 minutes including a small amount of configuration for email accounts, and setting up a password protected SQL database which we allowed others to share, i.e. they could connect concurrently to check contact information.

Pak-Sher Selects Sage MAS 500 ERP with Accellos WMS and Sage CRM

JayashreeAdkoli — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Mind Over Machines, a company that delivers accounting and business management solutions, reportedly says that it'll implement "Sage MAS 500 enterprise resource planning' business management solution on Pak-Sher's systems.

Pak-Sher, a manufacturer of plastic packaging that's used in the restaurant, grocery, and food service industries, also has selected Accellos Warehouse Management Software and SageCRM, along with Sage MAS 500 ERP, to manage the company's business efficiently.

With the integration of Sage MAS 500, Accellos WMS and SageCRM, Pak-Sher now gained a single source solution that handled company's accounting, warehouse management, distribution, and customer relationship management functions.

According to Sage Software ( News - Alert) , its Sage MAS 500 ERP wholesale distribution software incorporates a suite of modules that work together to provide advanced solutions such as tracking, managing, and reloading inventory and managing warehouse operations through the ...

A CRM Insider's Views on Social Media, Facebook and Web 2.0

David Sims — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:00:00 GMT

David van Toor, senior vice president and general manager at Sage CRM Solutions North America, recently sat down to share some advice for creating online communities.

DS: You've been in your role as Sage CRM Solutions senior vice president and general manager for just over a year now. What have you been focusing on?

DvT: Ensuring our customers have a consistent experience whenever they contact us has been my primary focus. To start with, I've been working on relationships with our customers, building them, mending some, advancing others. There is much for me to tend to.

A big part of my role is furthering connection with customers. We're finding, like many organizations, that social media tools, when applied properly, are a powerful way to engage in conversations with our customers.

DS: What specific tools are you using?

DvT: The main tool we're using is an online community. We introduced one for our ACT! contact and customer management software customers in late January ...

The Next Act! for an Acquisition

Lauren McKay — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:00:00 GMT

When a small, family-owned company is scooped up by a bigger one, retaining proprietary customer information is crucial; well-managed opportunity data is even more important. UCSC, a roofing and insulation manufacturer and supplier in Phoenix, was recently acquired by polyurethane systems provider Bayer-BaySystems.

In addition to its expertise in spray wall-foam insulation, UCSC also brought along a valuable customer management system-something it didn't always have. Before opting for Sage Software's Act!, UCSC had its customer data and lead information scattered across spreadsheets and paper files. If a salesperson left the company, the employee's client information would go, too. There was no formal tracking system and no higher view of the sales cycle.

The initial implementation of Act!, three years ago, delivered payback in the tracking of marketing campaigns, but later, with more emphasis on pursuing sales opportunities, UCSC began to see tremendous return on investment (ROI)-enough to earn the 2008 Nucleus Research ROI award.

Contact Management

Nathan Conz — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Sage Software has released ACT! 2009, the latest version of its contact and customer management software solution. Version 11.0 features user experience enhancements, such as improved Microsoft Outlook integration and databased search capabilities. New features include streamlined e-mail campaigns, activity scheduling from e-mails, and one-click calendar copy between ACT! and Outlook. www.sagesoftware.com

Sage Software Flagship ERP Solutions Garner 5-Star Rankings in The CPA Technology Advisor 2008 Review

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 19:04:22 GMT

Sage Software announced today that the latestversions of its Sage Accpac ERPand Sage MAS ERP enterprise resource planning and accounting systems have won top rankings inThe CPA Technology Advisor annual Review of Mid-Range Accounting Systems.In the September 2008 issue, reviewer Mary Girsch-Bockawarded 5-Star overall ratings for Sage Accpac 200 ERP 5.5 and Sage MAS 90and 200 ERP 4.3. Both products are also integral components of thecompany's new Extended Enterprise Suites that were launched earlier thisyear.

