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Rising Prospects Within Open Source

Open Source and proprietary software: what’s on the up and up?

In the  60s, when the journey of mainstream computing began, there was only free -Libre- software. That is, there was no ‘open source’ nor ‘proprietary’ software - there was only ‘software’. For example, when IBM sold their first computers they came with Libre which could be easily shared between users as the source code was freely available and easily manipulated. Proprietary software began to emerge in the 70s whereby users could no longer share the software and the  availability of the source code became ever more restricted. Increasingly over time, proprietary software became mainstream and it eventually dominated the software landscape. However,  during the 80s the GNU Project, Free Software Foundation and Unix were founded and the beginnings of a new  open source movement slowly began to assert itself.  For a time open source development remained  a very much specialist topic amongst passionate individuals while proprietary giants such as Microsoft and Apple grew at an expotential rate, eventually developing into the multi-billion dollar companies everyone recognises so well today.

Slowly, the pendulum of code development is swinging back to its foundations, and the Open Source software developer community  is once more experiencing a resurgence of interest and innovation. Such is the buzz around the developer world, Employers are increasingly becoming aware that there is an opportunity for them to develop an aspect of their business to their specific needs without the historical astronomical costs being incurred. Not only that, but those business who have already taken the plunge into the open source mindset have discovered that they have been able to create and use software to their own specifications much faster - and at considerably less cost - than it would have  traditionally cost using proprietary software. Even better, they have discovered that ongoing costs are also markedly lower.  Most business decisions have aspects of ‘up’ and ‘down’ benefits attached, but the implementation of open source business systems has only ‘up’ and ‘up’ boons associated with them.

As they realise the benefits of a bespoke business solution for their IT requirements, many employers are coming to the realisation of the necessity of employing people with Open Source software and developer skills. Employers also know that in an effort to stay ahead of their competitors,  it makes good business sense to employ and train software developers in the aspects of software development specific to their particular business needs.  They are therefore pro-actively seeking to employ likely individuals who show promise in open source skills and training them so that they become software developer experts  who are highly valued members of their organisations.

Prospective Employees need only remember a simple meme:

Develop an Open Source skillset: find yourself in high demand.

Where has this shift in thinking come from? It seems the fashion is no longer to throw money at products simply because doing so was once a necessary evil.  Today the zeitgeist has changed. Nowadays, for every proprietary software product, there is an equivalent open source version available, often for free and with many extra benefits. As the source code for open software is freely available, and a dedicated open source community is very willing to continually upgrade invaluable code to their favourite product, that product  is constantly being adjusted and improved. Just as its proprietary competitors are much more profit-driven - concerned more with the bottom line as the end product of the software – open source software is returning to its roots in that their raison d'etre is not solely about financial gain; it is also about continually updating and innovating a product until it is the best it can be – until the next innovation comes along!

Open source providers such as The Linux Foundation, The Raspberry Pie Foundation, Ubuntu and Red Hat are now becoming  increasingly popular amongst even non-software developers. In turn, this encourages proprietary giants to get on board with the open movement. Indeed, Microsoft has recently teamed up with Red Hat. Google, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and eBay are just  some of the major web companies that are now operating on open source code.

Open source really is becoming once again the default programming methodology in the computing world.

How does that affect the workplace?

We are the ’Technological Ape’, always employing and improving on our technological prowess.  The first analogue computing machine -the Antikythera machine -  was built between 100BC and 50BC.  It consisted of 37 gears and was designed to determine the movements of the sun and moon.   Our technological world has always changed and evolved, Today the rate of change is increasing rapidly: in the home, at play and most importantly, in the work place.

Time-saving and productivity boosting products are being released hourly, marketed to drive not only their usage, but the continual evolution of marketable skill sets to meet that demand. IT skills have been a central part of our CVs for many years now and, in order to stand out, it has always been wise to specialise in a particular area of expertise. Nowadays, we have to ask ‘What could be a better choice than becoming an Open Source Professional?’ Not yet convinced? How can we  persuade  you? Here’s how. The Linux Foundation's Annual Open Source Jobs Report for 2017 certainly indicates that employment prospects for open source professionals are growing at an astonishing rate We have some statistics that will stagger, stun and flabbergast you!

89% of hiring managers find it difficult to find qualified open source talent for open source roles in their business.

67% of managers believe that in the next 6 months the hiring of open source professionals will increase across all areas of their business.

A staggering 47%  of companies are prepared to pay for employees to become open source qualified.

30% of businesses report the base of their IT needs are becoming open source.

What Open Source professionals report:

86% feel that knowing open source has furthered their career.

52%feel it would be easy to find a new career with their skill set.

Only 27% have NOT been sought after by recruitment agencies in the past 6 months.

Working in Open Source has great potential for vastly improved levels of pay over other tech professionals: $100,000 to $92,000 per annum!

At SalesAgility, this is music to our ears. We have been open source innovators and promoters for almost a decade now and nothing is more pleasurable to us than learning that you are all falling in love with open source as much as we already have. The open source industry's growth can only mean good things for all of us.

If you are disgruntled with your proprietary CRM, and are looking to develop open source skills and software, then please get in touch with us, and our team will be delighted to assist you on your journey to an open source future. After all, open source software is on the up and up!

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Hosted vs On Premise CRM

If you're in the market for a CRM then you already know that you have a tough decision ahead of you. There are so many options out there and a lot of them come with a hefty price tag so it is imperative that you choose wisely.

Firstly, there are two main types of CRM, on premise and hosted. On premise CRM is the more traditional form where the software and hardware used for the solution is both owned and supported by the business itself and the software resides on the business's in-house servers. The more recent model 'hosted CRM' is where the business purchases the CRM for a monthly service fee, this means the software will reside on the hosting company's servers which the hosting company is responsible for maintaining.

These are the typical types of CRM but there is also a 3rd option, SuiteCRM, an open source CRM which can lend itself to both forms and being open source is considerably cheaper than both alternative models.  

There are several factors to consider when making this critical decision so let's have a look to see whether hosted or on premise is best for your business. I will then demonstrate how SuiteCRM can fulfil the services of both an on premise and hosted CRM solution.

