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Our approach to our customers has always been to do things the right way when it comes to deploying our software.

Sometimes this may come off as strange when a vendor is pushing back to what the customer is asking....when we are telling them hey....there are better ways to do what you are asking.

There are times when our customers ask for things and are ready to pay us and we say....we would love to take your money but that functionality exists today only there is one extra step.

That may or may not be acceptable to them but we certainly do not just say YES automatically.  And then after we go over alternatives we still may give them what they had asked in the first place, but at least we thought it through with them.  

That is the Vigilus value proposition,  We are not YES men.  If that is the kind of vendor you are looking for, we may not be the right fit for you.

Our Clients who get this idea about us become long term partners.  They get that at the end of the day....we are all on the same team as each other and are viewed as colleagues.

There success is our success....their promotion is our promotion on so on.

The clients who do not get this are sometimes taken a back and think we have some nerve questioning their requests.

Folks...we are in the business of creating and maintaining relationships for the long term...not making people angry.

We have been deploying CRM systems for so long that we have seen all the mistakes that have been made that lead to failure....wouldn't you want to leverage that knowledge?

I would.

There is a great article in network computing that really describes the Vigilus way so perfectly that I must post it here.... Partner Vs Vendor

If you think this is marketing.....it isnt....the proof is in customer testimonials....check out what some of our customers have to say about us in the NotesAPP store....

Posted by Joe Singer At 12:57:50 PM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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The NotesApp Store is an amazing resource for organizations who need applications that work within the Lotus Notes environment.

These applications range from CRM apps, to Spam apps to Admin apps and soooo much more.

There are hundreds of Applications listed and I am glad to say that Vigilus and ACT! for Notes are featured under the productivity section of the store.

http://www.notesappstore.com/appstore.nsf/ProdApps

I have already received feedback from my clients who found this store on their own that this is quickly becoming THE resource for enterprise applications.

Posted by Joe Singer At 12:25:41 PM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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If you are like most organizations.....you need an application to track specific data about the customers you do business with as well as  all of  interactions with them.

ACT! for Notes is just that!!!!

And.....ACT! for Notes fits perfectly into your Lotus Notes environment .  This means it integrates with...

• The Lotus Calendar
• Lotus Email
• Lotus Name and Address book
  
  ACT! for Notes has so many fields that will keep track of your data so you can create all sorts of custom reports to keep management happy.
  
  There really is no limit with regard to reporting.  Sometimes....fields may need to be added to accommodate this reporting, but nonetheless....you WILL get your reports.
  
  Reports can be created in MS word , EXCEL and other formats.
  
  Please contact us if you need more information on our World Class reporting functionality.
  
  
  

Posted by Joe Singer At 12:47:25 PM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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If you think ACT! for Notes does not have World Class Reporting capabilities....you are very very wrong.

ACT! for Notes comes with a free tool called.....Swing Integrator

SWING Integrator

A globally Known tool that provides a MS Office integration toolkit for Lotus Notes/Domino developers .

Swing Integrator Integrates MS Office or OpenOffice with Notes or Domino applications in this case ACT! for Notes, quickly and easily. SWING allows users to move data to/from MS Office Apps like Word, and Excel producing highly customized/personalized documents, reports, charts, or mailing labels. Users can conveniently edit and save document attachments. Reuse document templates, rich text fragments and images. http://www.swingsoftware.com/integrator/overview

The templates that will be set up in Word and Excel will have the ability to pull fields from "N" number of forms within AFN and embed them in the MS Word and Excel templates.

Please see our on-line Release Notes and click on the Microsoft Office Integration folders in the Navigator on the left...

http://www.vigilus.net/Vigilus/adv2relnotes.nsf

Why is this a good tool for ACT! for Notes users.....

(1) Comes Free with the latest version of ACT! for Notes.  Also, the Swing Key that we will generate for you can be used for ANY Lotus Notes db in addition to AFN .  The newer versions of ACT! for Notes comes Swing Ready!!!!
(2) Very Powerful
(3) Very Flexible
(4) Swing is a  MUCH better alternative then  having Vigilus  perform coding to accomplish the sophisticated excel reports you require in ACT! for Notes.  This is a better tool and much more robust than anything else we can offer.

This software is completely non-invasive and poses no threat to anything within your environment.  All  you have to do is enable the key in the preferences document in ACT! for Notes.

