Latest CRM Software Industry News

Latest Release Adds Interactive Workflow, Integrated Project Management and Much More!
Riverside, CA, August 29, 2005 – Surado Solutions, the emerging innovator in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions for small to medium sized enterprises, today announced the release of Surado CRM 5.0

“We’ve enjoyed previewing Surado CRM 5.0 over the last few months,” stated Sundip R. Doshi, Surado’s CEO. “Industry experts tell us that Surado has achieved many ‘bests’ when compared to other leading solutions on the market–user interface, ease of use, comprehensive out-of-the-box functionality, ease of integration with third party software—plus our newly added Interactive Workflow is a huge hit.”

“The market is replete with examples of CRM solution vendors who get so caught up in their own technology that they forget about the user,” stated Cheryl L. McCarthy, Surado’s Executive Vice President. “And here, Surado really shines! Although each successive generation of Surado CRM clearly grows in power and sophistication, we never forget our commitment to our customers–make it easy to use, make it easy to install, make it easy to integrate.”

“Our mission goes beyond sales,” said Jack Robinson, Director of Sales, “Small and mid-sized companies are the heartbeat of America. We take great pride in empowering them with sensible technology to help them grow and prosper, creating jobs and moving our economy forward.”

Surado CRM 5.0 includes many improvements from an updated and more simplified user interface to the addition of powerful new functionality such as Interactive Workflow and integration with Microsoft Project Management—all value-adds to Surado CRM’s already rich feature set included in the core suite.

“Surado CRM 5.0 is intelligent, intuitive, and masterful in its approach to effective, collaborative customer management,” said Shane Stowe, CEO of the Oston Group, a consulting firm specializing in CRM. “New features like field-level security, intelligent workflow, and a new user interface elevate an already superior solution to the very top of its class.”

Whether an organization is small, medium or large sized, Interactive Workflow functionality will help streamline and simplify processes, reduce training time, improve customer service and increase business flexibility. By utilizing a graphic representation of an organization’s workflow, users can be guided on a “best practices” path to accomplish tasks. Even the unfamiliar will move from one step to another with ease, while being empowered to open specific functions within the workflow, leading users through the steps needed to actually accomplish their work. To close the loop, Surado CRM weaves all activities accomplished from the Workflow right back into the customer record for quick and easy access.

Surado CRM 5.0’s New Key Features include:
Enhanced User Interface
Interactive Workflow Process Manager
Built in Project Manager
Powerful CRM Dashboard
Enhanced Sales Automation
Increased Back Office Integration
Added Security
Enhanced Support Rules
Advanced Quoting Module
Template Merge Capability with MS Word and MS Excel
Customized Reporting
Upgraded Data Mining
Enhanced E-mail Integration
New Calendar Views
Contact and Account Record Alert
Upgraded Search Engine with ability to create, save and run queries

Surado Responds to Small Business Demand for Comprehensive, Yet Affordable, CRM
Riverside, CA, September 12, 2005 – Surado Solutions, the emerging innovator in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions for small to medium sized enterprises, today announced the release of Surado Small Business CRM.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software provides all the features and functionality found in a typical contact management package such as ACT! or Goldmine–plus much more. CRM software is more robust and comprehensive, providing a single view of an organization’s customers. By providing a central repository for customer information from which all representatives work, and integrating with other third party software, businesses can have a complete real-time “picture” of their customers.

“We identified a significant gap in the market,” said Sundip R. Doshi, Surado’s CEO. “A small business trying to move from a basic contact management product (averaging $200-300/user) to a true CRM package (generally priced closer to $1,500-$3,000/user) may suffer sticker-shock. Surado Small Business CRM provides an excellent entry package to help bridge that gap.”

To help small business get started, and to better “seed” the lower end of the entry level CRM market, Surado Small Business CRM provides comprehensive on-premise CRM for up to 10 users for as little as $500 per user, which translates to about $21 per user per month. And to further assist its growing customers, Surado provides a trade-in credit for customers who move to its Surado CRM Enterprise solution, which targets the 11-1,000 user market and can be done seamlessly.

