Inbound emails with the Webmail application

This weekend we added a significant new feature to the Webmail application: Receiving emails from external email accounts.

Each user can configure up to five external email accounts. These external accounts must accept POP3 connections in standard or secure mode (SSL/TLS). Once the parameters of an account have been saved, the user can check the connection. We provide some examples of settings for the most popular email services.

Receiving emails is triggered by the user when he clicks the sub menu Check Mailboxes. Only new emails are retrieved and uploaded.

Management of external emails is quite a complex process. Our extended preliminary tests have been positive but there is a wide variety of cases to validate. We will run a real life test period for few weeks. Please do not hesitate to report technical issues, visual glitches in the display of the incoming emails or request of improvements in this new feature.

During the beta test period, we do not allow the deletion of emails on the external email account while they are retrieved. In all cases, this is a feature that is not recommended to activate so one can continue to check and manage his emails from his default email client.

 

New dynamic panel

A new small feature made its way to your AppShore CRM account: dynamic panel.

Two weeks ago, we revamped the Dashboard application to make it nicer and more user friendly. Today we have updated the left panel (or right if you are using AppShore in Arabic) that is visible on most of the layouts with some similar behaviors and dynamic objects.

Users can customize their own panel by adding, removing or moving dashlets (we called them simply boxes here).

Each modification is transparently stored in your user's profile so you'll find them back at your next AppShore session.

Send us some feedback about this new dynamic panel and let us know what kind of boxes you would like to have.

Charts in Forecasts application

You know the adage "A picture is worth a thousand words".

So we've added some charts in the Forecasts applications. They are dynamics and will react to the filter set in the search form.

The first chart displays the Sales people performance according the following parameters:

• Sales quota
• Expected amount
• Forecasted amount
• Won amount

Expected amount is the amount as set in an opportunity. Forecasted amount is the same amount but pondered by the probability to win the deal. It is a more realistic (lower) amount. Won amount is related to the opportunities won, invoiced, paid.

The second set of chart displays the opportunities according 3 variables:

• Their respective weight in amount in the pipeline
• Their stage
• The Sales people

Here yet we distinguish between Expected and Forecasted amounts.

New impressive pricing!!!

 

 Stay tuned! 

New technical release of AppShore

Today, we are releasing an update of the AppShore offering. As usual, this is a (mostly) transparent operation. Here the major new technical features:

• A new image field type that can will be used as a standard and custom field.
• IP access control to increase the security of your account
• Improved dashboard with a simplified settings and more dashlets
• Charts in Forecasts, this is still quite modest, more will come later
• AppShore API, check the documentation at http://www.appshore.com/?&op=developers.base.start

2 topics need your special attention:

New standard field Avatar in Contacts and Leads:
Existing customers will need to do few manipulations if they want to see the new fields Avatar in Contacts and Leads. During the update, our routine do not modify the forms because we want to avoid to break any customization made. So if you want to have these fields visible here what to do:

• Go to Administration > Customization > Applications and select Contacts in the first drop down list and View mode in the second list
• Here you have 2 options:
  • if your form is the original one (not modified by you) then click restore to update it to the default layout.
  • If your form has been customized, then click on the Avatar field (on the right panel), drag it where you want in the form then save the form.
• Repeat the operation for each form where you want to see the avatar (results, edit, ...)
• Repeat the operation for Leads.

The field type Image can also be used as a custom field. One or many can be added to your forms.

Improved dashboard:
The dashboard has been simplified in its layout and settings. Now we have only 2 columns of equal width, managing different sizes was quite a nightmare and didn't bring much.

All the dashlets (boxes) are selected from two drop down lists (one per column) and removed by clicking on a cross on the top right. The layout can be personalized by dragging and dropping the dashlets with the mouse.

We will add more dashlets shortly and we expect to offer customizable dashlets in few months. Let us know if you have some ideas of the subject.

