When it comes to business database solutions and customer management systems (CRM) we are used to seeing that all familiar fearful look and the mild hyperventilation that goes with it when it comes to people finding out the cost of building a custom solution for them.  They’d be right to be afraid as these type of technology systems can run into tens of thousands of pounds what with software fees, licensing costs, etc, etc. etc.

For years we have been and still are supporters of open source software that has already been tried and tested by thousands of developers around the world and deployed by businesses of all shapes, sizes, demographics and locations. The one we will be focusing on in this blog article is a system called Suite CRM, a system that is currently being used by 4 million+ users worldwide that will enable you to grow your pipeline and increase revenue while staying in full control of your own data. Key features include:

• Lead management
• Control over your accounts and contacts
• Data workflow automation
• Sales reporting

Software features include:

We were recently contacted by a company who had been quoted over £20,000 to build them a CRM database system with customised reports and were contacting several companies, including us, for estimates.  When we explained that there was actually no need to invest in software costing the sums of money they were quoted we could see that all too common look of fear subside as we explained that our fee would be a fixed fee for installing and customising an application that was already available as an open source program – yes that’s free! It did take a bit of reassurance with legitimate concerns over whether the system would tick all their boxes about functionality, ease of use, reporting and the all-important “well how come you’re not charging £20,000?” question! Having answered all these queries the system is currently being customised after a process identification meeting to thrash out how staff need the system to work, how data will be processed and managed etc.

As for price, our fees are based on the time taken to install and configure the system and build the customised reports. We aren’t building the system from the bottom up, neither do we have large licence costs so our fee is a fraction of the cost of what they had been quoted which was completely out of their price range.

If this sounds familiar then give us a call, our job is to advise on finding you the right technology solution for you and if that happens to be an open source software system then it’s a win-win outcome for you, you get the system you need AND save money and we gain a new client!

Want to test SuiteCRM right now? Simply create your instant Free SuiteCRM account.

SuiteCRM Demo