Surado Small Business CRM includes all of the features and functionality of Surado CRM 5.0 Enterprise’s core suite, plus several powerful modules—all bundled into one affordable package:
Surado CRM Suite:
- Contact and Account Management
- Sales Automation
- Marketing Automation
- Customer Service/Help Desk
Surado Integration for Microsoft Exchange 200x
Surado Integration Module
Surado CRM Web Module
“There’s a lot of talk about the growth in the hosted market through ‘affordable’ pay-as-you-go products such as Salesforce.com, RightNow Technologies, and Netsuite,” stated Cheryl L. McCarthy, Surado’s Executive Vice President. “But what we’ve found is that our customers do not want their valuable data sitting on someone else’s server–and when you spread your cost across a lease, Surado Small Business CRM’s $21 per user/month is actually less than the hosted model, right out of the gate.”

Surado Small Business CRM addresses many of the advantages touted by hosted models:
Ease of Use (Intuitive Design facilitates fast user adoption)
Rapid installation (Less than 30 Days)
Low Total Cost of Ownership
Anytime/Anywhere Access (Included Surado CRM Web Module Provides Flexible Access Through Secure Internet Connection)
Version Protection (Updates keep software current to latest version)
“Many software vendors introduce ‘Lite’ starter versions to the market, stripping out key features and functionality that leave you wanting their more robust ‘complete’ packages,” stated Jack Robinson, Surado’s Director of Sales. “But that’s not Surado’s approach. We understand that small business is up against the ‘big boys’ —so they need complete tools to enable them to compete effectively, helping ensure not only survival but also prosperity.

Surado Small Business CRM also includes powerful newly-introduced functionality such as Dynamic Workflow, Dashboards and integration with Microsoft Project. Whether an organization is small, medium or large sized, Interactive Workflow functionality will help streamline and simplify processes, reduce training time, improve customer service and increase business flexibility. By utilizing a graphic representation of an organization’s workflow, users can be guided on a “best practices” path to accomplish tasks. Not only will users move from one step to another with ease but they’ll also be empowered to open specific functions within the workflow, defining more detailed processes that need to occur.

City Applauds Surado for High Tech Success and Strong Corporate Citizenship
Riverside, CA, August 25, 2005 – In keeping with its commitment to providing powerful, versatile and sensible solutions that help companies know their customers and keep them for life, Surado Solutions, the emerging innovator in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, today announced that it received a Proclamation from the City of Riverside on Tuesday, August 23, 2005, recognizing Surado for its First Decade of Success, the upcoming release of Surado CRM 5.0 and Surado’s Strong Corporate Citizenship.

“It is a tremendous honor to be recognized by the City of Riverside, particularly during this exciting time in Surado’s history,” stated Sundip R. Doshi, Surado’s CEO. “As we celebrate our 10th Anniversary and introduce the best version ever of our company’s flagship product, Surado CRM 5.0, we are pleased to symbolically reciprocate our thanks to the City for its continued support by adding the acknowledgement “Born in Riverside” to the “About” screen of each of our product lines so that no matter where our customers are, be they in California or Boston or Ireland–they will know that Surado CRM products were born in Riverside, California.”

Surado received its Proclamation at the start of the City Council meeting held last Tuesday at 6:30 PM. Assistant City Manager Michael Beck introduced Surado and Sundip R. Doshi, Surado’s Founder and CEO, followed by the Proclamation presentation by the Honorable Mayor Ronald O. Loveridge. The presentation highlighted Surado’s accomplishments as a nationally and internationally recognized emerging innovator in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, its corporate expansion including upcoming move to the University Research Park, its local community service through Advisory Boards and the celebration of Surado Anniversaries through voluntary projects in the community.

The City Council meeting was broadcast live on Government Access Channel (Charter) GOAC032.

“The City of Riverside is practicing CRM,” stated Cheryl L. McCarthy, Surado’s Executive Vice President. “By valuing and serving its existing businesses as it seeks to attract new ones, the City of Riverside will grow and prosper.”

Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce Members Name CRM as #1 Technology Concern
Riverside, CA, August 25, 2005 – In keeping with its commitment to providing powerful, versatile and sensible solutions that help companies know their customers and keep them for life, Surado Solutions, the emerging innovator in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, today announced that it will speak on the subject of CRM at the first Annual Temecula Valley Chamber of Commerce Technology Forum.

The forum will be held this Friday, August 26, 2005 from 10 a.m. to noon at the chamber, 26790 Ynez Court, Temecula, with vendor booth visitation immediately following.

Customer Relationship Management was the most popularly requested technology topic as a result of an e-mail survey, conducted earlier this year, to the chamber’s 1,400 members. The chamber’s business development resource committee organized the event.

