CRM for translators
Thread poster: John Fossey
John Fossey
John Fossey  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 18:36
Member (2008)
French to English
+ ...
Sep 29, 2018

Can anyone recommend CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software appropriate for freelance translators?

CRM applications keep track of all interactions with a client, and even keep track of leads and prospects who are not yet clients.

There are many CRM applications out there (Salesforce, SugarCRM, Zoho, and dozens more) but they mostly seem to have many bells and whistles that are meant for sales teams and are way too complicated for a one-person freelancer's use.


Giray Türkmen
Nurzalia Zabiri
Eduardo Davi Geraldo
 
Tania Martins
Tania Martins
Portugal
Local time: 22:36
Member
German to Portuguese
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
LSP.expert Sep 29, 2018

Hi there!

As far as I know, there are a few CRM Tools for translators and translation agencies, created by people who know our industry.

I used TO3000 for several years, but for many reasons I switched to LSP.expert a few years ago and I love it ever since.
Should you try both out, you'll see what I mean. Both of them have free trials, TO3000 only works offline and if you want to run it on more than one computer you will have to keep downloading your database and
... See more
Hi there!

As far as I know, there are a few CRM Tools for translators and translation agencies, created by people who know our industry.

I used TO3000 for several years, but for many reasons I switched to LSP.expert a few years ago and I love it ever since.
Should you try both out, you'll see what I mean. Both of them have free trials, TO3000 only works offline and if you want to run it on more than one computer you will have to keep downloading your database and transfer it to the computer you want to work with at that moment (at least it was so until last month, I don't know if that is going to change any time soon), while LSP.expert can be used anywhere, since it is an online tool.

You can also give Protemus a try (this one is completely free for freelance translators, only agencies have to pay). I think it lacks some key functionalities that the others have and this one does not.

You also have BaccS (to which you'll have free access if you're a ProZ.com payment member - I have it but never use it, way to complicated for me).

Please forgive me should anything be unclear, but it's past midnight in Portugal already and my head is not working properly anymore.

Any questions, glad to help via PM.

Have fun "trialing"!

Tania Martins
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Eduardo Davi Geraldo
 
Jean Dimitriadis
Jean Dimitriadis  Identity Verified
English to French
+ ...
LSP.expert bis Sep 30, 2018

Hello John,

Sellsy CRM

Although not specifically built with translators in mind, at least two French language translator blogs I know had good things to say about Sellsy CRM. Some series of price bumps have somewhat mitigated the very positive experience, b
... See more
Hello John,

Sellsy CRM

Although not specifically built with translators in mind, at least two French language translator blogs I know had good things to say about Sellsy CRM. Some series of price bumps have somewhat mitigated the very positive experience, but you may want to give it a go.

http://www.lamarmitedutraducteur.com/2014/03/18/crm-la-suite-goodbye-ines-hello-sellsy/
https://www.trematranslations.com/2013/09/10/enfin-un-outil-de-facturation-personnalisable/

LSP.expert

From my own experience: I too use LSP.expert and definitely second it. It is excellent for translation project/client management, although I still keep an Excel file for agency prospects (inbound/outbound), to keep the client list uncluttered, for now.

I would have preferred a separate list for prospects, but LSP.expert is improving/implementing good ideas all the time, so this could just be added if suggested.

In the centralized client list, you can assign tags to each client (plus various types of information in the individual client page: marketing notes, contacts, services/pricing, payment terms, which language to use for invoicing, uploaded files), so that you can easily differentiate active clients from prospects, etc. I star those with whom I do business often so that they appear on the top of the list.

This is the same for translation tasks: you can set various Task statuses, including “On hold” or “Cancelled”, and use these tasks for project/progress tracking, Invoicing but also sending Quotes/Estimates.

The pricing is just right and you can enjoy a 30-day trial to see for yourself.

Jean

[Edited at 2018-09-30 03:07 GMT]
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Gregory Flanders
Gregory Flanders  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 23:36
French to English
+ ...
A combination: Insightly and Translation Office Oct 1, 2018

John Fossey wrote:
but they mostly seem to have many bells and whistles that are meant for sales teams and are way too complicated for a one-person freelancer's use.


I have been using a combination of Translation Office 3000 and Insightly to keep track of quotes and potential clients. I use TO3000 to keep all of my customer data on my local computer (and backed up on dropbox): I don't like relying on a cloud solution for such important data. For potential clients, however, I don't mind storing data online, probably because I don't use my CRM tools nearly as much as my accounting/billing software.

I tend to find CRM software to create too much busy work for independent translators, but it is helpful for reminding me to keep up on marketing and contacts. Insightly is particularly nice because it is free up to a certain number of entries.

[Edited at 2018-10-01 12:48 GMT]


 
Michael Beijer
Michael Beijer  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:36
Member (2009)
Dutch to English
+ ...
BaccS's Contacts and Customers tabs = a great CRM Oct 1, 2018

I can highly recommend BaccS, either the Windows or web version. It's Contacts and Customers tabs are pretty much all you need in terms of a basic CRM as a freelance translator. And if you're missing something, Eugene will add it pretty much overnight. He has been absolutely amazing, and on the same level as the developer of CafeTran in terms of his responsiveness and enthusiasm.

Michael


Brant Yang
 
Mark Possemiers
Mark Possemiers  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 23:36
Member (2013)
Dutch to Spanish
+ ...
Daylite Aug 23, 2021

Daylite for mac users is not bad but has some serious problems importing etc.

 
Vladimir Pochinov
Vladimir Pochinov  Identity Verified
Russian Federation
Local time: 00:36
English to Russian
LSP.expert +1 Dec 30, 2022

LSP.expert is a great platform offering three subscription packages.

Michael Beijer
 
Michael Beijer
Michael Beijer  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:36
Member (2009)
Dutch to English
+ ...
agree Dec 30, 2022

Vladimir Pochinov wrote:

LSP.expert is a great platform offering three subscription packages.


I have since moved on to LSP.expert as well. It does everything I need and is nice and simple.


 
Cany Dome
Cany Dome
United States
CRM for translators Jan 27, 2023

Great question for freelance translators! I've used this CRM software myself and found it to be a great option for solo freelancers like us. It has a simple and user-friendly interface that makes it easy to keep track of all your interactions with clients, leads, and prospects. Plus, it has all the necessary features for managing your projects and tasks. It's also very affordable, starting at just $7/month. You can check out more information abou... See more
Great question for freelance translators! I've used this CRM software myself and found it to be a great option for solo freelancers like us. It has a simple and user-friendly interface that makes it easy to keep track of all your interactions with clients, leads, and prospects. Plus, it has all the necessary features for managing your projects and tasks. It's also very affordable, starting at just $7/month. You can check out more information about them at https://planfix.com/crm/. You just gotta choose something that will profit you in the best way. I hope this helps!

[Edited at 2023-01-27 12:00 GMT]
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