CRM programs run the gamut

Published On: February 1, 2016Categories: Management, Resources

There are dozens and dozens—maybe hundreds—of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software programs on the market. And it seems that most are difficult to use.

In terms of navigating the programs, many CRM packages seem to be rated along an arc of complexity, from user-unfriendly to totally impossible to use. One well-known program, Salesforce, is often mentioned as a good option for small businesses. However, more than one business owner deemed it too difficult to use.

Kathy Jenkins, an instructor in the Opus College of Business at St. Thomas University in St. Paul, Minn., described Salesforce as “not a full CRM program. It is a sales-led system rather than one that deals fully with all aspects of the business—as an analytical tool.”

Another CRM program, Insightly, functioned well enough for some in-house tasks, stated one marine canvas entrepreneur, but it did not interface with mobile devices, making it useless for his staff when they were on a job at marinas.

However, marine canvas fabricators desiring a fully functional CRM software program that will streamline business functions, make information accessible to all staff, and be user-friendly may be in luck. This summer, Justin Jones of inDats plans to launch his CRM program, inTex. “We believe inTex is an essential solution for shops that want to take the next step toward efficiency and effectiveness using technology to standardize and automate the information within the canvas-shop environment,” the inDats website says. In short, inTex hopes to solve client management, workflow efficiency and inventory-tracking issues in one user-friendly, total solution program.