Sundip R. Doshi, Surado’s CEO, will speak on “How CRM Solves Business Concerns” and “How to Select the Right CRM Solution for your Business.” Doshi, who is a regular lecturer on the topics of CRM as well as Entrepreneurship, teaches at the University of California, Riverside Extension. Surado is also the sponsor of the Distinguished Entrepreneur Lecture Series at the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship at California State University, San Bernardino.

“As a CRM software innovator targeting small to mid-sized companies, we are extremely pleased to see the tremendous increase in CRM interest over the past year as local businesses are better understanding how CRM can help them make money,” said Doshi. “Although all Surado customers are important to us, we are especially gratified to dedicate our technology to helping local businesses grow and prosper.”

“Surado has been a member in good standing and valuable resource to TVCC for more than six years,” said Alice Sullivan, President and CEO of the chamber. “Our members are savvy business people who understand that those who fail to embrace technology will be left behind–so they are actively seeking solutions to help them grow. We are delighted to have a company of Surado’s stature helping to educate our membership through our first Technology Forum.”

New Release Features Never-Before-Seen Dynamic Workflow Functionality, Integrated Project Management and Much More!
Riverside, CA, July 12, 2005 – Surado Solutions, the emerging innovator in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software solutions, today announced the upcoming release of Surado CRM 5.0

Surado CRM 5.0, targeted toward the SMB market, is scheduled for public release on August 29, 2005.

“We are extremely excited about Surado CRM 5.0,” said Sundip R. Doshi, Surado’s CEO. “We’ve improved and expanded on the product in many ways from updating the interface to the addition of powerful new functionality such as Dynamic Workflow and integration with Microsoft Project Management—all value-adds to Surado CRM’s already rich feature set included in the core suite.”

Response has been overwhelming, from current customers awaiting their product upgrades to industry analysts during product previews. “Our continued release of sensible, progressively advanced versions of Surado CRM while staying true to our number one product differentiator, ease-of-use, is fueling our market penetration,” said Cheryl L. McCarthy, Surado’s Executive Vice President. “Built from the user’s perspective, Surado CRM receives fast user acceptance, critical to broader CRM success.”

“With the introduction of version 5.0, Surado CRM is no longer a best of a breed ­ it is now a unique breed, one that will keep the competition busy for years in their effort to catch up, said Shane Stowe, CEO of the Oston Group, a consulting firm specializing in CRM. “Surado CRM version 5.0 is intelligent, intuitive, and masterful in its approach to effective, collaborative customer management. New features like field-level security, intelligent workflow, and a new user interface elevate an already superior solution to the very top of its class.”

“It is refreshing to find a CRM vendor that understands the importance of workflow in a CRM application and how it positively impacts the customers” stated Kate Schrader, CEO of Mondo Solutions, one of Southern California’s largest CRM Integrators. “This takes CRM to a new level.”

Whether an organization is small, medium or large sized, Dynamic Workflow functionality will help streamline and simplify processes, reduce training time, improve customer service and increase business flexibility. By utilizing a graphic representation of an organization’s workflow, users can be guided on a “best practices” path to accomplish tasks. Not only will users move from one step to another with ease but they’ll also be empowered to open specific functions within the workflow, defining more detailed processes that need to occur.

Surado CRM 5.0’s New Key Features include:
Enhanced User Interface
Interactive Work Flow Process Manager
Built in Project Manager
Powerful CRM Dashboard
Enhanced Sales Automation
Increased Back Office Integration
Added Security
Enhanced Support Rules
Advanced Quoting Module
Template Merge Capability with MS Word and MS Excel
Customized Reporting
Upgraded Data Mining
Enhanced E-mail Integration
New Calendar Views
Contact and Account Record Alert
Upgraded Search Engine with ability to create, save and run queries

Endowment Helps Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship at California State University, San Bernardino Feature Highly Successful Entrepreneurs
Riverside, CA, July 29, 2005 – In keeping with its commitment to providing powerful, versatile and sensible solutions that help companies know their customers and keep them for life, Surado Solutions, the emerging innovator in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, today announced that Surado will sponsor the Foundation for California State University, San Bernardino’s (CSUSB) Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship (IECE) Distinguished Lecture Series.

