Companies that are still using desktop contact management software are looking for the next generation of software that provides additional functionality, better reporting, and anytime anywhere access to data via mobile devices.  Commence CRM’s robust functionality coupled with its ease of use and affordability has proven to be a nice step up for companies still using desktop contact management programs.

[Image "Inverted Cheerleader Pyramid" by Steve Jurvetson on Flickr under Creative Commons license]

“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.

“After much consideration, we’ve made the decision to discontinue Customer Manager, effective October 11, 2010”

“Intuit Customer Support will provide support for all issues through November 30, 2010.”

These surprising notices were posted on the Intuit website just 2 months ago leaving many small and mid-market businesses scrambling to find an alternative solution for their Customer Management and CRM needs.

“Many of these businesses were taken by surprise by this announcement and then further surprised that they had to find an alternative by November 30 when the system was being shut down”, said Todd Pape, CTO at Commence Corporation, “We are happy to provide an option for these customers to migrate to our web-based CRM solution with QuickBooks integration. We invite these customers to review our CRM solutions and believe we offer a very compelling option with our web-based Commence CRM and optional QuickBooks integration.”

Commence offers a robust suite of CRM software applications for managing sales, marketing, customer support, and project management. The Customer Management software can also be integrated with QuickBooks for 2-way synchronization of customer data.

Larry Caretsky, president of Commence Corporation, welcomes the addition of these customers. “Commence has been servicing small and mid-size businesses for over twenty years,” noted Caretsky. “A good portion of our business comes from companies that have outgrown traditional contact management software such as Sage ACT! software and Goldmine software. These companies need more than a simple contact manager, but not the cost and complexity of enterprise CRM software. We are positioned right in the middle of the two, which has served our business very well over the years. Our CRM solution is comprehensive yet intuitive and affordable, and is quickly deployed over the Internet,” says Caretsky.

About Commence Corporation:

Commence Corporation is a leading provider of Customer Manager software. 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 worldwide distribution network, with outlets in North and South America, Europe and Asia. For more information see www.commence.com or call 1-877-COMMENCE.

“Many of these businesses have simply stayed put and have continued to utilize discontinued versions of the Goldmine software”, said Nicole Reed, Customer Manager at Commence Corporation, “but with the release of the Microsoft Windows 7 operating system, these older versions will no longer work. This has generated a number of calls to Commence Corporation from Goldmine customers seeking a migration path to newer, supported CRM software.”

Commence offers a robust contact manager along with a suite of CRM software applications for managing sales, marketing and customer support. The Customer Management software is available for deployment on-premise or hosted under a “software as a service” or SaaS model.  Commence also supports the Microsoft Vista and Windows 7 operating systems along with the upcoming Microsoft Office 2010 software.

Larry Caretsky, president of Commence Corporation, welcomes the addition of these customers. “Commence has been servicing SME businesses  for twenty years,” noted Caretsky. “A good portion of our business comes from companies that have outgrown traditional contact management software such as Sage ACT software and Goldmine software. These companies need more then a simple contact manager, but not the cost and complexity of enterprise CRM software. We are positioned right in the middle of the two, which has served our business very well over the years. Our CRM solution is comprehensive yet intuitive and affordable, and can be deployed over the Internet,” says Caretsky.

About Commence Corporation:

Commence Corporation is a leading provider of Customer Manager software. 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 worldwide distribution network, with outlets in North and South America, Europe and Asia. For more information see www.commence.com or call 1-877-COMMENCE.

The answer is no.
“If it aint broke, don’t fix it” does not apply to your small business application programs. Your application is like a good race horse, you run it until it can’t race anymore and then you retire it. You don’t try to patch it up.

The contact management sector is a prime example of this.  Thousands of small to mid-size businesses are still operating old versions of desktop programs such as ACT, Goldmine and Maximizer that are no longer meeting changing business requirements, but because they aint broke, they don’t get replaced.  As a result of this, these mid-size businesses are not taking advantage of newer web based CRM programs that are helping businesses become more effective marketing, sales and service organizations.

The great applications replace is upon us and we can’t fight it any longer but how do you go about deciding which applications to replace? See my list below.

• If it was built over a decade ago, no matter by whom, it is a prime candidate for replacement.
• If the underlying business requirements have changed significantly since the application was developed, you can be certain that it is not performing optimally.
• If the application was written to run natively on a mainframe, a midrange or even a personal computer, it’s on the list.
• If the application has a pure character interface and all of the reports are in text, it’s a candidate.
• If the application does not grant web-based access to staff or members, it needs immediate attention.  Some things to beware of:

If the application does not fit the business requirements then you have to go back to the drawing board. To do this properly, presupposes that you thoroughly understand how your business functions.

The good news about replacing older applications is that there is a large number of providers to choose from.  In the CRM sector for example products such as Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce.com and Commence CRM from Commence Corporation are excellent choices for managing customer interaction and improving sales execution and customer service.

About the author:  Jim Smith is the CEO of YChange International, a consulting firm that provides marketing and consulting services to small businesses. Smith has more than 30 years of experience in the field and has held executive level positions with several Fortune 100 software firms.  He is an accomplished author of numerous white papers on the subject of marketing and business development. Additional information may be found at http://www.ychange.com

Photo Credit: by Barbarossa source Wikimedia license GFDL from acobox.com