Accounting software maker Intuit has launched two new customer relationship management (CRM) products designed for accountants and small businesses.
In a statement released Tuesday, Intuit said QuickBooks Client Manager and QuickBooks Customer Manager capture information tied to serving customers and clients on a single screen — a “one-click” process.
Both products link and synch with other software programs, such as QuickBooks financial software, Microsoft Outlook, Word and Excel. Additionally, QuickBooks Client Manager for accountants integrates with Intuit's ProSeries and Lacerte tax preparation software products. Both can be self-installed and set-up in about 30 minutes, said Intuit.
The software maker noted that a recent Intuit user study found that less than 13 percent of QuickBooks financial software customers use any specialized customer relationship management (CRM) software, despite the fact that 89 percent regularly track customer information and 35 percent have investigated traditional CRM applications.
“The market for customer management software is crowded with solutions that are too complex and expensive for most small businesses or accountants,” said Sheryl Kingstone, program manager at Yankee Group. “These organizations rely heavily on referrals and word of mouth, and look to customer data in order to grow relationships rather than for 'sales-pipeline' focused tasks. Without a dedicated sales force or multi-layered marketing structure, small businesses and accountants simply need an easy way to track critical customer information in order to better understand and strengthen the bond with their customer or client.”
QuickBooks Customer Manager is priced at $79.95. Customers can place an advanced order for a free trial version at www.customermanager.com. QuickBooks Customer Manager is also expected to be more broadly available for purchase in select stores in mid September.
QuickBooks Client Manager, which offers additional accountant-specific features, is priced at $249. Accountants can place advance orders of QuickBooks Client Manager by visiting www.accountant.intuit.com.
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