Rent or Buy

If ownership of the software is important to you then on premise CRM is the route for you. It may come with a bigger start up cost as you buy the software and hardware, but then it is yours to control. However you are still bound by the licensing terms and any upgrades required may come at an additional cost.

If ownership is not so important to you then hosted CRM is a great option. You pay a monthly fee for the solution  and much like when you rent a house, when something goes wrong or there is a new upgrade, you won't have to pay extra as they are part of the package.

Ownership need not be an issue if you go with SuiteCRM. If you prefer an on premise solution SuiteCRM would cost much less than its proprietary competitors. Being an open source product, SuiteCRM is available to download for free on the AGPL3 license. The main costs associated with SuiteCRM would be if you required to upgrade your existing hardware and the initial implementation of the software if you don’t have the Technical skills available in-house.

All in all much cheaper proposition than having to find large amounts of cash for software, hardware and implementation. Another plus point is that all upgrades are free so no surprise costs in the future. SuiteCRM also offer a hosted version if this is a requirement but again at a fraction of the cost of its proprietary competitors.

Deployment

If time is a key factor for you then you probably want to go for a hosted solution. Setting up an on premise CRM solution will require more time and effort and some form of experienced  IT department/staff. You must first install any servers and networking equipment before you even think about data. However after the initial work has been completed there are many long term benefits; it's yours, it's secure and it's not going anywhere.

A hosted solution requires no hardware or IT department just a good internet connection. SuiteCRM's cloud based SAAS solution can spin up an instance within a few minutes meaning it can be used quickly with ease. Hosted solutions benefit from rapid deployment. The setting up of the CRM application will be automated and so will be up and running more quickly. However it will be an out of the box version and not customised yet to your own requirements and needs. It does save in some upfront cost and is less time intensive

Cost

If you don't have a large budget for your CRM start up then an on premise solution is not for you. They invariably cost more to set up as you buy the software and hardware  and then need to train your people in how to set it up and use it. A hosted solution allows you to break the payments down into monthly fees which can be as little as a few pounds. But don't forget that with this option you keep on paying until you stop using the software.  You should also be aware that the switching costs can be very high. If you choose to go with SuiteCRM we are experienced in migrations and can make the process as easy as it can be for you. The huge start up costs for on premise solutions do not apply with SuiteCRM as it is free to download.

Easy to Access

When it comes to accessibility both options have their pros and cons. An on premise solution does not rely on internet connection for access which means it is always available. It can be accessed remotely but will require a good bandwidth in order to service  people inside your organisation and outside, it will tend to be a little slower than a dedicated external server in the office. A hosted solution may be useless if you have a slow connection but can be used anywhere there is a sound internet connection  meaning you can take your CRM with you.  

Security

Which option is the most secure? Generally you would assume that a hosted solution where all your info is stored online would be less secure but, you would be wrong. If you have a security policy in place and secured networks set up then your data is generally safe. An on premise solution may not always monitored sufficiently, software upgrades can be skipped or things missed by employees and is therefore it can be more vulnerable but if sufficiently monitored and updated perfectly secure. With a hosted solution their business depends on data security and therefore any security procedures and maintenance should take place in accordance with their SLA, but can sometimes be missed if these services come at an additional charge.

Flexibility

On premise solutions tend to be more flexible and customisable. This is because you have direct access to the application and a relatively high level of control regarding  customisations. Hosted CRM solutions tend to have more limitation on how you can adapt and customise. Access may also be restricted on certain areas and enhancements and editing the code may be more difficult to implement

So whichever solution you decide is better for your company, be it on premise or hosted why not check out SuiteCRM. SuiteCRM is a flexible, award winning open source CRM that really can fulfil all your business needs www.suitecrm.com Should you require any additional information then please contact me Amelia Campbell on amelia.campbell@salesagility.com

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The GDPR and You

The GDPR will be coming into effect on the 25th May 2018 but what is it?

There is a lot of confusion and fear surrounding this new regulation. The clock is ticking so now is the time to straighten things out and get to grips with the GDPR to ensure you are fully compliant. The European Commission released a proposal  of the GDPR framework in 2012. This has   since created much worry within the EU, with most Countries debating and negotiating their own agenda for the final draft.  In our modern society there is data around everything that we do and we leave data trails wherever we go. That is why it was paramount that the European Commission were thorough in their decisions,  considering every possibility, every individual and every country and the effects and impact this would have on peoples lives and their economy. One slight overlook could cause total devastation. With the process taking over 6 years from start to its implementation before the regulation comes into force there has been plenty of time for the European Commission to address any concerns that have been highlighted.

So back to the point in hand, what is the GDPR? The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a new set of data security regulations and will affect any organisation that handles or processes EU citizen data regardless of where the  said organisation is based in the world . Previous to the GDPR, countries were responsible for their own data protection, there were directives from Brussels which they could pick and choose what parts they wanted to implement. However when the GDPR  comes into force all countries within the EU will be bound by the same regulations creating data equality throughout the EU like never before. As part of the new regulation you will be required to provide proof that you are adequately handling and protecting any personal data  you hold. All companies are responsible for ensuring they are working within these regulations and if they are not they will be heavily fined.

With the GDPR rapidly approaching what better time to introduce a CRM system into your business. A CRM system can help you manage many aspects of the GDPR with ease so there really is no need to panic. Here are just a few points on how a CRM system can help you manage your data in order to comply with the GDPR :

Consent – A CRM system can provide multi point consent tracking, which includes the time, date and even recordings of any phone calls as well as the tracking of any emails sent and any links contained links within said emails. All the information related to each record and the consent received is there for you, this saves time and confusion and also makes it easy to provide evidence of your procedures to your DPO or any other authority that requires proof of consent.

Storage – With a CRM system you can store your data securely. CRMs usually come equipped with anti-hacking software, you can also install passwords so you can choose who has access.

Accuracy – A CRM system can ensure accuracy regarding all aspects of your data. A CRM can use various different data validation applications, third party validation through address checking or email pinging at the point of collection. This ensures the maintenance of a single users records within a central database to ensure consistency. There is no room for mistakes or complacency when the GDPR comes in to play, consistency is key.

