The new version of WebAsyst Contacts is currently in the final testing stage. We are planning to release it within the first third of December.
What’s new:
Two kinds of contacts: persons and companies
Separate forms to add individual and corporate contacts to the database. Each form has an adjustable set of fields.
Advanced and Smart searches
In the old version one could only search contacts by name. Now it is possible to use a condition for each field and even combine conditions using AND/OR operators.
Dynamic lists
Search results can be saved as a list for future use. Save lists can then be used to target your marketing campaigns. For instance you can create a list of persons living in a certain city. New contacts (including those which will subscribe themselves via a special signup form on your website), whose details satisfy the search criteria, will be automatically added to this list. Using WebAsyst Mail application, you will be able to email newsletters or special offers focused exactly on the target subscriber segment of your business.
Signup forms
In the new version we will offer enhanced functionality of signup forms, which are used to allow your website visitors to add themselves to the Contacts database. Along with widgets, signup forms will also be available as ordinary HTML code containing a <FORM> tag, where a webmaster will be able to make any layout changes before adding the form to a website or a blog. Signup forms can now include an optional CAPTCHA to eliminate spam.
Double opt-in and subscriber account
Signup form with double opt-in function enabled automatically sends a confirmation email to each new subscriber. The contents of the confirmation email are now fully editable and can also include a link to the subscriber’s personal account. Within the account a subscriber is able to edit their personal information, unsubscribe from receiving further mailings, or completely delete the account from your Contacts database.
Improved user management
Together with Contacts, we have updated the WebAsyst user management system (”Users” item in the main WebAsyst menu). It is easy to invite new users by simply sending them personal links to the registration form. Creating an account for a new user and assigning access rights to any existing contact will be much faster than before.
Works fast!
The updated Contacts application is optimized to handle large volumes of information. We have tested complex searches as well as sorting and navigation through dynamic contact lists with a database of 60,000 contacts. Tests proved all functions of the application ran virtually as fast as if there were just a dozen of contacts in the database.
Next step – integration between WebAsyst Contacts and Shop-Script
We are already in the process of integrating Shop-Script with Contacts. In future Shop-Script versions customers of your online store will be automatically added to the Contacts database.
New Contacts version is a core of the future WebAsyst CRM system
The data processed by all WebAsyst applications are generally related to the Contacts: customers in a Shop-Script based online store, senders and recipients of email messages in Mail, customers in Projects, assignees in Issues, users of Files, Photos, Notepad, Pages, and etc.
The refactoring of the Contacts application has thus affected the most fundamental entities of the entire WebAsyst system. We have done our best to implement those changes in such a way that all potentially useful relations between multiple WebAsyst applications (such as “order- contact”, “message-contact”, “project-contact”, etc.) were properly set to provide a consistent and useful organization of data.
This approach creates a solid base for tight integration of the Contacts with the rest of the WebAsyst system. Which, in its turn, allows us to develop flexible and configurable CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software solutions based on WebAsyst application bundles.
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