Can you recommend a CRM application that works within Outlook? Two law firms are asking.
Two law firms I consult to are asking me to recommend a simple CRM solution that are embedded with Outlook. Which have you had success with? Criteria include:
* Built on top of Outlook, as opposed to a web-hosted app that just synchs with Outlook
* Manages the Companies/Account distinct from individual Contacts at a company; add/customize fields such as email opt-in or industry category
* Easy and stable - won't disrupt existing Outlook, can handle growing # of linked to do's and other journal entries
* Can export all the extra data, eg in .csv files, in case the application is eliminated in the future
* Sharable data among one's staff/users is helpful but optional
Thanks for advice,
Scott
Clarification added November 18, 2008:
Thanks *very much* to each of you who so helpfully responded to my question about CRM with Outlook. Outlook's Business Contact Manager seems to be popular. I just tried the online demo at microsoft.com.
Have any of you had qualms about it being awkward or slow to use? I started to get a feel during the demo of how to click through accounts, opportunities, marketing campaigns and it didn't leave me feeling like it was a click-and-act, seamless activity. But this could be because of the screen size and online nature of the demo.
Your feedback would be most welcome.
Thanks again,
Scott
Good Answers (8)
I would not use Business Contact Manager, it's quite limited compared to MS CRM. FYI, I was a partner at a top 20 global firm before co-founding an enterprise software company. We use MS CRM and it needs to be run on the client and not MS OWA to make it work properly. I find it easy to use and like any other MSFT product, it has more bells and whistles than most people implement. Start out with a few business rules and add them as you learn to use it rather than spending oodles of hours angsting over how it should be configured.
Ken B.
Owner, Rules of Engagement
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Outlook with Business Contact Manager.
Links:
Peter B. G.
Business Strategist-Speaker-Author (Social Media & IT)
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You will need to look at Microsoft's CRM application which runs entirely within Microsoft Outlook. It does not disturb the existing Outlook functionality, simply adds to it.
Links:
Clarification added November 18, 2008:
One of the big problems of Outlook is that it is quite resource hungry WITHOUT adding any add-ins. I would still recommend Microsoft CRM over Business Contact Manager this can be setup to function with a centralised database (this means that contact data can be properly shared between users) It also has significant extra functionality.
Sam C.
Sr. Systems Administrator (Contract) at Heatwave Interactive
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Go the cost effective, fast route with Ken Brown's suggestion and use outlook Business Contact Manager. If you have an Exchange server in place, this is the way to go.
Microsoft's CRM is fully functional with Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access. It's highly user-friendly (if you're already familiar with the Office Suite) and uses a drag-and-drop style usability.
I highly recommend it.
Greg L.
Managing Member, SourceHosting.net, LLC and Ports Tree Committer at The FreeBSD Project
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Hi Scott,
If you want a CRM application that integrates into Outlook, have a look at Prophet by Avidian (see link). I've used it for years, and even hooked my online user database into the local Prophet database so I can create contacts by clicking one button instead of re-entering them by hand.
Best regards,
Greg
Links:
Chris D.
Business communications coach, inspiring speaker, author of award winning "Successful Speaking Secrets Quick Reference"
Scott, you might want to look at "Flightdeck". Off the top of my head I cannot vouch for the Outlook integration, however, I know of a couple of law firms who use it (for its industry alignment). Chris
Huy N.
Engagement Manager at 6th Street Consulting
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Scott-
Cost-effective solution that we recommend to our clients are Salesforce.com. It integrate with MS products really well and they have a secured site with user-friendly front end. Salesforce also provide nice templates for letters and email campaign as well.
- Huy
Links:
More Answers (3)
Edward G.
Customer Support at Total Petrochemicals USA
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Yes, you need to look at Microsofts CRM
As you say online demo is quite lingering, but with few customization and add-ons, you can really feel the fabulous flexibility of using MS CRM 4.0. We have developed some add-ons and provided customized solutions for our customers and that is working really awesome. Refer
