Should Your Business Use Niche Software | Business News Daily

July 12, 2018July 11, 2018 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

When we evaluate software, we consider common use cases, ideal feature sets, ease of implementation, customization options and design. However, competing alongside multi-use CRMs, CMSs, document management systems and e-commerce products are specialized solutions designed with a narrower user-set in mind.

Examples of industry specific solutions include products such as ReThinkCRM, a real estate CRM specifically for commercial brokers; Vinsight, a business software specifically for wineries; mycase, an all in one management solution for law firms; and a bevy of ERPs for everything from food and beverage purveyors to manufacturing companies to design firms. While the starting costs for industry specific solutions vary widely according to feature set and business focus (Enterprise vs. SMB), they generally tend to be more expensive than their broad-use counterparts.

Outlook gets its own lightweight CRM, Outlook Customer Manager | TechCrunch

November 15, 2016November 14, 2016 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

Microsoft today is rolling out a new tool for business owners using Office 365 and Outlook called Customer Service Manager, a lightweight CRM for companies that need to track their customer interactions and history, but aren’t yet ready for a more robust platform like Dynamics 365. The new tool lets businesses track tasks and deals in progress directly in Outlook, and will pop-up reminders aimed at helping them stay on top of their customer relationships, the company says.

Once enabled, Outlook Customer Manager will automatically organize customer information, including emails, meetings, calls, notes, files, tasks, deals and deadlines. This information – which is collected from email, calendar and call log data – is presented in a timeline format next to the inbox.

3 Ways to Use CRM to Ramp Up Your Sales | All Business

December 16, 2015 ~ knjohn ~ Leave a comment

As a female entrepreneur, I, like so many others, have to juggle my time carefully. I’m always looking for strategies to use one thing in many ways. One tool I’ve discovered that can do more than meets the eye is customer relationship management software (or CRM).

A lot of people mistakenly think CRM is only something marketers use, or it’s just a place to throw all your contact information. That’s simply not the case; it’s also a fantastic tool to increase sales for your business. And hey, I’m all about using it for as much as I can, especially if it helps me grow my business!

Today’s CRM solutions are much more sophisticated—not to mention more useful—than their predecessors. Here are three effective ways to use CRM as a sales tool: