When you are looking at integrations for Sage CRM and Microsoft Outlook, there is the free integration, and then CRM Together publishes an advanced integration with Outlook called Accelerator which we use for all of our projects.
A strong integration between CRM and Outlook is important because the success of any CRM initiative is heavily dependent on the user experience. And nothing makes the user experience better than making Sage CRM quick and easy to use from the context of Outlook.
What is wrong with the free plugin and why can’t you use that? Well, you are welcome to, but keep in mind the following:
- The default (free) plugin for Sage CRM does sync your calendar and does let you file emails, but it has a very limited feature set. For my first 14 years working with Sage CRM, that free plugin was all we knew, and I was satisfied(ish) with it. However, the default (free) plugin is technically prone to support issues which can be very frustrating for all parties involved.
- 24 months ago, we (My CRM Manager) changed our policies to no longer support the free plugin. It was too frustrating for us and counterproductive to the success of a client’s CRM strategy. Instead, we picked up the Advanced Outlook integration (aka Accelerator). This seems to be one of the best business decisions I ever made. While it is a third-party solution, it is far superior, and clients so much happier the do not mind the small additional expense.
- Accelerator makes it significantly easier to sell Sage CRM. When presenting Sage CRM, it is too easy for veterans to focus on the slicker features of CRM (or the integration), but often end companies really just need to see a practical integration with Outlook.
We use Accelerator in most all our projects. It has a massive impact on user adoption as it makes using Sage CRM much easier. I would recommend it to all of you. The recently updated ‘Accelerator’ page on our website breaks up the key functionality of Accelerator into digestible chunks. If you have Sage CRM clients that give you grief about the default plugin, it would be well worthwhile to learn more about Accelerator, and I’m trying my best to make it easy for your to learn about it via short instructional videos.
My CRM Manager - Outlook Integration
Demonstrations of Accelerator can be provided on request and an extensive user guide can be downloaded from the bottom of the page (link above). Most of the Sage CRM specific service providers are versed enough on Accelerator too (some more than others) or if you wanted to reach out to CRM Together directly, that is of course fine too.
Good luck!