Chicago, IL (PRWEB) June 27, 2012
The gamified, Open Source CRM project Zurmo announced today that the company is on track for General Audience (GA) release in September. Project team members have shared development plans leading up to the GA release. Further development of CRM gamification, Social CRM functionality, mobile integration, email capabilities, and enhancements to the user interface are included in a series of releases throughout the summer. View the project roadmap here.
Open Source CRM Gamification
The existing version of CRM gamification in Zurmo includes badges, achievements, and leaderboards. Zurmo developers are developing phase two of Gamification, which will be presented in upcoming releases. The next version places gamification at a more prominent position in the user interface. It will include fun elements such as missions or quests.
“CRM systems are infamous for being mind-numbingly dull. Our goal is to facilitate a deep level of intrinsic motivation for end users to not only see the real value of CRM, but also have some adrenaline rushing through their veins at work by encouraging amicable competition,” states Zurmo Co-Founder Ray Stoeckicht. “If we can make using CRM be a fraction as exciting as the feeling an athlete has when they are pumped up for a game, we will have accomplished something not seen before in our industry. We fully understand that may be considered a lofty goal, but if we don’t aim for it, then what’s the point?”
For updated information about CRM gamification, visit the Zurmo gamification blog.
Open Source Social CRM
Zurmo’s Social CRM messaging engine expects to steer internal business communication away from the ambiguity of email to an open, social and ultimately easier centralized platform. “Our goal is to make it easy for people to collaborate on everything from new ideas to problems, while freeing knowledge from the shackles of the inbox,” states Zurmo Core Team Member Ross Peetoom. Social Conversations are due to be added to the application in a release on July 10th. Social Feeds will follow on July 20th as part of Zurmo 0.7.5.
For updated information about Social CRM functionality, visit the Zurmo social crm blog.
Open Source CRM Mobile Integration
Zurmo is currently tablet ready, with further mobile integration coming soon.
“CRM should be able to fit in your pocket. Our development team is progressing on making that seamlessly possible with Zurmo,” states Zurmo Co-Founder and Lead Developer Jason Green.
A mobile version of Zurmo that will work on Android, Blackberry, and iOS mobile devices is planned to coincide with the GA release.
Open Source CRM Email Functionality
Zurmo Email functionality will begin with email archiving in Release 0.6.9, scheduled for July 3rd.
“There are many ways to archive emails in different systems, but everything depends on email clients or mail servers that are not always compatible. This puts users in a tough position. We’ve always thought there has to be a better way,” states Zurmo Co-Founder and Lead Developer Jason Green. “Using the archiving mechanism based on replying or forwarding to a designated email address takes the email client/mail server predicament out of the equation and keeps things simple while giving the user the freedom to use what they want.”
In addition to archiving, sending emails through the Zurmo user interface is planned for the July 20th release.
Get Involved with the Zurmo Open Source CRM Project
Zurmo is looking for contributors to add code, fix bugs, and work on translations. The project is built on an honest open source model supported by a diverse community passionate about engineering the highest quality CRM on earth that people will actually use. Learn more about participating in the project: [contribute here!]
About Zurmo Open Source CRM
Zurmo is an Open Source CRM alternative that is mobile, social, and gamified. A test-driven methodology has been utilized for building every part of the application. This means you can create and maintain a custom-built CRM system with the assurance that future updates are not going to break your installation. The application has been translated into several languages including French, Spanish, German, and Italian. Learn more, download, and demo at Zurmo.org. Get involved with the project through the Open Source CRM Community Forums and view the Calendar of upcoming events including Developer Learning Sessions and live demos.