During the upgrade, we weren't able to keep the layout so you will have to rebuild your own set of dashlets. Don't forget to add the two new dashlets called AppShore Blog and AppShore on Twitter.  They will keep you informed on the AppShore offering.

If you experience issues with this upgrade or the new features, do not hesitate to contact the Technical Support at support@appshore.com.

AppShore API for developers

AppShore API for developers was promised (and ready) long time ago and yet stayed invisible because we procrastinated to finish the mandatory documentation to use it! At last, the documentation is published online at http://www.appshore.com/?&op=developers.base.start.

For those who don't have yet jump to the link above, here what we say in the overview:

The AppShore API allows third party developers to build interfaces between external applications and the AppShore platform. The AppShore API is secure, powerful, easy to use and covers all the features needed for accessing and managing the data in your AppShore instance.

The following services are currently offered within the API:

• Authentication and authorization to access data according your defined Role Based Access Control policy
• Data schema to discover the specific implementation of your data sources
• The 4 standard CRUD functions: Create, Retrieve, Update, Delete with some advanced features

The AppShore API gives access to data through simple HTTP POST or GET. If needed and with a little loss of performance, developers can decide to use a secure SSL connection (https) instead of a standard http for API calls. Calls and results are executed and delivered in XML or JSON format at the developers choice.

Examples of usage of the AppShore API are as neutral as possible. They can be executed from a web browser, a Curl command line or adapted to a specific programmatic language. Results are mostly displayed in XML to make them more readable. It is up to the developers to transpose them in their own context.

Example of call with XML through a secure SSL connection:

https://demo.appshore.net/xml.php?&sid=TOKEN&op=accounts.retrieve

Example of call with JSON:

http://demo.appshore.net/json.php?&sid=TOKEN&op=accounts.retrieve

Example of XML return:

Example of JSON return:

Last upgrade: Notification banners and Preferences in Activities

Over the week end, we have upgraded two features of AppShore offering.

First the visual notification system. Notifications are the short colored messages that appear on top of the screen to inform the user about an event, the result of an action or an issue.

Most of the new banners are now timed based which means that after few seconds they will automatically disappear. When it is necessary to insure that the message relayed by the banner has been seen by the user, the banner will stay (sticky) on the screen as long as the user acknowledges it by clicking the closing button or another link. Banners can also have link inside and in this case they will also stay sticky until the user takes action.

Here the different types of banner available, quite simple:

* Green banners are for INFORMATION  and successful actions from the user like when a record has been created, updated or deleted successfully.

* Orange banners are for WARNING when some action is requested to the user. Often these banners will contain a link and will invite the user to click on it.

* Red banners are for ERROR. They are always sticky with or without a link.

In Preferences, the user is now able to set the location of the banners on his screen (top left, top center, top, right, bottom left, bottom center, bottom right).

More banners will come shortly with a batch of new features, here a quick look at one of them: Activity reminder.

Second upgrade is related to the Activities/Calendars application. we have added a new sub menu called Preferences where the user can define parameters of the calendar and the default settings of a new activity:

How Small Businesses use CRM technology to spur growth

The April jobs report was released today with more good news for the economic recovery. Approximately 290,000 jobs were created in the month, the highest total in over four years. In an ironic twist, the unemployment rate also edged up from 9.7% to 9.9% as more job seekers returned to the market. Nonetheless, it is clear small businesses have a new found confidence in the future of the economic recovery and their own business prospects.

In a prior post we examined the rocky path that we and and our customers have traveled over the past couple years of economic decline and highlighted some positive signs we see emerging in the small business market. Drilling down a bit deeper, using our customers as a microcosm of the larger small business market, there are very specific indicators of reinvigorated efforts to reach out to current customers and find new ones. To this end we see existing customers requesting training on our bulk email Campaign management application with the intent of renewing marketing efforts, or to send out monthly newsletters, or customer surveys. We see renewed interest in our Reports application for use in analyzing the information our customers have stored in the AppShore data base and leveraging it more effectively. We see folks starting to manage and organize their time more effectively using our shared Calendar application. We see renewed interest in streamlining the lead management process by capturing leads directly from web sites using our web lead capture feature. Overall, we see a refreshing return to the basics of business; get to know your customers both personally and professionally, build strong and lasting relationships with them, and continuously strive to identify new ways to add value to your solution based on the feedback they provide. Most importantly, we all need to keep our communications well organized and well documented for future reference. This is of course one of the primary functions of CRM applications like AppShore.

