Salesforce Alternatives | 5 Cloud CRM Systems to Consider

by

CRM Analyst,

Salesforce.com is the recognized leader in cloud CRM solutions — and for good reason. One of the first SaaS-based customer relationship management (CRM) products on the market, Salesforce offers an easy-to-use tool with deep sales force automation (SFA) functionality. It’s a great solution for many companies, but buyers like options. And guess what? There's some great alternatives to Salesforce out there. So what other systems should you add to your CRM shortlist?

Here I conduct a cloud-based CRM software comparison and recommend five cloud CRM products that are worth testing.

Microsoft Dynamics CRM
NetSuite OneWorld CRM
Oracle CRM On Demand

Sage SalesLogix

SugarCRM
Sales
Marketing
Service
Field Service
Social CRM
Mobile
Vertical Solutions

Microsoft Dynamics vs. Salesforce

 

Analysts and end-users alike consistently rank Dynamics CRM among the top products available on the market. With the latest release of Dynamics CRM 2011, Microsoft has made a credible move onto Salesforce’s turf.

Dynamics CRM is a flexible system built on the .Net platform. It’s great for companies already committed to the Microsoft stack. The system has a familiar Outlook-like interface and can be easily customized to fit the needs of your organization. Also, Microsoft has an extensive network of partners, resellers and ISVs with expertise in developing customized and vertical solutions for specific industries.

Dynamics CRM 2011 made some notable improvements over previous versions, making it a strong Salesforce alternative. My favorites include the improved UI and customizable dashboards. Users can navigate the system with fewer clicks and can personalize their view based on their role. The update also includes the built-in Dynamics Marketplace, a network of vendors that provides more than 1,400 add-on products and services.

One concern with Dynamics CRM used to be that updates only came out every three years. No longer. Microsoft recently announced bi-annual updates.

Do you use Microsoft Dynamics CRM? Write a review »

NetSuite vs. Salesforce

 

NetSuite’s OneWorld is the company’s first CRM suite designed for complex sales organizations with a global reach. It offers unlimited users, modules, third-party apps and storage, making it easy for organizations of any size to easily scale the solution to fit their changing needs.

For a while now, NetSuite has been trying to enter the Social CRM mix. It seems like it may have a way in with its Yammer partnership. The integration of Yammer with NetSuite’s SocialSuite adds internal collaboration its CRM offering. Users can create, monitor and respond to activity streams, making it easy to interact and discuss over a common platform.

Given NetSuite’s core strength in accounting and ERP, it has built its CRM product with a central focus on order management and the financial processes that relate to a sale. It has remained focused on this integrated-suite story, using it as the foundation for all innovations. If you go with NetSuite, you can expect a solid, integrated application, with great tools for sales and service automation.

Oracle vs. Salesforce

 

Oracle acquired CRM leader Siebel Systems, and through that deal gained Siebel’s powerful CRM On Demand. Oracle has continued to invest in that product line, and today it offers a credible cloud solution. The system offers most of the capabilities you would expect to find in an enterprise-level CRM system, but at a price and delivery model comparable to Salesforce or Dynamics CRM. It stands out for its industry-specific solutions and pre-built integration with Oracle back-office systems. Oracle users will benefit from the familiar interface and ease of integration that comes with the system.

At last year’s OpenWorld conference, Oracle announced the release of CRM On Demand 18, a hosted solution with a single-tenant architecture. This stands in comparison to Salesforce’s multi-tenant offering. The single-tenant model gives each client their own dedicated software and hardware stack. With multi-tenant, users share application servers and databases. There is a debate as to which model is best, but for buyers with a single-tenant bias, Oracle CRM On Demand is worth a look.

Oracle’s latest release targets the missing link in most CRM systems: alignment of sales and marketing. Oracle bought Market2Lead in 2010, introducing marketing automation to their stack. Sales and marketing users benefit from shared KPIs, helping them to understand how lead generation and nurturing activities directly affect sales. Previously, Oracle customers had to pay for a third-party marketing automation app to get these capabilities. With this addition, users can access these features from one integrated system that is offered at an attractive price point.

Sage SalesLogix vs. Salesforce

 

Sage offers multiple CRM solutions, but SalesLogix is their premium offering. Released in 2002 as a sales force automation solution for mid-market organizations, SalesLogix has been enhanced over time, with added service and marketing capabilities. It is now a comprehensive and feature-rich CRM product used by over 6 million customers worldwide.

SalesLogix’s legacy strength is in sales force automation, but its capabilities extend to campaign management, revenue tracking, campaign reporting, and workflow automation. One of my favorite features is the product’s mobile deployment options. Users can access contacts, accounts, opportunities, etc., all from their mobile phone. Also, the app is free for any smart phone platform.

