New feature: mass mailing

Probably you had repeatedly confronted with the problem of mass mailing your customers. You have to find the right software to do this, buy, configure and test it. Yes, you may have not enough motivation to do this.

OK – you can easily do this – just add each of your clients to the “BCC” field. Apart from unability to personalize messages, you will face the problem that mail servers may simply ignore a single message with hundreds of recipients.

Here are 5 easy steps to send a mailing:

1. Sign up for Funnela. Note: You may already have completed this step. If not, create a new account – it will take just 30 seconds.
2. Create a group in your address book and add your customers to this group. If you have just created an account, import your contacts first.
3. Go to the mailbox, create a new mail message and switch to the mailing view ( “Show more address fields” -> “Batch mailing mode”).
4. Select the address book ( “Show contacts”), choose group to which you want to send a mailing by dragging to the “Mailing receivers” field.
5. Fill in the subject and content of mail, and select “Send.” That’s it – your mailing will be sent to your customers.

Have a high conversion rate!

Notice: Mass mailing feature is available only in paid plans.

Sales support in Funnela – prototype

From the very beginning our goal was to provide an application that supports small businesses in their daily activities. We decided to deliver easy to use interface and increase efficiency of work. Now is the time to provide functionality that will enable you to effectively manage your sales.

We are happy to present two screens of our sales module.

Here’s the main view, allowing management of sales opportunities and filter information that are most interesting to you.

Main view of sales module

This view illustrates how to add a new sales opportunities.

View of a new deal window

Right now interface for this module is ready and we are working on the “heart” of the module. As usual, we are open to your comments and suggestions. We will announce the exact date of the launch on our blog.

New feature: e-mail templates

According to our plans, we have introduced e-mail templates in Funnela. Any template can consist of content, subject, all address fields and attachments.

Why is it worth to use templates? E-mail templates are simple and efficient way to improve communication with customers. Templates can help you by:

• saving your time – you don’t have to write similar e-mails form scratch or search them in your sent messages
• making your customer communication more standardized – you don’t have to think how to respond when customer ask you a question

You can easily manage templates in new e-mail view, using “Templates” menu:

Templates menu in new e-mail view

From here you can create new templates, edit and delete them.

Manage your templates view

Another supported browser for Funnela: Chrome

Since today Chrome is officialy supported browser for Funnela. Currently you can login using Firefox 3.x, Internet Explorer 8, Safari and Chrome.

Our feeling is that Funnela works fastest on Chrome.

Funnela on Chrome

New feature: dashboard

According to our plans, we have introduced dashboard module for Funnela.

Funnela - dashboard view

Currently dashboard consists of 3 main sections:

• summary of data from modules
• list of outstanding and upcoming events and tasks
• list of your activity and if you share some stuff with other users also their activity

Now it’s no way to oversight scheduled tasks and events and additionally it’s easy to be up-to-date with for example new notes or tasks.

Dashboard is currently in beta and will be extend with new functionality, i.e. ability of configuration displayed information.

What would you like to see on the dashboard? Got any ideas? Feel free to write to us.

We've changed our name to Funnela

As you have probably already seen, we’ve changed our name to Funnela.

It turned out, that previous name had controversial meaning and associated us with a wrong industry.

New name is closer to what we want to Funnela be – simple CRM for small business.

Here are new addresses connected to our project:

• http://youraccount.funnela.net
• http://funnela.com
• http://funnela.com/blog
• http://funnela.uservoice.com
• http://twitter.com/funnela

New feature: export contacts

NOTE: Creamflow is now known as Funnela

We have introduced ability to export contact data from address book. You can easily export all contact data including attached notes. You will get the output file in YAML format – it’s human readable and easy to parse file format for representing all kind of data.

To export contacts, go to Settings -> Export contacts.

Main view of export data

Currently we are working on dashboard module, soon we will post more information.

New feature: import from Highrise

NOTE: Creamflow is now known as Funnela

We have added the possibility of painless migration from Highrise to Creamflow. Below you will find how to do this.

1. Export contacts from Highrise
2. Export notes, todos and cases from Highrise
3. Select Settings -> Import contacts from Highrise. Next choose files previously exported from Highrise. Then select destination address book group for imported contacts.
   

   Main view of Highrise import

4. In the next step match Highrise users to correspondent Creamflow users. Then choose “Finish import”.
   

   Matching users view

5. After successful import you can go back to the application
   

   Successful import view

After these steps all Highrise contacts with notes and tasks are imported to Creamflow. Only exception are the cases, which we will introduce in future.

Planned functionality

NOTE: Creamflow is now known as Funnela

We receive many e-mails with the comments, observations and suggestions. Many questions are related to the near future of Creamflow and planned functionality. Our plans for the future are:

• dashboard – a new module displaying key information from other modules, showing overview of the current topics. For example, the dashboard displays the unread messages, the upcoming meetings and undone tasks
  

• expansion of module “activities” associated with a customer – we will imporve the process of automated collection of information on activities related to the customer. Tasks and events will appear automatically on the list. In addition, we improve the usability of this section
• acces with Internet Explorer – we will prepare version for Internet Explorer 8, the newest version of IE
• e-mail templates – allow the creation of message templates, speeding up the communication with the customer

This is a list of only major features. Some minor fixes we are introducing daily. If you want to report a bug or suggest something, use our new feedback address: http://creamflow.uservoice.com/

Almost every day we upload the latest version of the application on the server. This is undoubtedly one of the biggest advantages offered by the SaaS ( called Software as a Service ) application model. Without the need of manual updating our users always have up-to-date version of Creamflow in their browser – it is cool, isn’t it?

New feature: contacts import

NOTE: Creamflow is now known as Funnela

Recently we have added ability to import contacts exports to CSV file from any software. It it’s one of the most popular formats used by many programs.

To import contacts you should go to settings section and choose “Import contacts” icon (Settings -> Import contacts).

Then you have to select file, choose it’s encoding and select how many of first lines belong to header. You have to select target contacts group too.

Main view of contact import screen

In next step Creamflow will try to recognize types of data in columns. In the “Header/samples” column you will see some data from your file. This will allow you, if necessary, correct matching types of data to columns.

Data matching view

Next you have to select “Finish import” button.

Button 'Finish import'

Contacts from your file will be imported and available in Creamflow. Good luck!