Integrity and Confidentiality – With confidentiality being pretty much the focal point of the GDPR it is extremely important. A CRM system protects your sensitive information by password and data can be encrypted. Data can be updated and cleaned on a regular basis to be extra careful. Your CRM system can also automate the removal of data after a certain period of time as per the new regulation, eliminating the risk of human error.

Access Request and Right to be Forgotten – Rather than spending time looking for the correct information a CRM system will allow you access to information or data upon request. Also, a CRM system enables the deletion of data using the one central source rather than having to go through different  systems or files in order to find or  delete  data. This both saves time and eliminates error.

Reduce Data Breeches – With restricted access, passwords and data encryption all available a CRM is a  safe and secure place to store your data. Furthermore it’s a wonderful tool to help you manage it with ease.

SuiteCRM has all this functionality and much, much more. With the GDPR getting ever closer there is no need to panic yet but don't stick your head in the sand either, why not download SuiteCRM today? SuiteCRM can help make some of the processes required by the GDPR easier to implement and make it stress free and easier to manage. If you would like a more comprehensive and detailed overview of the GDPR feel free to download our GDPR White Paper. https://marketing.suitecrm.com/gdpr/gdpr

If we can help you or you have have any questions regarding the GDPR or SuiteCRM then please contact me at amelia.campbell@salesagility.com

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Comparing CRM Software - Would you use SuiteCRM if compared to Salesforce?

With so many options available, choosing the right CRM application for your business can be a tricky decision. With multiple options available it’s easy to get confused. With such a business critical decision, it is important to get it right and not simply make a panic decision or to simply choose the brand you recognise. The bigger the brand the better? Well, that is not always the case.

CRM can be split into two main camps, paid / proprietary solutions or free and open source solutions. There are many advantages and disadvantages to both and therefore it is imperative  to do your research and look at what alternatives are available. On most occasions  you will find an alternative with a wider range of features at a lower cost if you take time to review and research.

Here I will compare and outline  the differences between Salesforce which is largest proprietary CRM application and SuiteCRM which is an award winning open source application.

What is SuiteCRM

SuiteCRM was created when SugarCRM turned their back on their community edition in 2013. SuiteCRM is viewed as an updated and  supercharged version of SugarCRM CE. It is written, supported and extended by SalesAgility. Although a  relatively new comer to the CRM marketplace, it is developing and growing at a great pace and has already won several awards. It has all the functionalities of the mainstream proprietary products such as Salesforce, SAP and Microsoft Dynamic. It is free to download and use, it can be modified and distributed freely. It  can be operational in your business at a fraction of the cost of a proprietary CRM.

What is Salesforce

Salesforce was created in 1999 with an intention to remodel CRM applications. It is one of the original advocates of cloud computing which means that the application is only accessible online. Being online it means there is no need for any particular software or hardware to run the application. It allows you to access or work from any internet device such as a tablet, laptop or smartphone.

Here are just some of the fundamental differences and similarities between both solutions.

Hosting Solutions

Salesforce provides a fully hosted cloud solution. It is the largest CRM solution provider, which means it has a very robust and refined cloud / SAAS offering. Cloud solutions allow employees to access their CRM from any internet ready application, it also updates the centralised database and CRM application simultaneously. It ensures that all maintenance related issues and updates are managed by the provider. There are no locally hosted versions of Salesforce available.

In contrast, SuiteCRM offers 3 hosted solutions for its users. SuiteCRM can be deployed locally on your own server, giving you the flexibility and comfort to know that everything is kept in-house. You can from there create a gateway which would allow you to access the CRM remotely or keep it to your internal network only. You can also choose your own cloud or server provider in order to deploy SuiteCRM. It gives you the flexibility to chose a server which reflects the usage, number of users and data storage required. This will can be accessed remotely through any internet ready device.

Finally, SuiteCRM also offer a SAAS solution where SuiteCRM is will deployed and hosed in the cloud for you on the SuiteCRM servers exactly like Salesforce.. This is fully supported and it offers telephone support this products. However there are cost associated with this cloud based hosting solution, there are no costs for the CRM.

Integration

Salesforce are a veteran of the CRM marketplace, and as such it benefits from a large number of integrations some of which which are written by their own developers and  from third party software providers. Integrations allow your Salesforce CRM to speak to any third party application which has a CRM integration facility available.

SuiteCRM on the other hand has only been around for a few years and although there are a variety of integration made available naturally it has a much lower number available than Saleforce. However because of SuiteCRM's open source nature, the code can be easily accessed and a bespoke integration can be written by any software or PHP developer to work with any third party application. Developing your own custom code may be more expensive than an off the shelf integration however it will be bespoke to your business.

Flexibility

Both systems allow you to add and create your own dashboard to enable you to customise the application to best suits your needs. Both are relatively simply to administer and you can define your own reports depending on what you wish to analyse.  However as SuiteCRM is open source this makes it extremely flexible to the user as the source code can be altered to fit your needs. Both systems are very flexible and can be accessed from a number of locations and through a number of devices. However as Salesforce is only available as a SAAS solution, when compared to  SuiteCRM it would be considered to be less flexible.

Features and Functionality.

Both CRM applications are feature rich and have extensive functionality. As you would expect for such a premium cost product, Salesforce has more features and functionality than SuiteCRM. However if you review the standard functionality and core features both applications are the same. Both manage customer relationships and has functions available for marketing, finance, admin, customer service, issue management etc.

SuiteCRM makes all its feature and functionality available from the onset unlike Salesforce who give you limited functionality depending on what  price structure you take.

Scalability

Both applications have the flexibility of allowing businesses to scale up and down depending on the business requirements and the number of users.

Both applications are used by a wide spectrum of businesses. Both applications provide solutions relevant for small businesses as well as larger enterprises. However for Salesforce, the number of users who use the system will have a direct impact on the how much money the system will cost you on an ongoing monthly basis. Also as your requirements and needs increase  you also have to upgrade your package and your monthly commitment to include additional functionality.

