Issue TOC Print full article Print this page Download as PDF E-Mail this URL Discuss this article Flame the author     In this article Introduction Integration & Customization ACCPAC CRM 5.5 Epicor Clientele 8.1 Microsoft Business Solutions CRM 1.0 Soffront CRM 8.0 FrontRange GoldMine 6.0 Executive Summary | How We Tested | Outsourcing CRM Report Card

Epicor's CRM product is a 100 percent Microsoft .Net-based program. A .Net-based client communicates with the Clientele server via Web services and offers a richer client experience than its browser-based competitors. As such, Clientele requires some upfront work for deployment on the desktop, as the .Net framework is required. Users can perform the installation by browsing to the Clientele server, a simple procedure. However, Windows 9x workstations will need upgrading because the .Net framework 1.1 is only available for Windows 2003, 2000 and XP. NWC Inc. would have no problem with these requirements, but many midsize companies may have trouble complying. Therefore, we preferred competitors' browser-based access, as a means to eliminate the costs of desktop management and potential upgrades for all users.

Epicor's customer self-service portal was as good as ACCPAC's. It is well-designed and integrates easily into the system, requiring only setup of a portal user within ADS to get it started. Enabling Epicor to accept e-mail and integrate requests for support or information (the infamous "Request Info: info@mycompany.com" link found on Web sites) was simple and integrated easily into Epicor's work-flow engine.