The Differences Between Outlook & CRM Software

What is CRM?

The easiest way to define CRM is to call it customer relationship software. It describes a wide variety of software programs, both on and off the web, that promote better customer contact via a complete, well- organized data system. It can greatly enhance any organization’s administration since it links contact information with a large number of data points, including emails, relevant documents, purchase orders and more.

What are the differences between CRM and Outlook?

At first glance it may seem as though there are very few differences between CRM software and Outlook. Both are email clients that also have unique ways of storing client contact information. However, the difference become most apparent when one considers all that CRM software enables users to do above and beyond mere contact and email management.

CRM Goes Beyond Outlook

Even a basic contact management system is able to increase the capabilities of most businesses, and with additional features called add-ons, many software companies take the level of sophistication even further. For instance, the project management add-on allows users to coordinate project organization strategies with contact information, creating numerous ways to cross-connect information for perfect project completion.

What About Companies Reluctant to Abandon Outlook?

Outlook is perhaps the most popular email client around and has a great reputation as a solid contact manager, but companies should keep in mind that there are numerous Outlook alternatives that are highly capable of doing the job. For those who are reluctant to part with their tried and true Outlook configurations, but would still like to partake of the versatility a more advanced CRM system has to offer, it’s important to note that most contact management software s are compatible with Outlook and fairly easy to integrate.

Get the Best of Both Worlds

One convenient way to get around the fact that, as an Outlook reliant business, there’s plenty of progress your company could be missing out on, is to consider investing in an Outlook compatible CRM system.

The CarmelVision Infoflo Outlook Alternative & Contact Management System, for instance, offers all the flexibility of a genuine CRM system, and it’s easily integrated with Outlook. With the INfoflo system, all Outlook data can be imported hassle-free. This means you never even have to think about starting over from scratch.  Let Infoflo, with its affordable and customizable contact management software, do all the work for you. Find out more here.

 

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How to Beat the Competition with Price

When you are offering a quality solution to a company’s office management problem and it comes with a reasonable price, you have an offering that most software companies can’t compete with.

Enterprise management software comes with a high price tag and is usually very expensive to implement, especially when you have to buy additional modules to run the office the way you want and every module is costly.  The trend towards ERP systems that operate every aspect of your business is what I see most companies lean toward as a complete office management solution.  The fact is that if you want to spend thousands of dollars implementing and learning how to operate the system that you most likely won’t use in its entirety, then you have to make a long-term decision about what works best for every department in your company and ensure that you’re ready to experience long-term budget constraints.

competitor

Every department in your company requires function-driven software like accounting, inventory, purchasing, human resources, and sales systems that integrate with each other seamlessly and offer reporting and tracking of the companies information.  Accuracy and time-sensitivity in real-time business operations is what drives managers to consider high-end business systems to drive their business operation.

Although many managers that I talk to on a daily basis choose the path that leads to the purchase and implementation of a company-wide software system that runs their entire business, there are just as many managers that are scratching their heads and trying to figure out the best way to save money now that they have spent their entire budget on monthly/yearly subscription fees and long-term contracts along with implementation fees, service contracts and training costs.

What you have in the end is a very expensive system that works great to fill the basic need of accounting and capturing the most pertinent information, which is a customers contact, billing and purchase history information.  Everyone just uses the system for what they need it for.  Most employees use other software programs to help them manage their workload because the module that is intended for their specific department is designed as a work-flow solution that processes information as a whole instead of an easy-to-use solution that aids in the day-to-day operability of each individual employee.  Individual software modules like InfoFlo CRM software is intended to make an employee’s job easier and gives them more time to spend performing their actual job function rather then getting stuck in the workflow system and producing less results.

Sales people are the companies bread-and-butter.  We are the ones that initiate and build relationships with buyers that want to make the best purchasing decisions for their company.

The last thing a sales person wants to do is become stuck in a system that is intended to work well for every other department, except for sales.

When I open my CRM, I want to access my emails and dashboard so I can see what tasks I have to accomplish today.  I know that all the information that I need to perform my job is at my fingertips because I am the one that put it there.

The business managers that I talk to that have implemented company-wide systems often tell me they don’t have a CRM solution for their sales people.  Sure, they will have all of the customers contact information that is captured with their billing and customer purchase history, but what about the one simple tool that sales people need to build and manage their pipeline.

