SugarCRM is a software company that makes a high quality web application that’s in use with many companies around the world. The application is called Sugar, and it is a customer relationship management tool that is available as an open-source program, as well as in commercial applications. However, in early 2014, they announced that they would not be releasing new versions of their open source community edition. They would continue to fix bugs in it. Read on to learn more about the options available for cloud hosting, and to learn more about the CRM tool.
Should You Choose Sugar Cloud or Public Cloud Services?
When you are working with SugarCRM, one of the most important things you need to consider is just how and where you will host it. Some companies actually opt for an onsite product that they use on their company’s network. However, with the popularity of the cloud, many others are choosing this option instead. They have a number of choices that are available when it comes to choosing their hosting option. They can work with the Sugar Cloud, or one of the company’s partners. We will touch on each of the options here.
The Sugar Cloud is a fine option that comes right from the company itself. In this case, they will actually be able to act as the cloud host for the CRM tool. Having SugarCRM as the cloud host is actually easier for many, as it means they can do everything through one company, and they do not have to worry about installing and working with the CRM tool on another platform. However, many companies find that they want more freedom and flexibility, and they may want to use it with a cloud host they are already using.
Consider some of the partner options, such as:
• Amazon Web Services
• Windows Azure
• Rackspace Cloud
• IBM SmartCloud
Each of these top quality cloud hosts works very well with SugarCRM, and you will find that it is relatively easy to integrate and start using. Each of the hosting options has different features and benefits, so take the time to find the one that’s right for your particular company. Look at the other hosting benefits to those companies, and don’t only think about how it is going to work with your CRM software. You need a good all around host.
Now that you know some of the different options you have available when it comes to using SugarCRM in the cloud, it’s time to really look at the benefits of using this product for your customer service. It offers some fantastic advantages.
What Are the Benefits of Using SugarCRM?
If you are on the fence about whether you should be using SugarCRM or other customer relationship management, it is time you looked at the advantages it can offer. This type of software can offer up a number of benefits that outweigh their costs. We will look at some of the best reasons to make this software a part of your company today.
Of course, one of the first things that you will experience is better quality customer service. This includes improvements with the customer information storage and retrieval, improvements on the orders and feedback, and more. You will be able to take care of your customers faster and more easily, which will help to improve their opinion of your business. Ultimately, you get to know your customers better, which can be great for B2B companies, as well as those who are selling to end users.
Naturally, this will help you to improve your company’s efficiency. You will be able to organize clients, contacts, and customers easily, which can help with marketing activities and more. It also helps reduce costs. Take a moment to think about your current method of helping customers and all of the inefficiencies it offers. Those inefficiencies are wasting time and money. A good CRM program such as SugarCRM can make a huge difference in the amount of money that you end up saving. This ultimately makes it well worth the initial and annual costs. When efficiency goes up, you will see that your company’s savings go up as well.
You are able to keep your current customers happy, and you can even attract new customers to your business. The tool can give you more insight into what your current customers want, and that actually makes it much easier to determine what might bring in some new customers. All of this equates to higher profits in the end. Once you look at the benefits of using a tool such as SugarCRM in the cloud, it’s easy to see why you should make it a part of your company.
Three Versions of Sugar
When you are choosing which of the hosts you want, you will also need to figure out which type of SugarCRM you will be using. They have three basic programs – Sugar Professional, Sugar Enterprise, and Sugar Ultimate. Let’s look at what each of these has to offer, as well as their current pricing structure for the CRM software, to help you learn which one is the best choice for you.
Sugar Professional is the first tier of service for the CRM tool. The current cost for the tool is $40 per user per month, and billed annually. They also promise there are no hidden fees with their service, and that they will not try to pressure you into getting more expensive editions of the service. This version offers sales automation and forecasting, lead and marketing management, support and call center automation, SugarCRM Mobile, customizations and unlimited online support. It also offers 15GB of storage.
The next step up, Sugar Enterprise, comes with these elements, as well as a customer self-service portal, custom activity streams, native SQL reporting, phone support, and two sandbox instances. In addition, with 60GB of storage it has four times the amount of storage than the Professional version. The cost for this service is $65 per user per month, and is billed annually.
Sugar Ultimate comes with all of the preceding, as well as 24×7 support and an assigned technical account manager. It has up to five sandbox instances, and 250GB of storage. This option offers the most “bang for the buck”, but it also has the greatest cost. It costs $150 a month per user, also billed annually. This is a good idea for larger companies, and those who have a substantial number of customers. Smaller companies may not need to use the Ultimate version quite yet, but they can eventually upgrade if they need.
Which of these CRM options is the best choice for your company? It really depends on what you need. Keep in mind too that SugarCRM is not the only customer relationship management service available. Take your time to look at the features, the reputation, the options, and the prices to find the one that will work best for you.