How has your business been effected by the economy? What positive trends do you look for to indicate things are turning around in your business? Feel free to share. Some times it feels good just to express your hope (or frustration) in writing. And remember, you are not alone. Hang in there and let's get this thing rolling again. Small business is the engine that drives our economy - the nation depends on you!

Signs of Recovery

It has been interesting, although not always fun, to watch the trends in behavior amongst our customers as we have traveled the rough road to recovery. Things first started to unravel in the fourth quarter of 2008 and into the first quarter of 2009. During that time we experienced an unprecedented level of subscription cancellations as our customers began to cut costs in response to lower revenue. Unfortunately, and despite their best efforts, many of our customers simply could not survive. As a result, we lost a significant portion of our monthly recurring revenue stream (the life blood of a SaaS vendor). Although the pace of business remained very slow throughout 2009 and revenues were flat for the year, unlike many of our friends, family and customers, we were able to hang in there and live to fight another day.

As mentioned in a previous post, we are now starting to see positive signs of renewed growth in the U.S. economy. Today the Conference Board announced a higher than expected rise in the index of leading economic indicators. The increase of only 1.4% may not sound too impressive but it is the highest it has been for 10 months. And, key indicators including consumer retail spending, employment, and corporate spending on technology are all up.

As the economy has begun its recovery, we see similar optimistic signs in our own business. Our cancellation rate has returned to normal and in fact we are now seeing customers adding new users to their licenses - a sure sign of new hiring and growth. We see long time customers coming back to get re-trained. We see requests for training of new users within existing accounts. We see new customers expressing greater confidence in the future of their ventures. We see a lot of former customers coming back to us as they begin brand new ventures. We see former customers who have been forced to change jobs or careers recommending our solution to their new employers. And, most encouragingly, we are seeing a noticeable increase in the number of word-of-mouth recommendations, which had slowed to a trickle over the past year. That means people are starting to ask their friends and colleagues about tools and methods to better manage and organize their businesses. This would not be necessary if they did not have, or at least foresee, increased opportunities to be managed.

In the next post we will dig deeper and discuss the specific features and functions of the AppShore solution that are enabling our customers to restart their businesses and build momentum going into the future.

Back to Basics

This week's job report from the US Labor Department provides a hopeful signal that maybe, just maybe, our long, miserable economic nightmare is finally starting to come to end. The report indicates the US economy added 162,000 jobs for the month of March. Although about a third of the gains came from government hiring of census workers, the private sector also added 123,000 jobs for the month. Although 123,000 jobs is no more than a drop in the ocean, it is the highest number of jobs created in one month since May of 2007. Think about that, May of 2007! 

Most of the hiring is now coming from large companies, which is not a bad thing. But until the engine of small business starts to purr again, we cannot expect to make significant gains in the recovery. It is always the small business sector that leads the early stage of an economic rebound. Since the vast majority of our customers and prospects are small business owners, we and they have reason to be optimistic for the first time in a long, long time.

Americans are now in the process of getting back to basics in the day-to-day management of their personal lives by reducing debt and increasing savings. The same is true in the small business community. A common theme of many of the recent conversations we've had with customers and prospects is one of renewed recognition of the value of a CRM program like ours, especially during times of economic distress. During these times it is even more essential to stay in close communication with customers and build lasting relationships that will sustain the business in the long run - a fundamental element of any successful venture.

In a future post we'll examine the ways our customers are utilizing the AppShore platform to restore and rebuild their business in response to the current economic conditions. It's all about a return to the basics of business management. Stay tuned and feel free to comment.