The SURADO Distinguished Entrepreneur Lecture Series brings highly successful entrepreneurs, including California State San Bernardino University alumni, to the campus each academic quarter to share their experiences with students, faculty, staff and the public. This program is designed to supplement and extend the curriculum learning of students in the business school, as well as expose students from other colleges on campus to the potential career opportunities as an entrepreneur.

“I’m pleased that Surado Solutions Inc. has chosen to endow the Distinguished Entrepreneur Lecture Series offered by our nationally recognized entrepreneurship program,” said Albert Karnig, President. “We’re especially delighted that our Lecture Series is now being supported by a local software company that has itself gained both national and international acclaim for its innovative products. Surado Solutions and its founder, Sundip Doshi, truly represent the type of leadership that our entrepreneurship program seeks to develop.”

“The Surado Distinguished Entrepreneur Lecture Series is a great way to help students and attendees get an inside view of what it takes to be an entrepreneur in the real world,” stated Sundip R. Doshi, Surado’s CEO. “The lectures are well attended, and the questions asked by the student show that they genuinely want to learn. Surado is pleased to promote the spirit of entrepreneurship through the lecture series.”

“Ranked by Entrepreneur magazine as being among the top 26 regional universities as well as one of the best 75 collegiate entrepreneurship programs in the United States, we are pleased to have Surado’s support in expanding student reach and securing more nationally recognized speakers to enhance the quality of entrepreneurial education at California State University, San Bernardino,” said Michael Stull, Director of IECE.

Surado Releases Surado CRM 5.0, While Giving Back to Community
Riverside, CA, June 5, 2005 – In keeping with its commitment to providing powerful, versatile and sensible solutions that help companies know their customers and keep them for life, Surado Solutions, the emerging innovator in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, today announced that it is celebrating it’s 10th Anniversary.

“It is exciting to look back over what Surado has accomplished in the last decade,” said Sundip R. Doshi, Surado’s CEO “With over 30 product lines in all 50 US States and over 64 countries worldwide, we are better positioned than ever before to launch our next generation CRM software–Surado CRM 5.0.”

Surado plans to announce the public release date of Surado CRM 5.0 in the next few weeks. The latest release, complete with Dynamic Workflows, Expanded Dashboards and built-in Project Management features will provide never-before-seen functionality, setting a new standard in mid-market CRM.

In addition to the upcoming release of Surado CRM 5.0, the company is celebrating its corporate anniversary through a charity event. As it does each year, Surado employees, friends and families will turn out in force on June 18th to work together on its selected project. This year’s event, coordinated through “Hands-On Riverside County,” a program of Unity Fellowship Social Justice Ministries, will focus on renovating the home of a local grandmother who is raising her grandchildren.

Past Surado volunteer projects have ranged from Habitat for Humanity Projects to tutoring at-risk youth through The Coalition for Common Grounds “Cops and Clergy” Program, to reading to children in the Pediatric Ward at Loma Linda University Medical Center to Graffiti Eradication in the City of Riverside.

“Although Surado Team members actively give as individuals throughout the year, the Surado Charity Day provides us with an opportunity to work together as a team to symbolically give thanks for our success,” said Sundip R. Doshi, Surado’s CEO. “We can’t think of a better way to celebrate than to contribute in making life better in the community in which we live.”

“Choosing projects that align with our core values is an important part of the Surado culture,” said Cheryl L. McCarthy, Surado’s Executive Vice President. “The Surado Team is diverse and passionate-they work hard, play hard and genuinely enjoy serving others.”

About Unity Fellowship Social Justice Ministries
Hands on Riverside County is a program of Unity Fellowship Social Justice Ministries (UFSJM), a 501c3 non-profit organization operating programs and services in Riverside and San Bernardino Counties since 1995. The Mission of the UFSJM is to provide a safe space for all people to receive practical training, health education, economic independence, self-empowerment, personal enlightenment and true freedom through education, spirituality and the creative/performing arts. USFJC promotes and fosters Wholeness and Wellness, treating all people of every race, ethnicity, gender-identity, sexuality and cultural diversity with dignity, kindness and respect. Primary service areas include HIV/AIDS Education and Outreach, Youth Employment Training and Development, Creative and Performance Arts and Community Service. For more information, call 951.519.0392.

Sundip R. Doshi, CEO of Surado Solutions, Explains Workflow’s Value to a CRM Initiative
Riverside, CA, June 15, 2005 – Surado Solutions, the emerging innovator in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software solutions, today announced the upcoming interview of its CEO, Sundip R. Doshi, by Scott Davis and Kate Schrader on CRM Talk Radio.

