Tell me, uncle, it's not for nothing ... "Chips" CRM

In the process of introducing CRM-systems, you often hear from customers that the system is too sophisticated and would have been enough for the modules "Contacts" and "Transactions". However, the experience of long-term customer management shows the opposite: over time, the customer begins to discover ever deeper functionality and, to put it in simple language, can even “grow out of CRM”. Players in the market for such systems strive to maximize their software with chips, interesting solutions, and provide cool user experience. Such solutions are not at all excesses, but accumulate in themselves all the accumulated experience and best practices of many implementations by vendors.

I think it will not be a discovery for anyone that features do not fall from the ceiling, but mainly are the result of three events:

• the functionality was improved for several clients , accumulated successful experience and as a result was implemented in the next release
• there were constant requests for a certain functionality and as a result, it was decided to develop and include it in the release.
• The functionality is assumed by the type of system and its inclusion in the release allows not only to separate from the competitors, but also to occupy its unique low competitive niche.

Thus, if we are talking about most of the popular CRM, it can be argued that all the functionality is thought out, tested and aimed at maximum efficiency in working with the system.
In the review I will go through those aspects of CRM, which novice (and sometimes experienced) users, as a rule, attribute to excesses. This time I included in the review and popular cloud CRM - that was demanded by numerous wishes in the comments and PM. For convenience, I will divide the functionality in blocks.

Integration with third-party services and work in CRM with the site

Users are already accustomed to, that their personal IT-infrastructure consists of many different applications that can be friends with each other, and can be completely independent. The same is in business - companies use a lot of software, including accounting and management, without which life will not be so convenient. However, it is always better for business to have the maximum compatibility of this type of software with each other in order to work in a single infrastructure, rather than to lead clients in CRM, issue invoices in 1C, schedule appointments via Outlook, set tasks using a Google calendar.
I must say that there is no standard for integration among vendors - so there really is something to choose from.

Terrasoft CRM (consider bpm'online sales), finally gone to the cloud, easily integrates with the Google calendar, 1C, with various email services. Surprisingly, the integration with Skype takes place on request and I dare to assume for extra money. With regard to the integration of CRM with the site, the company clearly tried and created a good functionality. Inside the system, HTML-based web-to-lead form is generated by the specified parameters, which is added to the site, the address is set up, at which the user will transition after filling in all the fields. After filling out the form, the data is transferred to CRM. It is possible to obtain data from other sources.
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RegionSoft CRM , which advocates data security and does not hurry to go to the cloud, with its integration solutions, justifies its belonging to classic desktops with accumulated functionality over the years. CRM integrates as standard with 1C, Skype, Asterisk telephony servers, has a sip client. However, the developers went further and created integration with the regionSoft Application Server, their own script server based on an engine that supports 4 programming languages: JScript, BasicScript, PascalScript and C ++ Script. If you attach a head to it, it can do a lot: integrate CRM with the site and collect data from any web forms, interrogate users via questionnaires sent to e-mail, integrate with any third-party applications that support a COM connection, and even calculate the production equipment load . The disadvantage of this solution is that it comes for a fee. On the other hand, those who do not need, do not overpay for this functionality in the base RegionSoft CRM.

FreshOffice CRM (tested desktop version) in addition to the standard integration with 1C and Skype includes a native messaging module between employees and receiving automatic messages from the system in the chat window. This is a convenient functionality - in one window an employee can see messages from colleagues and numerous reminders. As for the interaction with the site, that is, certain integration possibilities - you can give counterparties (clients) access to your personal account in CRM through a web service. This is implemented through the developer's API using the OData protocol. This is quite valuable functionality for those who sell through the site, especially in B2B - integration with a well-designed personal account saves staff time - many small questions disappear, the answers to which can be found by going to the client’s office.

