Best Software adds functionality, most notably Web
services to enable integration with other data
sources
by Demir Barlas, Line56 Thursday, January 27,
2005
Best Software has launched the 5.7 version of
the customer relationship management (CRM) product
from subsidiary ACCPAC.
One
of the big themes around this release is the
use of Web services to enable integration between
the CRM system and other systems. Craig Downing,
VP of product management for ACCPAC, explained
the rationale as follows: "CRM solutions aren't
simply standalone applications for the sales
force," he said, going on to characterize CRM
systems as "portals from which all employees
can access, and achieve real time integration
with, key corporate information from other data
sources."
That's
a new kind of thinking for the small and medium-sized
business (SMB) marketplace segment, for which
sales force automation (SFA), or even basic
contact management, have typically been at the
heart of the CRM proposition. Analyst Sheryl
Kingstone of Yankee Group explains why the thinking
is taking root in applications: "Everyone's
becoming more sophisticated in how to run their
businesses," she says. "If you have an e-commerce
site and want to capture CRM info and integrate
with FedEx tracking, all of that requires the
use of Web services."
This
is the reason that not just ACCPAC but also
NetSuite and Microsoft are building Web services
into their CRM products, although from a marketing
angle it has yet to take off. "The line-of-business
person doesn't understand the value of Web services,"
says Kingstone.
Pricing
for ACCPAC CRM 5.7 begins at $1,590. The functionality
is also available on a hosted basis, via ACCPACcrm.com.
Not surprisingly, given the extremely fragmented
nature of the SMB marketplace, ACCPAC is relying
heavily on channel partners to get CRM 5.7 out.
Kingstone
doesn't think any one vendor has the edge in
SMB CRM -- except, in a way, for Microsoft.
"Outlook and Excel are still the main systems,"
she concludes.
