Aligning Productivity with Purpose: PlanPlus Online

‘The CRM software for Effective Individuals and Mission Driven Organizations.’

PlanPlus Online is a leading provider of software solutions that align productivity with purpose. It provides affordable and customizable personal and professional planning tools, as well as the only Culture-Centric Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software designed to Build a Culture of Productivity in your organization. Its parent company is Complete XRM, a Software company primarily focused on selling CRM SaaS based offerings in the Productivity category. Founded in 2003, PlanPlus Online is based in Salt Lake City, Utah.

PlanPlus originally started as a digital version of the FranklinCovey Planner in 1995 when it replaced what was then known as Ascend Software. In 2007, FranklinCovey and Complete XRM partnered to create PlanPlus Online, the first version of PlanPlus to be available on the cloud.

In 2013 Complete XRM acquired the rights to the PlanPlus software business and now operates it as a standalone business. Today, the PlanPlus family of products continue to stand for aligning productivity with purpose and are contributing to building a “Culture of Productivity”

In Conversation with the Key Executive

What were the grounds on which you have expanded your company and its offerings over the years?

PlanPlus Online expanded beyond providing an online personal productivity tool and developed cloud-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Marketing Automation tools for larger organizations.

We found that organizations wanted the same productivity tools that individuals were using to expand into productivity tools for teams, departments, and entire companies. They wanted a tool that also enhanced customer relationships.

PlanPlus Online expanded into PlanPlus Online Essentials, the original personal productivity tool; PlanPlus Online Professional, for sales individuals and entrepreneurs; and PlanPlus Online Business, a customizable CRM for larger organizations.

Over the years, PlanPlus Online gained access to the productivity habits of tens of thousands of users. Most customers came to PlanPlus Online wanting to follow the FranklinCovey methodology to achieving productivity. However, there’s always been a group of users and potential customers that felt more comfortable with David Allen’s Getting Things Done (GTD) productivity approach.

In 2017, Complete XRM acquired Fanatic Software—a privately-held company that has been developing award-winning productivity and mobile apps since 1997 under the Pocket Informant, Informant, and Web IS brands—and the leading GTD app provider.

With PlanPlus Online and Fanatic Software, Complete XRM can offer two of the predominant and proven paths to productivity—FranklinCovey and GTD—productivity tools based on customer preference and comfort level of technology.

What do you feel are the reasons behind your product popularity?

People in general feel a need to get better, to maximize their potential.  Our products are first and foremost a Personal Productivity System that helps individuals achieve their potential. We have discovered some simple concepts that many of the biggest players in the productivity software marketplace are yet to figure out and replicate. That gives us an edge that we have been able to keep for a number of years. 

How do you and your company contribute to the global IT platform and society at large?

One of the biggest ways we hope to contribute is by driving and defining the role of “Culture” in productivity.. We see so many companies that just focus on tools, but there is a greater experience that needs to be captured. We refer to it as Culture. We know that there is a major macro shift in the workplace that is happening. It is not just about getting more productive, or more effective, but it is about contribution, fulfillment, engagement and satisfaction. Developing software solutions that address this need is one of our greatest motivators.

Do you have any new products ready to be/getting ready to be rolled out into the market?

We certainly do. We have a new Productivity app for Mac, Informant for Mac 1.0 which will be part of the Pocket Informant product line. We are also working on some “culture-specific” products that will be targeted at developing a specific type of attributes such as “Creating a Winning Culture”.

Meet the Key Executive

Keith Norris, CEO, Complete XRM: Keith is an advocate of process improvement, goal planning and leader of the Culture of Productivity tribe. He is an author, a lifelong entrepreneur, a proud husband and father, triathlon, ice hockey player, and CEO at Complete XRM, inc.

Keith Norris has over two decades of entrepreneurial, sales, operations, and managerial experience in the startup environment—extending to recruiting, event production, sales, marketing, software development, and project management.

Keith has received a BS and MBA from Weber State University. Keith was awarded the Honors at Entrance Scholarship out of high school for exceptional GPA and ACT test scores. He also was awarded with the Goddard Scholar designation in the MBA program, a designation reserved for the top 10% of the Graduating MBA class.

“Your business is unique; the software that runs your business should be also.”