SuiteCRM

SuiteCRM is the CRM system with the open code, a branch of the popular SugarCRM system. It is positioned by developers as an alternative of Salesforce and Dynamics CRM.

2018

Integration with Pentaho BI

According to the message of December 10, 2018 "Cube Three" implemented the project integration of platforms Suite CRM and Pentaho BI. These platforms are one of the most popular solutions in the class Open source in the world.

The system of the business analysis Pentaho allows to implement the system of analytics using OLAP of cubes for creation of difficult reports which are not implemented by the standard SuiteCRM generator. On the basis of the analytics constructed in the BI system various tasks (to call, will meet, to offer an additional service and other) to users in the Customer Relationship Management System are set. At the same time the part of tasks is set automatically, and it is possible to appoint a part manually. Special buttons were for this purpose added to the Pentaho interface which allow to select the necessary parameters for problem definition (type of a task, date, users, etc.).

For employees from department of analytics and researches everything is transparent and works as before. A BI system obtains data from CRM, builds different OLAP cubes and allows to create reports quickly and simply. Also one of the Pentaho tools gives an opportunity to create dashborda which are in turn added on the homepage of the user to CRM. For example, the manager makes sales reports, to clients and other parameters. After that selects the necessary clients from reports and specifies other users and tasks for them. These tasks in turn appear at the specified user in the Customer Relationship Management System.

Such approach gives to the Customer where big flexibility, than creation of reports in the Customer Relationship Management System. The customer can connect additional data sources for the consolidated analysis, make representations in any cuts that in turn allows to segment accurately clients and to create the solutions suitable them. It is very important for a massmarket and gives notable benefit for repeated purchases and orders. Our experience showed that costs for a campaign considerably decrease due to reduction of number of failures at calls of operators and increases in final purchases. Dmitry Lunevsky, development director of Cube Three company

SuiteCRM 7.10

On February 19, 2018 there was SuiteCRM of version 7.10.

SuiteCRM is distributed according to license aGPLv3 allowing to install for free a system on the server and to finish without restrictions for any number of users and during any time.

Basic opportunities of SuiteCRM:

• Sales management (clients, contacts, transactions, offers, agreements, leads …): the block integrates modules, rather standard for many CRM platforms. Their functionality covers all main objectives when conducting sales.
• Marketing (accounting of marketing campaigns, mailings, notifications, lists of addressees …): the block allows to automate work of marketing specialists, to carry out mailings (for example, through integration with external service), to consider sources of clients and requests.
• Accounting of activities of managers (the calendar, the general calendar for the head, calls, meetings, tasks): one more block with modules and opportunities, standard for the majority of CRM platforms.
• Printed forms: the auxiliary block for storage and setup of own printed forms for offers, agreements and other documents.
• Project management (internal or client drafts, tasks, templates of projects, chart Ganta): block of opportunities for convenient work with projects. In the basic version the functionality which is very simplified, but, nevertheless, allows to solve without problems the main objectives within accounting of projects.
• Report generator: rather simple module for work with reports in limited scope as allows to build only "flat" reports. A system already includes a small set of ready reports: a funnel sale in different types, assessment of marketing campaigns, the plan for arrivals on months.
• Generator of processes. Process automation in SuiteCRM works by the trigger principle: the following action happens after operation of the trigger (condition) on model configured in advance "what needs to be made if something occurred". For example, if the transaction with the amount more than 1 million is created, then to set the task to the director "Present champagne to the client", notify the head of sales department and check "VIP" the client's card. It is possible to configure the following reactions: create record, change record, notify someone.
• Knowledge base: the block of opportunities for creation of internal storage of often used files. Allows to organize work with scripts, descriptions of goods and services, instructions.
• Maps: the block for work with Google Maps.
• Addresses: the small module for support, work with claims or creation of an internal HelpDesk-system.

Integration opportunities

The SuiteCRM platform has own API which allows to implement integration using the standard protocol.

