Zurmo 2.0: Open Source CRM for Gen X and Y
Zurmo, the PHP-based open source customer relationship management (CRM) software platform, arrived at a big milestone today.
Today its developers announced the release of Zurmo Open Source CRM 2.0, which brings new email marketing features into the mix. This time around, the team, early proponents of gamification, mobile and enterprise social networking, made the user experience a focus of the group's development efforts. Zurmo, the commercial entity, also offers paid Group and Pro versions with varying levels of app integration and support.
Generation X and Y users have moved on from traditional business software offerings, argues the company. In a statement, Zurmo CEO and co-founder Jason Green said, “Gamification works. Social collaboration works. Open Source works. A clean user interface with minimalist design works. These are the building blocks of Zurmo.”
Zurmo sports a modern, uncluttered and largely unadorned interface that draws attention to customer information, interactions and other pertinent data. New to Zurmo 2.0 is Kanban View for Opportunities, a board comprised of columns and tiles that allows users to drag sales opportunities (tiles) to the next stage in the process.
Not only is it a timesaver, but it can help keep sales teams keep their momentum going, according to Zurmo's director of Marketing and Community Management, Stafford McKay. He explained in a blog post, “Rather than having to go into the edit view, an Opportunity sales stage can be changed simply by dragging the whole Opportunity to the next level.”
“It's cool moving those numbers across the screen all the way from ‘Prospecting' to ‘Closed Won.' If something gets stuck for too long in the middle, it probably should get the ax. Kanban view keeps things moving right along,” added McKay.
Businesses can also now leverage the software's new email marketing features. These include email template design tools, schedulable autoresponders and real-time visual reporting on click-through rates, list growth and other metrics.
The free alternative to commercial CRM offerings has largely kept pace with some of the biggest trends in enterprise software.
Last year, the company added gamification to its social enterprise toolkit, helping managers motivate workforces and achieve business goals with scorekeeping and leveling features that allow them to engage in a little friendly competition. In November, Zurmo gained in-app email capabilities to help users streamline their workflows and keep app switching to a minimum.
Pedro Hernandez is a contributing editor at Enterprise Apps Today and InternetNews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ecoINSITE.
Pedro Hernandez contributes to Enterprise Apps Today, and 11Press, the technology network. He was previously the managing editor of Internet.com, an IT-related website network. He has expertise in Smart Tech, CRM, and Mobile Tech, Helping Banks and Fintechs, Telcos and Automotive OEMs, and Healthcare and Identity Service Providers to Protect Mobile Apps.
