I've been keeping tabs on Upswing CRM, a Web-based CRM application designed specifically for financial service professionals, since its launch roughly two years ago. I first saw Upswing when it was still in the alpha testing phase, but even at that early stage Upswing piqued my interest. In particular, three characteristics stood out: It was easier to use than many competing Web applications of that era; it was one of the first to target our industry that adopted Web 2.0 technologies like AJAX, giving the application a more "desktop-like" feel; and pricing was competitive. Back then, the application had many little annoyances that are typical of 1.0 software releases, but the application's potential was apparent.

With the impending release of Upswing version 2.0, the application is entering its adolescence. Two years should be time enough to eliminate the bugs and add some polish. I was eager to try out the beta version of Upswing 2.0 to see if the application had begun to realize its full potential.

When I first logged on to the application, I noticed that what was formerly called the home page is now called the "dashboard." This page, which offered limited customization in the old version, now offers much more. My sample dashboard included six sections-or widgets, as Upswing prefers to call them-arranged in two columns.

The left column contained "tasks," "special dates" (client birthdays and the like) and "projects" widgets. The right column contained contacts organized under "referral," "events" and "opportunities" (sales opportunities that can be arranged by stage, status, etc.). Each of these widgets is a self-contained unit, just like the widgets on the Microsoft Vista desktop or the gadgets on the Google sidebar. The widgets can be rearranged with simple dragging and dropping. For example, I chose to drag my projects widget from the lower left to the upper right and I then dragged my "events" widget from the middle right to the lower left.

You can now collapse widgets so that you just see a bar and a title, but you cannot totally remove them. Upswing will be releasing a minor upgrade, version 2.1, before the end of the summer that will allow you to add new Upswing widgets, remove ones you don't want and even add non-Upswing sections. The software's makers intend to further expand their widget capabilities by adding integrated communications and social networking functionality.

Many of the Upswing widgets can be customized. For example, the default view within the task widget displays overdue tasks followed by today's tasks and tomorrow's. If you prefer, you can choose to display all open tasks, just today's or a number of other combinations.

One other dashboard feature of note: It can be tailored to a user's identity. If you are an employee, you will only see your tasks, contacts and other information unless a colleague chooses to share their information with you. If you are a supervisor, however, you can configure your dashboard so that you can see both your own information and that of the staff you are responsible for.

To navigate away from the dashboard, you can click a hot link within a widget that allows you to drill down for details, or you can use the tabs that run along the top of the dashboard to access the other sections of the application. The main sections are: contacts, tasks, calendar, projects, opportunities, reports, files and analytics.

The main contacts page presents a list of all contacts with their primary telephone numbers and hot links to their primary e-mail addresses, households and companies. There is a space to upload a picture of each contact. If you click on the e-mail hot link, the application will open your e-mail program to a blank e-mail addressed to the contact. If you click on the household link, you will see a display of the household history as well as a list of other household members. If you click on the company, you'll see a history of all interactions with that business as well as all contacts associated with it.

The main page automatically color codes the contacts by type. If you enter a client, the frame around the picture is coded in green; for prospects it is yellow, and for other contacts it is grey. You can sort the contact list by categories, tags (keywords the user assigns) and other methods. Tags are particularly useful since they are user defined and you can assign multiple tags to each contact.

Clicking on a client's name takes you to that client's contact page. This page is similar in layout to the dashboard. Information is divided into two columns. The column on the left contains the contact information and the history. This section is currently fixed. On the right however, the information is housed in widgets that can be rearranged by the user. My view contained things such as additional opportunities, projects, special dates associated with this client, upcoming activities, referrals (so I can see how much business this client has sent my way) and a profile widget (which includes the client's net worth, income, risk tolerance and tax information). The referral information from this page and all other client pages flows into the "contacts by referral" chart on the dashboard.

