SalesAgility Launches Crowdfunding Campaign for SuiteCRM 8

SalesAgility, the developer of SuiteCRM, a popular open-source Customer Relationship Management (CRM) product, launched a crowdfunding project on October 1 to raise about US$322,000 (£200,000) for the early release of SuiteCRM 8. As stated in the campaign materials, SuiteCRM 8 will be yet another open-source product.

Campaign objectives

The campaign, using the Kickstarter platform, is aimed at creating 100 enhancements to the existing SuiteCRM within 18 months, to be delivered in monthly releases through a not-for-profit organization. SalesAgility carefully outlined its plans for how the hoped-for funds will be spent:

• Hire a full-time team of developers to accelerate the release of the new version;
• Keep SuiteCRM as an open-source program;
• Hire a technical author to write its user and developer documentation; and
• Provide a place where SugarCRM Community Edition users could find technical support and upgrades, at least for another year.

The company has recently announced that support for the SugarCRM Community Edition, the free edition of the widely popular SugarCRM paid version, would cease to exist in August 2015. SuiteCRM will remain compatible with the SugarCRM Community Edition for at least one year, so users can easily upgrade to SuiteCRM and continue to use the open-source program.

One of SalesAgility’s primary goals is to prove that an open-source CRM program can be more than a business model; it can be a collaboration, support, and development model that can function as an effective productivity tool for small and large enterprises, similar to paid programs like Dynamics and SalesForce. Incidentally, SalesAgility also wishes to increase its user base so that it exceeds those of these two paid CRM applications.

Who needs CRM and why?

The core of any business is its customers, and CRM is a productivity tool that merges business processes and marketing efforts. It helps in the identification, management, and cultivation of customer relationships, which are critical to all businesses. At its most basic level, a CRM program allows you to know your customers at a glance, including their preferences, buying habits, and personal information.

Here are just a select few benefits that CRM can bring to the table:

• You can provide better customer experiences by easily identifying your customers, knowing their needs, and recommending products and services without the delays caused by separate search processes. The central database even allows you to see which staff members are performing beyond expectations and which are not.
• You can easily identify your target customers by focusing and fine-tuning your marketing efforts on individuals and businesses with higher sales potential, saving you time and money in the future.
• You can establish better cooperation and coordination among your customer service, marketing, and sales people because they will be sharing common data in one platform. The CRM platform allows for the automatic management of daily administrative tasks, giving your sales team more time to do their actual jobs, which is to sell.

The creation of CRM platforms has been a major boost for many businesses. Numerous out-of-the-box programs are available, and there are also platforms that can be customized to your specific business needs. Furthermore, the applications are usually available in various translated forms for the benefit of your global clientele.