solutions wanted CRM for Mac

[Music]

I am looking to find the best CRM solution for my mac. I have been checking into Daylite and Filemaker. Daylite has everything I need in a CRM, however, I need a program that is also compatible with PCs. I would like my CRM to be capable of Smart Lists, Links, and blackberry synchronisation like Daylite is.

When I looked into different templates for Filemaker, I couldn't find any that had the same capability as Daylite.

I fear taking the time to build an enormous database of contacts, links, etc. in Daylite and then not being able to transfer the links and smart lists to a PC in the future.

I would really appreciate any suggestions.

Thank you.

[Stephan Kuslich]

We've used Daylite for years and it is a very functional solution even in our mixed PC/Mac office. For sales is really is the bomb in that it tracks EVERYTHING! Our sales and accounts teams all use Macs so having them connected to read all pertinent emails and see phone logs was a snap. Daylite really does a great job of CRMing our office in a way that makes our clients feel like we all share one mind. When they call, all our screens auto-populate with the client's records and can see all the recent information regarding that client regardless of who last dealt with the client. 

Where Daylite really fell apart is when we try to use it as a project management tool. Even though we can send and track tasks to all our employees, (the ones using PCs just vnc into a mac or use an ipad and most prefer the latter) and we use Merlin (Gantt) to plan out our projects and resources, it is a very manual process when changes occur. So if a client changes something that causes a 1 day delay in one project, our project manager has to study all the projects in Merlin to see how she can restructure our resources to make it all work again and push those tasks back through Daylite so that our staff gets an updated task and schedule list. IT TAKSES WAY TOO LONG. 

So after an exhaustive search for a program that did this better and in an automated fashion, I decided it was finally time for a fully customized project management solution and went with Filemaker and Starting Point. Starting Point does most of what Daylite does right out of the box and with a couple of tweaks I've been able to customize it so that issues we never fully liked about Daylite were finally resolved. 

I'm 4 months into a 1 year project to developing a customized and highly automated workflow solution that covers everything from sales and CRM, to Project Management , and even tracks employee PTO and task effectiveness.

We are an american animation company and we know that it isn't just our artistry and talent that has made us successful but our ability to use computers to speed up, and automate tasks to make the process efficient for our clients. Filemaker is making it possible for me to develop workflow solutions that save our humans from thousands or repetitive and monotonous tasks and this wiill:

• Save time (a lot of time, I just finished a module that saves our sales guys ~28 minutes per proposal, add it up!)

• Take on more client projects without hiring more account staff or reducing customer satisfaction 

• Keep creative staff on creative work because the tracking and notification system is almost 100% automated 

• Better data for setting pricing and investing in staff and gear (now we know when we need to hire more because the software knows how effective each worker and each department is)

• Better staff retention. Creatives HATE paperwork and this system works for them as their assistant telling them only what they need to know and bothering them only when they need to be bothered with problems.

• Fewer mistakes. I'm designing the system to take out as much human error potential as possible. When an asset is finsihed they just tell the software they are done and the software puts it in the right folder and informs the appropriate staff (usually a creative director or technical director) that the asset is ready for review, or to show the client or whatever is next. No more, "Oops I put it in the wrong place."

• Minimizing hunting for potential problems for our Project Managers. The software knows what needs to get done and when. If it doesn't get done, or if it is rejected by the director or client, the software alerts the Project Manager and all applicable staff. It shows the project manager viable solutions that could be anything like, 1. Eating into our contingency plan, 2. Having staff work longer hours, 3. Hiring contractor 4. Delaying next steps and extending the deadline on less pressing projects. Our PM interface now looks like an organized control panel instead of a schematic disaster zone of multiple applications 

 

 

So go with Daylite if you don't want or have time to develop a custom solution and are  cool with some limitations to growth. Go with FM and FMST if you will only be happy with a perfect custom fit and are willing to learn how to become a Filemaker guru. 

 

Stephan Kuslich - www.ghostproductions.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

[reptaked]

Unfortunately CRM applications for Mac are in short supply. Scouring the web, I come acrosss very few Mac based CRM offerings to evaluate. Luckily, there are some nice apps out there anyway. To begin with, Zendesk and bpmonline offer everything one would expect from a respectable CRM tool, on any platform. Also, Elements CRM by Ntractive, which is developed exclusively for the Apple Mac platform, is a comprehensive CRM that runs on your desktop but is accessed online. And finally, if you are looking for an easy-to-use, flexible, inexpensive web based CRM to run on your Mac, look no further than Capsule.

[Lee Smith]

2 hours ago, reptaked said:

Unfortunately CRM applications for Mac are in short supply

Take a look at the FREE FileMaker Starting Points available HERE

If this doesn't provide for your needs, then perhaps you can list all of the features you require that are not there.

There also sample files that cane with your FileMaker applidation.