This article originally appeared in the Oct. 2011 issue of Customer Interaction Solutions

CRM solutions are meant to help businesses manage interactions with current and potential customers. Yet some offerings on this front are cumbersome both in their set up, support and use. Soffront Software Inc. simplifies all that.

It does that by delivering a multi-faceted, easily customizable solution that can be used across an organization.  The integrated CRM suite from Soffront spans and integrates the activities of sales, marketing, customer service and operations.

Soffront CRM connects all departments seamlessly, so all workers see the same interface. Information flows from one department to another based on the business’s unique needs. And when marketing sends a campaign from Soffront CRM to a target list, for example, sales managers get immediate visibility to that.

“Soffront CRM really brings together every division under one umbrella,” says Soffront customer Mark Herrington, who is manager of installation & support at Central Service Association. “Everything from marketing efforts, determining wants and needs of the customer, sales, delivery and training on hardware/software systems, and tracking of loose ends can be tied under one project record for the customer.”

Recently Soffront unleashed Version 9.2 of its CRM solution, which offers a new intuitive and productive user interface; a central menu that enables users to access everything they need from a single screen with clearly accessible drop-down menus; and improved search capabilities.

New functionality of the solution also addresses ease of administration. Soffront's drag-and-drop form designer allows people to create sophisticated database forms with minimal effort. The drag-and-drop workflow designer can be used to automate repeatable step-by-step processes and improve productivity. And the drag-and-drop dashboard designer can be leveraged to customize home screens. Companies also can set pre-defined automated business rules within Soffront CRM to occur based on a triggered event, change in information, or lack of action within a specified time frame. 

This robust and extendable CRM platform is based on a mature and comprehensive API. All the functionality built into the platform is part of the API to completely control the platform from outside systems. And it conveniently includes integration with Google Apps, Jigsaw, Microsoft (News - Alert) Office and Intuit QuickBooks, to name a few.

All this equates to a flexible and comprehensive suite of applications, with no expensive add-ons necessary, and a low cost of implementation.

Sales people can use Soffront CRM to create quotes and proposals, which can be delivered via e-mail or in print form. To make those processes more efficient, Soffront puts all CRM customer information – including addresses, contacts, notes, activities, quotes, and purchase orders and invoices – in one place for easy reference.

Perhaps more importantly, however, Soffront streamlines CRM processes as well as information. For example, while Salesforce.com (News - Alert) takes 20 steps to make and record a phone call, Soffront requires just three steps to complete the same task. That may help explain why sales people who have switched to Soffront from Salesforce.com report increased sales as a result. That means less time wasted and more time selling.

And with Soffront’s lead management function, users easily can track prospect inquiries, seamlessly route qualified leads, nurture leads, and shorten sales cycles.

The Soffront multi-channel marketing solution, meanwhile, enables more efficient campaign planning, execution and results measurement. Soffront email processing and Soffront marketing analytics are also included in the solution. The former can process multiple e-mail accounts and create tickets, leads, defects, etc., directly from the incoming email messages. Soffront marketing analytics delivers instant snapshots of sales key performance indicators including forecasting, sales pipeline analytics, sales revenue analytics, and more.

Customer support staff (and, of course, those that they’re helping) can also benefit from Soffront CRM. It can be used to manage customer support tickets from submission to resolution; provide a self-service interface to customers and partners; offer a web-based interface through which to submit tickets and check the status of pending tickets; allow for faster response to email inquiries via intelligent routing; and reveal data on key performance indicators including agent productivity, customer survey results and support response time. Field support also can use popular wireless devices to get real-time information via Soffront Mobile Support.

And the Soffront project management solution enables companies to improve utilization by keeping the right resources on the right project. It offers an easy way to track and monitor all time and expense-related data, providing a central location for managing the key aspects of projects, including their status and target completion dates.

In summary, if you want a CRM suite that works across your organization, that promotes working smart not hard, that is easy to use and customize and that reduces your cost of implementation – than think Soffront.