CRM Software

[Josh]

Cloud based CRMs.

Any security or Hippa concerns?

Back up issues. Can you keep hard copy back up? In the event the cloud company disappears.

You can do backups to another server and your desktop. I have no HIPPA concerns, just make sure you're using a secure host.
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If SugarCRM is on anyone's list of CRM candidates here are some good resources.

Good Videos:
SugarCRM Demo

Actual demo:
SugarCRM - Commercial Open Source CRM

I like vTiger but it is done by a couple of guys in India and the product is still a bit rough round the edges. They also took (legally? lots of issues there for some people!) a lot of the code from Sugar and later added some functionality like invoicing which I don't think SugarCRM has (but I've not checked extensively as I don't need it.)

Sugar has a huge user-base so there is plenty of help... either free or via paid consultants.

This site will help you survey a ton of different CRM solutions for small biz:

Small Business CRM Resource Centre - Your Free Guide To CRM Help

HTH

Sugar isn't bad either. I tried them both, my only beef with Sugar it's more likely to let each agent see everyone else's leads. Because I use it more for an agency than individual use that's more of a concern, but I like both of them to be honest.

 

[radiusbob]

Cloud based CRMs.

Back up issues. Can you keep hard copy back up? In the event the cloud company disappears.

Best to understand the CRM Service Providers data backup policies...How redundant are they (i.e., are they using tape drives, separate hard drives, services within the same stack/slice, services within a different facility, etc..).

Also best to understand how often they update their servers with OS and other Software patches.

At a minimum an account holder should / could be able to export their data within a few clicks on a moments notice. Which I would suggest if you are using a web based solution (if anything piece of mind)
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Any security or Hippa concerns?

Best to make sure when you access your CRM site the Login and entire Application experience is behind an SSL (httpS://) and IMHO it is best not to even muck around with collecting or storing SSNs. Granted I understand there is a need for them for certain type of apps to be written, but that is where you'll run into potential HIPPA issues. Maybe leave it to having the prospects SSN on the hard copy app.

Keep in mind that even though you may have this type of info on your local computer doesn't neccesarily mean that it is safe.

Is your Wireless Router Password Protected?
Does your OS have the most recent patches?
Does the software you run have the most recent patches installed?
Are you using and outdated browser that has security issues (IE 6.0)?
Prone to download attachment from emails that might be Phishing Schemes?

 

[Guest]

Sugar isn't bad either. I tried them both, my only beef with Sugar it's more likely to let each agent see everyone else's leads. Because I use it more for an agency than individual use that's more of a concern, but I like both of them to be honest.

You can keep each person "separate" if you like. Log in as admin and simply set up one "Role" (i.e. named "agent") and set the View and List, etc. to "owner" on Leads (and maybe other modules... Accounts? etc.) on that role. Then assign each of your agents to this new role... and each agent will only have view, edit, etc. on his/her own data.

Easy peasy!
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As for HIPAA, I don't keep " SSNs or credit card numbers at all. Not on the server or my local machine. The only place they appear are on paper apps, which I scan and burn to CD and keep locked in a fire-proof safe.

Some guys will want a hosted solution in that they pay someone to run their cloud. You can do this with SugarCRM, Salesfroce, Radius, etc.

I prefer to just host my own CRM... be it vTiger or Sugar or something else. True, I have a dedicated server (which I pay $2200 a year but that's because we need it for our Jaya123 system.)

But if you have a website with a good host you can install your own CRM and database... and some hosts already have one you can use. It's not hard with Sugar if you follow the instructions. Same with vTiger.

As for backup, assuming you are using the MySQL database (and odds are 100 to1 that you will) there are tons of scripts that you can find that will dump the data into one big (dump) file and save it on the server as well as FTP it to another server. I use the Apple MobileMe service ($99 a year for 20 GB) but iBackup is good and maybe box. net will work too.

My set up is simple. I have Sugar installed in 3 places... twice on my server and once on my local Mac. The two installs on the server has one as "production" and the other as backup. The one on the Mac is also backup in case I lose the internet.

I have a script that dumps the data every 30 minutes from the primary (production) database and loads it on the backup version on my server. It also stores the dump file in a folder. On my Mac I have a script that runs every 30 minutes (about 5 mins. after the server script) and pulls down the file and loads the local MySQL data base. (On the Mac I use XAMPP... which is a "stack of Apache, PHP, and MySQL. Works for the PC and Linux as well. Check it out. Free.)

