Aurea CRM vs. iContact

I have prepared deeply detailed customised queries to prepare detailed customer reports including markets, segments, classifications and potentials to present to our company management which have been highly appreciated. So, it was well suited in that case. Since I'm traveling a lot for customer visit activities, I frequently need to use it as mobile but it's slightly nightmarish to use its unfriendly search function as well as very slow loading speeds. So, it's less appropriate in that case.

Incentivized

I would only recommend it if someone was a small business. I think they are the best suited for companies who will send out a coupon or offer here and there. The most recent updates made it more complicated to use for more complicated processes. It is easy to train someone on the program, and so quick to learn. But I would also only stick to the simpler things. I also think the colorful templates are great, and show great creativity. But again, it is hard to justify recommending the program when it isn't WYSIWYG.

Incentivized

• customised and detailed query preparation
• offer creation
• creation of detailed activity reports

Incentivized

• Contact management. iContact is really great for entering all your contact. You are able to put them onto different lists, and let them choose which lists they would like to be a part of as well. There are many data fields provided to fill in information.
• Emailing. We use the email feature at least once a month. They are always improving and adding new features, which is very helpful in presenting content in a new and exciting way to our readers. There are many options with remade templates and themes, or you can add your own.
• Insights. It is really helpful being able to have the data to see what is working and what isn't. It is nice to be able to go back and see how things went in the past compared to now. Opens, clicks, shares, etc.

Incentivized

• slightly complex user interface and menu items
• very slow loading speeds particularly for mobile smartphone use
• missing information for current or next steps of the menu while typing or entering something

Incentivized

• We also would like to send transactional messages which don't require an opt-out, this is a challenge with iContact. (May be a feature with pro?)
• The regular version of iContact doesn't support event management or logic flows for automated messaging.
• Custom form fields have limited field type options (can't build a drop-down).

Incentivized

iContact has been a quick and easy way to send any announcements and news directly to email and social media subscribers. Its tracking and reporting capabilities turn a simple email into a marketing campaign that can be used as a tool to efficiently gauge reader response and customer satisfaction, and ultimately to reach potential customers. The consistency and excellent customer service is what makes this program a pleasant experience.

Since it's providing useful features, I like to use Aurea CRM on my company PC at the office for my daily activities. However, we are in highly digital age via mobile devices particularly smart phones and we need to use softwares even in mobility which is highly weak feature of Aurea CRM and needs to be improved as soon as possible.

Incentivized

I rate iContact as an easy to use program due to its user friendly dashboard and user interface. Most companies of small to medium size do not have a dedicated marketer, therefore it is someone multitasking who may or may not have this kind of experience. iContact makes it relatively simple and can actually expand one's knowledge in the area of business promotion.

Incentivized

iContact is regularly up and running. Only once has it been unavailable for maintenance, which is to be expected and even desired for optimal performance when needed.

I'm not getting in touch directly with Aurea CRM support team member because they have trained our company's IT team members that are in direct contact with Aurea CRM support channel. As far as I know, the overall support for Aurea CRM is quite good and highly prompt in a professional way.

Incentivized

They have always been responsive to any issues or concerns that have arisen with our account. Our customer account manager participates in our monthly county-wide communicators meetings via telephone to ensure that we are getting the most from the service. He also analyzes our lists to help us weed out inactive contacts.

Incentivized

The templates are difficult to customize, and they don't render well in email platforms

i wouldn't be using it if i wasn't satisfied. time is money

I didn't select Aurea CRM myself. Since our company is global, our headquarter has selected Aurea CRM after certain years of old Oracle based Crm use. As far as I know the old one was having some weaknesses about reporting, analysing via queries, lack of marketing activies etc. That's why our top management has selected Aurea CRM for a better solution which I highly agree with it except terrible mobile use.

Incentivized

I didn't have a say in the decision because I wasn't with the company at the time. I listed HubSpot here because I know we used it in conjunction with iContact for email automation, but HubSpot Email was only recently built-out to the point where it is today. Now, iContact and HubSpot are no longer integrated.

iContact stays the same with the number of users added or taken away. It certainly remains reliable despite increased usage, and so, can be considered scaleable in that aspect.

• positive impact for efficiency of indoor sales activies
• positive impact for better report preparation
• negative impact for mobile use

Incentivized

• We have a template for webinars that we send every month. We just edit it and send. This couldn't be easier (once you know where to find it).
• We like the breakdown of statistics in the dashboard. They're easy to read.
• iContact isn't a comprehensive solution, so it is only one of a few products we use for marketing.

Incentivized