Client-Communicator CRM (Click) finally decided to start moving away from the desktop and seems a bit confused. However, this does not negate its advantages - it integrates with 1C and Skype, has its own CMS for integration with the site, built-in chat for communicating colleagues within CRM. The main feature of Clic is a serious customization, but to use it you need a full-time programmer or money to be improved by the vendor. Alas, I didn’t manage to fully twist the new web version, but it is theoretically possible to create integration with the site - after all, it represents a large set for independent (or vendor) CRM-doping in JavaScript. It is clear that with such an organization of work with the platform problems in the relations of the web-web should not arise. However, even at the vendor’s presentation, it’s clear that the version is raw, I think it’s better to wait for new releases. As for the classic Klik, it continues to occupy its place among the developed desktop solutions.

amoCRM , which had become a popular cloud system for small businesses, approached all sorts of integrations in an original way - all interactions with 1C, social networks, Dropbox, the site, and others occur through numerous third-party widgets (for example, Wufoo or qFlow, when it comes to the site). Implemented beautifully, you can choose the necessary set of integrations, but there is an unpleasant reef: connecting widgets, you need to pay the control developer for using his service plus the price of renting a CRM. In addition, the use of widgets is an additional side of relations with vendors and a new dependency that causes further problems, such as the resiliency of each service, training to work with it, and so on ...

Microsoft Dynamics CRM remained a foreign CRM-system with the main resulting consequence: it does not implement the “Russian” functionality. In particular, all Dynamics CRM integrations with 1C, sites, trading equipment, warehouse programs occur through connectors developed by MS Dynamics certified partners. This approach, although it allows you to find many ready-made solutions, greatly increases the cost of an already expensive system. In the basic CRM functionality, only accounting for information from social networks via MS Social Listening is implemented.

Task planning and management, KPI

In principle, all of the listed CRM as serious leading solutions have succeeded in developing mechanisms for planning and setting tasks. Actually, everyone understands that this is one of the most important functions of a CRM system and it is necessary to make such modules understandable, convenient and interconnected. However, in all systems there are some "chips" that make the work even more convenient.

For example, in bpm'online sales , using the SDK, you can customize the launch of processes in the scheduler according to a schedule. However, the system does not in any way calculate KPI by managers — you must either read it yourself, or be confused, and on the MS Excel 2010+ SDK Terrasoft + PowerPivot combination, develop a table for calculating key indicators.

RegionSoft CRM offers users several different schedulers and reminder panels - no matter how it’s possible to forget: tasks with and without reports, multitasks, cyclic, process and project tasks. In my opinion, the feature of this developer is a collective scheduler. It is focused on linking to a collective task and actually helps to manage the time of the project. The very mechanism of project management is highly developed, allows you to plan and calculate work on projects, project costs and revenues, to register project participants with the definition of their participation and the calculation of remuneration. Target and financial planning KPI is built into RegionSoft CRM - the system actually considers the motivation of managers on the basis of a plan-factual analysis of their operational work.

In FreshOffice CRM, in addition to standard planners, the project designer is implemented - a peculiar module of business processes, but without BPMN notations and graphical representations. This module allows you to manage projects with the formulation of tasks and planning. KPIs are calculated immediately with material remuneration and specific amounts - there is no need to recalculate goals and indicators.

In Klik CRM, the KPI mechanism is carefully thought out: the system can be used to read key performance indicators, collect and view payroll lists. The section “Motivation and Salary” in combination with deeply embedded and informative cards of employees claims to be a good help not only for salespeople and managers, but also for HR-service.

In amoCRM and MS Dynamics there is no what can be called chips or finds in planning and KPI. amoCRM rather builds a funnel for employees, and on its basis, additional factors can be used to calculate the necessary coefficients. The personnel management mechanisms of Dynamics are included in the delivery of Microsoft Dynamics ERP - and this is a completely different price and another story.

Reporting and analytics

Also quite standard subject of competition and contention of vendors on the market: while Clic and FreshOffice deploy OLAP cubes, amoCRM draws beautiful dashboards, bpm'online goes to clear and transparent analytics, RegionSoft, MS Dynamics conservatively develop standard reporting and analysis forms that are familiar and necessary to the user. In general, all of these systems, except amoCRM, are aimed at users who know a lot about analytics and are ready to make serious decisions based on it. In CRM there are ABC and XYZ analysis mechanisms, sales funnels, filters, data handling capabilities in customizable reports.

