What is open source? Open Source is a software development and distribution method that emphasizes transparency and user freedom.
Why should you consider open source CRM for your business?
- Affordability: You may find that open source CRM solutions are just as reliable as proprietary ones and significantly more affordable. Not counting the free open source solutions on the market (such as SugarCRM community edition), commercial open source SugarCRM enterprise edition still costs significantly less than Salesforce.com Enterprise edition : $600 per user per year versus $2160 per user per year, while offering similar features, functionality and support.
- Customisation: You may find that most commercial software cannot be customized and you will have to stick to future updates from that company. Sometimes you may even have to pay for upgrades. Open source CRM offers access to the underlying source code therefore they are inherently more customizable than traditional proprietary ones, so you can customize the CRM solution to suit your specific business needs.
- Flexibility: You can host your CRM software wherever you like and make unlimited changes without restriction. It's CRM software that works for you, not the other way around.
- Support: There is actually a lot more support than you might think for these free CRM solutions. Commercial open source CRM solutions, just like commercial proprietary CRM solutions, offer users various levels of online and telephone support. Also you can find lots of free advice and help on lots of online forums and message boards.
- Ease of use: Open source CRM solutions are easier to use, and more intuitive because they have a familiar interface. So the learning curve is less steep and training time is minimal.
- Integration: Open source CRM integrates well with other cloud-based applications. Most (if not all) commercial open source CRM solutions integrate with Microsoft Outlook and other leading applications, such as Hubspot, Pardot, Jaspersoft.
- Greater mobility: While most (if not all) CRM applications these days will run on a mobile device, SugarCRM has made mobility a top priority. With mobile CRM, you can stay in touch while on-the-go, and businesses don't have to buy additional software or mobile middleware or pay for additional maintenance or services
- Works on any platform: Open source CRM solutions, by their very nature, are platform- and application-agnostic, meaning you don't have to invest in new hardware or software to run them.
- Fast updates and fixes: Open source solution providers tend to be more nimble than large, proprietary software companies, with shorter development cycles. So bugs tend to be fixed and new features released faster; and upgrades can be done over the Web, simultaneously, without any business disruption.