Posted by Joe Singer At 09:47:18 AM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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Many people understandably so do not understand the difference between ACT! for Lotus Notes and ACT! by Sage.

In reality with the exception of the name....the two software applications are very different.

First....the two software applications are developed, supported and marketed by TWO different companies.

ACT! by Sage is developed by Sage and a  has huge network of ACT Certified Consultants who market, support, deploy and train the end users of ACT! by Sage.

ACT! for Lotus Notes is supported, developed and marketed by Vigilus LLC.

ACT! by Sage is a great CRM application that was meant for small groups of users who may or may not need to share information with one another.

ACT! for Lotus Notes  is a very affordable collaborative Lotus Notes CRM database that enables people within your company to centrally organize, track, access and share detailed contact and customer information while seamlessly integrating right out of the box with Lotus Notes Email, Calendar and the Name Address Book.

The ONLY technical prerequisite to run ACT! for Notes is that your organization has to have the Lotus Notes platform in place.

We have organizations who have 100's of users and I work with companies with as little as 1 user. So, it is not a matter of size...but a matter of running Lotus Notes.

Typically people gravitate towards ACT! for Notes if their organization uses Lotus Notes for email and calendaring and have the need to share information with various business units like, marketing, sales, help desk, accounting etc.  

The idea is at any given moment if you need to get a snapshot of what is going on in a specific Account(s) ....anyone with the proper authority in the system can see what Activity has been going on, what deals are pending, what marketing promotions have been offered etc.  This is a great tool for Cross Selling etc.

Since ACT! for Notes is ONE Lotus Notes db.....organizations with the Lotus Notes infrastructure love the ease of deployment and maintenace since it is only one Lotus Notes db.

And....ACT! for Notes works seamlessly with the Lotus Notes Calendar.  So when a users schedules an Activity...that Activity will be in the AFN calendar and Lotus Notes calendar without the user having to do anything.  This is huge for Notes users.

ACT! for Notes has so many features that it would be best to either visit the Vigilus website or contact me directly for a demonstration.

If you are interested...I would be happy to walk you through the latest version of ACT! for Notes via an on-line demonstration.

Some highlights in addition to what was mentioned already above...

- Activity management
- Call reports
- Integration with MS Word and Excel
- BlackBerry
- Web
- Target Marketing
- Opportunity Management and Sales Forecasting
- Roles based Security
- Easy to Use. Easy to Deploy. Easy to Maintain. Easy on the Wallet.

Interested in more functionality....check out our latest release notes....http://www.vigilus.net/Vigilus/adv2relnotes.nsf

Click HERE to be brought to our on-line survey form.  Once the survey is filled out a Representative from Vigilus will contact you.

Posted by Joe Singer At 12:19:42 PM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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The most common obstacle I run into upon deploying software is push back from the client in regards to End User and Administrator training.

I have been in the software business for about 10 plus years and I will say that my clients who have skipped out on training are the ones that notoriously become "problem children".

Without training, expectations are NEVER met, usability suffers, data is entered in a non standard way resulting in reports being completely inaccurate.

What ends up happening is..... the software gets blamed and of course, so do the people who sold it to you and by the way.....the people who purchase it get blamed needlessly as well.

On the contrary, the ones that did not skip out on training and have a business owner who mandates training have gone on to close bigger deals for themselves, add more users and actually recognize a Return On Their Investment (ROI) . Go figure!!  Think I am kidding....please ask me for references for proof.

ACT! for Notes has been around for years and today is better than ever.

Do you know why?  It is simple to use, cost effective and it actually WORKS!!!!

CRM applications are all trying to "out do" one another with bells and whistles that never actually get used by the end user.

At the end of the day SIMPLE is still the best and will win every time.

Show me an application that you can completely customize, deploy as quick and as easy to learn how to use..... You can't. Not on the Notes platform anyway.

If you do decide on deploying AFN, why would you spend money on software and not  spend a little extra to actually train your users to get the most out of the software and your investment.

The worst offenders are the ones who say they have used ACT! for Windows before.  Those people actually need training more then people who have never used a CRM application in there lives.

At Vigilus we have a full service training organization.  For new installations, we will first train your database Admins and configure your application in the process.  This class consists of three 2.5 hour on-line training sessions.

After the admin classes are complete, we will have the end user classes.

