Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

I am curious if anyone has recommendations for CRM software. I`ve been looking into SugarCRM as an alternative to paying the big bucks but don`t really know what I`m missing. Thanks!

I would suggest Checking out Pipline Deals. www.pipelinedeals.com it is very innovative and easy. Plus there is a free trial to make sure it is something you would want to implement. Best Wishes!

Ken~

Netrix,
Are you currently using SugarCRM?
I`ve been looking into CRM software for awhile.
By far, I think its a good option.. if you are on a shoe string budget. But I think you have just convinced me to install it on my server.
Did you read the article how Sugar is going to partner up with Microsoft? I would go with it... I`ve been looking for CRM software over 1 year now. I`ve contacted People soft, and other companies but I think I found what I am looking for. Have you tried out the demo?

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Edgar Monroy
Web Developer / Owner / Consultant
When starting your own business the need to "know-how" is greater than money!
http://www.nuevolution.net

To be honest at this point I don`t have enough customers to NEED CRM software but I`m interested in its potention to manage sales leads.

Yes, usually when I look for OS software I look for software that has a big name behind it. Ex: Grisoft`s AVG just got I think 8 mil from Intel.

Yes I have the OSS version installed on a Centos machine at work. Its definately more than I need right now and I have yet to see how sales types will deal with it but having said that I`m very impressed. It should also be noted that it has multiple levels of permissions control so I could theoretically turn off a lot of stuff for particular groups of users.

Yes, I tried the demo before I installed it but for some reason I never feel the demos really give a good indication of fit for your business. It was very easy to install so I would give it a try.

We have been using SugarCRM for a little over a year.  It is a great solution and the latest version has a lot of features that make it more useful for project management. It is written in PHP so it is easy to expand and their development community already has dozens of plug-ins created which enhance the program. We use it to track sales leads, projects, fixes and employees.  Our customers can submit website updates and changes directly to the CRM. If you are looking for a CRM solution I suggest you install it and give it a try.

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Ryan Stemkoski
Zipline Communicatioins
www.gozipline.com

Netrix - Salesforce.com has a hosted solution now about which I`ve been hearing great things. I have yet to use it personally, although I am considering it as an option. I have a number of partners and clients who are using it and it appears to be cost-effective and flexible for features and future growth. They also have a 30-day trial. Let me know if you have any additional questions, comments or concerns.

We have been using SugarCRM and really like it. It is open-source so it was free. I have it hosted on our shared hosting plan. It has all the power we wanted in an easy to use format. We work from home at times and while traveling, so an online solution was best.

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John Herman
Succeeding Steps LLC - http://www.succeedingsteps.com
Marketing and Operations Consulting for Small and Growing Businesses

Does Kibs CRM have any screenshots or a Flash demo to show the application in action?

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"Forget inspirational quotes to keep you going. If by doing what you do, you get an hour every day to relax, be with the ones you love in comfort without doing wrong, then it is all worth it." -Anon.

When it comes to CRM tools, you should definately look into ACT!

The new SQL version can handle a few hundred thousand records and depending on your needs, you can opt for a stand-alone version, a work group version or a web based (hosted) version.

I`ve been using ACT! since it was a DOS program

(I`m way older than most of you young pups on this Forum)  

Over the years, I`ve customed the #$#$ out of ACT! many times over for many different clients/industries.

You can test-drive ACT! 2006 Free for 30 days.

Cheers,

I`ve spent some time implementing big CRM systems (Siebel and SAP CRM) for "the big guys" and also have a demo system of SugarCRM setup at my office.

Sugar does nice work with the sales process, tracking your contacts, customer interactions and pipeline forecasting (although how accurate your forecasts are will never be magically perfect with software). This aspect of the application is on par if not a little more user-friendly than SAP. Areas that I`ve found lacking are the Office integration out of the box, and Sugar doesn`t integrate well with backoffice functions (production, accounting, etc.) as well as the big boys do.

For other options, MS has a CRM product under their MS Dynamics line that looks like it integrates very nicely with office and their small business accounting package, and there is another open source CRM product called "Tiger CRM" that apparently is a derrivative of Sugar with less focus on selling add-on products.

There are tons of options, but before rushing out to run demos I would put some major thought into what you want your CRM system to actually accomplish. CRM systems are notorious for being expensive to implement and having low acceptance rates, mainly due to putting in "cool technology" not determining where your business is going, and how a CRM system fits into that plan. No matter which system you choose, you MUST change the way your sales force does business or your investment (and yes, even the free SugarCRM has high design, implementation and maintenance costs) will be for naught.

I have a couple of free articles about CRM implementations that you might find helpful here: http://www.prevoyancegroup.com/free_content/articles/

Good luck and let me know what you end up choosing!

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Patrick Gray
Prevoyance Group, Inc.
www.prevoyancegroup.com
info@prevoyancegroup.com