New CRM app uses gamification

Tech World reports. Gamification involves applying game-like design principles in an effort to make users engage more closely with a product.

Now in beta, Zurmo is written in PHP and made available under the GPLv3 open source licence. A release candidate is slated for availability in July, with a "general audience" release scheduled for September.

“One of our key goals is making CRM fun,” Virtual-Strategy quotes Zurmo co-founder and community manager Ray Stoeckicht as saying.

“Our team of software engineers has a great deal of respect for the highly disciplined test-driven development methodology we've applied to every line of code. But at the same time, we're focusing on building elements that will encourage, rather than force usage. The lack of intrinsic motivation to use CRM systems is a major failure in our industry that we intend to fix.”

Zurmo's core CRM features cover contact management, deal tracking and activity management, while the gamification elements include the use of points and badges that users receive based on the actions they take, both in terms of sheer use as well as "business-related milestones," such as garnering a certain number of sales leads, writes PC Advisor.

As users build up these points, they can achieve higher levels. The best performers jockey for space on a leaderboard inside the application, with the idea being to spur competition.