SugarCRM is open-source and ready for your leads

10-second breakdown:

Extremely customizable and packed with lots of helpful tips, SugarCRM is a great open-source software solution focused more towards enterprise companies but a great match for all size endeavors.

SugarCRM is used in small (0-50 employees), medium (51-1,000 employees), and enterprise companies (1000+ employees).

The good:

Tech companies rejoice! Simply due to the open-source nature of this product. If you happen to have an in-house development department that need a CRM to keep track of leads, there aren’t many other options with the customization that Sugar offers.

Despite it being highly technical, it’s easy to make sure your less technical staff has access to the data and processes they need to function.

Self-hosting of the software is available, another useful feature for larger companies wanting a more “in-house” feel.

The bad:

One of the most difficult solutions to get used to out of the box. This problem is highly due to the fact that it is such a versatile, powerful option. Newbies may need something a bit more simplified.

Third party integrations and updates seem to have some issues getting rolled out in a timely manner.

How it works:

Not for the faint of heart, SugarCRM looks technical at first blush and can take a little time to get acquainted with. SugarCRM’s home screen is a dashboard that’s filled with various charts and data. Users can see which employees are methods have been the most successful or which need the most improvement.

Everything you need to navigate SugarCRM is on a top toolbar. It may look overwhelming at first due to the sheer number of tabs but it’s similar in function to text and spreadsheet programs you may already be familiar with.

There are 10 tabs in total, starting from the left they are Accounts, Contacts, Leads, Opportunities, Quotes, Forecasts, Reports, Calendar, Tasks and Notes. On the bright side, you can change it around, there’s an arrow on the far right that lets you choose different modules you may use including Tasks, Bugs and Cases. The number of options might be a little startling to a first time user, but one nice little design choice helps to make things a little easier – every module is laid out in a similar manner. If you find the create button for one module, you know where to look in the next.

There’s also a mobile app if part of your workforce is usually on the road. It’s android and iOS compatible and lets you view upcoming events, access contact information and view reconnect contact activity like calls.

If you’re into data SugarCRM will fill your craving. The program has an extensive amount of reporting options including creating forecasts and you can put all of those reports to use on your dashboard. Run out of room? No problem, similar to how you can have multiple monitors you can make multiple dashboards and put different reports on each one. Adding those beautiful reports might be a little tricky at first, the report builder can be a little bit confusing. Once you get it down though you’re in for a treat, it’s extremely flexible and lets you customize everything from specific modules like accounts or cases to filters and parameters – ensuring you only see what’s relevant.

One downside to SugarCRM is its lack of native integrations with many popular third-party software products. A lot of competitors will build in support for Evernote or Quickbooks but you’ll have to set up an integration yourself with Zapier.

Pricing for SugarCRM is easy enough, there are 3 paid plans and one free one. If you have the technical know-how or a skilled IT department, you actually don’t need to pay for SugarCRM at all. Since the program is open-source, you could download it and install it locally on your own server. You’re on your own as far as support goes, but if you have PHP skills, a web server and a database you could legally get this entire program for free.

So why pay for it then? Setting up enterprise-level software for local usage can be a royal pain in the rear even when you know what you’re doing. Plus you’re out of luck if the power goes out or something happens to your servers. With that in mind, SugarCRM comes in three paid flavors. All of them come with a free trial to give it a whirl before you buy, and you get access to their smartphone apps with all three.

First up is ‘Professional,’ it’s $40 per user per month and there is a minimum of 10 users. You get 15GB storage for your organization and it comes with sales automation and forecasting, marketing lead management, support automation and reporting and dashboards. You’re free to customize the system as much as you like and get unlimited online support – use of their online knowledgebase.

Next up is ‘Enterprise,’ it’s priced at $65 per user per month and also has a minimum of 10 users. The storage is upgraded to 60GB and you get unlimited phone and email support 12 hours a day, Monday through Friday. It comes with everything Professional has to offer and tosses in opportunity tracking and forecasting, role-based views and a more advanced workflow automation.

SugarCRM’s ‘Ultimate’ package is it’s most expensive – priced at $150 per user per month but doesn’t have the same ten user minimum. It comes with everything the other two packages offer and steps up the storage to 250GB. While there aren’t any additional features thrown in, the main difference between Enterprise and Ultimate is the amount and quality of support you get. You’re assigned a technical account manager to your business and get 24/7 support whenever you need it.

With its minimum ten employee policy, SugarCRM is catering to medium or larger businesses. In return for a slightly steeper learning curve you receive one of the most customizable CRM programs out there able to bend over backwards to fit into your unique workflow.

For complete rankings of all CRM software, go here.

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