Contact Management Users Express Interest in Commence Online CRM

Posted by Commence on March 25, 2011 under CEO Corner | Read the First Comment

Commence Corporation, one of the leading providers of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, is experiencing a higher than usual interest in their online CRM software from users of traditional desktop contact management software.

“There are thousands of users of the older desktop software programs such as Act, Goldmine, Maximizer and others”, says Larry Caretsky, president of Commence Corporation. “These companies have been using contact management software for many years primarily because they own the license and the software has continued to operate without any additional expense.  The problem is that the software is now outdated and no longer operates on Microsoft’s newer desktop operating systems like Windows Vista and Windows 7 and does not integrate with the latest Microsoft Office 2007 and Microsoft Office 2010 software packages.”

“As a result, these companies are now forced to upgrade their software so it’s a great time to investigate CRM alternatives. While these companies are accustomed to desktop contact management software, they are well aware of the industry’s move toward online CRM programs that do not require any hardware upgrades or software implementation.  The interest in Commence Online CRM is based on their familiarity with Commence Corporation as a provider of CRM software for mid-market and smaller enterprises.  They know the Commence brand”, continued Caretsky, “ so we may be the first stop on their list of CRM alternatives”.

Learn more about the contact managment features in Commence’s Online CRM and see how they can help your business.

Online CRM Software Made Easy

Posted by Commence on March 21, 2011 under Commence News | Be the First to Comment

Companies of all sizes are now taking advantage of online CRM or online Customer Relationship Management software.  The days of long and costly implementation cycles have been replaced by rapidly deployable online CRM solutions.  One of the companies enjoying a high degree of success in the CRM sector is Commence Corporation.  Commence has been providing customer management solutions for contact management, sales force automation, marketing campaign management and customer service for more than two decades.

Commence CRM has been designed for mid size and smaller enterprises and as such is modular in design, easy to use and affordable.  Commence CRM software is also very customizable and can be deployed and operational within 24 hours.  Perhaps the greatest strength of this online CRM solution is the products home page or CRM dashboard.  The dashboard displays information such as your e-mail, today’s calendar and to-do’s, new leads, sales opportunities to follow-up on, alerts, service tickets, projects, and even a sales funnel that displays where each new sales opportunity is in the sales cycle.  End users find that they can conduct 90% of their daily business without ever leaving the CRM dashboard home page, making the learning curve extremely short and enabling them realize a rapid return on their investment.

Commence online CRM is ranked among the top ten cloud CRM systems in the industry. Learn more about Commence online CRM and how it can help grow your business.

Who Are the Top CRM Vendors? Just Ask Google.

Posted by Commence on March 17, 2011 under CEO Corner | 5 Comments to Read

Companies that are considering the implementation of Customer Relationship Management software often use search engines like Google or Bing to learn about CRM systems and the recommended solution providers.  CRM vendors are well aware of this and as a result, companies like Microsoft, Salesforce.com CRM and others are spending millions of dollars to get listed in the top positions:

The techniques for marketing and building brand awareness have changed radically in the past decade and the Internet has become one of the most powerful vehicles for introducing new products and services.  The problem with the Internet is that it is becoming more and more like television where people seem to believe that anything they see or read about is true.  Most people are aware of how Internet search engines work:  The companies that are listed in the top three positions have simply paid more than the others, but the consumer does not seem to care. They assume that if you are listed in the top position then you must be the best at what you do.

Customer Relationship Management software is a good example of this. Companies like Microsoft and Salesforce.com are willing to out-bid everyone to hold the top positions, but does this mean they are the best solutions for your business?  What’s interesting about the CRM software sector is that industry experts have indicated that as many as 70% of all CRM systems fail to get implemented or fully utilized.   If this is true, does this mean that the top rated CRM or leading CRM providers have a 70% failure rate?  I can’t say, but it does make one question whether selecting a CRM solution that is top rated on the Google search engine means you have selected the best CRM solution for your business, doesn’t it?

The Formula for CRM Success

The good news for the consumer is that there are a number of very good CRM software programs available from companies that are not listed in the top three search engine positions. One of these companies is Commence Corporation. Commence has been providing CRM software solutions to mid size companies and small enterprises for more than two decades. While the company is not listed in the top three spots, Commence offers perhaps a more compelling statistic: positive customer testimonials and one of the highest success rates for implementation and use of their CRM software.

One of the reasons for this success is that Commence doesn’t just sell CRM software. The company combines the CRM software with a proven implementation plan and a set of CRM “best practices” for sales execution and sales optimization. The implementation plan outlines the company’s responsibilities and those of the customer along with a timeline to ensure the project remains on track.  These CRM best practices have been designed by a team of highly trained sales professionals that help companies create and implement a proven sales methodology resulting in better sales execution while ensuring timely and accurate reporting.

