Sage Reloads In CRM Competition With Microsoft, Salesforce

Sage Software has begun shipping the long-awaited new release of its SalesLogix CRM application suite with new customization and development capabilities for solution providers and Web 2.0 technologies for users.

"We think it's a game-changing release," said David Tinjum, CEO of Customer FX, a St. Paul, Minn.-based solution provider that customizes SalesLogix for clients and develops add-on modules for the CRM application. The new version, also known under the code name which "Sahara," should help Sage stand out in the CRM market where Microsoft and Salesforce.com have been getting most of the attention lately, Tinjum said.

SalesLogix is widely seen as the flagship product in Sage's CRM product line. Last month Sage debuted Sage Act! 2009, a new release of the sales contact and customer management application, and it's working on a new version of the SageCRM application. Under its Sage CRM Solutions 2010 strategy the company is also integrating its ERP and CRM applications to help channel partners and customers better link front- and back-office operations and improve business workflows.

SalesLogix 7.5 leverages Web 2.0 technology for users, solution providers and developers. New "mashup" capabilities made possible through the use of RESTful (representational state transfer) Web services let SalesLogix applications request data from Web applications such as Google Maps or LinkedIn. Tinjum said the software is more customizable and easier to enhance than competing products and he praised 7.5's new "process orchestration" capability based on the Microsoft Windows Workflow Foundation.

The software's Web client, limited in earlier releases, operates in connected and disconnected modes and can access more of the application's functions. It offers simplified data access, sorting and organization and a customizable welcome page for personalized data views, said Larry Ritter, senior vice president of product management for Sage CRM Solutions. The application also performs data de-duplication as sales leads are entered into the system.

"It's just a beautiful interface, and very user friendly," Tinjum said. His company develops quoting, service, customer survey and asset management/tracking modules that work with SalesLogix and software that links SalesLogix to Microsoft Outlook. Customer FX also runs the slxdeveloper.com community site for SalesLogix developers.

SalesLogix 7.5 pricing starts at $795 per user license.

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