Maximizer Versus Filemaker

[GHT]

Our company is trying to decide on Filemaker Pro or Maximizer. We need a very comprehensive CRM plus many custom features for various areas of the business. We are not a big business.

Does anyone have any feedback on the pros and cons of either?

Any feedback is greatly appreciated.

[Dave Graham]

I'm in the process of moving a customer away from Maximizer at the moment. I've found Maximizer to be very much like ACT!.

Basically it boils down to how far you want to customize the solution. If you want a CRM solution first and foremost then Maximizer might be a good fit. If your CRM application is going to be at the heart of what might be a comprehensive company ERP strategy then it likely wont.

I've found it extremely difficult to do basic stuff in Maximizer. For instance, Maximizer documents are embedded in the database in a proprietary manner. Extracting the documents and converting them to standard file formats requires extensive customization at top tier consulting rates. This is just one reason why my client has decided to move away from Maximizer.

There are some great CRM frameworks that will help you to get started should you wish to do this in FileMaker. Frameworks are starter solutions that provide a lot of core functionality and can save you a ton of money compared to starting from scratch.

Core 2 CRM. This is a great solution if you need to integrate with Outlook and/or QuickBooks or would like an integrated Invoicing system[1]. It's a commercial solution with reasonable pricing.

SeedCode Calendar Pro Complete. This is one heck of a solution for an incredibly reasonable price. It also includes Invoices and Project Management.

The Excelisys Business Tracker 2.0 This is an extremely full-featured (and FREE!) CRM framework which includes Invoices and more.

- Dave

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[1] In the interest of full disclosure, I developed a significant portion of this solution.