These are NOT cookie cutter classes, rather we train the users via a GOTOMEETING based on how ACT! for Notes can make them more efficient and effective in their own business environment.

Every training session is different because every organization has their own unique business requirements for the system.

Everyone needs training. Think about it....before you purchased the software odds are I or one of my colleagues walked your team through at least one sometimes multi high level on-line demostrations.

Those sessions are always more than an hour and I am just scratching the service of the application.

How are you and your users going to know how to enter data in a uniform way to generate accurate reports if no one knows how to use the system.

Without training....the system will be nothing more than an electronic rolodex and that is a crime.  ACT! for Notes is a state of the Art CRM application.

We do not force training sessions because we like torturing students....we do it because without it .....your CRM project as well as any COLLABORATIVE software implementation for that matter will fail with out proper training.

So do me a favor, do NOT skip  training. You will thank me one day and you may even be more successful at your organization because of it.

Posted by Joe Singer At 10:29:19 AM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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In my last post I mentioned all of the aspects of Lotus Notes that drive organizations to adopt the platform.

In the past....organizations went with Lotus Notes for email and calendar.  Why....because that is how Lotus and then later on IBM marketed the platform.

Sadly,  to this day  people still equate Lotus Notes as an equal alternative to Outlook.

As an admitted  Lotus Bigot, my biggest threat up until now has always been Exchange and Outlook.

Like Lotus Notes....- Exchange is a very mature platform for email and calendars, but many of the newer, extra features (collaboration, telephony) are very windows-centric.

Improvements to Exchange and Outlook come on a 3-4 year release cycle with only moderate improvements from one version to the next.

But again to compare Lotus to Exchange....is like comparing Apples to a Buick.   For a full explanation of why Lotus Notes remains relevant....please refer to my previous post....http://vigilus.net/vigilusblog.nsf

So....what is the new threat you ask....the new threat is Google Apps.

Google has email, calendaring, MS word and Excel equivalents as well as many other apps. AND.....it  all costs next to nothing.

So, why wouldn't every organization sign on for this....well many are and it's happening quite fast.

To me....I would proceed with caution. You may just get what you pay for.

 It certainly seems enticing for a CIO to drastically cut costs immediately, and go with a well known name like Google...how can you lose or lose your job by buying Google?  And it is a pretty trendy thing to do so a CIO can look like a maverick cost cutter.

Here is how those organizations who choose google can lose......all of their apps are provided over the cloud.  I understand this is a huge trend and one that is not going away any time soon.

But if you are thinking about moving off of Notes consider the following....

1. Being Connected - for Cloud computing to work...users always have to be connected to the cloud (internet).  What if there is a major outage....this really has not happened but  it certainly could.

With notes....at least you have local copies of everything....if the server goes down...you can still be productive.  When you travel on an airplane....isn't it nice to que up emails in your local mail file?

2. Security - Again...I have not heard of major security breaches with cloud apps but that does not mean it can not happen.

It is one thing for your personal identity to be stolen but quite another for a large financial organization or better yet the U.S government losing their apps if the cloud goes down or getting hacked into.

Maybe that is why the U.S Gov and most Financial service organizations are still using Lotus Notes?

3. Data storage - are you ok with all of your corporate data residing on servers located in who knows where?

4. Risk management - What happens when you migrate to the next big idea that is better then Google.....how easy is it to migrate OFF of Google....bet you have not thought of that one.  :)

So what is the answer....

I come across organizations who move off of notes and very rarely do I get a clear answer as to why.

Usually it's something this...well the users are all using different mail platforms or the users do not like the calendar or something to that effect.

Another popular one is someone new comes into the organization who has never used Lotus Notes and says we have to move off ...."Notes is dead".

These same people think Lotus Notes is Lotus 1-2-3...this happens all the time.

But the real answer is there is no TOP DOWN mandate....since when do the users drive corporate policy.....If you want your users to use Lotus Notes ....make them use it or hire some one who will.

Posted by Joe Singer At 01:11:06 PM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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Howard Stern (yes that Howard Stern) recently had to defend his use and love of Lotus Notes on his XMSirius radio program.

You can listen below...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cw5AuWIzJ4s

He was made fun of by some others who use Microsoft for email and calendaring etc.

Howard rightfully defended the application but really only touches on one of the major benefits of the platform.

Howard said he uses the Lotus Notes platform because of the security benefits.  Meaning....it is virtually impossible to hack into a Lotus Notes db.