License

Both CRM applications operate under different licenses. Salesforce operates under a commercial subscriptions license where as in contrast SuiteCRM operates under an open source GPL 3 license. The fundamental difference is one is a restrictive and paid for license and the other is a dynamic free license. It is best illustrated using the following example

The cost of 10 users on a professional edition for one year is £7,200 with Salesforce but is totally free with SuiteCRM. The cost for 50 users on an enterprise version would be £72,000 per year where as the enterprise ready version of SuiteCRM would still remain free.

Open source software and developers are part of an open source community that help innovate on publicly available code. This means that other open source projects often collaborate and help each others projects by adding code, bug fixes or extensions. This approach  makes open source software something which is hugely flexible and ever evolving.

Company ethos

Both companies strive to deliver the best solutions for their customer and put innovation and development as their key objectives, however the similarities on company ethos stop there. Salesforce has been designed from top to tail to make as much money as possible and is very successful at it as they are currently the most dominant player in cloud computing and SAAS and is self valued at $50 billion dollars.

Their CEO Marc Benioff owns a whopping 3 billion dollars of Salesforce shares and has recently frozen his salary at $1.55 million due to complaints from investors when they discovered his huge compensation package. By comparison SuiteCRM's “worth” is minuscule when compared SalesAgility who are the authors of SuiteCRM is an award winning Employee Owned Business which also puts its employees at the centre of it development strategy.

So from at a glance it would appear that Salesforce would be the obvious choice, however if you take some time to “have a look under the hood” then you might be surprised at what the natural choice would be

If you would like to discuss your CRM requirements or to find out more information on how SuiteCRM can transform your business please contact me on 01786 585 499 or by email amelia.campbell@salesagility.com

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The Entropic Nature of Open Source

This is the second blog where I will be drawing parallels against software development and  artistic process, specifically looking at open source software and it's ever evolving nature.

My aim is to investigate the creative process of software development and modern art and find the similarities between them. Like a piece of art, when most people think of software they think of it as a finished piece. This is not the case with open source software. The definition of open source is something that people can modify and share because its design is publicly accessible. This means that a piece of open source software is never complete, it is open to change and expansion. This encourages a sense of community to all those involved in open source projects. Much like this, not all art is a finished piece, even our most famous public sculptures are subject to change from their surrounding environments. Putting a  sculpture in the middle of a city will open it up to many changes. For example metal will rust, birds will defecate on it and people will often use it to discard their chewing gum. Whether these changes are intended by the artist or  if they are not a change for the better they are a change nonetheless. However I will be focusing on art that has been created with a mind to it evolving or that has been created as a collaborative piece.

Spiral Jetty - Robert Smithson

Smithson was obsessed with geology, this lead him to create spiral jetty, a 457 metre long spiral of stones and rubble set in a salt lake in Utah. During some times of the year the spiral is submerged, at others it is totally visible and it can be seen from space. Smithson's intention was for us to reflect on the affect we have on the planet. He was fascinated by entropy and wanted this piece to truly be part of it's environment and to change as it does. When originally made in 1960, the spiral appeared rusty red in colour but over the years the salt water has rendered it white.

The nature of this piece is much like the nature of an open source project in that it is never ending. It was created with the knowledge that over time it would evolve As a developer who casts his software out to the world they know that over time it will also change, people will add to it and as technology develops so will the software. Similarly with Spiral Jetty, as the earth's environment changes so will the spiral.

7000 Oaks - Joseph Beuys

Joseph Beuys is one of the most influential artists of our time. His work was deeply philosophical and he lectured extensively about art being the tool with which to start social revolution. 7000 Oaks is his grandest work in scale and in its nature. This epic piece of art which began in 1982 turned into a five year project. He and various volunteers from all works of life planted 7000 trees throughout Kassel, Germany each with a stone marker. This project was so well received that it was carried on beyond 7000 trees and people were still planting in the spirit of this project after his death.

It is the collaborative nature of this project that echoes open source thinking. As with an open source projects, this concept has been constructed by one individual and then contributed to by hundreds. If your CRM strategy needs work or requires  inspiration then we would implore you consider open source software project like SuiteCRM. Become forward thinking and join the open source revolution contact me on amelia.campbell@salesagility how SuiteCRM can be tailored with your new or existing customer strategy.

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Suite Success : SalesAgility are highly commended in the Innovation of the Year category

SalesAgility were highly commended at the UK Employee Ownership Awards 2016 within the Innovation of the Year category. Their latest accolade was awarded at the UK Employee Ownership Awards gala dinner on Monday 21st November. SalesAgility have been an employee owned organisation for a number of years now. Its employee owned status is central to the ethos of the organisation as it aims to inspire its employees and embrace their role within the business.

A spokesperon for SalesAgility commented “The Innovation of the Year award recognises truly outstanding innovation within an employee owned organisation. Innovation should be improving the all round achievements and outcomes of the business and the products and services. SalesAgility have been innovating from the SugarCRM platform for a number of years. It wasn’t until we created SuiteCRM that we truly became an leading innovator in our field. We like to think this accolade is fitting and well deserved.”

The UK Employee Ownership Awards are highly acknowledged by all involved in UK Employee Ownership. The Employee Ownership Association is a not for profit and politically independent organisation that works in close partnership with its members to champion, promote and provide insight into the business case for employee ownership. This years awards were sponsored by Baxendale, a leading EOA member.

Other triumphs for SalesAgility and SuiteCRM in 2016 include a Bossie Award; where SuiteCRM retained its title for The Best Open Source Application for CRM and winners at the Swiss CH Open Source Awards for best Customer Management application.

It seems this year the sky is the limit for SalesAgility.

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How a CRM System Can Improve Your Marketing

The marketing norm today seems to be pretty aggressive in its approach. We are bombarded daily with emails promoting companies we've signed up for and even more that we haven’t. Our information is so readily accessible that it makes it very easy for any company to acquire our personal details.

In reality we don't tend to open these emails. We're too busy to follow pointless links and we don't welcome poorly targeted spam. It is becoming increasingly difficult for marketers to find the right strategy that works for their customers and keeps them coming back.

