Review of Infusionsoft’s New Features

Yesterday there was a webinar which presented an overview of new features of Infusionsoft which are set to start rolling out next week.  If you aren’t familiar with Infusionsoft, you might benefit from reading the 21 Ways I Use Infusionsoft to Automate My Business.  Essentially they provide a hosted software (SaaS) engine enabling small businesses to have automated follow-up marketing.  This latest update will speed up the use of the application (less clicks is better), and import enhancements will make it easier for new customers to get up and running.

Review of Infusionsoft’s New Features

I’ve never posted information about Infusionsoft updates here before, but think this one is a pretty big deal.  They have made pretty big changes in three key areas, Ecommerce (shopping cart), Marketing, and customer relationship management (CRM).  While I haven’t used the new features yet, I’ll highlight a few changes I’m most interested in.

Disclosure: Travis is a Certified Marketing Automation Coach (CMAC) with Infusionsoft, which means he provides coaching and consulting to Infusionsoft customers.

Ecommerce Changes

Enhanced User Interface makes it easier for users to:

Apply a Theme- (formerly known as a cart skin) to your ecommerce store giving your store a custom look.
Manage products, subscriptions, and categories easier with the new catalog feature.
Set Checkout Options- Checkout, payment, shipping options, and PPC tracking are all on the same setup screen (less clicks).

Infusionsoft's Updated Ecommerce Module

Marketing Changes

Follow Up Sequences- Now you can see any trackable links in a Follow Up email from the main Follow Up Sequence screen, you no longer need to open the email template.

Infusionsoft's Home Screen Activity Feed

Email Editor- New preview tab let’s you see what the send email will look like.  Multipart messages on one screen (like with Aweber) for easier editing.  This certainly isn’t perfect, but improved from the old editor.
Broadcast Wizard- For email, fax, and voice broadcasts, the user interface has been updated making it more intuitive than the current version.
Activity Feed- VERY big.  Sits on your home screen, and lets you know who opened your email, double opted in, filled a form, and reported SPAM.
Email Stats Dashboard- Last year Infusionsoft released a “Dashboard” of sorts for the user home screen.  This update builds upon it with the addition of easy drop downs to see reports for recent broadcasts, etc.
Email Header- Some users were frustrated about the send address for broadcast emails.  This update removes “bounce@infusionsoft.com” from all outgoing emails and replaces it with ‘mailer@infusionsoft.com.’”

CRM Changes

Import files from Aweber, Constant Contact, & 1ShoppingCart. This will allow an export file created from these services to import into Infusion with a couple of clicks.

Infusionsoft's Updated Import Wizard

Before, users had to setup mappings, and manipulate in an offline spreadsheet.  It is another big timesaver.  What I’m unsure of, is if they are double opted in (confirmed) with, for example, Aweber, are they also double opted in, in Infusion automatically?  Perhaps someone from Infusion can answer this question.
Create a Company Record from an Import- There is now this import option.  Great for customers who manage by company.
Easier Tagging- Tags are used to identify or group contacts, as prospects, customers, etc.  Some customers have hundreds of tags, based on their business need.  Now users can create a new tag from a person record.  Previously this was only available in a special setup screen.  Another small thing, but a big time saver.

Bottom Line On This Latest Update From Infusionsoft

These enhancements are designed to save time for customers with less clicks, easier setup (ecommerce, and importing), and a more intuitive interface.  Infusion users can look for these enhancements as they are rolled out in phases January 26, 2010 to February 9, 2010.  Infusionsoft offers a free trial of their software, get direct access at InfusionSoftTrial.com

Questions? Comments?  Updates? Chime in below.

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