If you are a client of Albridge, you can see a summary of client holdings in both spreadsheet and graphic formats from within Upswing. In addition, Upswing offers integration with Quik! Forms, LaserApp and MoneyGuidePro. If you use one of the form-filling programs, Upswing will push the data needed to complete a form into Quik! or LaserApp, where it will be posted in the proper fields.
If you use MoneyGuidePro, with a single click you can send client or household contact information into MoneyGuidePro to create a financial plan. If your     Upswing account receives data from Albridge, that data can also be pushed into MoneyGuidePro to populate financial plans.
Various notification capabilities are now built into the contact section. For example, when someone assigns a contact to a user, the user will receive an e-mail notifying him that the contact has been assigned. When a note is added to a contact record, the advisor has the option to select other users who will receive a notification by e-mail that the note has been added.

The Upswing calendar is robust. It allows advisors to create their own schedules and coordinate with colleagues. Upswing now supports multiple calendars so an advisor can have one for work, one for personal use and one for a work group. With permission, advisors can view each other's calendars.

The ability to show or hide calendars allows advisors to customize what they see. Colors can be customized for easier viewing. The software also now allows monthly views and agenda views, which were missing in earlier editions. Users can also elect to have a copy of their daily agenda e-mailed to them every morning at a time of their choosing.

The new projects module allows multiple employees within the firm to collaborate on projects such as marketing campaigns and seminars. All tasks, work flows, notes, notifications and permissions associated with the project can be stored and managed from a single location.

Previous versions of Upswing offered a way to track tasks, as well as a way to combine a number of tasks into a work flow, but this version offers new approaches. In addition to applying a work flow to a client or prospect, you can now apply it to opportunities and projects. Templates can be created and applied over and over as needed. For example, you could create a seminar work flow and apply it each time you create a seminar project. If needed, the template can be tweaked to reflect the unique needs of a given project.

For those advisors and firms trying to expand their business, the opportunities section offers a method of documenting and organizing all sales opportunities in a single location.

Reporting has been significantly upgraded and grouped within a new module. This module includes roughly 65 standard report templates. The reports are grouped into categories such as contact, activity, project and opportunity reports. The contact report section appears to be the most extensive, offering a wide array of reports to dissect and analyze your client base. Each report template can be further customized to meet the needs of the individual advisor or firm. If the current report templates do not provide the needed information, a report wizard walks the advisor through the process of creating his own custom template from scratch.

The analytics module is similar to the reports module in that it consolidates information from across the business. The difference is that the analytics section presents the information in graphic format.

Upswing has always offered some ability to upload and store files on the Upswing server, but with the addition of the new files module, those capabilities have been expanded. Now, advisors can upload files and store them at the company level. Customized categories can be created and assigned to files. Files can be cross-linked to clients, events and projects. Versioning has been added too, so that multiple versions of the same document can be retained. Upswing now offers some batch upload capabilities as well. Previously, you could only upload one file at a time. Now, you can upload up to five documents at a time. Finally, the default storage has been increased. Upswing now offers four times as much storage at the base price as they previously did.

Documentation is much improved, although it could be even better. I saw a noticeable improvement in the help screens. I'm told that videos and more screenshots will be available to end users when the final version of 2.0 launches, but they were not available during my tests.

In the 2.1 release due soon, Upswing will be offering integration with Jott (www.jott.com), a free service that allows you to call a number, speak a short message, and have that message converted to text and e-mailed or text messaged to yourself or a third party. It also allows you to "Jott" to some Web services. When the integration is complete, Jott account holders will be able to call Jott, and have it enter a task or a note directly into Upswing. The ability to integrate the service with BlackBerry and iPhones is also expected to be ready when 2.1 releases.

So how good is Upswing 2.0? Based on my limited test-drive of the 2.0 beta, I'd have to say that the developers have done a good job of taking this application to the next level. It is not the most extensive CRM system on the market for financial professionals today, and it does not offer a full document management system, but it does strike a nice balance between features and usability. So, while it may not satisfy the needs of CRM power users, there is much more here than many advisors currently use. Better yet, the pricing is reasonable. A single user can be up and running for as little as $37.00 per month. That price drops to $24.00 per month per user in a three-person environment, and just under $20.00 per user for 15 people.

If you are looking for a good, online, industry-specific CRM application and you value ease of use over the most extensive feature set, Upswing will probably appeal to you. It is easy to learn, easy to use and easy on the pocketbook. I suspect it will attract a loyal following. The final version of Upswing 2.0 should be available by the time you read this. You can sign up for a free trial at http://www.upswingcrm.com.