Long Reach Releases Version 3.0 of info@hand Customer Portal & eStore:
Integrates the Latest Releases from Joomla!™, VirtueMart and FireBoard
ONTARIO, CANADA – (August 9, 2008) – The Long Reach Corporation has announced the release of the next generation of the Customer Sales/Support Portal and eStore for its flagship product, info@hand, a Customer Relationship and Business Management (CRBM) System for small and medium-sized businesses. (Try it here: demo/demo to login.) Notable in this latest release is the incorporation of the latest versions of the underlying Open Source software from the Joomla!™, VirtueMart and FireBoard projects.
info@hand is one of the first products to blend first class Customer Relationship Management (CRM) features with extended business management capabilities for Accounting and ERP, e-Commerce, Project & Resource tracking, Customer Service, and Human Resources. The latest release 5.3.3 of the info@hand CRBM System has been released at the same time as this major new Customer Portal release.
While a CRM is usually purchased initially as a tool for the employees of a business, it is critically important that the CRM also provide attractive and compelling tools for the customers of the business. A 24/7 Sales and Service Customer Portal, as well as an eStore, are critical components of any business' CRM strategy, as they are the customer-facing aspects of your CRM solution.
A customer that is logged in to the info@hand Customer Portal & eStore may perform these functions:
- Update their own contact information at any time, directly within their supplier’s master records kept by the info@hand Business Portal
- Register to use the info@hand eStore, included with the Customer Portal (see more on the eStore here)
- Register for Marketing Events, Newsletters and Seminars
- Update their own password for access to the Customer Portal
- Access Invoice and Payment history to check their account balance and status with your business
- Access Quotes you prepare for them, and review and comment on them
- File service Cases directly within their supplier’s info@hand Business Portal, and return at any time 24/7 to review updated information
- File Software Bugs directly within their supplier’s info@hand Business Portal, and return at any time 24/7 to review updated information
- Collaborate on a Project:
- The customer can see all the project tasks identified (although some may be hidden from the customer by users of the Business Portal), and the progress % to date
- The customer can see all Documents linked to the project, and can add new documents themselves
- The customer can see Notes related to the project (although some may be hidden from the customer by users of the Business Portal) – and may add additional notes themselves – optionally with attachments such as Microsoft Office files
- The customer can see all Contacts related to the project
- Participate in Customer Forums – a full forum system is included within the customer portal
- Review Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and their answers
The key new software integrated in release 3.0 of the info@hand Customer Portal & eStore includes:
- Joomla 1.5.3, a completely updated and re-architected version of the Joomla! Content Management and Portal software.
- VirtueMart 1.1, a major update to the VirtueMart eCommerce software.
- FireBoard 1.0.4, exciting new Forum software that is a native Joomla! component.
Pricing for info@hand is simple compared to other CRM products. info@hand is sold for a one-time customer fee of 185 Euros (about $275 US) per user, which includes specific software for mobile access (info@hand Mobile) and the info@hand Customer Portal with eStore (which provides clients with access to automated sales and service 24/7). Also included in the standard price are the info@hand Plug-in for Microsoft Outlook, and info@hand PBX software for integrating with Asterisk/Trixbox/Fonality/Skype/X-Lite IP telephony solutions.
An online demo of info@hand is available via their website. A 30-day free trial of the info@hand On Demand (subscription) service is also available. Customers may then decide to implement info@hand as On Premise software running on the customer’s own server or at their ISP, or as an On Demand service.
About The Long Reach
The Long Reach Corp. specializes in software solutions that equip small- and medium-sized organizations with integrated online business information while improving their cost model and streamlining their internal business processes. The company’s flagship product, info@hand, is a web-based system that blends best-of-breed CRM with extended business management features for Accounting, ERP and eCommerce. info@hand provides “Instant Business Information, Anywhere” at every desk within an organization, or remotely via PC, Mac or handheld devices. The privately held company was founded in 1997 and is based in Ottawa, Canada.
Note: Joomla!™ is the registered trademark of Open Source Matters, Inc. in the United States and other countries.