Of the strange "chips" - a flat sales funnel from Clic - do not expect to see the usual inverted pyramid, it does not exist, there is a schedule and table implementation - not the most convenient interface. FreshOffice also slightly modified the classic funnel and offered a combination of histograms and funnels, making the usual report informative, detailed and easy to read. The vendor of RegionSoft CRM decided that the standard funnel was small and offered an additional tool - the dynamics of customer progress along the sales ladder, on which each client displays interaction points with dates on the X-axis and activities on the Y-axis. This section allows you to track the relationship with the client in as much detail as possible An indispensable thing when doing long trades. However, I subjectively lack the total interaction values ​​in the table view.

Warehouse management and integration with trading equipment

This is a section in which there is an unequivocal leader and can be safely called - RegionSoft CRM . This system, in addition to real-time inventory control and a serious production module, is distinguished by the ability to work with barcode scanners, POS terminals (cash desk, receipt printing, cashier interface), discount cards, label printers, data collection terminals. Such functionality somehow you expect from 1C more. MS Dynamics CRM is also able to work with the listed equipment, but only for an additional fee through the already mentioned software connectors. If you count for one warehouse of retail - it turns out a bit too much. CRM for retail is in second place - Clic, which includes the possibility of warehouse batch accounting, work with barcode scanners and serial numbers, and procurement control. FreshOffice CRM offers warehouse accounting with the movement of goods, movements, fixation of balances and so on. - standard functionality of domestic CRM.

Mail, mailing opportunities

If telephony and call handling by vendors are usually okay, then special attention should be paid to e-mail capabilities — users can expect unpleasant surprises related to setup and mailings. This question is also relevant because the reputation of an effective sales and marketing tool has firmly established behind HTML mailings, which means that they should meet the needs of the business as much as possible.

In bpm'online sales, you can set up email synchronization via MS Exchange, integrate with Gmail, and integrate mail via IMAP / SMTP to save the entire correspondence history with the client. This logic of interaction with mail has many advantages. HTML mailing can be performed only through third-party services by downloading the template to the system, or buy bpm'online marketing, the functionality of which is less versatile than sales. In general, marketing just exists as a lead system, but it is too expensive to buy it for the sake of the need for mailings.

Mail in RegionSoft CRM is an independent mail client that allows you to create and quickly send letters to both individual clients and groups of clients using thematic selections from the general client array. The system allows you to create personalized letters, letters with substitution patterns, letters in HTML-format with pictures. At the same time RegionSoft CRM does not require any integration with third-party email clients.

amoCRM allows mailing via MailChimp service - it is convenient and quite functional, but it has the same drawback as the other widgets in amoCRM - you need to pay extra for it. FreshOffice CRM and MS Dynamics CRM are tied to MS Outlook - respectively, all possible restrictions for mailings are inherited from the limitations of Outlook itself (which, by the way, is also paid if it is not a cut-off Express). In the last three cases, CRM acts only as a donor of contact information for mailings.

In Clic CRM it is possible to send letters through an SMTP server, the system allows you to create letter templates for mailings with attributes, media, tables and hyperlinks. I could not find the opportunity to send full HTML mailings.

Interfaces and user interaction

Since the recent local review in the system interfaces, almost nothing has changed, so I will say a few words about each of these really powerful CRMs.

Bpm'online is not the desktop Terrasoft CRM at all. The system received a new-fashioned laconic interface, went to the cloud, divided into many versions and ... ceased to be universal. This is a justified development of the situation in terms of profitability, following the trends and diversification of the product portfolio, but a controversial decision for the user: for example, if I chose CRM for my company today, I would be confused: I wouldn’t have just sales or marketing.

RegionSoft CRM continues to consistently increase the functionality of its system, periodically releasing some new services. This is a universal, balanced CRM, delivered in three standard editions for different types and scales of business, as well as in the regional editorial office RegionSoft CRM Media for television companies and radio stations. It does not need any Internet or additional services - almost complete autonomy. The disadvantage of such systems is that sometimes in CRM there is extra functionality for the client, and the price remains the same.

FreshOffice CRM comes in both desktop and cloud versions and is constantly being updated - so, compared to the test a year ago, CRM has become faster and more responsive, however, hangs and unpleasant "crashes" during configuration and report generation remain.