Nowadays everyone uses social media or blogs. WordPress users alone publish 347 blogs a minute. As soon as someone gives you a good review, boom free positive marketing. Conversely it also works the other way, as soon as someone gives you a bad review, potentially thousands of users (depending on how many followers they have) are put off your product.

The way we think about marketing and our marketing strategies are changing dramatically. The old fashioned marketing technique of 'one message fits all' is no longer valid. 74% of online consumers will not tolerate a website who's content, offers or adds have nothing to do with their interests and instead they will simply look elsewhere. Customers know they can get the same product from a multitude of different online providers so they simply choose the site that is best tailored to their likings.

Marketers have to take a totally different approach to the way they now look at marketing. They need to adopt an individualised and tailored marketing approach.

The main source of inspiration for this should be derived from data and technology. This now leads me on to my main point, how can a CRM system help to improve your outdated marketing strategies and bring you into the 21st century?

Use Data with Ease

A task that most marketers do not enjoy is sifting through pages upon pages of customer data trying to find a lead,a customer whose information indicates that they are more likely to buy. A marketer would then have to use this information to send them a personalised message designed to appeal to them. A CRM system can help marketers to do this with much greater ease. It holds all the customer information in one place, making it much easier to make informed decisions about customers in order to improve customer satisfaction.

Segmentation of Information

Part of a marketers job is to notice their customer trends before offering them anything. In an ideal world marketers could segment not just by jobs, age or industry but many other factors such as which emails they open, what emails they respond to and what they have already purchased. This is where a CRM system comes in. This information is already captured within a CRM and enables you to segment it thus enabling marketers to refine a customers profile. This process helps create more opportunities for messages to be tailored to your customers likes and dislikes therefore pleasing the customer and helping maintain customer retention.

Personalize your emails

One of the most powerful tools a CRM can offer marketers is it allows them to individualise their emails. Nobody likes receiving countless messages addressed to 'Dear Customer/Friend' as it reeks of mass marketing. We know that today's customers want a more personal approach. They want to feel that time has been taken to get to know them which is where power of data and CRMs comes into play. A CRM will not only contain every customers details from their name and sex but also who they work for and what their position is. This allows you to tailor your email to that person which improves the chances of a positive response.

Know What Works and Use it

A CRM system will allow you to choose which campaigns were successful and analyse the unsuccessful ones. This means that rather than wasting time starting from scratch every time you start a new campaign you can review the successful ones and use this as a blueprint.

Make the Most of Your Time

Why waste your time on admin when you could be spending it on other more productive tasks like following up leads. A CRM securely stores all your customer information giving you instant access to free up your time to concentrate on the finer details of your marketing campaigns.

Now we are at a point where it is getting more difficult to engage with customers, what modern day marketer can't afford to use a CRM system? If you are interested in knowing more about how SuiteCRM can enhance your marketing then please contact info@suitecrm.com

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SuiteCRM : From a Seedling to a Beanstalk

From when we originally created SuiteCRM, it has grown substantially from a tiny seedling into a rather large beanstalk. (You will be glad to know that it didn’t require magic beans, just magic developers!)

We know that our application is marvellous and we could not be more proud of it and yes we are boasting. However, we will never be accused of resting on one’s laurels as there will always be room for improvement and innovation. Being the perfectionists we are, we want SuiteCRM to achieve greatness. We want to be the biggest and best CRM application in the world.

We know there is a lot of competition out there. Being a streamline operation and operating under an open source license whilst striving to be number one has its challenges. The majority of people tend to feel safer with the mainstream proprietary vendors. This could be due to the lack of understanding about open source products, however this way of thinking is beginning to change. Our expansion to greatness will take our hard nosed geeks a lot of work and brain power to achieve. But seeing as each of our employees are a genius in their own right, this should be a walk in the park..

Earlier this year we made a list of 10 predictions for SuiteCRM in 2016. Let's take a look at some of these and how they have aided our past, present and future achievements.

We will continue to beat Microsoft, SugarCRM, Oracle, SAP and Salesforce when competing against them for enterprise accounts. The cost of doing business with proprietary vendors is becoming harder to justify. Functionally SuiteCRM competes with each of these vendors. Strip out license costs and then real innovation can begin. Open source business applications are a game changer for the enterprise.

People are becoming less willing to pay the inflated and substantial costs to proprietary vendors and so the popularity of open source software is increasing. If we can continue to outperform these household names then that is a sure sign for a successful future and it makes our dream of becoming number one even more achievable.

The full-time development team for SuiteCRM will continue to grow. This will increase the pace of innovation.

We already have an amazing team of awesome developers and consultants. It is one of the reasons why SuiteCRM is the outstanding product that it is. Imagine if we had more of these miracle workers! The opportunities are endless. World dominance will be ours, well the CRM world anyway.

We will start to refresh some of the underlying platform technologies to make SuiteCRM more consistent for developers.

Everyone knows consistency is key. If we make SuiteCRM easier to use for developers then the more contributors we will have to the project. The more people we have from around world working on improving the application, the more diverse it will become and its growth will escalate.

We will release four new versions each of which will further advance SuiteCRM's case for inclusion amongst the very best CRM's available.

Everybody loves a new release because new releases mean new features, bug fixes and all round product improvement. Four new releases this year will bring SuiteCRM on leaps and bounds and that makes for a happy customer and a happy customer builds loyalty.

We will release comprehensive user documentation and video guides to make SuiteCRM easier to adopt.

Making SuiteCRM easier to use will only improve it's popularity. These days a lot of people don't have the time to read guides and so video tutorials are the way forward for many of our busy users. Comprehensive user documentation should have greater appeal to the all the geeks out there who need to know every detail like most of us here at SuiteCRM.

We will continue our commitment to open source. Every line of code published by the project will be open source. There will be no paid-for versions. There will be no proprietary licenses. SuiteCRM is an open source project.

We have made a promise to remain open source and we will stick to it. We want to create a sense of trust to encourage new customers and keep our existing customers happy. With open source becoming ever more popular, this can only be viewed a good thing.

