Savo Groups Web-based Sales Asset Manager 5.0 presents its sales content management tools as a process-driven application that steers users to specific content-related tasks. This approach worked particularly well in our tests, making it easy to find content relating to a particular sales step, such as writing an introductory letter or preparing a deck of product-pitch slides.
Click here to read the full review of Sales Asset Manager 5.0.
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Savo Groups Web-based Sales Asset Manager 5.0 presents its sales content management tools as a process-driven application that steers users to specific content-related tasks. This approach worked particularly well in our tests, making it easy to find content relating to a particular sales step, such as writing an introductory letter or preparing a deck of product-pitch slides.
Savo Group can customize the interface of SAM 5.0, but common elements include an overview page that acts as a portal to content in the system as well as links to other applications.
Our test accounts user overview page included a navigable sales process element that quickly dropped us into a view of all the content available at a given stage of the sales process. In addition, a menu system could direct us by task, type of content or our own personalized view of content (based on favorites and frequency of access).
For content managers, SAM 5.0 presents a more traditional interface, focused on tasks such as creating assets of a specific type or configuring a user interface element for salespeople (such as a situational interview).
This organization of elements worked well during tests, as it provided logical progressions to next steps when we were creating content or modifying the system. Content managers also have the ability to control system variables for personalizing content or creating variable content based on data from an external source, such as price lists.
As with Sant Suite, a few hours of training will bring most content creators up to speed on SAM 5.0. However, because the product is strictly Web-based and works with Firefox and IE, it can be easily extended to partners, regardless of the platform they are using. SAM 5.0 also avoids the configuration requirements that Sant Suite 7.2 introduces through its IE reliance.
Reporting is integrated directly into SAM 5.0s content creation interface, providing summary views of asset use and direct feedback from the sales staff, an element we particularly liked.
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Pragmatechs Proposal Automation Suite and Info Express
On-premises tool for developing sales and marketing documents; also includes an RFP management application (www.pragmatech.com)
Sants Sant Suite On-Demand 7.2
The hosted version of Sants on-premises tools for developing sales and marketing documents requires IE 5.5 or higher but puts a proprietary face on it and requires enabling ActiveX; service also includes an RFP management application (www.santcorp.com)
Technical Analyst Michael Caton can be reached at michael_caton@ziffdavis.com.
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