Purchasing Considerations for Contact Management Software (Bob Walton)

Mar 3, 2011

Contact Management Software systems have come a long way since programs like "Fox Pro" or "Maximizer" came on to the market. When looking to purchase a Contact Management System there are many factors to consider. An effective contact management system should be able to address the following basic needs for any business.

Organization: Being able to manage your business from a single screened interface allows you to increase productivity. Tasks that used to take a considerable amount of time and resources to complete due to using multiple programs or complex methodologies should be completely alleviated.

Client Retention: Successful contact software allows you to better manage your client relations by having all information readily at your fingertips. Purchase history, client information and customer service notes, should all be instantly available at a glance. It costs a lot more to gain a new client than to retain an existing one.

Reduction in Expenses: By migrating to one comprehensive system to facilitate your contacts, marketing and workflow, you will reduce the number of redundant software programs needed to run your business. The savings realized through having a single streamlined contact management system for your business becomes immediately apparent when you factor in the amount time and money spent on upgrades, licenses, maintenance and support for multiple products.

Increase in Sales: One integrated system allows you to organize missed business and sales opportunities. You should be able to convert more prospects to clients by using a more targeted and efficient selling system. Superior contact management software should help you to effectively leverage the technology so that you can generate more sales without adding more expenses.

Contact management software needs to be easy to use and intuitive. You should not have to spend time searching for basic functions. It should have a good in-program and online help system and support network. The software should have the following standard features:

Organize Contacts: The ability to organize your contacts is certainly critical to the functionality of the software. Find a system that allows for the addition and editing of data fields along with advanced sorting capabilities.

Email Integration: Look for the ability to organize all email correspondence to and from your clients. Not only is this a huge time saver but it allows for a much more professional approach when discussing you business history with a client. It also allows for quicker viewing the client history on the fly when speaking with your clients.

Mobile Access: All new management systems should have the capability to be accessed remotely and to be dynamically updated from mobile devices such as a Blackberry or an iPhone.

Task & To-Do Lists: A very standard feature on most systems. However, make sure that the system has the ability to remotely accessed and prioritized.

Team Calendar: A team calendar is an important feature to have to help your team stay organized as a business. Your team cannot be fully effective if you do not know what each other is working on, what has been completed, or are unable to project timelines required for projects.

Capture Leads: Software should be able to use any web form to capture new leads. For instance, if a visitor fills out your contact form online, this should directly output to the contact management system.

Track Sales: You system should have the ability to handle basic calculations and the necessary spreadsheet functions to track sales. This doesn't need to be as complicated as a spreadsheet, but it should give you and your team the ability to see all sales and to make projections based on past, current and potential sales.

Email Marketing: Being able to create a mailing list from your list of contacts is not just for sending advertisement and special offer to your clients, but allows for personalized mailing distribution based upon the products purchased, package types, or subscribed services. You should be able to target all clients that have purchased "gold" level packages with a special offer that is different than what is being offered to your "bronze" level packages, etc.

Custom Reports: The ability to create custom reports is crucial. Look for software that will allow you to create complex reporting and tracking of your clients, purchases, milestones and dates. You should be able to create a report for any information entered in to the system. One example report might be "Silver level clients, who purchased our product between Oct-Dec, that were female between the ages of 30-35"

Files & Photo Uploads: The ability to add files to the system should be a basic feature of any management system. From adding a contact photo or logo of your client, to the ability to upload spreadsheets, presentations, or of any other file type needed. There should not be any restrictions on the types of files your can upload.

Advanced Search: An advanced search utility is fundamentally important to any system you consider. The more detail the better. Some systems will do semantic searches for names that sound like the one you are looking for. You should have the ability to search with keywords, from your history, notes, calls, meeting, attachments, or search your custom data fields. You should be able to export this information in to a standard .xls or csv format and in to any popular spreadsheet software.

Any contact management system should have most if not all of these capabilities Be wary of any programs that only highlight a few specific features, but cannot deliver in others. Do not purchase any contact management system that does not allow you to try a demo version, or allow for an evaluation period.
About the AuthorBob Walton is a representative for BigContacts, a proven Web Based CRM software and Business Contact Manager that is used by many thousands of small businesses around the world. Our clients tell us that our contact management software helps them to retain more clients, reduce expenses and close more sales. Visit us online today for more information..