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INTEGRATING CRM: NO PAIN,
NO GAIN
- By Lori Macvitte
As reported in Network Computing Review - June’2003
The Business Applications Lab of Network Computing
Review tested five mid-market CRM solutions as part
of this story. The applications tested include
Soffront, ACCPAC, Microsoft, FrontRange and Epicor.
Here’s what the review had to say on Soffront CRM
8.0.
Soffront CRM 8.0 --
In moving to version 8.0, Soffront began offering a
browser-based client along with its traditional fat
client. The fat client's cluttered and confusing
interface initially made us skeptical about
Soffront's browser access. However, we admit we were
wrong. The browser component is highly customizable
and, even though it's not usable "out of the box"
without defining data formats and forms, the
program's flexibility gives Soffront CRM an
advantage over its more rigid competitors. We
recommend you use the browser-based client and just
forget the fat client exists.
Installing Soffront CRM 8.0 is a remote procedure
akin to those for WebEx, VNC and pcAnywhere. We
initiated the installation, which required no
configuration changes to the server or firewall.
After installation, the product provided only
administrative functionality. No end-user data or
forms were created--only those that let an
administrator configure and customize the system.
Since forms, their layouts and, by extension, the
database, must be designed, the administrator has
complete control. We appreciated being able to
duplicate our DB2 database schema within Soffront.
Upon creating a form, the system automatically makes
an associated table in the database. Likewise, each
field we added to the form resulted in the
appropriate column being added to the table. While
ACCPAC and Microsoft offer some flexibility in
positioning of fields, neither can compete with
Soffront's completely configurable form design. If
the system's administrator understands the company's
business process, it should be easy to create forms
that mirror that process. We did so and found that
navigation of the browser-based client was superb.
We were also pleased with the ability to access
reports from specific areas. After defining areas
for customer and product, we could create sub-menus
for specific functions within each area, such as
customized reports, screens and links to other
areas.
Soffront makes integrating with ADS a no-brainer
and, unlike Microsoft, is indifferent to the domain
mode. Instead of tying a software-specific user to
ADS, as ACCPAC requires, Soffront simply lets ADS
handle user authentication and authorization.
For the complete review, please visit Network
Computing Review at
http://www.networkcomputing.com
Soffront comments on this review --
The Business Applications Lab of Network Computing
Review is reputed for its rigorous testing. We are
happy that they have endorsed our strength in
customization and found our software to be more
customizable than the other packages they tested.
However, in the light of the complete review and our
final rank therein, we would like to state the
following:
-
Version 5.6 was the first browser based version
that Soffront introduced (in Apr’2000). Version
8.0, which was released in Apr’2003, builds on
top of the existing Web based version and offers
more value to our customers.
-
Soffront’s offering includes a self-service
portal from where a customer can log-in to
submit support issues, check the status of
existing issues and search on a knowledgebase.
More information on our portal solution is
available from
here.
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