OK, maybe setting this all up is not exactly simple, but there is a ton of help (on the SugarCRM forums (free... like this one) and once you understand the concepts it is not too difficult. And once it is done... it just works forever... you never need to fool with it.

(Another reason I have a second install of Sugar on my server is so that when they come out with upgrades I try them out first on the backup install before I put them on the production instance.)

HTH

 

[Josh]

You can keep each person "separate" if you like. Log in as admin and simply set up one "Role" (i.e. named "agent") and set the View and List, etc. to "owner" on Leads (and maybe other modules... Accounts? etc.) on that role. Then assign each of your agents to this new role... and each agent will only have view, edit, etc. on his/her own data.

Easy peasy!

Yeah, but they can still see the other users on the system and assign them leads, etc. In the few weeks I was comparing the two (each with active installs) I couldn't find a good way to keep it completely compartmentalized like that. With vTiger they can login as if they are the only person on the whole system and they cannot see anything about anyone else on it.

There were quite a few things I liked about sugar, but when I had been doing telemarketing for different agents and different agencies and wanted them to stay completely separate, vTiger was the best solution.

 

[Guest]

Yeah, but they can still see the other users on the system and assign them leads, etc. In the few weeks I was comparing the two (each with active installs) I couldn't find a good way to keep it completely compartmentalized like that. With vTiger they can login as if they are the only person on the whole system and they cannot see anything about anyone else on it.

There were quite a few things I liked about sugar, but when I had been doing telemarketing for different agents and different agencies and wanted them to stay completely separate, vTiger was the best solution.

I believe you can get rid of the "Assign To" box on Leads --> Layout --> Edit View using the Studio function in Admin. If it isn't on the screen, you can't see it. Of course that would be the same for the admin as well, I think. (Of course you could have on install for Admin and another for everyone else... both pointing at (i.e. using) the same database (in config.php).

Were you able to get rid of the drop-down "assign to" box in vTiger on lead create/edit? I wasn't. It said it was a "required field." This was on the most current version. Not so in Sugar, TTBOMK. Try it and see.

Al

 

[Guest]

I believe this is correct, as I recall that was another reason why it wouldn't work for me.

I am currently testing out Oprious. I don't think Franks sytem will work on a MAC.

 

[Josh]

I believe you can get rid of the "Assign To" box on Leads --> Layout --> Edit View using the Studio function in Admin. If it isn't on the screen, you can't see it. Of course that would be the same for the admin as well, I think. (Of course you could have on install for Admin and another for everyone else... both pointing at (i.e. using) the same database (in config.php).

Were you able to get rid of the drop-down "assign to" box in vTiger on lead create/edit? I wasn't. It said it was a "required field." This was on the most current version. Not so in Sugar, TTBOMK. Try it and see.

Al

With vTiger it would automatically not show any of the other users or leave it in their assigned group. So if I was generating lead for "Al and Associates" and there was BigAl, MommaAl and LittleAl then I could set it so they could all see each other. Either that or if it was "Al and Sons", I can set it so BigAl can see AlSon1, AlSon2, AlSon3, etc and all of their leads, but only AlSon1 could see his leads, but not BigAl or anyone else's. The permissioning from that perspective was able to be set the way I wanted it easily and right out of the box so to speak. So with this I could have 50 individual clients and 10 agencies (with 10 agents each) all on the same installation. This was a better solution for me in the sense that it allows me to add and remove users and hierarchies easily without needing to do new installations or confuse what agents go to each installation.

 

[customermanager]

You can check out Commence CRM - it is also web based and runs well on the Apple Mac. Learn more at the commence.com web site

 

[Josh]

You can check out Commence CRM - it is also web based and runs well on the Apple Mac. Learn more at the commence.com web site

CustomerManager? What type of a username is that? Oh! SPAM SPAM SPAM! Got it

 

[Guest]

I installed vTiger a few weeks ago to play with it and tried very hard to keep all users separate... so that they could not see other users names or their data... and just could not figure it out. No matter what I did, Joe could see Bob and Sue in the "assign to" drop-down and I could not get rid of the drop-down as the system would not let me delete it form the layout... saying it was required.

I'm not quite sure how you configured vTiger to keep everyone separate but I'm glad you found a solution.