Our SuiteCRM Partnership Programme is another string to our bow and part of our master plan of world domination.  We aim to form first class partnerships with like minded businesses to help build the SuiteCRM product and brand. We already have a global presence, but we want to be bigger by bringing SuiteCRM to the masses. This is why we have designed our Partnership Programme to be beneficial to everyone who gets involved.

Through our partnership program, we aim to provide our partners with all the relevant help and support required to operate an effective SuiteCRM consultancy. We will always insist on the highest levels of integrity from our partners and their commitment to provide SuiteCRM users with the highest levels of service and support at all times. This is paramount to the success of SuiteCRM.

If you are interested in hearing more about our future plans for SuiteCRM or  wish to become a SuiteCRM Partner then please get in touch with us here at info@suitecrm.com or partners@suitecrm.com.

We look forward to hearing from you and wish us luck on our vision of achieving greatness and CRM world domination within the next few years.

[salesagility-blog]

The Art of Software Development

When creating a piece of art, the artist will generally have a vision of what they want the finished piece to look like. They will then have to go through many different processes and techniques in order to achieve their vision. This can take months and hundreds of test pieces, before the finished piece has been realised.

This thought process is not unlike modern day programming. The developer will know what they want the software to do but there is then a lengthy process required in between before the final piece of software is finally created. Within the mix there will be a process of consulting with others in order to establish the functionality of the software. It will then have to be transcribed into a development plan which looks at each individual detail to ensure that it all works together seamlessly in order to obtain a functional piece of software. This process can also take months and years to come together (depending on the scope of the project) Also, as with many artworks examples there will be mistakes and errors along the way which have to be removed and then through the process of gradual refinement, a finished piece will be realised.

Wassily Wassilyevich Kandinsky was a Russian painter and art theorist who is credited with painting one of the first modern abstract works. Kandinsky wrote many books about the theory of art and its spiritual significance. He believed that each shape, line, mark and even angles of triangles had spiritual relevance and that art is a spiritual and holistic practice. Even though his paintings seem completely obscure to most, each and every mark and line has been painstakingly planned around his theory and needs to be there as an integral part of the painting. If one bit was missing then the picture simply would not work.

This is much like the developers of today. They too start with a blank canvas and use their creativity in order to try and connect things and through a lot of abstract thinking create something special. Developers are required to get their creative juices flowing when developing code. This is why you will see most developers sporting headphones to get them in the zone when working. Also, like the many examples of Wassily’s pieces of art, it all takes time. This is also true for developers on most medium to large scale software development projects.

In common with abstract works, computer code can appear to be completely foreign to those who don't read or understand it. To those who do understand, they appreciate the importance and the function/purpose behind each line of code, as well as the creativity required to create it. So as in the creation of an artistic master piece, every aspect of the software has been painstakingly planned, with everything having its place and ensuring each part serves it's purpose. Like art, everyone has their own views on how it looks and how to interpret the work correctly.

Writing good code is like the journey to creating an artistic masterpiece, it does not come solely from studying books and lectures – it requires lots of practice. Our developers at SalesAgility have over a decade of experience in creating software  masterpieces. We have refined our processes through time in order to create seamless transitions between your business processes and our SuiteCRM solution.

Why not contact us now on 01786 585 499 or info@salesagility.com and get your own masterpiece created today.

[salesagility-blog]

Why choose an open source CRM application over a proprietary one?

When choosing what system you want your computer to run off the first options that come to mind are Apple and Microsoft, right? That is because they are the most well known  and recognisable to us. It's the same when we choose most software/applications that we use, we look for the brand. In this blog I will tell you why choosing an open source CRM for your business is not only the most cost effective but the most efficient option also.

Many businesses have already started to cotton on to the Open Source revolution with a recent report showing that 76% of developers are using open source technology in some way. But then why is it not more common in mainstream technology? I think the general feeling is that if you pay more for something then it is better, thus rendering open source the cheaper more inferior option. Despite this, people are now finding out that open source is a far better option for your business application, it is adaptable, customisable to your business needs, has  high levels of security and you own the right to use the source code free of charge– it's yours!

Here are just some of the  reasons you should choose an open source CRM solution over a proprietary one.

Community life

Open Source projects are always community based projects, this means that members of the open source community work together to make it a superior product. This is not the only source of support and development, many authors of open source CRM solutions offer a additional paid for solutions if required. As a result of this, you can enjoy constant improvements and bug fixes through a community with no direct costs. As soon as a bug or issue is identified, community forums  will offer you help and support to help resolve and provide advice when you are stuck. All of the above means that your company can have the confidence that the business can  adapt quickly to the ever changing demands of the marketplace.

Safe and Secure

With the growing number of hackers out there, software is becoming increasingly vulnerable, especially proprietary products, even though Apple may seem to have fewer bugs, this is only because they are not viewable by the public. Open source products make themselves more secure by exposing themselves and providing full visibility. This could be due to the above mentioned community who are always quick to fix bugs whereas with proprietary software there is only a small group of people tasked with the duty fixing these bugs. An amazing 72% of people said they would choose an open source application due to it's superior security.

Customisation

Most proprietary software will appear to come with a multitude of options and customisability, claiming they can meet all your business needs, however, integrating them with other business applications like ERP can cost a small fortune. The code itself is not made available to the general public This problem is not shared by their open source counterparts as they are built to be extendible, flexible and customisable. They allow developers direct access to the source code which truly means it can be adapted to meet every businesses needs.

Cost is Key

The obvious driving factor behind choosing an open source application is cost, an open source application will always be much lower in price, if not free, than it's proprietary alternatives. There are also lower security, maintenance and upgrade costs. In most business application projects, a significant section of the budget will go towards the implementation phase. With proprietary applications there will not be the pletherer of developers who are ready at the drop of a hat to take on any customisation needs unlike with it's open source competitors. This community of developers means open source are starting to win over implementation projects. These is also a  growth of free plugins produced which  will always result in lower cost of ownership and implementation.

