Contactually

Excellent way to manage your relations

Puntos a favor:

Operational CRM: how to manage your contacts based on their relative importance to you

Contras:

It was getting too much: felt I was driven by this tool.

Mixed feelings

Comentarios: I have been using, or should I say paying, for Contactually for the past year. I was looking for a CRM that would keep my contacts organized and in one place, and one which would help me follow-up with leads and prospects. Initially, Contactually seemed like the CRM for me. I loved the Outlook plug-in and the social intergrations. However, things started to go sideways quickly. Some of my contacts started syncing incorrectly with Facebook contacts--merging completely different people into one. Contacts that I deleted (repeatedly) were re-appearing with outdated info. Support was quick to respond, but they couldn't provide an answer, or a solution. They blamed Facebook and essentially said there was nothing more that they could do. I eventually had to un-link my Facebook account. About three weeks later, they contacted me to say that they had discovered a bug and that it should be fixed. Some time after that, they discontinued integration with Facebook.
The next issue I had was the Outlook plug-in started malfunctioning. I would get error messages when sending email. Again, Support was quick to respond, however they couldn't locate the source of the problem.
To be honest, I've never explored the marketing aspects of Contactually--the ability to set up automated email programs etc. I think I knew I wouldn't stick with the system long-term so I didn't bother to set anything up. I've been searching for another (cheaper) CRM for the past month.

Puntos a favor:

I love the clean interface. Support was always very responsive, if somewhat limited in their ability to provide answers. As far as relationship management, the system does a good job of prompting you to contact people you haven't interacted with in a while. It also gives you a letter grade every week to let you know how you're doing, which is fun and motivating. There are lots of free webinars offered on how to use Contactually and how to improve your business. The Outlook plug-in is great (when it works). I have colleagues who love and swear by Contactually.

Contras:

For me, the cost is too much for a system that I am not using to its full potential. In the process of trying to find another CRM, I've encountered plenty alternatives at less than 1/3 the cost. The inability of Support to identify and solve problems I had with the system is also a con. The only Social integrations are Twitter and Linked In, so the benefits of those to me are slim. The bottom line is that I would probably stick with Contactually if the price was right--and for me that means no more than $10/month.

Realtor with a team have used for 5+ years and regret ever setting it up.

Comentarios: It is a huge mistake to get this program. At least in the past the support could actually help and not treat us so poorly. Now Compass owns and are creating a totally different product and don't care about the old Contactually clients.

Puntos a favor:

I am a realtor with a team of agents. And I REGRET terribly ever using Contactually. Setting up a CRM is a pain so that is why I have kept using for many years. So I am very experienced with the product. The main reason we got it was so everyone on the team could see what other team members interactions were with the client. It's not worth getting even for that now.

Contras:

There are so many downsides. One being - using tags, another reason we got it - is so finicky that you can easily create another one by mistake. Another issue is that even if it is the fault of Contactually program, and you can even more easily delete them instantly with no ability to get them back. There is no back button. Once you make ANY change for ANYTHING, it is GONE PERMANENTLY, even if it was a very innocent mistake. Totally messes with the database. Bizarre and unprofessional. Another BIG issue is that when you put a bucket of clients together and you want to work on one client then go to the next on the list, YOU CANNOT. You have to go back to the Contacts page with the full client list, even if the bucket of clients is many pages, and it takes you to the beginning of the list. So then you have to remember which client was next, then you might have to go to another page 3 or 5 or 8. Then you can't just press an arrow or scroll to next person. It is INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING. Another problem is that the old address etc. shows up first in the clients contact info, so the new info is at the bottom of the client and doesn't show up as primary. Another problem is that there is no consistent "cell" or mobile template. Another is that the app has only half the functions of the desktop, so using on phone or finding info about the client is almost impossible on a tablet or phone. Another is printing labels - forget it. Another is doesn't work well with MACBOOK

A full-fledged email marketing software

Comentarios: I used Contacually for a while on behalf of my clients. The experience was seamless. I didn't encounter any major setbacks.

Puntos a favor:

I like the UX of the software It's modern, and the work on its web app is seamless.

Contras:

The software although it comes with a plenty of features, it lacks batch processing, calendar synchronization and call recording.

Contactually continues to improve and expand the value they bring to their Real Estate CRM

Comentarios: Contactually helps me keep on top of my contacts, relationships and follow ups. I love how user friendly and aesthetically pleasing and simple the website and app as well as the functionality are.

Puntos a favor:

the real time linking with your email to show you emails to and from the client....and the newly added toolbar aspect whereby a right hand extension opens when you are in an email with a client or affiliated vendor

Contras:

the follow up features/emails etc. were somewhat lacking...however, they have improved this aspect incredibly