CRM Graveyard - DIScontinued CRM Software Solutions - Where Are They Now?

Many CRM solutions inevitably get put out to pasture for whatever reason. Either the CRM vendor just bowed out of the race when it got too hot in the kitchen - the CRM market is hot and fast, after all. Pity when sometimes a really good CRM concept 'dies' through lack of funding. Who recalls the Visicalc vs Lotus 123/Excel days, when the superior Visicalc product was simply out-moneyed and marketed?

Or the CRM is just being treated as a cash cow, dying a natural death with no further development taking place. Fair enough if maybe the CRM has passed its expiry date and got rather long in the tooth, the programmers not having foreseen and made provision for certain eventualities, (like the internet!) and programmed themselves into a corner. The website is still up with all its compelling copy though, ready to snare unsuspecting prospects.

Maybe the owner passed on, as is the case in one or two instances. Or possibly there were more sinister underlying reasons. Maybe the product simply got 'eliminated' due to its 'nuisance value'.

Whatever the reason, though, you need to know this information! You don't want to have to explain away that dead horse you just purchased.

There are a couple of tell-tale signs to raise your suspicions:

• The last entry on the website's PR page is dated 2004, or earlier

• There is no response when you send them an email requesting info on their latest version

• Or you receive a belated response from some unrelated email address

Here are a few CRM products we think fall into one of the above categories. Forgive us if we are wrong, and notify us immediately please!

You can post or read comments to Discontinued CRM Software below

• Sales Opportunity Tracker. RIP, Jeff Mayer. He passed away, leaving no records and a developer who apparently didn't have a back up of the code. This according to Eric Albertson who now spearheads Jeffrey's company, Succeeding In Business and who no longer wishes to be in the software support business.

• 7Office. Morley Chalmers is looking for venture funding to raise this "Phoenix from the ashes". Based on FileMaker Pro, 7Office was a popular CRM with Apple Mac users and it is unfortunate that it is off the market. I look forward to the day (and so does Morley) that 7Office is moved back to its rightful place in our CRM for Apple Mac section.

• AgentOutlook. Unfortunately Revisto - the vendors of AgentOutlook - are no longer in business. At least they had the decency to inform vistors to their website.

• SalesProCRM. They have quietly disappeared, although the SalesProCRM website is still blazing away. Wonder what happened to the 2000+ clients they reference on their site?

• DigitalBouquet. Initially touted as a hybrid of SalesForce and ConstantContact. Their semi-functional website is still live, but emails to their Contact Us address bounce back.

• AnteilCRM. An open source CRM solution catering largely for govenment. In April 2006 they informed me they were busy porting their CRM to Java with AJAX, but now mails remain unaswered. Please contact me asap if this is in error!

• CRMbyWeb. Marketed as an ACT! alternative, their website now takes you to a company that has repositioned themselves as Second Life strategists.

• Now Contact. Advisory: This from their website: In March 2010, Now Software, Inc. suspended its day-to-day operations. This page provides support for the Now Software Community. This popular contact manager for Apple Mac ran out of funds unfortunately. As an alternative, consider Bento..

Watch this space for more CRM casualties.. like:

• Polaris PackRat who released their network version for Windows that was such a disaster they had to recall the product ala Firestone

• MultiActive Entice (makers of Maximizer) that won so many awards back in 2000: - PC WEEK's "Best of COMDEX" award, Spring Internet World's "Best of Show", and the "Recommended" award from Computer Reseller News.

• Janna Contact, who was swallowed whole by Siebel never to be seen again, maybe just to stop Microsoft laying their hands on it first.

• Read more CRM History here..
  

For Small Business CRM solutions that are very much alive and kicking, try here:

Web based or hosted CRM

Conventional, Windows based CRM software

CRM for Microsoft Outlook

Open Source CRM for Linux, Windows & Mac platforms

CRM for Apple Macintosh

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