No Need to Reinvent the Wheel

There are very few proprietary software that do not have an open source alternative. Why spend time paying for something that someone else has created for free. There is no point creating a CRM software from scratch, it is a more effective use of your time to find an open source application you are happy with and then develop and enhance this to your own requirements. The final software solution can be completed more quickly, or else more features can be added and more testing can be done

Feature Rich

Open source software has a variety of clients who all have different requirements. Opens source license encourages companies to share these enhancements and so unlike its proprietary counterpart it doesn’t need a lot of people requesting a feature before it is implemented.  Proprietary software source is accessible by the creator and the consumer is unable to make any modifications to the CRM software without the consent of the vendor.

[salesagility-blog]

Why Choose Open Source?

In this technological era we are in, a growing number of experts in the field believe  that we need to move away from proprietary software solutions and start to adopt an open source approach. There are many answers to the fundamental question – why use open source? This post brings an insight into some of the main reasons  you should choose an open source solution for your businesses.

Cost Cost is obviously the first and foremost factor for any company that is tired  of the conventional proprietary software which costs a small fortune. Proprietary software comes with huge licensing fees while on the other hand, to adopt even the most feature rich open source alternatives the costs are considerably lower. In fact, the simpler and basic versions are available completely free of cost.

You own the source code The key fact here is that that it allows developers visibility of the source code and the ability to customize the source code as they please which is another major factor in most open source adoptions. Source code visibility is becoming a huge issue of contention in many cases, especially in the medical world. Source code visibility also helps provide solutions for the business problems encountered on day to day basis.

Freedom One of the most significant benefits offered by open source products is that unlike their proprietary counterparts, there are no vendor lock-ins. Developers are completely free to decide which tools to use and where should they deploy their application. Proprietary software will enforce lock-ins whereas the open source community believe in maintaining open standards. Another huge  benefit is that the access to the source code generally means that regardless of what happens to the software provider, users will always be able to use it and will be able to provide support to their applications.

Learn To Code The fact that with open source products you have access to the the source code gives another bonus. Unlike proprietary software, access to the the source code means you can manipulate it to provide solutions to whatever technical problem you are having, this is a huge incentive to learn to code. Once you can code the world (well technical one) is your oyster and it also opens up many job opportunities. Code is being taught in most primary schools these days and will soon be considered to be an essential life skill.

A sense of community Open Source, is widely known to be the result of the work performed by a community of  open source developers . The open source community provides a multitude of innovative ideas and effective solutions. There is always strength in numbers and as the community grows so does the amount of amazing open source software/solutions available. This enables companies to find solutions to the multifaceted problems while having  access to a broad array of useful tools.

Superior Performance The open source community provides a plethora of experts that are working on cutting edge technology, open source products have the ability to deliver high performances even in the most complex scenarios. The ability to perform tasks much faster enables  open source products and frameworks to efficiently support all businesses’ needs.

Safer is Better Security is an extremely vital component in any software solution, proprietary or open source.  Open source never compromises security and provides an end to end protected ecosystem to ensure that the enterprise data, resources and all other entities stay protected, completely secure and free from any  attacks. With data breaches/leaks on the rise, surely open source is the best solution.

Availability Most of the open source providers back their software solutions with high reliability and guaranteed delivery. The high availability feature ensures that the open source software solutions perform well, even in demanding environments.

With all the evidence to support open source solutions as opposed to proprietary ones the only reason to choose proprietary is trend. So why not start your own trend, go open source and learn to code. Anyone can do it. If you have any questions regarding open source or open source CRM solutions then please get in touch

[salesagility-blog]

Open Source in Healthcare

We are living in the 'Industrial Revolution' for technology and it's thanks to many of these advances that people are healthier and living longer. We now have the ability you use AI to help diagnose ailments which could result in people not having to leave the house to see the doctor within the next 20 years. When writing software, the industry average metric is that there are two bugs per 100 lines of code. Now, does it seem rational that the software used in medical institutions or even the devices that are planted inside us intended to save our lives is not available for us to view. If it was, we could fix those 2 bugs and make the world a better place.? Should we open source all device critical software like medical devices. The manufacturers don't think so. But Open Source software is making it's way into healthcare and definitely for the better of mankind. Here are just a few examples of Open Source health based software :

CottageMed is a cross-platform electronic medical record system based on FileMaker. CottageMed is released under the GPL FreeMED is a practice management and electronic and computer records system. It allows the tracking of medical data, in detail, with preservation not just of the diagnosis but the reasons for medical encounters. FreeMED is released under the GPL GaiaEHR is a modern open source electronic health record developed using PHP and Ext JS GNUmed is a WxPython application that uses PostgreSQL GNU Health is a centralized, highly scalable health and hospital information system Hospital OS Open source hospital information system in Thai HOSxP is a hospital information system, including Electronic health record (EHR), in use in over 70 hospitals across Thailand. Mirth is an open source cross-platform HL7 interface engine that enables bi-directional sending CottageMed is a cross-platform electronic medical record system based on FileMaker. CottageMed is released under the GPL FreeMED is a practice management and electronic and computer records system. It allows the tracking of medical data, in detail, with preservation not just of the diagnosis but the reasons for medical encounters. FreeMED is released under the GPL GaiaEHR is a modern open source electronic health record developed using PHP and Ext JS GNUmed is a WxPython application that uses PostgreSQL GNU Health is a centralized, highly scalable health and hospital information system Hospital OS Open source hospital information system in Thai HOSxP is a hospital information system, including Electronic health record (EHR), in use in over 70 hospitals across Thailand. Mirth is an open source cross-platform HL7 interface engine that enables bi-directional sending of HL7 messages between systems and applications over multiple transports. openEHR is an open standard specification in health informatics that describes the management and storage, retrieval and exchange of health data in electronic health records (EHRs) following a two-level modelling paradigm.