The interview will be broadcast live today at 6:00 PM PDT and will then be available through archive at http://www.wsradio.com/crmtalk/.

The CRM Talk Radio interview, hosted by Mondo Solutions, will discuss the upcoming release of Surado CRM 5.0, including how Workflow functionality will help small, medium and large sized organizations streamline and simplify processes, improve customer service and increase business flexibility.

CRM Talk Radio is the new global voice of customer relationship management available over the web. With guests ranging from the industry’s leading voices, organizations that deploy CRM tools, to the developers of technology, this live and archived talk radio show creates an objective source for sales professionals and management to realize CRM success. CRM Talk Radio broadcasts out of San Diego to a broad range of listeners including CRM vendors, consultants, practitioners and users.

Latest Coverage Recognizes Surado CRM Design and Functionality
Riverside, CA, March 28, 2005 – In keeping with its commitment to providing powerful, versatile and sensible solutions that help companies know their customers and keep them for life, Surado Solutions, the emerging innovator in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, today announced its recent coverage in Intelligent Enterprise and Inc. magazines.

“Continued coverage from leading Industry and Business Analysts and publications, as well as feedback from our customers, indicate that Surado CRM’s innovative solutions are hitting the target,” said Sundip R. Doshi, CEO, “At a time when customers are more savvy than ever before, and with so many vendors competing in the same space, Surado is committed to ensuring that we provide the most sensible solutions to help SMB companies grow.”

The Intelligent Enterprise article entitled, “Get Your Customer in Focus,” written by Jill Dyche, Vice President of Baseline Consulting and author of the best-selling The CRM Handbook, highlights Surado CRM’s Dashboards, Dynamic Workflows, back-office integration and ability to capture and bridge data sets from other legacy systems as key values.

Surado CRM was also recently featured in Inc magazine for its full front-end integration with QuickBooks’ Financial Software. “The ability to tie financial system information to the CRM system is a an important part of building a complete picture of your customer,” said Jack Robinson, Surado’s Director of Sales, “We are excited to provide Intuit customers and other SMB companies with more options in implementing Surado CRM.”

Federally Funded Research Program Seeks to Improve Operations
Riverside, CA, May 31, 2005 – In keeping with its commitment to providing powerful, versatile and sensible solutions that help companies know their customers and keep them for life, Surado Solutions, the emerging innovator in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, today announced that the Office of Technology Transfer and Commercialization (OTTC) at California State University, San Bernardino has selected Surado CRM for its customer relationship management needs.

The mission of the Office of Technology Transfer and Commercialization at Cal State University San Bernardino is to provide a gateway between academia, government and the private sector in order to expedite the transition of new technologies through the commercialization process, whether to marketplace or government for defense-related procurement purposes.

With strong support from the Hon. Jerry Lewis of the Congressional Appropriations Committee, OTTC is the San Bernardino program office for the Center for Commercialization of Advanced Technology (CCAT) program. OTTC partners with the Inland Empire Center for Entrepreneurship (IECE) at CSUSB, ranked among the top 50 schools for entrepreneurship, and other private and public organizations to carry out its mission.

CCAT – San Diego is an academic-industry-government collaborative partnership involving the Entrepreneurial Management Center at San Diego State University, ranked among the top 25 schools for entrepreneurship; The Jacobs School of Engineering at UCSD, a top-ranked engineering school; Lockheed-Martin, Orincon corporation International, an established and highly successful defense and commercial contractor; and SPAWAR Systems Center San Diego, a premier naval laboratory.

“We are extremely excited at the enormous benefits that Surado CRM brings to OTTC,” said Stuart Gordon, Director of OTTC, “Surado’s technology enables us to manage massive amounts of complex interrelated data faster and more effectively, responding to questions, maintaining continuity, and tracking exactly who is doing what, our progress, and specific areas in which help is needed such as market studies.”

“Leveraging relationships is absolutely critical to OTTC’s mission,” said Sundip R. Doshi, Surado’s CEO, “With a myriad of programs to manage, including intricate relationships with tremendous synergy, it is important that OTTC team members have access to the right information at the right time, empowering them to work effectively with innovators and companies in promoting the new technologies addressing priority requirements such as Homeland Defense and Security.”