FOCUS BRIEF
As an analyst here at Focus I speak with hundreds of people a month regarding their CRM projects. Though the business world is predominately uses PC's, I do run into companies that are running the Mac OS X operating system and are in need of a CRM.
Software vs. Web-Based – The Great Debate
There are several things to consider when choosing a CRM, but one of the first questions to answer is whether or not a software based solution, or a web based solution would be a better fit for your company. There have already been several articles written about the specific differences and reasoning between the two, so I'm not going to time by repeating all of them.
For a Mac user there are some key points to this argument to remember. Web based CRM's will run on any operating system without a hitch, where as software based CRM's are proprietary to the operating system that they were designed for. At the most a Mac user might have to download a different web browser as not all web based CRM's run on Safari, but most solutions will work with no problem.
Software based solutions are a different story as the bulk of CRM's available are written for the Windows operating system. At this point Mac users have a couple of options:
- Run a virtualization software like VMWare's Fusion, or Parallel's Desktop 4.0. Essentially either of these programs would allow you to run the Window's operating system along side of Mac OS X thus allowing proprietary Windows CRM's to be used.
- A few things to consider with this option is that you will have to purchase a copy of the virtualization software for every computer that you plan on installing the CRM on, along with both a CRM and Windows OS license for each user. You will also need an anti-virus solution for each computer that is running Windows as it is the Mac OS X software that is resilient to viruses, and not the hardware. To clarify: it doesn't matter what shape your computer comes in – if you are running Windows on it you will need to get some type of virus protection.
- Your second option would be to purchase a CRM software that is written for Mac OS X. There are a few different products on the market that are available thus bringing me to my next point:
What CRM Products are Available for the Mac OS X Operating System?
If you're interested in a web based solution then there a variety of products readily available. Salesforce.com, Netsuite, Landslide, Aplicor, and Sugar* are all mainstream web based CRM products that will run on a Mac. If you're interested in something that is a little more visually similar to the OS X interface then you may want to check out some of these:
- Highrise by 37 Signals ($29 - $149 per month dependent on users)
- Heap by WBP Systems ($9 for the 1st user, then 5$ per user after that)
- Elements CRM 2.0 from Ntractive* (starts at $70 per user per month).
Though the aforementioned applications are web based, they were designed with the Mac OS X user in mind, so you will see consistencies within the details of both the application and the interface of your operating system.
Now if the idea of web based products doesn't sit well with you, and neither does the thought of running a virtualization software, don't give up quite yet. There are some software developers that have created software applications to run natively on your Mac.
Account Executive by Redlien is a great starting off point. They have a solid application that is highlighted with an intuitive user interface. They offer multi-user support, and offer developer access to their back end database in order to integrate the system with existing workflows. You can also choose to network your solution thus allowing web access for remote users. They also have a new beta project that will allow customers to integrate the CRM with their website, so that you can capture customer information directly from the site. The software starts at about $130.
Daylite by Marketcircle is another popular software. They tend to be the most well known of the OS X compatible CRM's. They have the ability to integrate with existing Apple applications, but also have more focused sales and opportunity management capabilities. It can sync with iPhones, Blackberrys, and PDA's that are using Windows Mobile, as well as offering offline synchronization so that you can work wherever. There are some extra plug-ins available for purchase that will tie the system into Account Edge, Lightspeed, Money Edge, and File Maker Pro. One of the things that I like is that they boast, “industry templates,” for both creative & non-creative markets. The software starts at about $189.
Relationship by Jumsoft is a very cost effective and easy to use CRM. This solution is one that I'd recommend more for smaller businesses who need something that is basic, yet gets the job done. Relationship has a lot great features within their UI that allows the user to integrate with existing Mac OS X applications like Address Book. It effectively manages contacts and calendars, and can do some light email campaigns as well. Jumsoft also boasts other business development software that is built specifically for Mac OS X. The single user license starts at $39.
Contact 5 and Up-to-Date by Now Software is the most basic of the available softwares. Essentially their software package is a calendar and contact management system that, in terms of overall functionality, is only a slight step up from Apple's iCal and Address Book applications. They do have a, “schedule,” feature which allows you to manage multiple people at once and plan for large meetings, along with a, “server manager,” that will manage your contact and calendar servers. This is a solid solution for people who aren't completely satisfied with the pre-installed Apple applications, but don't need any campaign automation features.
What about Sugar and Ntractive?
Glad that you asked! Earlier in the article I marked both Sugar CRM and Ntractive's Element SMB CRM with an asterisk for a specific reason in that both of these vendors provide a web based product with a little twist.
Sugar CRM is best known for being one of the strongest open source CRM's on the market. They're pretty cost effective and have a strong sales solution that welcomes end user customization. They offer their product as either a web based or software product. I found a special company called BitNami that makes installers for open source applications. The moral of the story is this: If you want to use the software version of Sugar on a Mac, you can download BitNami's Sugar CRM Installer and it will take care of all the dirty work for you.