Are among the most often found integration:

• the telephony/automatic telephone exchanges different virtual services (for example, the ready module of integration with Asterisk).
• export of data to any MS Office formats (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and others).
• different solutions on the 1C Platform.
• cartographic services (Yandex, Google). Allow to display clients on the card, to collect statistics on regions, to plan routes, etc.
• the websites, landings, internet- shops/CMS. Integration can be implemented in any direction, for example, to receive from the website applications/leads taking into account utm-tags, key requests, etc. or to upload to the site the statuses of transactions, addresses and other.
• newsletter services.
• communication channels: mail, social networks, online consultants, messengers. Thanks to integration from them it is possible to load customer information and the history of interaction with them, to answer questions, to correspond, automate communication with the help of chat-bots.
• internal systems of the company.
• LDAP/SSO – important built in (or almost built-in) an opportunity for uniform authorization of users, without the need for their administration in the CRM system.
• Google services is mail, the calendar and others – for the SuiteCRM data access in usual to users a format.
• Also some industry CRM solutions can be integrated with specific services: for example, for loading of relevant currency rates or information exchange with bulletin boards (in case of real estate agencies).^[1]

2017: SuiteCRM. Description

Features

SuiteCRM allows to enter, systematize and store information on all aspects of relationship of the organization with clients and also provides the integrated management of corporate information on partners, contacts, preliminary contacts (potential buyers), transactions, actions (calls, meetings, tasks).

For September, 2017 a system combines many functions necessary for information management in many aspects of business, in the intuitive and convenient web interface. SuiteCRM also offers the panel of charts allowing to trace sales phases and efficiency of the carried-out transactions.^[2]

Differences of SuiteCRM from SugarCRM

Differences of SuiteCRM from SugarCRM Community Edition consist only in add-on modules. It is below — the description of these add-on modules.^[3]

• Sales:
  • I turn on several modules in the section of sale at once: Goods/Products, Account/Quotes, Agreements/Contracts, Commercial offers / Invoices. This set of modules allows in a system:
    • Messages price list of goods and services
    • Create commercial offers, with indication of required goods and services
    • Create accounts
    • Create agreements

  • It is possible to turn on the module in the same group of modules the PDF/PDF Templates Templates which allows to create printed forms of accounts, agreements, acts and other documents on templates. Creation of new templates requires the experienced user, but not necessarily the programmer.

• Business processes:
  • This module allows to include hands-off processing of any events in a system. For example, during creation of the new partner it is possible to create automatically by means of business process a new task of this partner or to send E-mail. The ideology of implementation is similar to sale of the similar module in SugarCRM Professional 6.x. Creation of business processes requires the experienced user, but not necessarily the programmer.

• Reports:
  • The module allows on the set conditions of filtering and grouping to obtain tabular data from CRM base. Except obtaining tabular data, the module is able to aggregate data (for example, to find the minimum/maximum values, to calculate the amounts). Creation of reports requires the experienced user understanding a database structure of CRM, but not necessarily the programmer.

• Commands:
  • The module allows to limit access rights at the level of a user group. By default in Community Edition of right of access it was possible to limit only or on the specific user (responsible), or to grant the rights to all records of the module, or to completely close the rights for all records. Implementation of access rights restriction at the level of a user group, first of all, is useful to restriction of visibility of data in one department or branch. Implementation absolutely similar to implementation in commercial versions of SugarCRM.

• Other modules:
  • Event/Events: exhibitions are used for planning of holding any event, for example; from useful functions – there is an opportunity to send invitations on participants of an event)
  • Projects/Project Templates templates: it is possible to use as template/procurement for standard projects; it is useful that during creation of the new project on a template all project tasks will be created and the planned dates of accomplishment of tasks according to their duration in the sample project are put down.
  • Google Maps, Sections of cards, Place/Maps, Map Area, Locations – allow to display and save local copies of maps of certain addresses / places from Google Maps).
  • Search/Searches is completion of global search: essentially in comparison with standard global search does not give any significant advantages; display of the displaid search result changes.

2013: SugarCRM 7.0

The first version of a system behind number 7.0 was released on October 21, 2013 based on the free version of SugarCRM Community Edition 6.5.16. Were added to a system as a series of modules of own development, and several free modules of third-party developers. A system has the open code and is distributed under the license AGPL of version 3.

Notes