Sale people need to generate leads, convert prospects to customers and keep ongoing relationships with them.  Its a simple process that is over complicated with larger systems that focus on other areas of the business.  As a sales person, in the past I just used the software that I was given by my employer and created my own system of tracking and following up using additional software because it was the only way to manage my own personal workload.  This took my selling time away from me and added an additional level of stress that could easily have been alleviated had the company managers made the choice to buy specific software for my needs.

Everyone is trying to save money.  That is the biggest trend that I have encountered in my experience in dealing with managers and selling them relationship management solutions.  There is nothing that compares to an affordable and easy-to-use software product that does exactly what it is intended for.  InfoFlo is designed for the sales person or small business owner, not every other department in the company.  That is why it is an affordale solution for managers when they want their sales people to focus on their client relationships and make money for the company.  Sales people need CRM software so they can better manage their time and concentrate on relationship building, and managing their sales cycle.  We all want to reach the last stage of our sales cycle (the close) without having to wait for screens to load and wasting time looking at insignificant information that slows us down.

Why should business owners worry about paying high monthly subscription fees for a product that is intended to track the progress of making money?  InfoFlo is the CRM solution that all business managers need to look at and seriously consider as part of their business management solution because it will pay for itself with the first few sales made by one of your sales people using InfoFlo.  It is that affordale.

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What is Contact Management Software?

When owners need a supportive and user-friendly business tool capable of handling day-to-day administrative tasks and streamlining customer relations, contact management software is often the wisest investment.  Given the high demand for this versatile software, it helps to know exactly what it is and how it works.

Let’s start with a good definition:

Contact management software organizes company information and details, including contacts, emails, documents invoices and more, according to built-in or customizable parameters, and may also automate several routine business tasks such as reports and analytics.

Note that the basic function of all contact management software is organization of company contacts, but most systems strive to go above and beyond the basics.  The best contact management systems offer a wide variety of features in addition to primary contact management.

Some systems organize internal business functions by automating emails or social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook – enabling quick customer responses and up-todate information for a community of consumers. Other systems seek to improve customer relations by placing detailed customer information across several transactions at the fingertips of each customer service representative.

One of the biggest benefits of contact management software is its ability to relate data across many different categories. For instance, when you enter the contact you met last night at the latest business convention into the system, all the information associated with that contact, including past invoices, emails and even internal related documents are displayed on one screen, fully accessible and available.

Knowing the basics is a great way to start your well-informed pursuit of the best contact management software for your business. For an extremely user-friendly and well-organized contact management software system that includes all the basics and benefits noted here and so much more, try Carmelvision’s Infoflo – a system specifically designed for small businesses starting at just $99, with free upgrades for life.

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Can Your Small Business Afford A Great CRM Software?

Decisions, Decisions

Small business owners are often on a budget when purchasing software. Yet, few of them would tolerate a cheap system that only covers the basics. Business owners need to know that investing in CRM software doesn’t have to break the bank. It also doesn’t necessarily mean a sacrifice in quality.

The most compelling reason for selecting a good piece of contact management software is to find the perfect system – one that offers above average features and flexibility without being so expensive that it’s practically out of reach.

The Web CRM Conundrum

When it comes to affordability web-based CRM can be extremely enticing. Companies often offer monthly payment packages with up to 30 days free?  Here’s a few things to consider for buying in to the web CRM bandwagon:

1. What happens when problems with the Internet render your business data completely inaccessible?

2. What happens when a hacker or other privacy issue causes your business data to become compromised?

3. Can you really ever be sure that another company’s server is secure enough and capable enough of housing your business’ most sensitive and crucial data?

These are costly considerations concerning well-known risks of using web CRM. If the trade-off between price and risk factors can be justified, then sure, web CRM may be the best thing for your company. However, many companies may find it difficult to chase after a purely affordable solution when so much of the lifeblood of their companies is at stake.

What To Do?

Clearly, the solution is to find a lucrative system well-known for its ability to balance cost-effectiveness with superior quality. However, even with this brilliant goal in mind, it may still be hard to choose the right one.

A wise recommendation is Carmelvision’s Infoflo system. At only $99/year (about $8.25/month) with free upgrades for the life of the subscription, this price breaks the mold even on the most inexpensive web CRM available, and it’s definitely among the most affordable stand-alone CRM systems. The best thing about it is it’s 24 core features are top-notch, giving users the ability to go above and beyond in managing contacts, emails, documents, reports and even collaboration.

It may be hard to balance the two most important factors, affordability and quality, when choosing where to invest in business technology. With systems like Infoflo on the market, however, the hardest part will only be how fast can you find the site and make the purchase. It’s easy, simply click here.

 

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