Small Business vs. Mid-Market

The size and scale of your business will play a huge role in figuring out which sales CRM is a better fit for your company. Sugar’s products are better suited for small businesses looking for low price points and quick implementations. Sugar Sell is a great option for these companies; its narrow scope supplies plenty of focus for small organizations. Mid-market companies can use Sugar products, but the streamlined focus may limit growth.  

Microsoft is a software powerhouse, and its Dynamics 365 CRM solution is a great fit for mid-size businesses hoping to scale and succeed all at once. The software pairs seamlessly with related solutions like Microsoft 365, Power BI, and other Dynamics 365 products, making it an excellent choice for Microsoft-oriented companies that want to add to their existing architecture.  

Sugar Sell is a great stepping stone if you’re a small business dipping your toes into the world of CRM. Dynamics 365 CRM may be your speed if you’re a more seasoned company. 

Deployment Options

Ultimately, you’ll want to decide how you’d like to deploy your CRM solution. Cloud deployment is a popular choice for modern businesses, offering high-level security and the ability to look at data anytime, from anywhere. However, some companies don’t have the infrastructure or need for a pure cloud solution, so hybrid and on-premise options are more appealing.  

While bundles like Sugar Enterprise can be deployed on-premise, Sugar Sell is a cloud-based solution. It is deployed through the company’s SugarCloud system, built using Amazon Web Services (AWS). Cloud deployments reduce hardware maintenance costs and automate software updates, making them easy to manage. 

While Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM was created for on-premise deployment, Dynamics 365 brings the power of the cloud and a suite of applications to Microsoft CRM. If you are looking for flexible deployment options, Microsoft’s CRM has you covered. 

Upgrades

Microsoft and Sugar offer frequent upgrade cycles, regularly developing new capabilities in addition to bug fixes and service packs. If you prefer to explore new features, Sugar Sell offers four upgrades a year over Dynamics 365 CRM’s two. Sugar Service—another of Sugar’s three independent CRM applications—also sees quarterly upgrades. However, Sugar Market follows a different schedule with more frequent updates.  

Upgrades for cloud-based Sugar and Microsoft solutions are deployed automatically and at no added cost to you, with no downloads or installation needed. On-premise users of Dynamics 365 CRM will need to schedule an upgrade appointment with their implementation partner.  

Sum It Up

Sugar Sell is a powerful solution for small businesses with tight budgets. Its CRM functionality is completely cloud accessible, allowing your team to track leads, forecast revenue, and manage campaigns, leads, and more. And, since Sugar Sell is cloud software, you won’t have to worry about hardware maintenance or manually scheduling and managing quarterly upgrades. 

Dynamics 365 CRM is a solution you can deploy in the cloud, on-premise, or through a mix of the two. It offers modules like Sales and Marketing that you can mix and match to suit your business needs. The software is an excellent option for mid-market organizations and companies using other Microsoft products. 

At Cargas, our expert consulting team specializes in Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM. If you’re struggling to decide which of these solutions is the best fit for your business, we’d love to help. Let’s connect to talk about your needs and what you’re looking for in a software solution.