I have long advocated Capsule CRM as the go-to customer relationship management tool, however over the last couple of years the fact that it did not have an integral marketing/newsletter system was a drawback. Now, however it has launched a new integration with Transpond and my initial investigations into this new service make it look a very attractive option.

The highlights I have uncovered so far are:

• ease of transferring your Capsule CRM contacts to Transpond
• real-time updating of Capsule CRM information, including lists, into Transpond
• the ability for recipients of newsletters to update their information, which is fed through to Capsule CRM
• easy template development for your marketing messages
• reporting of campaign activity back into Capsule CRM as shown in the image
• And (and this is a biggy) the ability to bring your templates and lists through from Mailchimp into Transpond.

Costs

Both Capsule CRM and Transpond have generous free options.

Capsule CRM: you can have 250 contacts and 2 users for free

Transpond: send 1000 emails for free per month

As with any software, the free options have limits in terms of additional features, but at this level you really can get a good idea as to whether they are right for you before upgrading.

I have not yet had a chance to compare Transpond and Mailchimp, but the fact that the former links in so easily with Capsule CRM gives it a thumbs up from me!

Test Them Out

If you are already a Capsule CRM user, you will probably already have been informed of this new integration. If not, you can go into the account settings and choose integrations, where you will find Transpond – it is very easy to set up.

If you are new to Capsule CRM you can sign up here

If you do not use a Capsule CRM, but would like to try Transpond, you can give it a go here

Project Boards

Another recent new feature on Capsule CRM is the project boards replacing cases. I have not explored this very much yet, but for people who are familiar with project boards on systems such as Trello and Asana, this looks like another welcome addition. Project boards are very popular because of them being visual and I think just the change of name makes it more obvious.

Training Courses

With these new features I really think that Capsule CRM have addressed some of their drawbacks, so I will be running two training courses later in the year:

1. Introduction to Capsule CRM – a half day beginners guide.
2. Integrating Capsule CRM and Transpond  – a half day intermediate course.

Both these courses will be for up to 6 people and will usually be online, although I would be willing to travel to a venue to provide training for a minimum of 4 people. I will set dates for the online courses shortly.

If you would like a bespoke course, please book in a time for a chat for me to discuss your requirements and prices.

If you sign up for a paid plan for either of these services, I receive an affiliate fee.