Although targeted at mid-sized organizations, SalesLogix offers support for international organizations, making it a strong consideration for global enterprises. SalesLogix is sold by a network of more than 26,000 Sage partners worldwide and can be deployed in the cloud or on-premise.

Do you use Sage SalesLogix? Write a review »

SugarCRM vs. Salesforce

 

SugarCRM is the most popular open source CRM software available on the market. While many companies are looking for an out-of-the-box complete application, others are more interested in a system that can be tailored to meet their specific needs. SugarCRM’s open source model provides a basic CRM platform that companies can build upon using their own IT resources or add-on products available through SugarCRM’s developer communities.

SugarCRM allows for a more personalized customer experience. There are multiple dashboards that can be customized based on your role or what metrics you need to track. There is also a “wizard” tool that assists with the on-boarding process for new users. With automated tips and instructions, newbies feel less overwhelmed by the system and have an easier time learning the basic ins and outs.

SugarCRM is competitive in terms of features for basic sales, service and marketing activities, but where it really stands out is on price. The most basic offering is free to download. There are also the Professional CRM and Enterprise CRM editions that start at $30 and $50 per user, per year, respectively. This makes SugarCRM one of the most cost-effective CRM options available.

Do you use SugarCRM? Write a review »

Check out each one of these products and see if they might be a good fit for your CRM software needs. Are there other Salesforce competitors that you think others should consider? Chime into the conversation by commenting below.

Salesforce.com is a leading CRM provider, but choosing enterprise software is an extremely important decision that should be well-researched. Just because one system works for someone else doesn’t mean it’s the best fit for you. For more help with your software selection process, download our guide below.

 
 
  • http://www.commence.com Commence CRM

    Commence CRM is another a top rated CRM solution that offers a very popular alternative to salesforce.com. You can see a comparison here: http://www.commence.com/blog/index.php/crm-comparison-of-top-salesforce-crm-competitor-alternative/

  • Robert Milo

    Not sure this person did their homework here and has mingled cloud offerings with desktop ones.  Also left out Commence CRM, who has been providing both desktop and cloud based CRM software for more than 20 years to several thousand companies in 20 countries around the world. 

  • Michael allen

    I’m surprised to see few CRMs listed that take into account the wider scope of business operations. The best CRM is often a result of an integrated package, combining CRM with projects, or invoicing, etc.

    The problem is, when purchasing separate apps for all of these software needs, you end up with a bunch of systems that don’t integrate. For that reason I’d recommend adding WORKetc to the list. WORKetc integrates CRM with project management, timesheets, support, finances, and other features. These are all tightly integrated into one, which allows for the entire client lifecycle to be managed under one application, having numerous benefits the any client relationship.

    WORKetc and salesforce are compared here: http://www.worketc.com/compare

    • http://twitter.com/martyzigman Marty Zigman

      Hi Michael,

      You are making a strong case for NetSuite.  It goes all the way to cash well.
      Marty Zigman
      http://blog.prolecto.com

    • http://twitter.com/martyzigman Marty Zigman

      Hi Michael,

      You are making a strong case for NetSuite.  It goes all the way to cash well.
      Marty Zigman
      http://blog.prolecto.com

  • Steve Fangman

    Many companies use RightNow CX (www.RightNow.com) for their CRM.  Organizations looking for a solid SaaS CRM offering should look there as well.

  • http://twitter.com/McGoals Mike McGrail

    Having been a certified partner with FrontRange Solutions(GoldMine), SalesLogix and Microsoft CRM over 15 years, I can say unquestionably that it is very much dependent on what you want your CRM to achieve as a part of your strategic plan as to which one fits the best for your organization. As noted above, there are seven or more functional categories to consider.  We have had customers that just wanted marketing solutions, or sales solutions or service solutions and the rest were not priorities. Or some wanted them all.  It is extremely important to do the homework.  Some of you prefer to do it yourselves and some prefer help but to not do it can be a major mistake and will determine the total outcomes.  First and foremost you need to know how many you want to use the the system and what functionality you want.  A preliminary review is not enough.  Dig deep and be sure you know what your ROI will be and why you want it.  Having the right goals to drive your business in this economy are still paramount and cash continues to be king.  Pay for what you need and drive the results to what you expect no matter what system you use.  I believe that your people and the processes have to be evaluated just as thoroughly as the software choice.
    Mike mcGrail

  • Anonymous

    Robert, while some of the vendors listed do offer on-premise versions of their software, all of them have cloud offerings as well.

