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Tigerpaw Software's Business Suite 9 is no paper tiger. Here's what you can expect from this mid-market CRM aDD.
It's a jungle out there when it comes to CRM software. Given a crowded marketplace, particularly for apps serving call centers with hundreds or thousands of agents, some CRM developers have found a niche catering to mid-- size call centers that employ from 50 to 150 agents.
Tigerpaw Software (Bellevue, NE) is one such vendor. And Business Suite 9 is the company's flagship product. We found the software quite versatile. It enables agents to handle sales and customer support requests; draft invoices and complete forms detailing customer support cases; and check inventory. Business Suite 9 was also easy to install and use. In sum, the product is as competitively positioned as any CRM suite for mid-size call centers.
The suite comprises four modules: Pursuit; Quotes; Service & Repair, and Parts Inventory Control and Purchasing. The first two provide agents with information to confirm sales and look up pricing. The last two help agents ensure that customers receive service or repairs. They also let agents order parts.
Pursuit displays customers' contact information and provides a history of customers' purchases and service requests. Quotes lets agents find prices for company products and services, including applicable discounts. The module also lets you generate forecasts to predict sales trends, invoices for customers' purchases, and work orders for repairs that customers request.
Using Service & Repair, agents can create service orders for customers who request repairs. And you can assign technicians to handle repairs from a graphical calendar. Parts Inventory Control and Purchasing lets agents check inventory and complete purchase orders for parts or materials necessary for repair jobs.
Although we didn't have time to test every feature of the four modules, we did give Business Suite 9 a good run for its money. We created profiles of hypothetical customers, including their contact information and "purchase" histories. We also created...