Note: In addition to this on-line page, a Word Document may be downloaded.

At ExchangeWise we are strongly committed to the concept of “Try before you Buy”. Many times one purchases software on the basis of what is promised in the catalogue or brochure only to be disappointed later on when you find out way down the line what the product can’t do for you.

Hence we are one of the few companies in the CRM industry that allow you to download a full working version of MX-Contact to evaluate before making a purchase decision.

However, there are a few practical details to consider before embarking on the evaluation of any product, but particularly a CRM product, which by definition can have a major impact on the business if implemented correctly, but can have negative consequences if poorly applied.

Evaluation versus Implementation
Firstly, any CRM system, no matter how simple, requires time to implement. Several phases are involved in this process, from Business Analysis, Customisation, Installation, Training, etc. Training is a particularly important aspect, as users usually require training on the system. This even applies to MX-Contact, which being Outlook-based, has to be one of the easiest systems on the market to learn. However, we find that some users have only limited knowledge of Outlook’s extensive capabilities and often have to learn these first before then fully learning and understanding MX-Contact’s additional features.

Furthermore, when implementing a system, users have to make a commitment to allocate time to not only first learning the system but then applying that learning to their day-to-day activities. Very few users have the time to do this unless the system they are learning has been decided upon (i.e. purchased) and therefore they see that there will be a definite return on that investment in time. Just the aspect of getting users to understand, accept, learn and then adopt the new system usually takes a few months, not a matter of weeks.

For these reasons, it is unrealistic to try and “implement” MX-Contact as part of the evaluation. The Evaluation must therefore by definition be limited to assessing the functionality of MX-Contact.

Customisation
MX-Contact is highly customisable. It can be tailored to meet any requirements, given the time. Most of the Tools used to customize the system are standard Outlook tools like the Outlook Forms Designer and VBScript. Nevertheless, although there is a wealth of published documentation on these tools, unless you have an IT resource internally that has been developing in Outlook on a daily basis it will take you some time to understand the power of MX-Contact and its degree of flexibility. Again, this cannot be achieved in a couple of weeks.

If there is certain specific functionality that you particularly need to see, it would be easier for us to arrange a demonstration of that functionality. Many times we will do a certain amount of customization to demonstrate a Proof of Concept (See below). Usually this is limited to one Form/Folder, not all the requirements you have, as the objective here is to demonstrate that we can tailor the system to meet a particular set of specified requirements, not customize the system in total for you before you decide to purchase. However, we can provide a written assurance that MX-Contact will meet your overall customization requirements, if these are specified in detail up-front.

After product evaluation and purchase, MX-Contact can then be further customized to adapt it fully to suit your work environment.

For the reasons mentioned above, certain restrictions thus apply to the evaluation of MX-Contact: