Capsule

New in Capsule: calendar view and task categories

We greatly value suggestions from our users in making Capsule the best CRM around for small businesses.  Some of the more popular suggestions on our uservoice forum have been to add a calendar view of your tasks in Capsule.  A related suggestion has been to show your Capsule tasks in your favourite calendaring apps such as iCal on the Mac, Outlook Calendar and Google Calendar.

Over the weekend we rolled out the new calendar view and the iCal feed.  You can see how the screen looks below.  We also introduced task categories so that when you add a task to Capsule you can give it additional context such as it’s a Meeting or a Milestone or you need to Follow-up.  We think this is a useful productivity improvement to the tasks functionality in Capsule.

We’ve added a default set of categories to all Capsule accounts which you’re welcome to edit and extend.

Javelin is now Capsule

As per our previous blog post and email notification to users, Javelin is renaming to Capsule. The switch over of the branding and the change of the domain name from javelincrm.com to capsulecrm.com has been completed today. We've sent an email to users with instructions for accessing accounts and support. If you have any trouble, let us know on .

And now for a bit of nostalgia here is the old logo alongside the new:

Javelin is being renamed to Capsule

This weekend Javelin is being renamed to Capsule. Accounts on the system will continue as before with the same data, username and password.  However the URL that you use to access the CRM system will change and we’ll notify users of the new URL once the change over has completed. Integration with 3rd party applications will not be affected as we’ll continue to make the API available on the existing URL.

The reason for the name change is that we have been contacted by a company who has a trademark on the name Javelin.  While we don’t agree there is an infringement of their trademark we figure our time and resources are better spent building a great CRM rather than fighting court battles. We’ll share further details on this once the change over is complete.

To complete the changeover, Javelin will be unavailable this Sunday from 12:00 to 16:00 GMT.

Javelin saving the UK millions during big snow

Here in the UK we’ve had the worst snow in decades according to the minute by minute news reports.  Apparently the place has been bought to a standstill. According to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), lost employee productivity could cost the UK £600m per day.

The bad news for our Javelin users is there is no excuses for an extended holiday since Javelin can be accessed from anywhere you have an internet connection. As tweeted by one of our users, “Hmmmm, I think I’ll work from home today using #googleapps, Javelin CRM & Xero”.

So while it might be a stretch to say Javelin is making the whole of the UK more productive!, businesses using cloud applications like Javelin, Google Apps and Xero have a much better chance of remaining productive if staff can continue to access the systems they rely on. If you are considering home working for your staff, SaaSage who offer services for Javelin and other cloud apps have put together a list of considerations for home working

For any businesses out there still using traditional software instead of cloud applications, here’s an incentive for you to convert to Javelin.  This week only get 25% off your first 3 months by signing up with discount code BIGSNOW

Opportunities & Cases now with more flexibility

Custom fields and Data Tags have been a very popular feature for contacts in Javelin with good reason.  By adding your own custom fields you can adapt Javelin to better suit your business. Now the same feature is available to Opportunities and Cases.

As a simple example to demonstrate the power of this feature, let’s say I’d like to use Javelin to keep track of my client projects.  First I configure a new Data Tag called Web Project and add fields for start date, planned end date and planned budget.

Now when I apply the Web Project tag to a case, Javelin prompts me to enter the new information and when I’m looking at the case in Javelin I can see the Web Project information I’ve entered alongside other case information.

Finally, it’s easy to use the new fields to add conditions to lists that are created in Javelin.  For example, I can create a lists of projects due in due by February adding the following condition:

Hopefully this demonstrates the power of the custom fields and Data Tag functionality and has given you some ideas for your own.  If you’ve got an interesting use of this functionality that you’d like to share with the Javelin community then we’d love to hear about it.

Internet Explorer is officially square

We’ve been introducing rounded corners into the Javelin user interface recently.  Rounded corners and curves are nice and they provide us with a simple way to keep Javelin looking fresh, or at least it should have been simple.  As any web designer will tell you in words I can’t print here, Internet Explorer is a party pooper.

We’ve looked into using the many hacks for round corners in Internet Explorer and we tried a couple but they all have their issues which leads us to this position:

So instead of spending our days making Internet Explorer fit a round hole we’ve left it square.  In Firefox, Safari and Chrome you’ll get some rounded corner love:

And in Internet Explorer you’ll see square:

And another example:

I’m not on a crusade to change your web browser.  The beauty of web applications is you get to choose your operating system and browser, but if you are using Internet Explorer and want to consider an alternative then Mashable did a browser round up recently.

FreshBooks Integration

Javelin now integrates with FreshBooks. FreshBooks is a great way for you to track time and invoice your customers. When you use Javelin with FreshBooks you'll get the complete view of your relationships including notes and files you've added, emails to and from the contact, tasks that need to be done, sales opportunities, along side invoices from FreshBooks.

Integration is easy, simply enter your FreshBooks account API details into your Professional Edition of Javelin. Javelin automatically imports your customers from FreshBooks and you're ready to go. Here's a summary of what you get:

• When viewing a contact in Javelin, you'll see a summary of invoices and outstanding amounts from FreshBooks
• Contacts can be exported from Javelin into FreshBooks so that you can start invoicing them
• Amend invoices and view contacts in FreshBooks by clicking through from the contact in Javelin
• Updates to contact details such as addresses in Javelin are automatically synchronised to FreshBooks so you only need to make the update in one place

Capsule API for Developers

We're pleased to announce the Capsule API is now available. Developers can use the API to access Javelin whether you're planning on creating a clever add-on you want to share with the community or hooking in one of your internal applications. The API is implemented using XML or JSON over plain old HTTPS allowing developers to use existing tools and languages.

The API closely follows RESTful principles with every resource like person, opportunity or tag having its own URL. Resources can be manipulated using standard REST commands GET (view), POST (create), PUT (update) and DELETE. For more details and to get started visit our API guide.

We would love to hear ideas you have on how you plan to use the API. Drop us a note at .

Javelin Affiliate Program

A number of you have been recommending Javelin to your clients, associates and even random fellow Twitter users.  We are very grateful for this support and we’d like to say a big thank you for bringing customers to us.

In return we are launching an affiliate program where you can earn money for referrals.  The Javelin Affiliate Program is a revenue share between you, the affiliate, and us.  You’ll receive 20% of our revenues from a referred customer for the life of their account. 

The sign-up process for the affiliate program is easy and we’ve kept the program as simple as possible.  There’s no fee or other obligation in joining.  To get started, visit the affiliate program overview.

We’d love to hear how you get on, and feel free to drop us any questions on our support email address .

Email Marketing with MailChimp

Javelin CRM now integrates with MailChimp for email marketing, and it's available in both the free and professional editions of Javelin. Here's a quick video showing how it's done.

See the MailChimp site for more information on their email designer, templates and campaign management tools.

FreeAgent Integration

Javelin and FreeAgent now hook up. So if you use Javelin alongside the simple, but powerful online accounting tools from FreeAgent you’ll get the complete view of your relationships including notes and files you’ve added, emails to and from the contact, tasks that need to be done, sales opportunities, support requests and invoice statuses.

Integration is easy - simply enter your FreeAgent account details into your Professional Edition of Javelin.  Javelin automatically imports your customers from FreeAgent and you’re good to go.  Here’s a summary of what you get:

• When viewing a contact in Javelin, you’ll see a summary of invoices and overdue amounts from FreeAgent
• Contacts can be exported from Javelin into FreeAgent so that you can start invoicing them
• Add a new invoice by clicking through from the contact in Javelin
• Updates to contact details such as addresses in Javelin are automatically synchronised to FreeAgent so you only need to make the update in one place

Demise of MS Money and the rise of web apps

A decade or so ago when Microsoft was in its heyday, we bought software and installed it in our homes and offices because that’s the way it was. Fast-forward to 2009 and we know that consumers are embracing software and services that operate online.  The recent announcement from Microsoft that they are discontinuing MS Money provides a good example of the way it was then and the way it is now.

Microsoft in their own words have admitted the market has changed
http://www.microsoft.com/money/default.mspx

“With banks, brokerage firms and Web sites now providing a range of options for managing personal finances, the consumer need for Microsoft Money Plus has changed. After suspending annual updates of Money Plus in 2008, Microsoft is announcing today that we will no longer offer Microsoft Money Plus for purchase after June 30, 2009.“

In the same way MS Encarta was made obsolete by Wikipedia, MS Money hasn’t kept up with our expectations for tracking personal finances.  Online services like Mint, Wesabe and Quicken offer not only an easier way to get started, but also a whole new way of presenting and using your financial information.  For example Mint can compare your spending with other users and highlight areas where you are paying over the odds.  Because Mint is hooked up to your bank, it also keeps track of your transactions as they happen and alerts you to events such as your account running out of money.  Neat stuff and much more useful than MS Money ever was stuck in the constraints of your PC.

Part of the reason Microsoft have discontinued Money is due to a cost cutting exercise.  Fact is the cost of distributing and supporting installed software is expensive.  With an online service there is only one installation to support, not millions.  This results in lower costs or even free services for consumers.

While individuals have been busy trying out these new services, businesses have been slower to change.  After all, which is easier - trying out Mint for your own use, or convincing your boss to use a new online accounting system to run the business? Small tech savy businesses are leading the way by mashing up their pick of online service such as twitter, CRM, accounting, wikis and email marketing.  You can see an example of this in my post showing Javelin CRM integrated seamlessly with Xero and KashFlow.  In the same way that personal apps like Mint have made MS Money obsolete, the writing is on the wall for traditional business apps stuck in PC’s such as Act!, Sage and even MS Word.

Faster searching

Javelin users have been asking for a quicker way to search for contacts.  Previously the only way was to click through to the people and organizations page.  So to make searching quicker we’ve added a search box that’s available from every page in Javelin.  It’s implemented as a live search so it returns results as you type.

Here’s a short screencast (without sound) showing the new search in action:

search from Javelin on Vimeo.

Accounting Tweaks

The Javelin integration with Xero and KashFlow has been very popular since its release a few weeks ago.  We’ve been tweaking this functionality based on ideas and feedback from our users which has been top notch as usual.  Here’s a summary of the recent changes that are live:

• Suppliers are now included from KashFlow.  For the initial release it was customers only.
• A supplier view which shows invoices from your suppliers and their statuses.  Just a bit of background on the naming convention here - KashFlow calls these “Receipts” while Xero calls them “Accounts Payable Invoices”.  We’ve decided to use the term “Supplier Invoice” because we think it’s clear and ensures we have common terminology for any accounting system that we integrate with.
• Automatic tagging as Customer and Supplier.  This makes it easy to see the relationship you have with a contact and you can use the tags to filter searches and lists

We have a further tweak in the works that we expect to release for Monday.  Currently if you view a person (e.g. Joe Blogs) attached to a company (e.g. Acme Corp), you can export that person as a customer or supplier.  That doesn’t make a great deal of sense as it’s Acme Corp that should be the customer/supplier in this example rather than Joe Blogs.  We are making a simple change to fix this - when exporting a person that is linked to a company, Javelin will detect this and export the company details instead.  Also, when viewing a person that is linked to a company, Javelin will display the opportunities and invoice information for the company. See the uservoice request for more info.

Here’s a screenshot showing a supplier with the tag and invoice information:

Announcing Xero and KashFlow Integration

Today we’ve made it easier for small businesses to better manage their customers by integrating the best CRM with the best online accounting systems, Xero and KashFlow.  CRM and accounting are both important functions for most small businesses.  CRM provides the tools to manage relationships with prospective and existing customers, and accounting systems provide the tools to manage your financial success. 

Typically these systems have been disconnected, so when updating a customer in your CRM you have to duplicate that change in the accounting system.  Of course, in practise time is tight and the these systems often drift out of date.  Equally important, you want to see everything you know about a customer in one place.  The CRM provides the customer dashboard, so why would you want to switch to the accounting system to see what’s been invoiced and what’s overdue?

By integrating Javelin with these accounting systems we’ve fixed the problem.  Now all information including invoicing and overdues is available from customer view in Javelin, and updates to customers are automatically applied to the accounting system so you only need update the customer in one place.  This is a big step forward for small business in getting better value out of CRM and accounting.

The following screencast demonstrates how you can get started easily and start benefiting from an integrated solution.  The screencast shows Xero in action and we’ve done exactly the same for KashFlow too.

The KashFlow version of the screenflow is available here.

To find out more about Xero and to sign-up for a free 30-day trial, visit www.xero.com

To find out more about KashFlow and to sign-up for a free 60-day trial, visit www.kashflow.co.uk.  KashFlow are kindly offering Javelin customers £2/month off KashFlow when you sign-up using promo code JAVELIN01

Sign up for a free, no obligation 30-day trail of our Professional Edition to get started.