Over the past two decades, Commence Corporation has established a proven track record for helping companies to become a more efficient sales and service organization.  Many of these companies have remained customers for as long as the company has been in business.  This certainly illustrates that the Commence CRM software complemented by its CRM best practices have provided a winning formula for its customers.  Unfortunately, you won’t find this listed on the Google search engine.

Learn more about the Commence CRM product and best practices at www.commence.com or consult with our CRM experts at 1-877- 266-6362.

Commence CRM CEO Caretsky Spells Out CRM Product Differentiation

Posted by Commence on March 13, 2011 under CEO Corner | 2 Comments to Read

Commence CRM Customers

Commence Corporation is a leading provider of Customer Relationship Management solutions. The company’s products are designed to provide small to mid-size businesses with flexible solutions that leverage the Web to offer an integrated platform for managing sales execution and customer service. Commence supports several thousand customers through a world-wide distribution network, with outlets in North and South America, Europe and Asia/Pacific.

The Commence CRM client roster is impressive and includes ABC television, Alcatel, American Express, Bank One, Bank of America, BP, Brinks, Century 21, EDS, Exactech, Ford, General Electric, Handyman Connection, IBM, Merrill Lynch, PNCBank, Northrop Grumman, NYPD, New York Post, Princess Cruises, Raytheon, Shell, Siemens, Sprint, Steelcase, St. Luke’s Hospital, TDK, Tele Atlas, and Unicef are just some of the marquis clients. The company has embraced the small business CRM market as well.

Mid-market CRM Competition

TR Cutler, a leading business journalist, recently interviewed Larry Caretsky, CEO of Commence Corporation, to learn more about the company is competing with the large players in the CRM space such as Salesforce.com. Cutler asked Caretsky, “How does a company like Commence compete against the Goliath of Salesforce.com and other CRM giants that are publicly traded and well-financed?” Caretsky answered, “Well in this “pay to play industry” it is hard to rise above the noise of Microsoft Dynamics CRM and Saleforce.com. The way Commence succeeds is to simply be better at one or two aspects of the business then the big guys. Commence has been very clear in differentiation and continues to quietly and consistently earn new customers and build solid references. The single most significant CRM differentiator Commence possessed versus the big CRM giants is our business model. Saleforce.com’s objective, for example, is to sell their solution to as many companies as possible regardless of size or industry. The only way to do this is to develop a generic set of CRM features that supports the general business requirements of companies across all industries. This one size fits all approach does not work in all industry sectors. Salesforce.com has recognized this short-coming and created an add-on development tool that allows for the customization of their CRM solution. The problem is that the SMB space has no interest in doing custom development, nor has the infrastructure to support it.”

Commence CRM, unlike Salesforce CRM, is developing specific vertical industry solutions that are already tailored to the unique business requirements of the customers in each particular sector. The result…customers can achieve a rapid return on their investment (ROI) without costly development work. Commence currently has a tailored solution for manufacturers and distributors and a construction vertical CRM is in development.

Commence Corporation has posted the entire interview at: http://www.commence.com/blog/index.php/2009/10/13/commence-crm-a-david-and-goliath-story/. Commence is offering a small to midsize business site license program that will enable customers to add users at no additional cost. Site licenses start at a five user level and require an annual contract.

Commence Delivers Unique Hybrid CRM Hosted Offering

Posted by Commence on March 12, 2011 under Commence News | 2 Comments to Read

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When people think about hosted CRM software they think about using the Internet to access their data.  This is because the majority of CRM solutions today are web based, deployed as a hosted service over the Internet and accessed as a browser based CRM application.

Commence Corporation has taken a slightly different approach to the deployment of their CRM software.   While the majority of businesses do select the company’s web based CRM offering, more and more are beginning to turn to a hybrid CRM deployment, where the CRM software is implemented on each personal computer with only the server being hosted by Commence Corporation.  This hybrid approach provides a full offline CRM client and is attractive to companies that do not have a reliable Internet connection and for those that would like to ensure that they have a copy of their data in-house.

Because the software is implemented on each computer, the Internet is only used periodically to update the main CRM server.  As a result, if an Internet connection is not available each employee can continue using the CRM system since they are interacting with their local offline CRM client on a desktop or laptop computer.  When the Internet connection returns, the CRM server is automatically updated with any changes that have been made.

“It’s really the best of both worlds”, says Larry Caretsky, president of Commence Corporation. “The customer can utilize our CRM software on premise and have immediate, local and offline access to their data without having to rely on an Internet connection.  Meanwhile our professional engineers are taking care of managing the server hardware and providing critical IT services such as back-up and recovery and managing the system security, such as virus protection.  This allows our customers to focus their energy on growing their businesses”.

To learn more about this unique hybrid CRM solution including full offline CRM client functionality, visit the Commence web site at www.commence.com.

