Sugar CRM

I want to like SugarCRM but after using it for well over 2 years as both user and admin, I have a real hard time recommending it to any business that is scaling fast. It's clunky in reporting, weird with opportunity creation. They updated the UI a bit, but that basically means they just repurposed the same buttons and added some more color to the overall look and feel. It's definitely an upgrade, but nothing like CopperCRM (Prosperworks) and SalesForce or even Hubspot. It's OK for a small business as they are starting out because it is somewhat easy to navigate, but with the lack or reports and overall clunkiness, I have a hard time recommending when there are so many great CRM's out there to accomplish your needs.

Sugar makes managing leads through the sales process relatively easy, and it's very customizable. There's integration for Gmail so that logging emails to records is pretty simple, and doing so manually is also easy. I only gave 4 stars because I think the reporting functionality is archaic and isn't very easy to use at all. Other than that, a solid CRM.

Our agency- ADVICE MEDIA uses Sugar from our sales/contracts, lead tracking, customer accounts, email archives, accounting to every other department. We have used it for the past 6 years and have gone through multiple updates.

It is a great system that can accomplish all the functionality we need it to, however, it is slow, not aesthetically pleasing and there is a learning curve. But if you understand the purpose and have clear company training on how it should be used it works very well for all of the specialized tasks and the incredible amount of data we store in it. 

1. Pros: It allows us to store information and archive data across the entire sales funnel, to becoming a client and delivering our contractual services. That would be the biggest benefit to an organization is that you can archive all email communication and completed tasks for your clients. This allows anyone in your organization to quickly understand an account and see historical data on what has been completed and worked on. We also have set up timers for our employees so we can ensure we charge enough from the clients to get the work done and ensure teams are fully staffed to meet client needs. We also are able to generate reports on the number of leads, to cost per lead, to forecasting new sales, and lifetime value.
2. Cons: It can be really slow at times, this may be a personal issue our company experiences due to how much data we store. 
3. Overall: If you are looking for a professional extensive CRM solution I would recommend Sugar. We are a 60+ employee agency with 2 offices and reps across the nation, but if you are smaller you may want to consider a simpler CRM solution because we have very specific uses and unique coding to make Sugar work for us. If you are a larger organization Sugar is a flexible platform that can meet the largest agency's needs. 

Pros: As per my experience Sugar is best open source CRM.

Cons: Chinese work does not get better workflow and email custom template features.

Pros:

• You can access SugarCRM from iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, Android or through a native application.
• It can run offline on your servers.
• Highly customizable.

Cons:

• Hard to learn and setup.
• Lacks a dialer.
• Limited import tools.

Pros: Functionality and API is impressing. Studio (when it works) Open source flexibility.

Cons: Difficulty of building custom reports. Case management tools are lacking to a high degree, very dated.

Overall Experience: In my opinion, one of the top two open source CRM apps. A responsive web interface which works the same on all smartphones tablets laptops and desktop computers, no app required. The CRM of choice used by many upstart aggressive-disruptive companies of all sizes.

Sugar customer support is best suited for help desk type environments looking for basic asset control and case or ticket management. The knowledge base allows users to create frequently asked questions (FAQs), manage files, and search and rate content.