3 March 2008
Companies offering CRM systems are aiming to cash in on recent difficulties experienced by Sage with its ACT! product in the US.
A legal settlement in America has been seized on by rivals trying to pry users away from ACT! products to go with alternatives. Sage opted to settle with Health Science Products LLC for $5m as a result of the company’s liability over the design and sale of ACT! 2005.
Paul King, managing director at Wired Contact, said there were documented cases of ACT! failing to meet customers’ expectations and it was pushing its alternative.
"If we can empower our channel then we have a huge target market and every ACT! user should upgrade," he said.
He added that it was aiming a hosted service that tapped into the increasing amount of remote desktop users that could be installed reasonably quickly and cost less than traditional products.
One source said Sage had a loyal reseller base, making it a negative sales method to try to poach dealers by focusing on problems overseas.
He added that the US was a notoriously litigious market and what appeared to be important there did not always have an impact on this side of the pond.
Sage was unavailable to comment.