Commence CRM Rolls out Challenge to Salesforce.com Customers

Posted by Commence on March 11, 2011 under Press Release | 2 Comments to Read

TINTON FALLS, N.J. /PRBuzz/ March 10, 2011 –- Commence Corporation a leading provider of CRM software for mid-size and small enterprises is making an interesting and aggressive offer to companies looking to purchase or save money on their CRM system.  Commence is  willing to offer customers free use of the company’s top rated CRM software if they compare Salesforce.com against Commence’s offering and do not agree that Commence is an equal or better product at a significantly lower cost.

“We are essentially asking customers to take the Pepsi challenge” says Larry Caretsky, president of Commence. “A few years ago Salesforce CRM was the only game in town” says Caretsky, ” but not any more. The gap has closed and they don’t offer anything more than we do at much higher price points.  The objective of this program is to simply introduce Commence to potential customers, and let them decide which product is better for their business.  If they can demonstrate that our solution is not comparable based on the key CRM features most businesses use at a lower cost we will offer them the opportunity to use our solution for free for the first six months, then decide if they wish to continue with it or not”.

Customers that have reviewed the key features of both products have found Salesforce.com to be cumbersome and complex, while Commence CRM is easier to use and navigate and also less costly.

Another advantage for larger customers is that there is no on-premise offering available from Salesforce.com. Commence CRM can be hosted via the cloud or implemented on-premise as a CRM server appliance.  This is extremely attractive to large customers that want to control their CRM system and keep their data in house. While Commence may not be as well known as Salesforce.com, the company is no stranger to the CRM space. Commence has been providing CRM software solutions to mid-size and small enterprises for two decades and has several thousand customers around the world.  To learn more about Commence CRM, visit the company’s web site at www.commence.com or call Commence sales at 1-877- 266-6362.

About Commence Corporation:

Founded in 1988, Commence develops and delivers a diverse suite of award winning CRM software that integrates people, processes and technology.  Available on-premise or online, Commence CRM solutions are utilized by several thousand businesses to streamline sales and customer service front office business processes.  As a result, Commence clients increase workforce productivity, generate positive customer interactions and reduce operational cost.

Media Contact:

Nicole Reed
marketing@commence.com

A Better Value than the Giants in the CRM Space?

Posted by Commence on March 7, 2011 under Commence News | Read the First Comment

By Jim Meade, Ph.D

As a software reviewer I have spent more than a decade looking at business solutions for the enterprise and mid-market space. While all the hype and fanfare traditionally surround the mainstream players, every so often I come across a smaller, less-known company whose products do an even better job than the big players of meeting the functional and financial requirements of the customers they serve. In Human Resource software an unknown company like NuView Systems of Wilmington, MA will go head-to-head with giant PeopleSoft or Oracle, for example, and sometimes win. In payroll, unknowns like OPEN4 of Addison, TX or Genesys Software of Methuen, MA win accounts from known giants like ADP and Ceridian.

I have recently found the same unexpected power and value to be available from lesser-known providers in the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) space. While we industry analysts and gurus tend to pay homage to the big guns like Siebel and Microsoft, smaller companies like Commence Corporation of Tinton Falls, NJ that may not appear on our analyst radar screen are quietly meeting customer needs in the CRM sector.

Commence has been supporting the business requirements of small to mid-size companies for more than a decade and has an impressive track record for delivering quality products and services. Positioned squarely between low-end contact managers and costly, overly complex higher-end solutions, Commence CRM strikes a nice balance among functionality, ease of use, and low cost of ownership.

Full Range of CRM Applications

The company offers a full suite of applications from contact management and sales automation to marketing campaign management and customer support (or help desk). In a nice marketing stroke, the applications are modular in design yet fully integrated, so you can purchase just what you need. I found the product’s functionality to rival that of many higher-end solutions costing thousands of dollars more.

Commence Corporation’s long history as a provider of database management tools is apparent when looking at the underlying architecture of the product, which is easy to customize without programmer intervention. End users can even personalize their individual desktops to the way they work. The well-designed, flexible interface makes the system intuitive and user friendly. The architecture also does an excellent job of supporting the client not connected to the server. Commence offers a utility called “Sync Link,” which enables an authorized end user to copy database information to a laptop or hand held device for remote use. The user can update the remote device with FTP synchronization, e-mail, or VPN.

The Contact Management component of Commence is quite robust and similar in design to offerings from mainstream CRM companies, meaning it’s account centric as opposed to contact centric as in less powerful systems. A feature, called connection controls, allows you to link one-to-many or many-to-many relationships. With connection controls, for example, you can manage and track multiple companies or multiple partners that may be involved in an opportunity or a project. This linking is a powerful differentiator and one I have not seen in other CRM products.

