TINTON FALLS, N.J.  — Commence Corporation a leading provider of Customer Relationship Management software for mid-size companies and small enterprises has introduce a unique try before you buy program for there CRM software.  Selecting the right CRM software for your business can be a daunting exercise. There are literally hundreds of CRM solutions to choose from at price points ranging from free to $125 per user per month.  In addition, vendors are eager to offer free trials of their software to get you focused on their solution vs. the competition and if you are not careful you can find yourself drowning in trial software.  Despite the myriad of choices and disparate price points, customers continue to remain uncomfortable making a decision and are often unhappy with their choice once they do.

So why are so many people disappointed with their CRM system?   Nigel Park, Managing Director of TPS Consulting believes he has the answer.  "Customers are simply not experts in selecting CRM software.  I often find that they have not properly documented their critical requirements list.  As a result, these firms have tendency to shop solely on price because they perceive that all CRM offerings are the same. They find out later that there are limitations they were unaware of.  Another reason customers may be hesitant about making a decision is because the vendor’s free trial offering does not enable the customer to truly ensure that the software meets their requirements.  The free trials often consists of a vanilla out of the box program that is not tailored for the customer’s business so while free, they have limited value.  Unique work flow capabilities may not be incorporated in the trial versions and other key components such as e-mail integration that traditionally involve some assistance from the vendor cannot be properly tested.  And because it’s just a trial, customers are unable to take advantage of the vendor’s expertise in helping them to realize the maximum value from their software.  I don’t blame the vendor’s says Park, because they cannot afford to address questions, tailor the software, integrate e-mail, and provide support services for a free trail, but if I am a customer I want to ensure that the software will work as advertised,"  he concluded.

Commence Corporation has introduced a unique solution to this problem by offering customers a 90 day pilot program that includes the company’s award winning CRM software coupled with a set of best practices that ensure that the customer attains immediate value from the solution.  "We appreciate that customers may be apprehensive about making a CRM decision and may not fully understand the value they can realize from our software, said Larry Caretsky, president of Commence Corporation.  We want to mitigate the risk for them by providing them with an opportunity to utilize our software and provide the professional expertise to solve their business requirements.  Our professional services staff will implement the software, assist the customer with the customization they require, integrate their e-mail, Outlook, calendar, mobile devices, and even provide training."

"What we are offering customers is something that no one else in the industry will, says Caretsky, and that is the commitment to ensure that our software combined with our CRM expertise will result in improved business performance for our customers. If we have not demonstrated this during the 90 day pilot program the customer may simply terminate their agreement without penalty. "We are experiencing a great deal of interest in this program continued Caretsky, and we have several dozen trials currently in place."  The pilot program is limited to mid-size and small enterprise companies that have comprehensive business requirements and several departments engaged in the CRM evaluation and decision.

About Commence Corporation

Founded in 1988, Commence develops and delivers a diverse suite of award-winning CRM software that integrates people, processes and technology. Delivered via the popular software-as-a-service model or implemented on premise, Commence CRM solutions are used by thousands of companies to streamline sales and customer service front-end processes. For more information about Commence see www.commence.com or call Commence sales at 1-877-COMMENCE.