Companies looking for a CRM solution for their business immediately think of Salesforce.com. Then they learn what everyone else has – it’s too expensive and too hard to use and they are right, but perhaps for the wrong reason.  Salesforce is a good product and a good company, but that does not mean their solution is right for every business.  No company can be all things to all people and Salesforce is no exception.  The company’s product addresses complex issues for enterprise level corporations and as such, incorporates a level of complexity that is simply not necessary for many small to mid-size businesses. That does not mean the product is too expensive or too hard to use. It just means that it is not the right solution for you.

The good news is there are a myriad of CRM solutions available, from basic out-of-the-box systems to ones designed for specific vertical industries like legal, banking or real estate.  While few CRM solutions can match the scope of functionality and scalability of Salesforce, there are some very good products targeted at the middle market that offer comprehensive functionality, customizability and affordability that many companies are looking for.  One of these products is Commence CRM, manufactured by Commence Corporation. Commence has been in the CRM sector for two decades and has a very good track record for the quality of their products and the customer service the company provides.

Commence CRM offers a robust suite of applications that rival Salesforce at a fraction of the cost. The product includes account and contact management, lead and sales management, marketing, a help desk with customer ticketing, analytical reporting, e-mail integration, mobile, an internet service portal and an integrated project management application.  Commence also offers a higher level of customizability than competitive products and offers an array of value added services for sales optimization and marketing.  The product is best suited for businesses with 10 to 100 users that need the functionality Commence CRM can provide, but not the cost and complexity of Salesforce.  Pricing ranges from $29 to $65 per user per month.