Have you actually tried to use MS CRM? I recently decommissioned a MS CRM 1.2 installation, so I'm speaking with some experience. MS CRM was overkill for my CRM needs. And, after 3 years, I still could not get the Crystal-derived reporting system to work. MS CRM may have the architecture and extensibility to support large organizations, but the complexity, the system requirements and down-right non-user-friendly user interface will keep it from becoming popular.
On a side note, the bulkiness of MS CRM was one of the reasons why I started the SplendidCRM project. SugarCRM had a kept-it-simple approach that I appreciated, but was written in a language that I do not like.
As for your vote for support of an external mail server, thanks. You vote does count and it is appreciated. I encourage all others with a vote or recommendation to also reply so that we can gather a consensus.
My company is migrating to Exchange in the near future, so an Exchange implementation would suit me perfectly.
However, were we not doing this, we'd certainly have been keen on seeing some form of standards-based support for alternate mail servers. Perhaps the imap protocol?
Hi Paul,
I suggest that you base the solution on standards such as POP, SMTP etc. so the solution is not Microsoft specific. There are for example many companies using other mail plattforms such as MDaemon. You could perhaps have a NT service "eventmanager" running on the server that POP's mail from a suitable mailbox such as support@company.com
/Hans
Thanks for the feedback. We are considering an Exchange Server add-in. Would this work for you, or would you prefer a POP3 solution? We like the Exchange Server approach because it is event driven, where as a solution that polls a POP3 account feels like a hack.
What would you prefer? We are trying to get a concensus, so anyone who reads this message is encouraged to respond.
