Contact Management Software Key Terms

Learning terminology commonly used with contact management software

With days fully packed, small business owners frequently search for ways to do still more -- fit in more meetings, make more sales calls and establish more networking contacts into a day already filled to the brim with core business activities. Contact management software offers business owners a way to more efficiently manage and use their list of contacts to improve their overall business performance.

Before purchasing software, however, first familiarize yourself with the different terms associated with contact management software. Understanding terms like business intelligence tool, Outlook, CRM, SFA and contact management software license will help guide you in making the right choice for your company.

 

Contact management software

Contact management refers to the processes and technologies used to collect, organize, access and make use of customer, business and personal points of contact. Contact management software provides users with a program that will help to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of their contact management.
Try: Learn more about the importance of contact management software by reading the article at the Business Finance Marketing website.

Business intelligence tool

Business intelligence is defined as the processes and technologies involved with collecting, storing, offering access to and using business-related information. Contact management software is considered a basic business intelligence tool.
Try: Learn more about contact management software's application as a business intelligence tool at Management CRM.

Outlook

Outlook is a popular software program created by Microsoft that helps users manage personal and business information in the form of emails, task lists, calendar, contacts and more. It comes standard with the Microsoft Office suite.
Try: Learn more about the benefits of Microsoft Outlook at the company's website.

CRM

The acronym CRM stands for either customer resource management or customer relationship management. Both terms refer to the methods (including software) employed by a business to organize and efficiently make use of its customer and contact relationships through the use of databases. With CRM software, a company can match new product launches to specific clients, sort prospective clients from current clients and categorize customers by demographics and other valuable information. When searching for contact management software, expand your search to CRM software, too, to make sure you get all the contact management features you're looking for.
Try: Learn how contact management plays an integral role in customer relationship management software like Salesboom.

SFA

Sales force automation (SFA) refers to the transformation and enhancement of routine sales activities through the use of software and systems that enhance contacts, scheduling, sales lead generation and other business functions. Sales force automation software is sometimes considered a subset of CRM software and often includes contact management applications.
Try: Learn more about sales force automation software and how it can enhance your contact management applications at RightNow.

Contact management software license

A contact management software license is one way to acquire the contact management software you need. It's a legal tool that regulates redistribution and use of copyrighted software. As opposed to paying monthly fees to gain access to the software you need, purchasing a software license equates to purchasing a copy of the software. There are single and multiple-user licenses, and you can purchase contact management licenses for software that comes in the form of CDs, downloadable software or web-based software programs.
Try: View the Microsoft Dynamics CRM pricing page at Sonoma Partners for an example of contact management software licenses. Automation Access discloses more legal ramifications of software licensing.

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