Previewing Highrise from 37Signals

The folks at 37Signals, makers of Basecamp, have been quietly working on a CRM application that promises to be as simple and effective as everything else these guys put out. Originally the name of the program was Sunrise (nicely aligned with their camping themes in Basecamp, Backpack and Campfire) but the newly announced name is Highrise. (Rather than thinking they’ve gone urban I think they are talking about mountains.)

For now, you can go here to get on the Highrise release list

Online CRM is a crowded, and growing more so, space. With the exception of Salesforce.com’s lead, it’s still pretty open for the small business. Funny thing is, as more folks jump into CRM with more and more features, what’s missing, based on feedback I get, is a simple CRM system – one that does the handful of things that the typical small business will actually use and benefit from. It doesn’t matter how cool a technology is for the power user, it’s the huddled masses, the ones that won’t use 75% of the functionality, that are crying for help. We shall see if that’s what Sunrise can bring.

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Posted by: John Jantsch on Mar 02, 07 | 12:12 pm
Category: CRM | Tags:

View Comments
  • John Jantsch
    Josh,

    I've started to come that conclusion myself. Some will dismiss it because they thought it was going to replace ACT! or something. Over time I think people will com up with some pretty creative uses on their own. The 37Signals folks are pretty good and evolving too.
  • Now that Highrise has officially released... I think people are starting to realize that it's not meant to be a traditional CRM tool...

    IE. Don't compare Salesforce.com with Highrise... they are for similar, but ultimately different tasks.

    Highrise is for managing contact between people, not so much about tracking potential sales leads. Of course, many people will use it for this purpose, but by leaving things wide open they are encouraging many people to come up with their own solutions which are managed by their software.
  • @Philippe

    If you are in the market, you might want to take a look at heap as well:
    http://www.heaphq.com
  • Thanks for the info, Highrise looks like a promising alternative. I'm using Sugar CRM right now and have some problems with it, so I might try something else.
  • Always! I rarely (think this is first time) comment but i've been subscribed for years!
  • John Jantsch
    Nick,

    Yes, I'm a fan too - but, I'm just happy I stayed on your feed list!
  • I REALLY hope they do as great a job with this as with their other stuff. I unsubscribed from their blog 6mts or so ago as the content just wasn't helping me (and im so conscious of how many feeds i read and how much value they provide vs entertainment/general interest value) so had totally missed the upcoming new product, thanks!

    I can think of half a dozen people including myself that will love this.
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