Legrand CRM: Our Top 12 Features
Legrand CRM: Our Top 12 Features
Issue 4.19 May 17, 2005
Since we have made the change from paper and file folders, to ACT! to salesforce.com and now to Legrand, we have first hand experience about why this has been the best decision we ever made. With functionality that is easy to use, QuickBooks integration that is not available anywhere else for any price, and a quick and painless conversion, we could not be happier.
Every business needs an effective was to keep track of contacts. Some people use QuickBooks but many go the next step to use some type of Contact Relationship Management software (CRM). This could
be Outlook, ACT!, salesforce.com, Intuit’s Customer Manager, etc.
The following Top 12 are not in any particular order, we love them all:
1. QuickBooks Integration – especially drill down on all sales related transactions (posting and non-posting) – this should be more than 1!
With a couple of clicks, it is easy to see what new customers are in QuickBooks but not in Legrand. A couple more clicks and the contact information can be quickly and easily transferred in the direction you want, not to mention a single click is all that is needed to set up a new customer in QuickBooks from within Legrand. Add to that ease of use the unparallel integration of all sales related transactions (invoices, credit memos, sales receipts, sales orders, and estimates)
2. QuickSearch (available on all fields)
The QuickSearch is amazing. It permits searching on just about any field and the search criteria even include empty and non-empty choices. In addition, once you do the search, if you right click on the list you can select everything on the list and assign a keyword, send an e-mail, transfer it to or exclude it from a work list, etc.
3. Keywords
This is an unlimited way to group companies or contacts together. The ways in which this feature can be used are endless. It could be based on the type of product a customer purchases, the fact that the company has a QuickBooks link, contacts who should receive holiday cards, newsletters, etc. Once a company or contact has been assigned to a key word, to search on this key word is simply a matter of choosing it from the pull down and the list of related contacts or companies will appear.
4. Work list
This feature lets you create any type of custom list you would like. You can search within the program, and the list of contacts to the work list, or remove them from the list. Once you have created the work list, you have all the functionality of adding a key word, sending an e-mail, etc.
For example, if you have imported the items that have been sold into Legrand, you can then quickly and easily search in item tracking for all the contacts that purchased Product A, select all, and add to a work list. Then you can search on all the contacts that purchased Product B, select all, and remove from the work list. You are then left with a work list that bought one product and not the other. You could transfer it to a campaign; simply send an e-mail; etc.
5. Ease of conversion
The import of data from a csv is quickly and easily accomplished via a mapping wizard. Additional information can be imported using only the company and city or first name, last name, and phone number without overwriting other information not included in the import. Within 1 day all of our data was converted, our QuickBooks integration complete, and we were using the product with ease. In addition there are several import tools to help automate the conversion from other systems.
6. No learning curve
The program is designed for the small to medium sized business that just wants to use it. The user interface is easy, and the screen labels can even be customized to make the data entry, reporting, etc even more straight-forward. Keywords, QuickSearch and all the functionality that can be accessed by a simple right click means anyone can be effective immediately.
7. Outlook integration that provides access to the full e-mail, not just that the e-mail happened
By clicking on MS Outlook along the top of Legrand CRM a window will open that includes all of the Outlook folders. From here it is possible to highlight the e-mails to be included in the Legrand CRM database. These e-mails then appear on the “activities” tab at the bottom of the contact. When you double click the actual message is available. It is possible to use the Ctrl and Shift buttons to select multiple e-mails to be transferred at once. It is also possible to assign the e-mail to a contact other than the one included in the e-mail address.
8. Recurring calendar events (not available at all in salesforce.com)
When a calendar event is entered, it is possible to click on the “recurrence” button to set the “rules” for how this event should be recorded.
9. Item tracking detail easily imported (and usable)
Item tracking, just like the other features in Legrand CRM, can be used via data entry, or via import. From QuickBooks, the item list can be exported and then imported in Legrand CRM. The item detail can be exported from QuickBooks and imported into Legrand by company, however, the power of using this information is in creating work lists using the contacts. QuickBooks does not permit the export of the sales detail to include the first and last name of the contact, so the import requires the use of QDataViewer.
10. Ease of assigning values to multiple contacts at once (keywords, user defined fields, etc)
By simply doing a QuickSearch or creating a work list, it is then possible to complete several functions including sending an e-mail, doing mail merge, assign or remove keywords, etc.
11. Change screen labels to match the terminology used within the business
Most all of the screen labels can be changed to match the terminology used within the business. This customization serves to further reduce the learning curve by making use of the product more intuitive. The changes are made by choosing Administration > System Administration > Screen Labels.
12. Transfer a contact from one company to another while preserving the activity notes
When a contact changes companies, it is possible to edit the contact to change how it is linked. When this is done, the activity notes will remain with the original company, and be transferred with the contact so follow up with either contains a complete history of what has happened in the past.
How it can work for you:
McWilliams & Associates is proud to announce our relationship with LegrandCRM. We are anxious for you to try this product and let us know what you think. To download an evaluation copy, please enter McWilliams & Associates, Inc. in the dealer section.
Many small businesses need a CRM product and although most market that they work with QuickBooks, few really do in a meaningful way. LegrandCRM is the exception to that rule. We have spent many hours working directly with their developers to help them truly understand what the small business QuickBooks user needs and wants: true integration. This integration is required in a software program that is quick and easy to learn and use in under 30 minutes. They have heard our plea and provided a solution! Contact Us to learn more.
LegrandCRM integrates with QuickBooks Pro and Premier versions 2004 and 2005 plus Enterprise Solution version 4 and 5. It supports the USA, Canada, UK, and Australia editions of QuickBooks.
As a resource for this and other questions, submit a question via “Ask the Expert” or attend our free monthly discussion forum tele-class.
Bonnie J. Nagayama, CPA (925-247-0100) has been featured by Intuit in their QuickBooks Advisor Spotlight and frequently teaches and consults on using QuickBooks to its maximum advantage. For a FREE weekly newsletter of QuickBooks tips and tricks, plus many free and low cost QuickBooks resources visit www.accountingsoftwaresecrets.com.
We have tried many CRM productsl but none compare to Legrand CRM in their ease of set up and use. And now with the major enhancements released this week for the QuickBooks integration, in our opinion there is no other choice for QuickBooks users who want to leverage off the sharing of data.