TechWinter

37 Signals is a web service software developer that uses the computing language Ruby and the framework Ruby on Rails (which they developed) to create their software.

They are notorious and loved for their simplicity and for designing software that fulfills a specialised need.  They have a services so simple that their so purpose is to help you manage your tasks lists, and more sophisticated (yet simple) software for project management.

All are free at the most basic level and all come with a 30 day trial period that allows a new user to try all the features and determine via usage what package is right for them.  I just wish my mobile phone provider would have done that for me!

Well they have launched a new and much anticipated contact management service dubbed Highrise.  This service lets you:

• Add leads (name, phone number, email, etc), flag for follow-up, and include notes.  The information can be added and made exclusive to author, someone else, different groups, or everyone - their explanation (with pictures)
  • Flag for follow up and choose when the task is due, whom is responsible, and what the action should involve e.g a Call or Email.
• Record (enter data not literally record the sound) calls, and again add a relevant note - their explanation (w/pictures)
• Tagging!!!! They allow you add tags to contact details.  This can useful for obscure searches such as contacting the Press for a Press Release.  If you did a search for Press how does the search engine know who is press and who isn’t?  If you add tags you add ‘context’ to your information that isn’t available for a typical search. Their explanation
• They also support a kinda ‘SmartFolder’ system that I won’t even try to explain because I think its done a bit oddly (based on what I saw in my 5min lookover).  I guess my first issue with it is it doesn’t appear to allow for real consolidation if there was an issue with multiple people involved.  Anyway their explanation is available too.

They also offer search (I mentioned in-directly above), and vCards too.

Not cool:

• The notes show which member of the team wrote which note but not exactly when (date but no time).
• The email method they have to remotely update your Tasks is not fun and very common.  Wasn’t happy that they didn’t innovate here and make life easier for us normals.
• Integration with other services - still waiting on that.  Would be nice if they would say its at least in the visible skyline or if its vapourware.
• No Skype integration?
• Fewer Web 2.0 design features than I would have liked

What would have been cool:

• Would have liked a plugin in for Outlook that allows me to just right click data and have it enter auto-magically in my contacts and also a bulk upload feature would have been really really cool as I am never ever going to move my hundreds of contacts to a new service manually.  But hey that’s me.
• Skype integration
• No mention of mobile access.  Hey CrackBerry users love it when they can sync.

I am not keen to try it beyond looking at it because of the lack of an import so please vocalise your thoughts and if anyone tries it tell me about it.

Others that are talking about it:

• 37 Signals (of course)
• Web Worker Daily
• Webware (neither positive or negative)
• CMS Wire (positive mostly)

Competitors (CMS Wire thought of these guys below not me):

• FunClient
• SalesForce Team Edition

What would you like to see?  What did you like?  What didn’t you like?  Have you even heard of these 37 Signal guys?

Tags: goplan, basecamp, highrise, 37signals, contactmanagement, salesforce, funclient