Clicking CRM in its basic classic version retains all the listed advantages of the desktop system and is also versatile, but there are more excesses in it. For example, I am interested in their chip - working with finance and financial reporting, when you can even build a cash flow statement in the system. However, this does not make Klik a full-fledged replacement for 1C, and when integrated with 1C, it is generally useless. In general, Clic because of the use of MS SQL Server (by the way, in most cases, again, additionally paid) remains heavy and cumbersome - it takes a long time to process data, build reports and has installation instructions on 33 sheets. I think, partly due to such reasons, Clic CRM decided to start its way into the clouds and created a platform for web-Clic, but for now it only inspires optimism with its nice stylish interface.

MS Dynamics CRM is a strong system that is not ready to live in Russia without solutions from certified partners for additional integrations. In principle, this system "as is" would be quite suitable for small businesses, but Microsoft prices are higher than the capabilities of most SMB companies.

Configurators, API, SDK

Vendors are improving their systems day after day, working on the basis of user experience and market and technology requirements. The “chips” offered by them are not excesses, but an occasion to think whether such an automation organization will not help companies take the path of intensive development with the help of technology. However, even a tiny company may need a non-standard revision. And then vendors either modify themselves or offer tools to change their systems.

In terms of the development of Developer Tools, Terrasoft and Microsoft have succeeded, which is actually not surprising - among all the survey participants, these are real giants who have the widest opportunities for the development of this direction. Terrasoft offers its own SDK, with which you can modify the functionality. In addition, they have created a strong Community, within which you can find answers to many questions that arise during the self-refinement of the system. Needless to say, Microsoft created its own SDK for the Dynamics Developer Center clients, which allowed it to build a network of partners offering ready-made solutions for integration with almost everything the business needs. But personally, from the point of view of the user, it is a shame to pay for connectors to the site, 1C or minimum trading equipment.

RegionSoft, Client-Communicator, FreshOffice (having its own API) support standard configurators, including in their arsenal the familiar FastReport developers and implementers. However, development does not stand still and Clic continues to develop its new web platform, honed by experts in JavaScript, and RegionSoft offers its users an Application Server, which supports PascalScript, C ++ Script, JScript, BasicScript and includes an embedded HTTP server.

Which way to choose, if necessary, improvements - depends only on the CRM user, because sometimes the costs of intra-company development several times overlap the cost of vendor services.

How the crisis hit CRM - investigate price changes

Today it is fashionable to go into web archives and compare the pre-crisis and post-crisis prices for everything that is possible. Indexing participants did not pass, but the price comparison surprised by its incredible variation. I propose to look at the dynamics of prices, well, at the same time to get acquainted with the new cost of licenses and new licensing terms. Traditionally, versions similar in functionality and purpose are compared.

CRM version	Licensing Terms	Old price for one license, as of date	New price for one license, as of date	Price increase,%
bpm'online sales Enterprise	The price is pegged to the euro, there is a cloud, there is a name on-site: 400 € - user / year in the cloud 550 € - Pol. with on-site	The course of 48.14 p. / € on 08/15/2014	The rate of 69.05 p. / € on 02.27.2015	43.44%
RegionSoft CRM 5.0 Professional	Competitive Perpetual License	11 350 p. / User, 01/25/2015	12 300 rubles / user, 02.27.2015	8.40%
FreshOffice CRM Desktop	Competitive Perpetual License	12 800 p. / User, on Jan. 2014	15 000 p. / User, 02.27.2015	17.20%
CLIC CRM Trading Prof	By default - the name	14 500 p. / User on 08/31/2014	17 400 p. / User on 27.20.2015	20.00%
AmoCRM cloud	Rent per user per month. Similar packages are compared, the pricing policy has completely changed.	1,500 / month/10 users - $ 150 / user (Optimal package for 10 users)	249 p. / User / month. on 27.20.2015 (Startup package up to 5 users)	66.00%
MS Dynamics CRM cloud	Rent per user per month	2 340 p. / User on 11.11.2014	3 250 p. / User on 27.20.2015	38.90%

Obviously, there are several strong CRM branches on the market, among which any company can find a solution to suit their needs. However, all of them are united by two trends:

• universality - CRM should provide maximum automation and underlie corporate IT infrastructure
• customization - creating constructors, APIs, SDKs, and so on. to refine CRM for specific needs in a short time and with maximum savings.

CRM allows the company to be more competitive and flexible, allowing you to get a number of indicators, on the basis of which you can see the slightest changes in relations with customers.

In general, think for yourself, decide for yourself - to have or not to have.