At ICON15, Infusionsoft Reveals Improved Campaign Builder and Payments Options

PHOENIX—Infusionsoft executives offered three pieces of advice to help small businesses grow during Tuesday's opening keynote at this year's ICON user conference: "Invest in your marketing; feel, know, and act like follow-up works; and recognize that automation can literally change your game," Eric Martineau, the company's chief software architect, summarized. Martineau took the stage alongside Chief Executive Officer Clate Mask and Scott Martineau, vice president of product strategy, who also stressed the importance of advertising and following up through email.

The company, which supplies marketing and sales software to small and medium businesses, also took the opportunity to announce improvements to its offerings at the event. Vice President of Product Management Kyle Leavitt highlighted three advances the company will be introducing this year. "We're committed to simplifying email for you," he assured the audience of 3,000-plus small business owners in attendance. To improve email, still one of the most popular communication channels for marketers, Infusionsoft plans to release an e-mail builder in Q4, depending on the success it shows in testing. The email builder will include preset templates as well as drag-and-drop functionality. These automated tools will simplify the process of creating professional and appealing compositions, and will sync with mobile devices. This summer, Infusionsoft will also debut a payments option through its platform. The tool will make it easier for salespeople in the field to collect payments from customers.

While these additions are not particularly groundbreaking when taken on their own, each is important to companies that hope to have the convenience of accessing such functions in one convenient source, says Brent Leary, founder of CRM Essentials. A focus for the company over the past few years has been making its offerings easier to use, and this will take them one step closer to making that a reality.

"These systems are finally easier and more accessible than they've ever been," Leary says.

One thing that will encourage more subscribers to make the most of their subscriptions is Infusionsoft's Help Center, which is set to launch next week, according to Anila Artanari, director of software development. With this service, business owners will be able to seek help through live chat 24 hours a day.

Leary points out that the added support is significant because it is a step toward ensuring that businesses are able to use the software to its full potential. Added ability to ask for help via chat will allow reps to assist more people instantly, at all hours of the day, and to keep a record of the communications that have been made. "Entrepreneurs work crazy hours; they're not nine-to-fivers, and they don't want to wait for help. Chat is a biggie, because a lot of users need help with software from time to time," Leary said.

In recent years, Infusionsoft has said that the ideal size of the business it serves is from one to 25 employees, Leary states. But during a private Q&A held for media and analysts, the company said that while that number still holds, it can serve companies with up to 100 employees, offering guidance and coaching to those who outgrow its services when they are ready for another vendor.

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