29-Jan-2009
The International Garden Photographer of the Year, www.igpoty.com, trading as GALPA, has implemented Really Simple Systems hosted customer relationship management (CRM) software to consolidate and support its working activities and sponsorship opportunities across the UK.
The International Garden Photographer of the Year's photographic competition commences in a summer exhibition hosted in Kew Gardens that then culminates in an exhibition that travels throughout England.
As an international competition with a million competition entrants, followers and viewers it has a myriad of sponsorship opportunities. Philip Smith, Director, The International Garden Photographer of the Year comments, "As a dynamic forward-thinking company, GALPA actively seeks commercial business sponsors. We issue a large volume of direct mail and are in contact with a great deal of different people and companies. Monitoring that contact is a priority."
The International Photographer of the Year Competition originally implemented Really Simple Systems to track sponsorship opportunities but soon realised that additional functionalities of the software could be utilised to match the complexities of a growing business.
Operating across the South East, the International Garden Photographer of the Year has two directors based in Oxford and Devon, two non-executive directors and an assortment of external contractors based in Oxfordshire and London. As a hosted CRM application that can be accessed from anywhere with an internet connection, Really Simple Systems is ideal for maintaining communication across the organisation.
The International Garden Photographer of the Year thoroughly researched the market for a CRM system that could match its demands, Smith comments, "We required a system that was reasonably priced, easy to use and provided sufficient support to our business. Really Simple Systems was the best option as it allowed for greater flexibility, whereas the other systems were complicated and top heavy with excessive demands on user input." Smith continues, "Once we had evaluated the product we realised that it also offers a unique level of support - a level of service akin to what we provide. Really Simple Systems' response times are very quick and personal."
Specialising in providing hosted CRM to small and medium sized organisations, Really Simple Systems was an ideal option for the competition, Smith continues, "Really Simple Systems immediately looked functional and user-friendly. Really Simple Systems has a balance between ease of use and a superior level of support."
Smith concludes, "Our business would be really difficult to run without Really Simple Systems. All our web transactions are fully integrated with the CRM system and all data and details that are inserted on the website are immediately added to the CRM system. It is so efficient and we can easily monitor contact with people and follow correspondence."
About Really Simple Systems
Really Simple Systems Hosted CRM is aimed at small and medium sized organisations with between 5 and 200 people
who want a straightforward hosted CRM sales, marketing and support system.
The hosted model is particularly suitable for companies with multiple locations and sales people who work remotely or at home.
Really Simple Systems is the largest United Kingdom provider of hosted CRM systems and has offices in the UK and Australia.
Users include the Royal Academy of Arts, the British Library, Citicorp and the Department of Health as well as many small and medium sized companies.