Ntractive's Elements CRM 2.0 is different than your traditional web based CRM in that it combines a powerful web application with the convenience of having a desktop application. For the most part your information is still hosted on their servers (cloud computing), but you can download their application to your desktop thus eliminating the need to connect via a web browser. It seems to have the most robust feature set of the Mac OS X-only CRMs, and offers an application for the iPhone as well. It not only integrates with Address Book and iCal, but also with iChat, Skype, and Google Maps.
Final Thoughts
Though Macintosh computers are traditionally oriented towards the more creative markets, there are still strong business oriented applications available that can help companies thrive. The CRM tools that I have discussed will not only open up your sales and marketing efforts, but most of the time they can be combined with an accounting package & payroll solution to truly simplify your office. Generally speaking the CRM buying cycle is about 3-6 months depending on your company size and needs. Give yourself time to adequately research and fully demo a few different applications before making your decision, as you can't make an accurate decision based on online reviews.
Best of luck!
Note: All pricing, features, and other details are accurate as of the time of publication. Please contact vendors for current pricing and feature listings.
I am a graduate of San Francisco State University, Summa Cum Laude with a degree in International Relations, but I have a solid background in the technology and customer service industry.
I work within the research and content team in order to create timely briefs, and ensure that the site is organized and stocked with quality content. I've spoken with thousands of buyers through out my time at Focus, and my experience allows me to provide the most honest and relevant information for B2B decision makers.
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19 Comments
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Unfortunately not all web based crm's run well on a osx based web browser.
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Not Even Firefox for OSX? I've used Salesforce on my Mac and it works fine.
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You mention Contact 5 but Now has released Now X in beta. It seems a little resource intensive but looks like a major upgrade. Would love to see a review of that.
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Michael -
Now X definitely looks to be a major upgrade. They mentioned that they will still be developing and supporting Contact 5 and Up-to-Date, but Now X looks to be a more seamless and robust solution overall.
Essentially it is supposed to combine the features of both Contact 5 and Up-to-Date into one application. They're going to be offering a mobile version, as well as a version for PC users, and plan to add more sales oriented features in the future.
I haven't downloaded the beta, so I can't say much in terms of user interface though their demo movies look great. I'd say that as it stands it is still more of a contact management/calendar system, but it looks to be moving towards a more feature rich CRM solution in the future.
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Caty,
A few clarifications:
1. It's Daylite, not Daylight. As a Mac only product, it syncs with Daylite Touch on the iPhone.
2. Elements is now Elements CRM instead of Elements SBM. They just launched 2.0 so you might want to highlight the changes there.
3. Contactizer Pro (www.objective-decision) is another tool. They are supposedly working on an iPhone app too.
4. You mention Sugar CRM and yet you missed Salesforce.com. Why?
5. Is Account Executive even supported anymore? Redlien's blog most recent post is from 2006.
Frankly, this article is ok. It doesn't really tell me much other than what's out there (and with misrepresented data). I hope you perform more research in the future prior to submitting a post. I say this because you claim to be a CRM specialist.
Matthew
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Hi Matthew,
Thanks for the comments and clarifications. This article was published about a month before Elements changed their name from Elements SMB to Elements CRM. I've already spoken to a couple of contacts from their company about that, and plan on writing more about their product in the future.
I didn't mention Salesforce because it is a web-based application, and I thought that it was obvious that they were Mac compatible since I had stated in the article that most web-based CRM's will work on any browser. I didn't find it necessary to list them explicitly.
I mentioned Sugar because I wanted to highlight the BitNami installer tool that allows users to install Sugar CRM on their Macs rather than being limited to using only the hosted product.
I hadn't heard of Contactizer Pro before, and will be looking into seeing what they offer.
I appreciate your feedback, and will be working to rectify information in future articles. Thanks so much for stopping by!
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The CRMs mentioned are not Enterprise level. And CRM is not just confined to Sales.
I would like to see a Mac OSX based on-demand (web-based) Enterprise CRM solution which offers full functionality., ie., one that extends out to include contact centres, web self-services, email mgmt, CTI integration, etc., retail channels, besides the traditional sales and marketing automation.
We use a really good web based Enterprise CRM but it requires a .Net component on the client PC. Since I am a Mac user, I have been looking out for one that offers similar functionalities for the Mac. No luck so far.
I suppose it's perhaps because it makes more commercial sense to go with windows, for now...
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Hi Cay...
Has just read your article...
Im a Redlien Account user and havent heard from Corey Redlien for some years...2005 or 2006.
I changed my computer and couldnt reinstall Redlien because of some problems with the license server...
I tried to contact Corey but havent had an answer so i cant use Redlien anymore...
If you find some news about them, please give me a mail back...
Thanks
Javier
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Hi,
Very helpful and informative article. Will save me heaps of time. Know where to start looking for a CRM now.
Cheers.
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Hi Caty,
Thank you for the very informative article. Like you, I'm a graduate of field of international relations, though now I find myself working in the technology (online) sector. I founded a startup which was incorporated in April of last year and been working on it part-time since March 2009, only going full-time a month ago.
