CRM In A Hurry For SMEs.

The premise behind Multiactive Software, Inc.'s Maximizer Enterprise 6.0 solution is delivery of effective customer relationship management tools that can be implemented rapidly, right "out-of-the-box," and can be easily customized and integrated with other systems, such as accounting, ERP or inventory management systems. The software helps small to mid-sized companies build lasting and profitable relationships with their customers, and the solution's built-in e-commerce functionality provides easy-to-use to tools that allow any business to find and qualify leads online and sell through their own Web store. Multiactive states that a typical installation of 20-30 seats can be up and running in one week, which certainly makes the solution worth a closer look.

Maximizer's Contact Manager permits tracking every customer interaction and sharing this information throughout the organization. Along each step of the sales cycle, managers and sales team members can track the progress made on each sales opportunity. A Strategy Library component provides a structure for defining and recording a sales strategy. Applying users' criteria, the solution can assess ideas provided by the sales force and evaluate the probability of success for a sales campaign strategy. With Maximizer's Remote Synchronization feature, the system's single, distributed database can be updated remotely in realtime, and sales people can interact with customers and their peers from any location. Combined with a company's e-mail system or file transfer protocol (FTP), remote ream members can receive accurate and timely information on all opportunities. At each remote site, a copy of part or all of the database is kept. Remote Synchronization automatically merges Maximizer Enterprise database changes to a central database and receives updated data back from the central database files over a LAN, WAN or the Internet, Additionally, Multiactive offers Enterprise Link 6.0 synchronization software for the Palm PC platform and all of the 3Com Palm Connected Organizers' built-in functions. The Palm To-Do List, Date Book, Address Book and Memos link to the Hotlist, Calendar, Address Book and Notes Maximizer Enterprise and automatically synchronize with the touch of a button.

Maximizer Enterprise features a wealth of software drivers, instructions and code examples to assist IT staff and software developers in tailoring the solution to a company's needs. The software supports many Windows industry standards (ODBC, OLE, ActiveX and COM, for example), facilitating database creation/ linkage, form creation for data entry, interface customization, etc., without the need to muck about in the applications' source code. When information is updated in one database, the ODBC driver passes the information to other linked databases. For reporting and analysis, ODBC ensures that information is always current and eliminates the need to enter the same information into more than one system. A free trial CD is available from the company.