Today's Technology for Tomorrow's Firm.
Issue link: https://cpapracticeadvisor.epubxp.com/i/478549
March 2015 • www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com 15 CRM SYSTEMS Reviews box. By their very nature, cloud-based systems work with all types of devices: laptop, tablet, smartphone and who knows what is next. The emphasis on integration with Outlook is because much of the information you store in Outlook is what you would want in a CRM system. So you certainly don't want to have to enter the information twice. I'm not just referring to contact information stored in Outlook. You want to be able to link or move certain email messages and appointment information to the CRM system. CRM should be looked at as an extension of Outlook where you store and access the additional data that you cannot get from Outlook. If you have a practice management (PM) system in place, the frst question you should be asking is, "Can I get what I need from it?" Te primary purpose of a PM system is to manage all of your client WIP and billing activity, due date tracking, engagement manage - ment, contact information and more. In fact, if you have a PM system and are also using Outlook, chances are prety good that you have 90 percent of what you need within those two systems. If you fnd that you are not able to get what you need from your PM system, then a CRM that directly integrates with your practice management system is prety important. One last key feature to look for is direct integration with MS Ofce applications. Tis can be extremely powerful because so many of the documents we create and work with originate in MS Word and Excel. Some examples include: proposals, engagement letters, correspondence, etc. Being able to link directly to these documents for access, while you are looking at a client or contact's information, can be extremely helpful. So let's take a look at what the market has to ofer. CPA Practice Advisor examined fve Customer Rela- tionship Management systems. Follow the links below to see how they rated. • CCH iFirm Small Firm Manager • Microsof Outlook 365 • Ofce Tools Pro • Results CR M • Zoho CR M For each solution we review the simplicity of the interface, core product features / functions, customization options and integrations. ● BEST FIT iFirm is actually a cloud-based practice management system for small frms. So it goes well beyond the typical scope of CRM. iFirm is a project / engagement centric application that can be used to manage a c l i ent engagem ent f ro m beginning to end. iFirm fts best in small accounting practices that want a simple but comprehensive practice management system. STRENGTHS • Cloud based for anytime, any where access via mobile devices • Real time K PI dashboard to manage your frm • Customizable contacts database • J o b / e n g a g e m e n t c u s t o m i z a b l e checklists POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS • Features that make iFirm more than a basic CR M may be more than you need • No direct integration / synchroniza- tion with Outlook • No direct integration with MS Ofce SUMMARY & PRICING Pricing is based on a per user annual subscription fee as follows; 1–3 users $999, 4-6 users $1,799, 7-10 users $2,499. In addition, there is a required setup fee of $199. www.CCHSFS.com CCH iFirm - Small Firm Manager Read the full review and see expanded ratings for this product online at: www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/12049110 BEST FIT Ofce 365 is a good ft for virtually any accounting or tax practice, regardless of size. Even if you already have a compre- hensive practice management system, you w ill probably want to have this application in place. Most of our readers already have MS Outlook on their desktop as their primary CRM system. The Office 365 version provides even more benefts. STRENGTHS • Te breadth of CR M features avail- able when leveraging all of the Ofce 365 applications. • Deep and direct integration with all of the MS Ofce applications: Excel, Word, OneNote, etc. • Use of SharePoint Online application to share information with clients and contacts via the cloud. POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS • No ta x or accounting specifc f unc- tionality or information tracking. SUMMARY & PRICING Te pricing model for Ofce 365 is based on a per-user, per month subscrip- tion. You can choose from a variety of packages that range from simply the core Outlook, People, and Calendar apps to complete packages that include Share- Po int Onl ine, website host ing and licensed copies of MS Ofce for installa- tion on your desktop or laptop PC. Te base package is called Ofce 365 Busi- ness Essentials and is priced at $5 per user per month. Te premium package is priced Ofce 365 Business Premium and is priced at $12.50 per month. If you are sole practitioner you may want to look into the Ofce 365 Personal sub- scription for $6.99 per month. www.Microsoft.com/Outlook Microsoft Outlook 365 Read the full review and see expanded ratings for this product online at: www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/12049121 BEST FIT Office Tools Pro (OTP) is not just a CRM system; it is also a practice man- agement, workflow and client portal solution. Te nature of the OTP ofering makes it a real good ft for frms ranging from sole practitioners to 50 user sites. OTP ofers a nice bundle of integrated applications, with the client / contact database serving as the foundation. STRENGTHS • Breadth of functionality to serve as a practice management solution • Central contact database integrated with multiple applications • Integrated client portal solution POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS • S c op e of f u nc t ion a l it y go e s w e l l beyond CR M, so it may be more than you are looking for. • Not i n it ia l ly desig ned a s a cloud- based or browser-based application, but can be hosted. SUMMARY & PRICING OTP's key feature is that integration of all of the applications included. The pricing for OTP is based on an annual subscription beginning at $600 for a single concurrent user. Te Large Ofce package is priced at $9,500 for 40 users, with many plans available in between the two. Te online client portal application is priced based on your storage require- ments: 5 GB = $580, 15 GB = $880 and 35 GB is $1,200 annually. www.OffceToolsPro.com Offce Tools Professional Read the full review and see expanded ratings for this product online at: www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/12049140