Touch Ahead Releases EquityTouch™ Update

We are pleased to announce that we have made some changes to EquityTouch™ to reflect client feedback and suggestions, as well as part of our initial planning.

We have added some new features to make EquityTouch™’s user-friendly views even easier to use. We have also implemented a bug fix. The following is an outline of what we have done to enhance the EquityTouch™ experience.

*Please note that clients do not have to take action to implement any changes. All updates are made by Touch Ahead Software.


- Different Color Schemes for Search Type. The search panel has been color coded to make it easier to identify what you are searching for. When searching for ‘People,’ the search panel is now green.


When searching for 'Touches,' the search panel is now orange.




- Ability to Expand Touch Notes.

- Advanced Search Options Added.
In the ‘Touch’ section of the Advanced Search you can now specify date ranges. Your options are ‘Last 7 days’, ‘Last 30 days’, ‘Last 90 days’, ‘Last Year’, and ‘Future’.
Also, the ability to search within your groups has been added.

- Primary Contact and Website Listed in Banner

- Ability to Remove a Company from a Group from the Company Summary tab

- Keyboard Shortcuts Added
‘Ctrl-Y’ now opens up the Advanced Search.
‘Ctrl- >’ now opens the Touches tab.
‘Ctrl - <’ now opens the Summary tab.

- Touch Editing Restricted. You can now limit who edits touches.

- Generate Report for Touches.
- Company Export to XLS Modified
- Estimated Revenue Now on 'New Company' Form
- Ability to Go Directly to the Touches Tab from Search Results
- Asynchronous Load of Touches tab. Incomplete touches now load separately from complete touches.
- Feedback Link
- Cursor Default. When logging into EquityTouch your cursor will default to the Company Search bar.

- Bug Fixes:

• Pop Up Eliminated. When saving a new touch.
• Default for New Person. When adding a new person, his/her phone number no longer defaults to the company phone number.
• Document Upload Touch Creation. The touch that automatically gets created when you upload a document will now be assigned an initiator of the active virtual user.
• Passed Lead Bug. When creating a touch of type “passed lead,” the company associated with the touch is the company passed.
• Passed Lead Bug. A bug was causing an error to be thrown when this touch type was saved. This is fixed.
• Email Bug. When the functionality to send email to external recipients is turned off, it now does not affect the ability to send email internally.
• Email Bug. Touch type is now the first item in a touch email subject.
• Search Bug. Can now search for companies with double quotes in their names.
• Touch Bug. Touch notes now indented correctly.

Why the Popularity of SaaS is Increasing

Chances are you have frequently heard about SaaS (Software as a Service) in the media, and how more businesses are adopting it for their CRM models. You may feel unsure about adopting SaaS, or confused about SaaS getting so much attention. Here are the key reasons for the hype:

• Total cost of ownership (TCO) is lower than if you were to use on-premise CRM
• In-house IT is no longer relied on/called into action to fix your CRM (can allocate your IT team’s efforts elsewhere)
• Easy maintenance
• Faster and easier implementation of the CRM - the system is quickly up and running by someone else
• An outsourced IT team with expertise specific to your software will fix your problems, as well as take that weight off your shoulders/save you time.
• Pay as you use the software
• Increased data security
• Customization available to reflect your unique business operations

Written by Melissa Cocks

Businesses and Their CRM Changes

There are many reasons why you may be dissatisfied with your business' on-premise CRM software. One of the common complaints is that the software requires companies’ in-house IT teams’ frequent and costly attention. The time and effort that your in-house IT team puts towards maintaining on-premise CRM solutions could be directed elsewhere to increase the productivity within your business.

Additionally, like many business owners, you may become frustrated by software that limits your ability to integrate key company contact information with other applications and devices. A trend in today’s CRM software market is Blackberry compatibility. When you’re on the go and need to update or access your contact information, it’s frustrating if you’re unable to do so.

It’s also important to make sure your
CRM solution fits your needs. Many companies take a while to actually change their CRM software. People tend to fear unfamiliarity, especially when they do not feel they have time to learn the ins and outs of a new system. The solution to this is to have your software tailored to your business operations and needs. This way, you can still have features that you are accustomed to, and you can also add new features that would make doing business much easier for you.

Written by Melissa Cocks