ACCPAC Improves Integration

Although ACCPAC International Inc. has had plenty of accounting software releases so far this year, it has not balanced out its portfolio with a new CRM product. That has now changes as ACCPAC, a division of Computer Associates, recently released its ACCPAC eCRM 5.0, an Internet and wireless CRM solution for the mid-market. ACCPAC eCRM 5.0 enables office and mobile users to have improved integration to back-office accounting functions through the eCRM interface. Reporting and analysis tools are 20 times faster than before, says Tom Crafton, vice president of eCRM for ACCPAC. Additionally, new graphical workflow tools enable administrators to set up the flow of business processes by simply dragging and dropping icons and a graphical workflow wizard keeps users informed by not letting information fall through the cracks, Crafton adds. With its roots in accounting software, ACCPAC is keenly aware of attendant integration issues. ACCPAC eCRM offers out-of-box integration to ACCPAC Advantage Series order entry, inventory control, accounts receivable and accounts payable, to facilitate implementation time. Integration to back-office functions is transparent to users, offering access to order entry or inquiry, item inquiry, quote lookups and other accounting functions from within ACCPAC eCRM. "That's where companies get significant improvements. We have 100 percent bi-directional integration and no one else can do that," Crafton says. "I am as impressed by ACCPAC eCRM's ease-of-use, as by its simplicity and completeness of integration with the back end accounting," said Dr. Katherine Jones, Managing Director, Aberdeen Group. "ACCPAC's approach is the way CRM should be offered -- it encompasses the real-world needs of customer-focused users, seamless access to all the front and back-end business functions, simple setup for the IS team, and quick ROI that business managers demand." Additionally, end users of ACCPAC eCRM can create a personalized "My Home Page" to centrally display information most relevant to them in managing their daily business.