Overview Presentation
There are project management, CRM, sales management and invoicing software products. Most of the time, these are all separate products. At best, one product replaces two others, but WORKetc does it all. The product is mainly a CRM with plenty of other high-level features that many CRM systems are lacking.
Four Words to Describe WORKetc : Small Business Management System
Pretending that WORKetc is just another CRM is plain wrong. Customer Relationship Management is the product's main feature, but after reviewing all features it contains, we quickly realized that WORKetc plays in a different league than the other guys in the industry.
Taken individually, not all features in the product are breathtaking. For instance, don't expect critical chain management or MS Project import on the project management side. However, for most small businesses, the software will deliver beyond their expectations in terms of project management. The project management side is collaboration-oriented, a breeze to use and efficient, without bells and whistles. The interface is not the most impressive and could be more intuitive. As an example, it would have been nice to empower users to move the right panel elsewhere. Some users would rather see it at the bottom, at the top or on the left-hand side.
The mix of CRM, billing, calendars, help desk and financial modules is simply amazing from a small business management standpoint. Using one solution that does it all is cost-saving and less of a hassle. Furthermore, all these features work pretty well and some are surprisingly powerful. What makes WORKetc great is not the features per se, but the super-product it is with all features combined.
Sales Management, Financials and Customer Support
Sales personnel can easily create quotes and invoices in the application. A sales catalog can be maintained as well, which is handy to quickly get a price, a SKU or an item description. "Sales Actions" can be managed in a multi-view calendar and leads can be managed in a "Lead Pool".
The financial management side works like a charm. It may even replace your existing accounts receivable software. In addition to accounts receivable, expenses and unbilled charges can be directly invoiced to customers. Furthermore, invoices, transactions and expenses can be exported to an accounting software, such as QuickBooks.
As for the customer support module (helpdesk, in other words), we have a solid feature here. Customers may be given access to the support portal and submit their support cases via customizable web forms. Support cases can be answered using standard (canned) or custom responses. A knowledge base page can be created from any response, which helps maintain a wealthy source of information that can be shared with customers.
What Else?
- Time can be entered in a calendar instead of a time sheet. This is very convenient.
- Invoices are compatible with PayPal and Google Checkout, among others.
- The calendars sync via iCal to Google Calendar, Outlook and iPhone.
- Account data can be backed up using a wizard.
- Widgets can be added to the dashboard, in accordance with your needs.
The Bottom Line
If you're looking for a CRM that does more than the average products, WORKetc is an excellent pick. The combination of features makes the software a distinctive one. It has most tools needed to manage typical small businesses. Do not hesitate to try out WORKetc for free for 14 days. You'll see by yourself.