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Bringing Complex CRM Solutions to Brokers By Anthony Garritano Realizing the demand for a quality customer relationship management tool, SierraCRm has launched a Web-based version of its product targeting brokers and smaller lenders. The company believes the power of the Web and workflow with it Process Manager application makes all the difference. "We offered CRM for the wholesaler and we now have a hosted version," reported Bill Convis, chief technology officer at SierraCRM. "Also, we've enhanced the workflow recently. We've taken the idea of allowing software to automate the tasks of brokers to allow the originator to build best practices. "So, the software automatically does the work they would have done normally once an action is taken. We want the originator to think of this as a lifelong relationship with the borrower. We want to create customers for life. "As a result, we'll do things like remind the broker or banker to send a birthday card on a birthday and other related tasks," Mr. Convis pointed out. "Once the business rules are set up the system will perform those functions automatically. There is a need to have a defined business process that a piece of software can automate. You shouldn't need a post-it that can be lost." With this new product SierraCRM's business strategy is to be able to service all size shops from small mom and pops to larger organization. "We stress the ability for software to help you do your day-to-day business," noted Mr. Convis. "To this end, some of the competition don't have workflow functionality. What you get in a lot of cases is an e-mail. We wanted to take that further. We wanted to create a life-long business process. "Brokers buy a lot of leads and they have to find ways to get them to fund with them. We've found that if you can communicate with that lead and integrate them within the process they'll use you even if your rates aren't the best," said Mr. Convis. "Our software keeps the borrower in the loop to let them know when conditions have been cleared, when docs are drawn, when closing is set, etc. "We include 10 templates or you can build your own. You create tasks just like you do in Outlook. You give the task a name, hit save and it's done. It's all GUI-based." Going forward, SierraCRM will expand the system further to allow the broker to create leads from within the tool. "We're going to expand the system to create a feature so when I close a loan with a co-borrower I may want to create a new contact or opportunity with that co-borrower," explained Mr. Convis. "We'll expand the number of tasks the user can do. It's about convenience."

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