Soon after mobile technology first became available, SugarCRM offered access to data outside of the office environment. Mobile technology has matured since then and new useful applications are constantly being discovered. It’s a logical next step for SugarCRM to integrate CRM more fully with smartphones and tablets.
SugarCRM anywhere, anytime!
By launching Sugar Mobile Plus, SugarCRM is moving beyond current mobile integration and any lightweight applications available. This article will explore the kind of functionality Sugar Mobile Plus offers and in which way this can be deployed to benefit your organization.
Although Sugar Mobile Plus is a new name on the market, the application itself has been in development by iEnterprises for about 5 years. Only recently has SugarCRM added this solution to their portfolio. This long period of development ensures the stability of the product and any bugs and security issues have been long resolved due to extensive testing and its long-term usage.
What is immediately apparent is that management from Sugar Mobile Plus is handled through a standalone web application which runs in SugarCRM’s cloud environment. The big benefit of this is that there is no need to install, manage or maintain the software. The client handles all of this and any new functionality within Sugar Mobile Plus will be added to SugarCRM’s cloud environment. The work environment and operation of the software is different from usual SugarCRM functionality, focusing mainly on administrators who already have a thorough knowledge of SugarCRM. Administrators will have the ability to allow or deny mobile access to specific modules and fields with detailed precision, including custom modules and custom fields within SugarCRM.
Sugar Mobile Plus
The Sugar Mobile Plus application needs to be installed on your mobile device in order to exchange data with SugarCRM through Sugar Mobile Plus. This application can be downloaded from your appstore, saving you time and effort and making the application easy to obtain. As with all new apps, it may take some time to get used to the controls, however, they are easy and intuitive. The application will enable you to access and search data from SugarCRM and download it to your mobile device, including any or all related data.
Sugar Mobile Plus on the blackberry
An important feature of Sugar Mobile Plus is the offline sync capability, which allows access to CRM data when offline. This means that it can be used even in those places without reliable internet access or airplanes. Data is securely stored on the mobile device using strong encryption. From the administrative interface data can be sent to or wiped from remote devices, to prevent data from getting into the wrong hands when a mobile device is lost.
Integration with other functions and applications of your mobile device is the focus of Sugar Mobile Plus. Integration for Blackberry is most complete, from Blackberry’s native email client, email can be archived to SugarCRM and incoming and outgoing calls can be logged. There is two way sync support for calendars. It is also possible to add SugarCRM contacts to your Blackberry.
Because of Apple’s strict policies regarding integration, both iPod and iPad enjoy less integration. It is expected though that Apple will allow integration in the near future. iPod and iPad’s mobile integration works well and the interface is clear and intuitive, as to be expected from Apple. We really liked working with SugarCRM on an iPad because of the large touch screen.
Sugar Mobile Plus on the iPad
Android support will be coming in the fourth quarter of this year.
Sugar Mobile Plus is a robust and mature product in our opinion. Using the Blackberry, Sugar Mobile Plus really shines because of its complete integration. However, Sugar Mobile Plus works well on other devices such as the iPhone and iPad. It takes a while to master Sugar Mobile Plus’s administrative interface, but it opens up a world of functionality to control and securely store data on all mobile devices within your organization.
A license is needed to use Sugar Mobile Plus, which is paid for per device per month. When opting for the SugarCRM Corporate edition or higher, Sugar Mobile Plus is included.
If you’d like to know more about Sugar Mobile Plus, please contact our Outdare team.
About Frits Germs
Frits Germs works as a CRM consultant at Outdare and specializes in complex CRM implementations. Frits advises, implements, designs and develops SugarCRM solutions for customer organizations. His trained insight combined with his experience and knowledge show him to be a true CRM veteran.