"These award-winning performances demonstrate how our solutions continue tosuccessfully address the needs of our business customers," said HimanshuPalsule, Sage Software executive vice president and general manager,Strategic Products, Business Management Division. "Sage Accpac and Sage MASERP continue to offer our customers both choice and value -- even more sonow as part of our new Extended Enterprise Suites. These latest awardsreaffirm our customer-focused approach to consistently deliver solutionswith superior functionality, optimum performance and uncompromising value."

Sage Reloads in CRM competition with Microsoft, Salesforce

Rick Whiting — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Sage Software has begun shipping the long-awaited new release of its SalesLogix CRM application suite with new customization and development capabilities for solution providers and Web 2.0 technologies for users.

"We think it's a game-changing release," said David Tinjum, CEO of Customer FX, a St. Paul, Minn.-based solution provider that customizes SalesLogix for clients and develops add-on modules for the CRM application. The new version, also known under the code name which "Sahara," should help Sage stand out in the CRM market where Microsoft (NSDQ:MSFT) and Salesforce.com have been getting most of the attention lately, Tinjum said.

SalesLogix is widely seen as the flagship product in Sage's CRM product line. Last month Sage debuted Sage Act! 2009, a new release of the sales contact and customer management application, and it's working on a new version of the SageCRM application. Under its Sage CRM Solutions 2010 strategy the company is also integrating its ERP and CRM applications

New ACT! by Sage 2009

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Sage CRM Solutions, part of the Sage Group plc, today announced availability of the new ACT! by Sage 2009 (11.0) contact and customer management product family consisting of ACT! by Sage 2009 (11.0), ACT! by Sage Premium 2009 (11.0), and ACT! by Sage Premium for Web 2009 (11.0). Inspired by customer feedback, ACT! 2009 products focus on enhancing user productivity with improved Microsoft® Outlook® integration, calendar and activity visibility, and database search capabilities. ACT! 2009 is available in North America beginning today. Additional local language versions are in development and will be delivered incrementally.

"We completed interviews, surveys and usability tests with thousands of customers to improve ACT! functionality," said Joe Bergera, executive vice president and global general manager, Sage CRM Solutions. "This feedback helped us create the most productive ACT! experience we have ever offered. Our customers spoke, we listened, and we have delivered a tool that can help them grow sales, save time, and reduce operating expenses in trying economies, or any business environment."

ACT! by Sage is the #1 selling contact and customer management solution used effectively by more than 2.8 million users and over 43,000 additional corporate customers, including individual professionals, small business owners, corporate teams, and anyone who regularly works with contacts. ACT! by Sage Premium Solutions are specifically designed to benefit larger teams of users with increased data sharing capabilities, group scheduling functionality, advanced opportunity tracking and customization capabilities, robust dashboards and reports, and multiple security levels.

New ACT! 2009 productivity features include:

• En masse e-mail attaching - select multiple Microsoft Outlook e-mails from different senders and attach them quickly to ACT! contacts
• Activity scheduling from e-mails - create ACT! activities within Outlook e-mails and the contact and regarding/subject line is pre-populated
• One-click calendar copy - copy an ACT! calendar to an Outlook calendar quickly from the main ACT! toolbar

Improved ACT! 2009 productivity features include:

• Simplified lookups - search by only part of a name or title; switch between contact, group or company to modify a search without starting over; advanced queries from main lookup(1) toolbar carry previous searches over for refining
• Fast access to previous contact lookups - view the last several contact lookups by type, date, timestamp, and number of contacts in a query
• Calendar filters applied on printouts - print an ACT! calendar with selected users, type, priority, and date range applied

New and improved ACT! 2009 database and automation options include:

• Automated tasks - automate calendar(1) copying, database backups(2) and maintenance from ACT! Scheduler (previously only available in ACT! Premium)
• Streamlined sync progress bar - see progress of database synchronization by steps and time remaining

A complete list of new and improved ACT! 2009 features is available at www.act.com.