Soon I will have to start a cold-calling campaign to businesses in Minnesota, and I was in search of a good and reliable CRM software when I ran into your article. I'm writing this message hoping to take the easy way out: I don't have time to check all the CRM softwares one by one, so I was hoping if you could actually recommend one. I run a mac but the software can be web-based, I don't care. So long as it works. My telephone sales campaign isn't really complicated: just calling up businesses in different categories and trying to sell a service on my website. I just have to keep track of the leads, conversions, reasons it was declined, be able to statistically track and see which methods have worked and which haven't, and that's about it.
To start with, I'll give Daylite and Relationship a try but in the meantime, if you have a specific suggestion, it would really help me and save me a lot of time.
Thanks
Sep
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I wanted to draw your attention to a new offering available for native integration of Microsoft Entourage for Mac and the leading CRMs. We have just announced that Riva Integration Server for Exchange delivers server-side CRM integration and interoperability for all Microsoft Exchange clients—including Microsoft Entourage for Mac. Supported CRMs include Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Oracle CRM, SugarCRM, SageCRM and others. You can read more at:
http://www.omni-ts.com/newsroom/crm-integration-entourage.html
Best regards,
Aldo Zanoni
www.omni-ts.com
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Here is another solution that helps you break free of Macintosh software limitations.
If you have a favorite Windows based CRM desktop software and long to use it in a Mac environment, there is a hosting company that will remote desktop host it for you and make it accessible through Safari (as well as Firefox and Internet Explorer).
Both Maximizer CRM and Surado CRM are already being hosted this way and most any MS Windows based software can be hosted as well.
You can read more at
http://www.amb-marketing.com/macintosh.html
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I'm a long-time (20 years) Mac user and have tried every CRM or contact management system known to man! In the past I used ACT (when it ran on the Mac), Solve360 (a Canadian browser-based product -- they've now moved across to a more project management based product called ), Entourage, and so on.
I've used all of 37Signals' products (WHY OH WHY don't they intergrate them?? Basecamp and Highrise together would run rings around the other products out there; separate, they each lack something, at least in terms of full productivity.)
I'm currently using Info@Hand, a hosted Sugar CRM system, because I was looking for something with integrated email client, to save me having to manually add emails to contacts. Info@Hand is hosted and is OK, but a bit slow. I have looked at ElementsCRM, but it's quite pricey I think and many of the others you mention. NowX is looking interesting, but is too calendar-focused for a GTD convert like me.
My favourites so far, in terms of interface are Daylite (but I can't use it because some of my employees/freelancers work in other cities and so can't access Daylite) and Contactizer Pro which I'm *very* impressed with, but again, it's a desktop app with LAN connectivity only. Again, no good for me. The comms element of Contactizer Pro is very impressive, I feel.
Bento is also impressive (Filemaker DBs are always so attractive) but, again, hosting is an issue and it's also not massively professional looking. It has the look of handling personal images and recipes, rather than business contacts or sales forecasts!
So, to underscore everything that's written here, it's very frustrating being a Mac user and running a business that requires excellent contact, sales and project management! (but NOTHING will prise me from the Mac, so I've learnt to cope with the lack of business-related software over the past 20 years.)
Perhaps ElementsCRM will be the one that rakes in all the money from frustrated Mac users across the globe; but I personally think they're being a bit greedy, if I'm honest. If you need to add 5 users, that's $99 setup plus $350 a month. I could get some to write me a Filemaker product for that money! (Which I have done in the past.)
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Addendum: I've just checked out Solve360 (at www.norada.com) and their recent re-designed product is looking very interesting indeed. Perfect for people with heavy project management needs, I bet. My needs are more contact-related.
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I think for CRM there are also plenty of Filemaker based solutions and hosting services out there.
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Hi Cathy, since it is 2010 now and you might want to have an updated feature story as this is quite interesting and we can learn much from your post. I would also like to comment for "Frustrated CRM seeker" who said he learnt to cope with the lack of business-related software over the past 20 years. Sad really, but may I suggest another web based CRM www.worketc.com, it's actually a suite which give you more than the basic features of CRM but with project management and billing tools that help you automate some tedious tasks. Besides, there are no set-up fees and adding more users is not as pricey as the ones you mentioned.
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EBI Neutrino R1 Open Source CRM / ERP Framework for Windows, Linux and Mac OS
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EBI Neutrino R1 Open Source CRM / ERP Framework for Windows, Linux and Mac OS
http://www.ebineutrino.org
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Hello,
You forgot a big player in this space - xTuple. xTuple is not web based, they have a graphical client. However, their client works with Windows, Linux, and Mac equally well.
xTuple is a fully-featured ERP, Accounting, and CRM solution. The basic version - which is comparable to QuickBooks Enterprise - is free for unlimited users. There are two additional versions that have features specific to the manufacturing business.
Cheers,
-Josh
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