The Sales automation system supports lead management, opportunity or pipeline management, telesales/telemarketing, forecasting, and reporting; and it meets the functional checklist of traditional mid-market sales force automation systems. One of the product’s strengths is the ability to deploy automated business processes. Sales people, for instance, can ask the system to identify any potential opportunity that has not had any activity linked to it for a period of time, such as a telephone call, direct mail piece, or on-site meeting. They can then direct the automated business process to automatically perform a function such as send a fax, letter, or press release based on “what if” scenarios. Commence also enables the company to incorporate a standard sales methodology for managing pipeline activity or create its own if one is already established.

Addressing Special Needs of Small to Mid-size Business

The Marketing application does a good job of supporting campaign management. Customers can plan a campaign, establish a budget, assign tasks, estimate results, and track responses. They can incorporate mailing lists within the product, making it easy to update the lists and also track marketing cost and activity by prospect. The marketing application is fully integrated with the sales system, enabling the automatic transfer of leads from marketing to the appropriate sales representative or sales team.

The Support or Help Desk module very capably manages service tickets, contracts, and problem resolution. The system tracks call duration and can quickly associate contracts and service levels with products purchased. I like the mail merge feature that enables a support representative to notify and provide a documented resolution via e-mail to customers. The application also incorporates a comprehensive knowledgebase feature that allows the support rep to attach an article to a service ticket for easy and fast problem resolution. (The product does not, however, enable customers to access this knowledgebase without purchasing an add-on component.)

Commence has a robust report writer built into the product, and each application comes with a large number of pre-built reports. The company states that the custom report writer reduces the cost and reliance on third-party reporting products such as Crystal Reports. While the product does free the user from such reliance on outside vendors, the lack of analytical reporting that evaluates customer buying trends and patterns as provided in higher end systems is a weakness in Commence. (The company indicates that such reporting is planned for its next release.)

Commence also supports desktop integration with seamless links to desktop applications like MS Word and MS Outlook.

During the past twelve months we industry analysts have begun to take an increased interest in small to mid-size business (SMB). Reports indicate that the SMB space is underserved and that the requirements of smaller businesses are significantly different from enterprise companies. We have been asserting that ease of implementation and use, along with a low cost of ownership, are the driving factors for the purchase of CRM systems among the small to mid-size business community.

Companies like Siebel and others have made attempts to scale down their solutions and costs to better serve these requirements but have failed to achieve their goal, and, while web based solutions seem to be growing in popularity, client server-based systems like Commence CRM are delivering on the promise for functionality, ease of use, and value for small to midsized companies.

Bigger, then, does not always mean better. Nor is fame any guarantee of quality, though in the world of software it generally is the basis for higher pricing. For companies looking for a comprehensive, easy-to-use solution at an attractive price point, this is one CRM solution worth further investigation.

About the Author: Jim Meade, Ph.D., is author of The Human Resources Software Handbook: Evaluating Technology Solutions for Your Organization, published with John Wiley Publishing He has a 20 year history in the software industry, has reviewed more than 100 software packages for magazines such as Human Resource Magazine, and is author of 24 books on computers, including several in the bestselling Dummies series.

Commence CRM Announces “March Madness” Promotions

Posted by Commence on March 1, 2011 under Commence News | Read the First Comment

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Customers Offered Big Discounts on Top Rated CRM Software

TINTON FALLS, N.J. (March 01, 2011) – Commence Corporation, a leading provider of Customer Relationship Management software (CRM), is offering new customers big discounts on their world class online CRM software during the month of March.  “March is the company’s fiscal year end and we are looking to sign up as many new customers as possible” says Larry Caretsky, president of Commence Corporation.  “In order to achieve this we are offering substantial incentives to earn their business. We appreciate that customers have a lot of options to choose from, but Commence is a top rated CRM solution from a company with a twenty-three year track record of performance.  The incentives we are offering should make the selection of Commence an easy decision over competitive offerings.”

“We are taking a page out of the college basketball March Madness program says Tom Gibson, a senior account manager with Commence.  In week one, the first (64) companies to sign up will get the first incentive, in week two, (32) companies will receive a different offer, in week three, (16) and so on until the final week.  Each week the offers will be posted on the company’s web site in the CRM pricing section.  This is an exciting program that will provide exceptional value to new customers continued Gibson.  I am confident a large number of them will take advantage of it.  It’s a “win-win”; great for the customers and good for Commence Corporation”.

About Commence Corporation:

Founded in 1988, Commence develops and delivers a diverse suite of award winning CRM software that integrates people, processes and technology.  Commence CRM is used by several thousand businesses to streamline the front office business processes that directly impact sales execution and customer service.  As a result, Commence clients increase workforce productivity, generate positive customer interactions and reduce operational cost.  For additional information visit www.commence.com or call 1-877- 266-6362.

Media Contact:

Nicole Reed
info@commence.com