Sage CRM vs. Salesforce

If you're switching from a contact manager or a historical CRM system to a new CRM system, Salesforce and Sage CRM may be amongst the applications you're considering. Consider the similarities and differences between the two CRM programmers.

While many CRM systems on the market were originally client/server solutions that have grown into browser-based apps, Sage CRM and Salesforce were built from the ground up to be 100% browser-based from both an end-user and administrative standpoint.

Both products were released simultaneously, but Salesforce.com has a far stronger market presence. Salesforce has not only developed a computer industry, but they have also performed admirably on all fronts, including sales, marketing, and technology. Both salesforce.com and The Sage Group plc are publicly listed and have a strong financial foundation.

Both programs are user friendly and have a high level of end-user acceptance. Both are extremely customizable, allowing users to combine functionality from many old databases into a single solution. While these two goods have many similarities, they also have some significant variances.

On-Premise vs. Cloud

The most significant distinction is that Salesforce was built from the ground up to be a multi-tenant cloud solution. Sage CRM, on the other hand, was built to be a single-instance, in-house installed product from the beginning.

While Sage CRM.com, a multi-tenant cloud version of the software, is available, it is currently a more basic version. This article will focus on Sage CRM's on-premise version.

We won't go into all of the distinctions between hosting and owning the software, but in general, Salesforce runs without any IT resources. Any in-house solution, on the other hand, necessitates the installation and maintenance of a server or servers, which includes managing uptime, software upgrades, and backups.

This distinction is frequently crucial, as some businesses will only consider a hosted CRM system, while others will only consider an in-house, behind-the-firewall option.

Tools for Customization

For adding new fields to existing tables, both Salesforce and Sage CRM feature point-and-click tools (called objects in Salesforce). It's a little easier to build new, custom objects in Salesforce than it is to create new, custom tables in Sage CRM. In Sage CRM, creating bespoke tables necessitates a significantly greater level of expertise.

Advanced adaptations in Sage CRM may be made via ASP (active server pages), VB.Net, SQL stored procedures, and client-side JavaScript, among other technologies.

Compatibility with different browsers

Salesforce is compatible with the following browsers: Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Safari. Although Chrome is not officially supported, Salesforce works fine with it.

Internet Explorer is the only browser that Sage CRM is certified to run with. While SageCRM operates with Firefox, for the most part, it will not be formally certified for Firefox until a later release. While the majority of the items that don't work with Firefox are minor annoyances, a few of the restrictions might be troublesome depending on client use cases. Sage CRM now supports cross-browser compatibility with version 7.1 SP2.

Pricing and Editions

There are two Sage CRM standalone editions – Sage CRM 100 and Sage CRM 200 – in addition to the specially priced versions for Sage accounting clients. The server license for Sage CRM 200 costs $3,995, and the named user license is $795. The price of a named user license has increased to $1,095. This is a one-time transaction. The top tier's annual software maintenance and technical support cost 25% of the entire list price.

Salesforce offers a number of subscription options, ranging from $5 per person per month to $250 per user per month. Extra storage and other services, such as a knowledge base and field service, may incur additional charges. For a charge, you may upgrade to a Premier support package.

Scalability

Sage CRM has thousands of users and is mostly a tool for small to mid-sized businesses or departments inside larger corporations.

Salesforce's database architecture allows it to scale to any number of users or database size. It may be used by a single user all the way up to major corporations and government bodies. Customers of Salesforce.com have over a hundred thousand CRM users.

Integration of Accounting

Sage CRM and accounting systems have pre-built interfaces. These are local integrations that exchange data and/or view on the same local network. Greytrix provides Sage 100 with third-party integration.

Data migration between an in-house accounting system and Salesforce's cloud platform is frequently required when integrating an accounting system with Salesforce. This necessitates the use of some sort of integration software to handle the traffic.

FinancialForce.com is a third-party accounting solution for Salesforce that works entirely within the CRM application.

Word Mail Merge

Salesforce's out-of-the-box mail was merging only works with certain browsers and Office versions. Companies that need to do a mail merge frequently use a third-party solution like Conga Composer.

Sage CRM has a fully functional mail merging feature without the need for an add-on solution.

B2C Sales and Support Configuration

Contact records (also known as Person records) in Sage CRM do not require a Company association. Sage CRM may be utilized for pure B2C applications or hybrid B2B/B2C applications right out of the box.

A Contact must always have a parent Account record in Salesforce. Therefore, even a consumer must have a related Account record. To ensure that this relationship always exists without requiring a user to enter two layers of records (Account and Contact) for each individual, you'll need to employ the "Person Accounts" capability or write some custom code.

Third-Party Products

Salesforce.com AppExchange is a huge and well-standardized third-party application marketplace. The AppExchange has over a thousand programs, some of which are free and others that are purchased. Sage CRM has a third-party showcase called Apps & Extras.

Both Salesforce and Sage CRM are powerful CRM solutions that can satisfy the needs of most businesses. However, Salesforce is better suited to large-scale deployments with tens of thousands of users. Salesforce is incredibly popular, owing to the fact that most businesses want a fully hosted CRM system (a reality that Salesforce.com, itself, created). Sage CRM is a great addition to the shortlist for firms looking for an in-house solution.