Sage Hopes Seven Will Be Lucky for SalesLogix

Sage Software today released version 7 of SalesLogix, beefing up its suite solution for the midmarket with functionality enhancements aimed at improving end user adoption. Version 7 includes interactive sales dashboards, an integrated service and support client, new marketing capabilities, and new mobile support and productivity enhancements via the retooled SalesLogix Mobile Platform, which the company relaunched this past week as well.

All of the enhancements to the SalesLogix CRM suite are designed to boost end user adoption, a steady theme of most Sage Software products. "That's our number one issue," says Chris Reich, director of product management, CRM solutions. "Everybody from sales associates up to the vice president of sales should find this product easier to use."

Version 7's new interactive dashboards, in particular, are one example of the company's commitment to this area, according to Reich. Users can now create customized dashboard content and perform analysis, and sales managers can filter data by region, sales pipeline, or sales associate.

Enhanced marketing capabilities provide users a range of new tools to capture leads from Web pages, import external lists, manage and qualify leads, measure the impact and cost of campaigns on a cost-per-lead basis, and design and monitor email campaigns using services from EmPulse Technologies. On the customer service side, enhancements will enable users to track and view defects from customer complaints via an integrated client. Users can also track defects, including problem type, version found, and source or view defects and returns associated with specific account or customer tickets.

In addition to announcing availability of SalesLogix version 7, the company also rereleased Sage CRM SalesLogix Mobile Platform, chock full of new enhancements designed to let users view and update contact, account, service ticket, and opportunity information, as well as related notes and history, in real time. Deployable on BlackBerry and Pocket PC mobile devices, the new software allows road warriors to sync to wireless, dial-up, or network connections.

Martin Schneider, an enterprise software analyst with The 451 Group, says the enhancements are strong, particularly the mobile and SFA improvements, though the company still needs to improve the customization capabilities for its mobile software. Schneider's only complaint is the company's failure to announce a hosted or .NET version for SalesLogix. "They don't have a hosted solution that is on par with a Salesforce.com or a NetSuite. Sage CRM.com is good, but isn't going to measure up to those two. They need a modern architecture to compete with them."

Perhaps coincidently, Reich says Sage will be focusing heavily on mobile improvements and Web based additions to its product line. "Next spring will be a number of announcements our customers will be happy about."

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