Hello.  I am looking for a web based sales management or CRM software
solution that we can use to manage contacts and the sales process.  We
should be able to add contact info, customise fields as needed,
generate reports (Eg. Show all open leads, shows cold calls made this
week, show prospects interested in product X, etc.).  We should be
able to export sub-sets of contacts and use them for mail merges in
Word. The solution should support reminders so that we are notified
when a prospect asks us to call back in 6 months and that time has
expired.

I would like to find a solution that is hosted, so that I can just pay
the license fees and begin using it (As aposed buying a solution and
having to install and manage my own web server for it).

What solutions or products meets our needs?  Please provide several
alternatives with a comment if you think a particular solution is
worthwhile.  Thanks in advance!

Hello -

InfoWorld Magazine has an article at the following link which
comprehensively evaluates four leading hosted CRM offerings:

Four-way CRM shootout
http://www.infoworld.com/article/05/01/07/02FEcrmhosted_1.html

I spoke to all four companies to confirm their product's ability to do
what you've specified.  Some have extended levels of their product
offerings at higher price levels than listed.  Free trials are
available with all of them.

SalesForce
  http://www.salesforce.com
  Rated by InfoWorld Magazine as the undisputed leader. 
  The Landmark @ One Market
  Suite 300
  San Francisco, CA 94105
  Main: 415-901-7000
  Fax: 415-901-7040
  Sales: 415-536-7235 Tommy / 1-800-NO-SOFTWARE
  E-mail: info@salesforce.com
  $1,500 per user per year

NetSuite
  http://www.netsuite.com/
  2955 Campus Drive, Suite 100
  San Mateo, CA 94403-2511
  Voice: 650-627-1000
  Fax: 650-627-1001
  E-mail: info@netsuite.com
  $129 per user per month

RightNow
  http://www.rightnow.com
  40 Enterprise Blvd.
  P.O. Box 9300
  Bozeman, MT 59718-9300
  1-406-522-4200 Main Phone
  1-406-522-4227 Fax
  1-877-363-5678 Toll Free
  Starts at $100 per user per month

Salesnet Inc.
  http://web.salesnet.com/index.asp
  580 Harrison Avenue,
  Boston, MA 02118-2440
  Phone: (617) 350-0160
  Int'l: +1 617 350 0160
  Fax: 617-350-8988
  $99 per user per month



I also spoke with the following two additional vendors, who offer the
same capability you're looking for at significantly lower cost:

  Sales Junction
  http://www.SalesJunction.com/about.asp
  350 S. Center St., Suite 500
  Reno, NV 89501
  Sales:888.843.3712
  $15 per user per month 
  
  CRM by Web
  http://www.crmbyweb.com
  $25 per user per month for first 2 users, then less for additional users
 


Select Search Strategy:
  web-based CRM
  
  
If you need any additional information or clarification, please don't
hesitate to ask.

Thank you,

jbf777
Researcher
Google Answers

Just what I was after.  The infoworld article helped identify and
compare the main players while the 2 cheaper options gave some
perspective on the lower end of the market.  Thanks a lot for your
help!

If you're interested in an open source solution, SugarCRM is also a
nice product: www.sugarcrm.com ... Roll your own, or use their host
$39.95/user

I am not a GA Researcher. I have no relationship with the products
mentioned, except that I have been to the site and have installed the
product on my system. Your results may vary. Disclaimer below applies.

Thank you also for the very helpful comment.  The opensource SugarCRM
is an interesting option that I will look more closely at.  Cheers.

You're welcome!  Thanks for the rating, and please visit again.

jbf777

You can also check out http://sfafinity.com - they have a web based
solution that you can purchase or host it yourself. And prices are
based on SMB pricing....