Contactually

Overall: 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 Contacts that I deleted (repeatedly) were re-appearing with outdated info.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.

Pros: 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.

Cons: 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.

Overall: We are still relatively new to the service (just over one year). Caroline has made a major difference in making Contactually integrate with our other systems.

Pros: Caroline Long is our representative. We were a client of Contactually when they offered their new Concierge Service. We signed up immediately as it was just what we needed. We were not fully using the tools within Contactually when Caroline was assigned to our account. We are very happy with her work and would recommend her and this service for other Contactually accounts.

Cons: We need texting within Contactually. We can only cut and paste presently to record these interactions.