  • Harald Agterhuis

    in 1996 it started for me with Act 1.0 (?), I used MS dynamics (hated it), sugarcrm, zohocrm, bantamlive, highrise etc. and tested a dozen more. At this moment it is pipelinedeals. But if we need more power Oracle would be my choice at this point in time.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Ray-Stoeckicht/100001473956853 Ray Stoeckicht

    Being an open source CRM evangelist, I can’t help but be biased towards SugarCRM. The reality is that no CRM PRODUCT will work unless a CRM STRATEGY is in place first. Don’t get hung up on the bells & whistles and feature set until you have a firm handle on your marketing, sales, and customer support processes. A company selling widgets vs. services or has a transactional vs. long-term sales process will differ greatly and require a drastically different CRM configuration. An open source CRM platform will give you the ability to customize and tailor the system to your business. No one buys a suit without having some kind of tailoring (unless you like flopping around with ill-fitted suit pants..). An open source CRM allows for that custom-tailored look and feel. There is a nice whitepaper that compares SugarCRM, Salesforce.com, and other open source CRM systems: http://www.intelestream.net/en/whitepapers/sugarcrm-versus-salesforce-com-and-intelecrm-applications.html

    • Homeinvestorhub

      Thanks for the confirmation… was just discussing this concept today … I like to set up marketing/sales plans after real world test period where use free/inexpensive options are utilized until we determine what is really needed before investing in stuff like CRM’s, software etc… even setting up a social media strategy.  If the suit doesn’t fit, you won’t want to wear it much. Nice metaphor BTW.

  • http://www.hadeninteractive.com Rebecca

    Since I work with a variety of clients within their systems, I’ve had the chance to work with most of the solutions listed, plus a few more.

    The main point of failure with any CRM is that people won’t use it. However good the system is in theory, in practice the choice has to come down to what people in your company find most comfortable. This is the great advantage for MS Dynamics CRM: so many companies already use Outlook and other MS Office solutions that Dynamics feels comfortable quickly, and workers are more likely to buy in.

    Apart from that advantage, I think customization is the key. If you get a good understanding of the current workflow and make the CRM you choose fit what people are already doing as closely as possible, you’re more likely to succeed.

  • http://www.splendidcrm.com SplendidCRM

    Anytime you mention SugarCRM, you should also include SplendidCRM.  SplendidCRM is nearly identical to SugarCRM, but is the better choice for those with an investment in Microsoft technologies.  The two products look very similar, function similarly and have a nearly identical database schema. 
     
    The big difference has to do with implementation.  SplendidCRM was written in C# and it leverages just about everything Microsoft has to offer, including a report designer, a workflow engine and a business rules engine.  Both SplendidCRM and SugarCRM offer a GPL Community Edition product as well as Professional and Enterprise Edition products.

  • http://www.InformationArchitected.com dankeldsen

    Highrise and Zoho are both incredibly popular in the 1-10 person startup world. Integration to/from CRM can be a challenge across the board – in which case, Salesforce is often the one to beat – at a cost that can be hard to justify, if people haven’t actually thought through what CRM is doing for them.

    There’s a big world of “Social CRM” that isn’t addressed in this post.

  • Anonymous

    @dankeldsen:disqus Thanks for your comment! We did not include Social CRM in this guide, but it is on our radar and I imagine we will have something out this year for that category.

  • http://twitter.com/lroovers Luuk Roovers

    Great article.. I am really missing vtiger CRM.. cloned SugarCRM 5 years ago, but has it’s own roadmap in the meantime.

    100% open source free software, so they don’t have the marketing budget all the other commercial CRM systems have. Every euro you spend will be for support, training and implementation !

    look at http://www-vtiger.nl  (dutch website) or (www.vtiger.com)

  • http://blog.360cloudsolutions.com/blog Jordan Krizman

    Lauren, this is an insightful comparison.  However, calling these cloud CRM’s can be misleading.  A hosted solution is not the same as cloud computing.  See this report about the “Fake Hosted Cloud” http://goo.gl/K7uTS

  • Ben H.

    Another Salesforce alternative for people looking for a simple CRM solution for their small business is Merxcore CRM. With Merxcore CRM you can organize customers, contacts, and activities. Merxcore CRM’s interface is much more simple than other CRM solutions and allows quick adding and viewing of saved information.

    Merxcore CRM: http://www.merxcore.com/

  • Marty Zigman

    NetSuite CRM is quite strong.  We have worked with organizations to pull them off Salesforce.com for the integrated story.  It’s all good.

  • Steve Youngblood

    These are all big and complex system in the same vein as Salesforce.com.  If you want real alternatives, look at the vendors on the CRM Idol site:  http://www.crmidol.com.  Our product, Salestrakr CRM, at http://www.salestrakr.com,
    is one of those products.  It’s full featured, yet easy to use, and
    even easier to buy and implement.  It’s completely online.  And
    it’s only $99 per user per year.  Many of the solutions above require
    quite a bit of effort to take them live.

    Salestrakr offers a 30-day free trial and thus no risk to test whether it or other real alternatives are a better fit than SF.com.  Give it a try at http://www.salestrakr.com

  • http://anthonycrawford.blog.com/ Larry Dunn

    The information in your post about SugarCRM Development is very interesting and very helpful for the Developers for the SugarCRM Development.

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