FrontRange's GoldMine Business Contact Manager provides all the features a small business needs for customer relationship management, at a reasonable price.
GoldMine Business Contact Manager, the customer relationship management (CRM) app formerly known simply as GoldMine, provides an easy way to create a customer database, update it, and use it to get in touch and follow up with contacts. This version also offers a bevy of contact, sales, and marketing tools such as sales forecasting and report generation--more than enough for most small businesses.
Lengthy but uncomplicated set-up
You should experience little if any trouble setting up GoldMine, even if your business lacks a dedicated IT department. Simply insert the CD-ROM and answer a few questions that tell the software about how you'll use it, for example, whether it's for an individual or for multiple users. One irritating factor -- after you install the program, you must register with FrontRange before you can use it. Most other Windows applications don't force you to register.
Familiar face
As with many CRMs, GoldMine's interface looks a lot like Microsoft Outlook's: a taskbar sits on the left side of the work space and menu options line the top. We're impressed with the interface's clean look and its new customisability. You can now create up to 20 customised taskbars for, say, modifying or adding fields to contact records.
This CRM also integrates nicely with Outlook. So if, for instance, a staff writer stores data in Outlook, he or she could sync and share e-mail, address books, and calendar features with GoldMine-based sales reps. Likewise, GoldMine integrates with Microsoft Exchange 5.5, Lotus Notes 5.02, and Lotus CC:Mail.
Excellent contact management
Most of GoldMine's considerable strengths lie in its contact management tools. For example, whenever you create or send a letter, a fax, or e-mail, GoldMine automatically records your communications with each contact. And GoldMine's new iCal-standard meeting request feature sends invitations to contacts and team members who use other iCal-compliant programs, such as Outlook.
GoldMine contains competent sales features. For instance, you can forecast sales, complete transactions, and assign quotas for various employees. Also, from the Reports Menu, it's easy to create reports and charts to document and analyse sales data, including projected sales and cash flow.
Sync and swim
In keeping with today's mobile workplaces, GoldMine lets you synchronise with telecommuters, but the set-up is somewhat lengthy. The administrator creates a profile for the remote worker and sends that person an e-mail message. An e-mail attachment walks the remote employee through the rest of the synchronisation set-up. You can also sync GoldMine with Palms and Pocket PCs.
If you run into trouble using GoldMine, you're in luck. Of all the CRMs we've looked at, GoldMine provides the most helpful documentation, including a detailed installation guide, a "What's New in Version 5.7" booklet, and an easy-to-follow user manual. In addition, FrontRange offers free online, e-mail, and newsgroup support.
GoldMine Business Contact Manager gets the basics done right and includes so many features that small businesses will find almost everything they need. If your small business requires an easy, highly customisable, sophisticated contact manager with a minimal investment of time and money, you'll strike pay dirt with GoldMine.
GoldMine Business Contact Manager
Company: FrontRange Solutions
Price: AU$495 for a single user.
Distributor: FrontRange
Phone: 1800 130 031
6%
1%