However, not all healthcare based companies are this forward thinking and transparent. One lady in particular who has been passionately involved in this field for many years now, Karen Sandler, former executive director of the GNOME Foundation where she began the Outreach Program for Women that encouraged women into Free and Open software and is now executive director of the Software Freedom Conservancy. It would be right to assume that if anyone knows about Open Source, it's Karen Sandler. In 2006 she was diagnosed with a potentially fatal heart disease that required her to have a cardioverter defibrillator implanted. Being as experienced in software,  she asked the doctor what software the device ran off and was horrified to learn that it was proprietary. "I asked the doctor what software the device ran and he looked at me like I was mad .... I called three major defribullator manufacturers and asked if I could  see the source code since I'm going to put [the device]in my body and I'd feel more comfortable knowing what's connected to my heart and that went nowhere. I offered to sign an NDA ... I don't want to rely on Medtronics for something as essential as my heart."   At the time Sandler was an attorney at the Software Freedom Law Center. Regardless of her experience and knowledge in the field, the manufacturer refused her access to the code. This lead her to write the award winning paper "Killed by Code: Software Transparency in IMDs, which has detailed at least 212 deaths due to device failures. Shockingly despite the FDA issuing 23 Class 1 (potentially fatal) recalls of defected IMDs in the beginning of 2010 where 6 at the least were due to software defects the FDA did not cite this as the reason for the recall. Sandler said the "description of device failures match those associated with source code errors." I'm sure that Sandler is not alone in finding this extremely worrying, so many  people's lives are relying on potentially faulty code. Sandler states in her paper that being given access to the device software would make her and the many others who are affected by this feel more secure. So fingers crossed that Sandler will win her battle and free the software that has no room for mistakes as so many peoples lives depend on it. Fortunately, there are many positive Open Source healthcare stories, for example The OpenEyes Project, who's maker won the Person/Project Prize at the UK Open Source Awards 2015 for inspiring work in a field where the social good is hugely important. OpenEyes is a not for profit, open source project that has been developed with the contributions of many hospitals, medical institutions, individuals and companies and was developed through GitHub. It is an open source application that provides 'a cost effective option for eye care'. It is available to download for free but it advised that the installation is handled professionally through their commercial partner Across Health to ensure the best possible outcome. The main aim of this software is to provide the most efficient electronic medical record solution for eye care and capture the superior ideas of practice and design from clinicians.

Another healthcare initiative is Code4Health. This is an initiative supported by NHS England to enable the best use of digital tools and technology as well as openly sharing this information with everyone associated with the healthcare industry. SalesAgility are an approved supplier and contributor for Code4Health. SalesAgility as part of their commitment to Code4Health, provided a division within NHS England with an instance of SuiteCRM, the award-winning open source Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application. Training, software development and consultancy services were also provided to align SuiteCRM with their particular business process needs. As a result of their demonstrable expertise and the power and flexibility of SuiteCRM, SalesAgility became one of the recommended open source CRM solution partners. Since being selected as an approved partner, SalesAgility has delivered a number of successful CRM implementation projects for NHS England and continues to enjoy an excellent working relationship with our NHS clients.' In an ideal world all technology involved with healthcare would be open source, especially in Implantable Medical Devices (go Karen Sandler). We all know this is not the case now but with the rise of open source technology and increasing awareness who  knows what the future holds.

[salesagility-blog]

10 ways a CRM can make your business more efficient

I would hazard a guess that by now most people know that CRM technology is a critical business tool. However I don't think many people are aware of the wide range of functionality a CRM has and just how much more efficient it can make your business. I don't know if there is another business-related technology that's as versatile and beneficial as CRM. Despite this, most businesses fail to use their CRM to it's full potential. Businesses tend to only use a few functions, missing out on the huge benefits it can have throughout a company.

Here are 10 ways a CRM can make your business more efficient:

  1 Understanding your data

Any business in this day and age is bursting with data, a CRM will allow you to manage it effectively even if you have far too much fragmented data coming from various departments. A CRM system helps you to make sense of this, it is connects you and your team to a central database making your data actionable throughout your company.

  2 Make the most of your data

Another key aspect of a CRM is that it will help you get the insights you need to make the most of your data. For example, which accounts are currently dormant? A CRM system will allow you to schedule activities to re-activate stagnant accounts. Without these insights, you and your team are missing opportunities and not utilising your data effectively.

  3 Accessing your data anytime, anywhere

Your data is no longer bound to the office. With advances in cloud computing and mobile/tablet applications, you can take your work with you wherever you go. For mobile employees, a CRM will give instant access to a centralised view of sales and support activities which is customisable to each individual.

 4  Productivity is key

Do you always know what your team are doing? Do you often feel valuable time is being wasted? A CRM will allow managers or team leaders to analyse how much time is being spend on particular tasks and then share this with the team giving them vital directions to best meet their business' goals. Thus getting the most out of each and every employee.

5   A great tool for teamwork

One of the brilliant things about a CRM is that it brings your team and company together. Even if you are a multi national organisation with offices across the world, a CRM brings everything together and allows all employees to instantly share information easily.

 6  C is for Customer

Yes, with Customer Relationship Management software one of the key bonuses is that it helps you keep your customers happy. Your customer information is instantly access all in the one place, making business transactions smooth and fuss free. It also allows you to manage your accounts with a certain ease ensuring that your customers are never left waiting.

 7  A happy customer is a loyal customer

You can't force a customer to stay with you, however you can influence their decision by giving them the best experience possible. A CRM will manage all activities concerning customer engagement, giving employees all the the information required to forge the best possible relationship with the customer.

  8 Decision making made easy

CRM highlights crucial information. Business owners and managers can benefit from detailed reports that can forecast sales and returns, measure service activities and track business performance in detail. CRM analysis tools can also follow both short- and long-term trends and problems as well as alerting users to potential business opportunities. All of these tools mean that the CRM does most of the thinking and you just have to act on the obvious.

   9 Creating exciting new sales avenues

A CRM can also allow businesses to accept orders from the internet and from mobile devices. It also enables businesses to build marketing presences on and accept orders from social-networking sites. Basically it allows you to take advantage of all our modern day trends and platforms and use them to your benefit.

   10 Looking after your revenue

Many companies make the mistake of trying to manage revenue through CRM. You should instead use CRM to manage all the activities that focus and influence your sales and revenue to ensure you achieve your targets.