ACT! 2009 Product Family Available In North America Today

Sage Software in North America today also announced ACT! Premium - Corporate Edition, an exclusive offering for its corporate customers that includes ACT! Premium and ACT! Premium for Web(3) on a single-user license to provide users with the benefits of both Windows and Web-based ACT! clients. The Corporate Edition also includes enhanced service from dedicated account managers, access to sales engineers during the purchasing process, and volume discount pricing.

ACT! 2009 and ACT! Premium 2009 are also available immediately, at no cost, for North American customers who are subscribed to the ACT! Platinum Care service. ACT! Platinum Care, announced in July, ensures that annual subscribers receive all upgrades released for their registered ACT! product during their subscription period and provides exclusive access to online business development forums, sales training resources, and exclusive ACT! Add-on offers.

In a separate announcement today, Sage Software detailed over 65 ACT! Add-on solutions that further extend ACT! 2009 with marketing, shipping, mapping and mobile device synchronization capabilities, among other functions.

"We're participating in an enormous amount of conversations with customers on the ACT! Online Community," said David van Toor, senior vice president and general manager for Sage CRM Solutions North America. "Community member comments helped refine many ACT! 2009 features, and aided our customer beta testing program in achieving extremely high levels of participation. Connecting with our customers continues to have a powerful impact on how we deliver the ACT! user experience."

The ACT! Online Community (http://community.act.com), introduced earlier this year, has recorded over five million page views and more than 75,000 forum logins in its first six months of operation.

“The superiority of ACT! has not changed,' said Michael Gladishev, president and CEO of Audio Holdings, LLC, a distributor of audio books and content, ACT! Community member and beta program customer. “I have evaluated many alternatives and the overall power and flexibility of ACT! 2009 is simply the best I've seen, bar none. You wouldn't think Sage could improve on ACT!, but they did.'

Killer VARs - Building Momentum

Accounting Technology staff — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Killer VARs - Building Momentum

(Aug. 1, 2008)
ByAccounting Technology Staff

When the going get tough, the tough get better.

And while it's not the worst of times in accounting software reselling, it's not the best of times either.

Selling financial software has gotten harder as the market has become saturated. The economy hasn't seriously hurt the business yet, but it's certainly not helping as sales cycles slow down.

Many resellers are selling more sophisticated systems increasingly, the smart ones are offering infrastructure services, and customer relationship management applications are contributed to the top lines everywhere.

But the attributes needed to be named as a Killer VAR go beyond product. They include the commitment and character of the people running value-added reselling organizations.

From technology savvy to great marketing to providing a nurturing environment to out-servicing the competition, these organizations have found the secrets to success.

Which really aren't so secret, anyway.

CRM-ERP App Integration Efforts On Track, Sage Says

Rick Whiting — Wed, 14 May 2008 04:00:00 GMT

Sage Software is taking steps to transform its disparate, sometimes overlapping applications into a more integrated product line.

Sage executives, speaking at the company's annual Insights '08 partner conference outside Washington D.C. on Tuesday, said they are making good on their promise to enhance and integrate the vendor's CRM applications under its CRM Solutions 2010 blueprint and better integrate those apps with other Sage products.

Sage launched two "Extended Enterprise Solution" suites for small and midsize businesses based on the company's popular Sage MAS 90 and Sage MAS 200 ERP application sets. The suites incorporate SageCRM and Sage MAS Fixed Assets applications and business intelligence capabilities in a single package with simplified user-based licensing and pricing.

Sage will begin selling the suites through Sage MAS channel partners in late June. Sage recently debuted a similar package based on its Sage Accpac accounting applications.

Earlier this year Sage released the Sage CRM Solutions 2010 strategy outlining plans to integrate its ERP and CRM applications to help channel partners and customers better link front- and back-office operations and improve business workflows. The blueprint is also expected to make it easier for customers to use, say, the Act contact management application with Sage CRM and SalesLogix applications, or migrate from one application to another.