Nutshell

Easy and flexible setup; consistently clear design. Can use basic functions without tripping over the advanced ones, and can gradually add feature/function for a smooth transition from beginner to power user.

I also like the way you have color-keyed the function buttons to the main color on functional screens. A nice visual orientation cue!

I worked full-time in the design profession for 17 years, so this is a 'studied' critique:
There is a lot of market pressure for tech products to follow design trends. Unfortunately, design trends often are based on designers designing for other designers -- which tends to leave certain kinds of user needs out in the cold. One of the most common of these 'orphaned' needs is the need for contrast and clarity. Nutshell's UI gets high marks in my book for uncluttered design and common-sense functionality. But as people get older, it gradually becomes harder to distinguish low-contrast elements in a design. Contrast (and color, of course) also can be used (and is used to a degree in Nutshell) to 'lead the eye to where the action is. ' My suggestions for improving the main user screen are these:
1) Search Everything is, by definition, a key feature -- it should have a STRONG presence, instead of looking almost greyed-out.
2) Use bolder and slightly larger text throughout. To a degree, weight and size will compensate for lack of contrast -- and without cluttering the layout.

We explored a number of CRM solutions and initially selected Insightly after trying to get Tiger CRM working. Insightly functionality was too limiting and consequently was not being used. Our second round of trials lead us to Nutshell, which we have been using for about two years.

We found Nutshell to be reasonably robust and easy to use. We have been using it for about two years now. We have about 30,000 contacts and 11,000 companies.

We are now running into some functional issues which we have to address with addons, including Mailjet for email campaigns and Zapier for data transfer. The lack of a quoting interface, manual address entry into Quickbooks, lack of phone integration, and incomplete email integration. With the exception of QB integration, the other functions can be addressed with more addons. By the time we get done adding on the functional holes, the price becomes quite high.

The reliance on addons also means that the system becomes unwieldy; a different system, management interface, and subscription for each function.

At this time, I don't think there is a good solution for QB integration at all. This may not be significant since QB for Manufacturing is below our needs anyway. Our next step may be to use PostBooks, Xtuple, or some other MRP system that includes CRM. But, those also carry their own management burdens and costs.

Nutshell does have a reasonable email interface to send correspondence through our IMAP server, but the markup tags are cumbersome, are error prone, has no CC or BCC field, and the reply emails don't populate under the Nutshell customer(s). Consequently, only half of the conversation is visible. Of all of the above, this is the most significant limitation at this point.

Barrier to entry was low with minimal upfront cost needed to evaluate the software. Ease of use for a small company with minimal resources to devote to developing, executing, and maintaining the system.

So far the only con that we have experienced has been in the reporting functions. This could be a by-product of our unique needs or our lack of resources available to investigate it further. It does seem limited compared to Salesforce.

I appreciate the constant updates. Nutshell has some ways to come, so it is nice seeing changes be made. Customer service is always on spot and very friendly. Nutshell support page is great for new employees, referring them straight to there for advice. The adaptability & usability of the interface is very user friendly.

I have been using this software since October of 2014. So far, I think what needs to be implemented on the "Admin/SetUp side" is making sure Products, Reasons why Leads Close, the Sales Process Competitors, and so much more need to be added from the start with Nutshell and the business buying the service. The reason being is because over the last two years, slowly things have been added/removed/changed. So now we have 2 years worth of jumbled data IMO. Going through a thousand leads that only a handful of them have tags on to find out why something was closed via notes or what product was sold is a little silly. I think the setup process should include this for the end user (being our company). Mind you, I was not the one to set up the account with Nutshell so I am unsure if this is something offered, but It helps a lot when running reports on products, etc.