Vantage Unified Launches MAXcustomerconnect for SMBs

Vantage Unified today launched the MAXcustomerconnect service to help small business reach customers in an increasingly mobile world.

This new service integrates Vantage's Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM) with the Vantage MAXvoice business phone service, allowing small businesses to build and send text messaging and email marketing campaigns to customers mobile devices. The Vantage CRM gathers customer phone numbers, including mobiles, from the caller ID on the Vantage MAXvoice phone service, as well as email addresses from small business Web sites and/or Facebook social media pages. Through MAXcustomerconnect, the small business owner can then text or email sales or service announcements directly to their customers' home or work PCs, smartphones, or tablets.

"Addressing the challenge of helping small businesses to thrive in today's mobile world required a bold approach that the MAXcustomerconnect solution delivers," said Bob Phelan, president of Vantage Unified, in a statement. "While the integration of third-party CRM with voice is typical at the Fortune 500 enterprise level, no one has developed a voice-connected CRM that meets the marketing needs of the small business owner. In fact, MAXcustomerconnect has the only CRM on the market that you can build and send SMS text message or email campaigns directly within the application, and this capability is at the heart of the MAXcustomerconnect platform."

MAXcustomerconnect starts at $89.99 per month for the base three-line service with CRM.

The MAXcustomerconnect service bundle includes unlimited domestic calling, IP-fax, auto attendant, and mobile phone integration. Also included is a feature called 3-Peat Connect Calling, designed for businesses that rely heavily on the phone for taking orders or making reservations and appointments. 3-Peat Connect Calling triples the capacity of businesses to take live orders over the phone.

Also available is optional monthly service from Constant Contact, a provider of engagement marketing for small businesses. After a free trial period, optional monthly service from Constant Contact starts at $20 per month.

Although small business owners can use the CRM in MAXcustomerconnect to build text and HTML email on their own, Constant Contact offers HTML email designs and can act as the email service provider for the small business.

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