Is this already out there?

[Sam Wiltshire]

So, Im looking for some software that basically does this.

• Customer database
• Prospect database
• Email campaign functionality
• Mail merge style functionality
• Invoicing capabilities
• Time / cost record keeping
• HTML email creation capability

Does anyone know of such a piece of software / website that offers such a thing?

 

[The Byre]

What you describe is all part and parcel of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems in particular.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Customer_relationship_management

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Custo....2C_small_business_and_sales_force_automation

Suitable packages are listed in that entry.

 

[Scott Millar]

I know Microsoft's Dynamic CRM covers quite a few items on that check list. The only one that I don't think you get out the box is invoicing. You could set up some call to Xero or similar.

Dynamics has become very easy to customise since the recent release.

 

[hortonas_tjh]

So, Im looking for some software that basically does this.

• Customer database
• Prospect database
• Email campaign functionality
• Mail merge style functionality
• Invoicing capabilities
• Time / cost record keeping
• HTML email creation capability

Does anyone know of such a piece of software / website that offers such a thing?

Hi Sam

xTuple does most of this under their free software Postbooks®. We (Horton Accounting Services) are UK Authorized Consultants to xTuple if you need our help in any way at all.

Take a look at our website: www.hortonaccountingservices.co.uk/xtuple

... and do not hesitate to get in touch with us if you have any queries.

 

[Webcato Limited]

There is many SAAS like this, it all depend on your requirements and taste...

 

[ffox]

Office 365 SharePoint on-line. [stub removed]

 

[ffox]

My previous post has been moderated as I didn't say how O365 can deliver what you want.
As a point of interest, I don't 'sell', or make profit from the sale of O365, I have a small customer base, mainly corporate, for whom I do O365 and SharePoint 'tailoring'. I'm not particularly seeking new customers from this forum, the point of me being here is to gauge for my own use the perception of O365 in the SME sector.
Office 365 has SharePoint on-line as a core element, this is something that no other cloud services provider has.
You ask -

So, Im looking for some software that basically does this.

• Customer database
• Prospect database
• Email campaign functionality
• Mail merge style functionality
• Invoicing capabilities
• Time / cost record keeping
• HTML email creation capability

Does anyone know of such a piece of software / website that offers such a thing?

Items 1, 2, 5 and 6 are easily constructed using SharePoint Lists. You can do this yourself with only a quick study of the Microsoft Documentation.
Items 3 and 7 are easily accomplished using O365 Exchange email.
Item 4 uses a combination of SharePoint List and Word mail merge

O365 is a platform for the creation of simple, code free, user managed solutions. It does not need expensive development support. However, I am happy to provide pointers to where folk can find answers to FAQ. The O365 is a very different way to approach business computing and the common perception that it offers only Microsoft Office application 'in the cloud' very wrong.

Take a look and see and if you want to ask question please do so in open forum.

Chris

 

[fisicx]

Items 1, 2, 5 and 6 are easily constructed using SharePoint Lists. You can do this yourself with only a quick study of the Microsoft Documentation.

I find sharepoint incredibly complicated and difficult to use. I contracted for a large organization for a while and they used sharepoint. The had to employ a specialist to set it up but even he couldn't get it to work properly. I'm sure it's a great tool but no matter how much we read, googled and asked even the most simple tasks became clunky and long winded. All we wanted to do was manage some lists and we just couldn't do it.

 

[ffox]

I find sharepoint incredibly complicated and difficult to use.

https://support.office.com/en-us/ar...t-Online-a89302a3-e78f-4b67-bee9-76265eac067c - that's not hard

 

[fisicx]

Creating the lists wasn't hard. I was managing them afterwards that caused problems. It's no doubt very easy for you but the organisation had 500,000+ documents and Sharepoint was just so difficult to use. They ended up going back to Documentum.