That is very true.  That fact alone is why the U.S Government, the United Nations and most financial services organizations use the Platform.

Lotus actually has about 30 million users worldwide.  35% of all enterprise email is Lotus, 45% is Microsoft and the rest is split among others.

I will say that yes....Lotus Notes provides state of the art ROLES based Security better than anyone, yes it has email and calendaring but that is really just scratching the surface.

Lotus Notes is a development platform.  The time it takes to create complex workflow applications, QA test and then deploy is much easier with Lotus than other platforms.

Also, Lotus is a COLLABORATIVE platform.  This means sharing information across an enterprise in inherent to the platform.

IN addition to all I have just outlined, Lotus Notes applications can be used when users are OFF LINE meaning in island mode and not connected to any server.

This is where Lotus really shines.  In fact no other platform has really figured out the disconnected part.  In fact Microsoft hired Ray Ozzie (the father of off-line capability for Lotus Notes) as their chief architect.

Of course Lotus Notes applications are available over the web as well.    Lotus was doing Saas (Software as a service) and Cloud Computing before either of those terms had been coined by Salesforce.com and others.

Why do I feel the need to defend Lotus Notes...because when people hear Lotus they think of Lotus 1-2-3 the spreadsheet and that has really hurt the business for years.

IBM has done a really poor job getting people to understand what Lotus Notes is and why it is really the best at what it does.  Actually Lotus Notes is doing a much better job with their "Lotus Knows" campaign.

Which brings me to my product ACT! For Notes.  ACT! for Lotus Notes is ONE Lotus Notes CRM database that leverages all Lotus Notes has to offer.

If an organization is already supporting the Lotus Notes platform, using Notes email and calendaring than ACT! for Notes is just a no brainer.

I really want to talk to Howard and see if he needs a CRM application.

I think he probably does....to keep track of his interactions with Guests, employees, and sidekicks like beetle juice, Jeff the drunk and others.  :)

I really bet I could sell this to him...can anyone get me on his show?

Posted by Joe Singer At 12:53:15 PM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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One of the most exciting and rewarding times here at  Vigilus is when we launch a new version of ACT! for Notes.

I have been with the product from almost the very beginning so when I see it evolve it feels as though I have a child who just advanced it's life.

WE have come a very long way with the application.

For the price and if you use Lotus Notes for email and calendaring, you will just NOT find a better product.  It is that simple.

More and More clients are coming to us who have been using SalesForce.com.  They are making the switch to us in droves.

ACT! for Notes has the same features and actually more then salesforce and.....is a fraction of the price.

If you have 20 users for example.....Salesforce will cost about $20k ANNUALLY!!!!!!!

That same 20 person userbase on ACT! for Notes will cost about $20k initially if you factor in training, data migration and other services but that charge is only ONE TIME!!!!!

By Switching to ACT! for Notes....you will recognize an instant ROI.

And...you get to work with consultants who have been deploying CRM applications for over a decade.  We have seen it all.

I do not know how a decision maker can have a clear conscience if they are looking for a CRM application, they are on the Lotus Notes Platform and  have not at least considered ACT! for Notes.

I can say this as.....I am not only an owner of this company but a client as well.  :)  (I think I have heard that slogan before  :))

I would be lost with out ACT! for Notes and BizMobile (ACT! for Notes on a BlackBerry)  http://vigilus.net/Webtest/bizmobile.html

Check out all the latest ACT! for Notes features below....

http://vigilus.net/Webtest/new_advanced_features_for_act_for_notes.html

Posted by Joe Singer At 09:36:35 AM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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One of Vigilus’s competitors wrote (accurately) in a recent blog post that most CRM applications who offer a Mobile solution really do not store anything locally on the user’s mobile device.
That is a very true statement and I commend him for bringing that fact to the table.

Vigilus offers BizMobile which is a mobile CRM application built specifically for ACT! for Notes users who need to use the ACT! for Notes application on their BlackBerry’s.

BizMobile acts (excuse the pun) very much like a local Lotus Notes db in that you can be out of cell range and still use the application.  If you add information to a contact, add an activity, note or opportunity the users simply uses the sync function to push/pull all new data entries to ACT! for Notes.

This is amazing and I cannot believe everyone who is using ACT! for Notes and BlackBerry’s is not using BizMobile.

Posted by Joe Singer At 05:01:56 PM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)