Book Image

Implementing SugarCRM 5.x

Book Image

Implementing SugarCRM 5.x

Overview of this book

SugarCRM is a popular customer relationship management system. It is an ideal way for small-medium business to try out a CRM system without committing large sums of money. Although SugarCRM is carefully designed for ease of use, attaining measurable business gains requires careful planning and research. This book will give you all the information you need to start using this powerful CRM system. It is the definitive guide to implementing SugarCRM. Whether you are wondering exactly what benefits CRM can bring or you have already learned about CRM systems but have yet to implement one or you're working with SugarCRM already, this book will show you how to get maximum benefit from this exciting product. It demonstrates how to install SugarCRM and also how to get the most out of it by customizing it and integrating CRM into your organization as per your needs. Focused on the needs of the enterprise, this book provides a solution-driven approach for both business and IT specialists to get the most from this powerful and popular Open Source application. It begins with a general discussion about CRM. You will then learn the benefits of such systems, and then explore SugarCRM and its unique value. You will then go through the guidelines for installing and making deployment selections that are set out alongside information for identifying, planning, and applying customizations. Training guidelines and ongoing administrative tasks will be discussed as you progress further into the book. A brief overview of SugarCRM 6.0 is provided at the end of the book.
Table of Contents (19 chapters)
Implementing SugarCRM 5.x
Credits
About the Authors
About the Reviewer
Preface

Identifying the CRM needs of your business


Some of the high-level characteristics of a business that cause one to have very different CRM requirements from another include the following:

  • The business model: One location or many? Franchises? Regional Sales Offices? Products or services? High or low unit sales value?

  • The customers: Where are they? Who are they—businesses or individuals?

  • The scale: How many employees—2? 25? 50? 100?

  • The culture: E-mail or personal visits? Are there any data security concerns?

  • The international needs: Multiple language support? Date format? Currency format?

Compensating and adjusting appropriately for these varying requirements will make the difference between a CRM that suits your needs (and is quickly embraced and adopted) and a CRM system that never feels like a good fit, quickly falling into disuse and abandonment.

To genuinely understand issues a CRM system is meant some measure of customization to become a truly effective tool within an organization, we...