 

[ffox]

@fisicx . I've worked with both. The larger the document library the more essential it is to have good file management structure and good document handling policies. With Documentum, the creation of rules is all down to the management team. If it's not done correctly you just end up with a massive 'jelly' of information.
SP on-line creates the basic management rules for you and then allows for admins/owners to adjust them. But, even if the organisation sticks with the default SP structure, search and location of documents and data by content, title, name, type, date, created by, modified by and popularity is just so simple and effective.
And because it's on-line an authenticated user can reach files on any authenticated device, wherever they may happen to be.
SP is far easier than any other EDMS I've ever worked with and there is nothing to install locally, you just need a browser and the Internet.

 

[fisicx]

I'm sure it is. I'm just saying that the organisation I worked for couldn't get SP to do what they wanted. Just because you find it easy to use and configure doesn't mean everyone else is the same.

Note also that the documents were all stored locally across a network of around 1000 servers. There was no internet connection anywhere on site.

 

[ffox]

I'm sure it is. I'm just saying that the organisation I worked for couldn't get SP to do what they wanted. Just because you find it easy to use and configure doesn't mean everyone else is the same.

Note also that the documents were all stored locally across a network of around 1000 servers. There was no internet connection anywhere on site.

I can't comment on what your client was doing, how they were doing it, nor why they struggled. Not only do I find SP on-line easy, but so will anyone who gives it a try. SP on-line is different from SP on premises. The on-prem version is a high user of server resource and restriction on access is often applied to keep server resource costs down.

This doesn't apply to the on-line version. Each single licence purchased (£5 per user per month) delivers all the server resource any user could ever want.

It's a non technical environment - just follow the simple list creation instructions to build , say a customer list, follow the simple library creation instructions to create a store for documents received or created and follow the simple search and find instructions to locate and action the data. It is easier than saving files into folders.

 

[fisicx]

IThis doesn't apply to the on-line version. Each single licence purchased (£5 per user per month) delivers all the server resource any user could ever want.

So let us suppose the organisation I worked for used online SP. They employed 10,000 people so their licensing costs would be £600,000 per year. Even with a considerable discount that's still an awful lot of dosh.

As I said, I'm sure it's a great product but what you find easy it's easy for everyone else. I've got clients who close their browser each time the want to visit a new website.

 

[ffox]

So let us suppose the organisation I worked for used online SP. They employed 10,000 people so their licensing costs would be £600,000 per year. Even with a considerable discount that's still an awful lot of dosh.

I'm happy to debate relative IT costs for large organisations with you, but I'm not sure this thread is the right place. Suffice to say that such an organisation, using MS Exchange and MS Office, would pay significantly more for licencing of on premises provision than for O365 provision.

 

[fisicx]

Indeed, this isn't the place for that discussion.

My original point was I don't find SP easy to use and I'm sure I'm not the only one. The whole check-in and check-out process feels clumsy and awkward and I can't get the lists to work the way I want. I have tried and failed. You can no doubt do everything with ease - but that's not the same for everybody. There are lots of great CRM packages that are more intuitive - I've tested loads of them over the years.

 

[ffox]

My original point was I don't find SP easy to use and I'm sure I'm not the only one. The whole check-in and check-out process feels clumsy and awkward and I can't get the lists to work the way I want. I have tried and failed. You can no doubt do everything with ease - but that's not the same for everybody. There are lots of great CRM packages that are more intuitive - I've tested loads of them over the years.

The default SP settings for document check in/check in libraries is 'off'. It is only recommended that it be turned on for a library where STRICT control is deemed necessary, say for PCI, medical or other personal information documents.
With check in/check out disabled SP will advise a user if a document is being updated by someone else. It will allow changes to be made and advise that other updates are present. The user cannot overwrite another users changes, but can compare what changes have been made and by whom. So, full collaboration is supported and full security is ensured.

I don't know what you want to do with lists, so I can't comment on why you have difficulty. Sufficient to say that manipulation of lists is as straightforward as Excel spreadsheet and Access database. The expressions, while not exactly the same, are similar for each application. There is a wealth of documentation available from Microsoft and on many forums.