VCT unveils hosted CRM suite

Marketing software consultancy VideoComm Technologies has released its hosted CRM suite Runway

Marketing software consultancy VideoComm Technologies (VCT) has officially unveiled its new hosted CRM suite Runway, which it claims is the first of its kind in the UK to feature fully integrated CRM and e-marketing capabilities.

Martyn Hale, senior partner at VCT, said that the suite - which was originally developed by Australian company Switched on Knowledge - combines typical hosted CRM functionality with a full range of e-marketing tools such as content managed email campaigns, html editing facilities for creating web- and micro-sites, and analytics tools for reporting back on a campaign's success and the types of customers it has reached.

"To extend the functionality of [hosted CRM rival] Salesforce.com you have to buy plug ins from third party vendors," he said. "But we have developed much of that extra e-marketing functionality as standard… it means we are providing the full range of sales automation as a hosted solution."

Hale added that besides the wide range of functionality customers can also exploit the benefits typically associated with hosted software, including quick implementation, low hardware costs, and the ability for remote sales people to easily access CRM data. He also said that VCT is providing services to ensure that the suite is tightly integrated with customers existing back office applications.

Runway costs from £1,800 to set up, with customers then paying a monthly fee of £48 per user that includes training, ongoing support and system upgrades.