Expert Opinions on Open Source CRM Software Solutions:
"It won't destroy industry giants such as IBM and Microsoft, but it will revolutionize software markets by moving revenue streams to services and support and away from license fees," Mark Driver, Gartner Feb. 2005 research paper.
"I think the future of CRM applications is going to look radically different than it does today/ There's this post-modern idea of build-your-own software. You have the ability to assemble components or processes from various vendors and some you write yourself. I think that's where the future of CRM is heading," Liz Roche, vice president of technology research services for Stamford, Conn.-based Meta Group, in a SearchCRM.com article.
Raising the Bar
Open source CRM promises to up the ante in the CRM space for CRM companies and customers alike. Forcing more transparency in the marketplace and making buyers aware of how CRM software solutions work will raise the sophistication of buyers. It will also force established proprietary CRM companies to make their solutions easier to work with and even more adaptable.
Ideologies aside, CRM buyers will vote with their dollars. In the referendum on CRM software solutions, the promising open source contender is like a third party candidate in a presidential election-there's a lot of power to shake up the system but chances of total victory are slim.
Because open source CRM companies are usually much newer than the more established industry vendors, the range of proprietary CRM software solutions is almost as broad as the horizon. This isn't to discount open source CRM, however. Because of its evolutionary structure and support from a large community of developers, more industry-specific CRM software solutions are a matter of time.
The Safety Dance
Open source CRM software solutions do not demand all-or-nothing from its adopters-a much harder proposition for proprietary vendors, although many of them are changing their offerings to become more modular. This modular approach lets buyers pick and choose to build their own customized solution.
For those who don't know if they are ready for CRM software solutions yet, and want to test-drive an in-house solution, some open source CRM companies allow anyone who wants it to download the most basic version of their offerings. Then, any company that has an in-house tech person and a spare server can try CRM without any further obligation. This can either be the first step in paying for the full open source suite, or, can be a trial run for a company implementation of a proprietary CRM system.
The beauty of trying open source first is that it may suit the company's needs fine as-is, or it might show up the hidden cultural and technological roadblocks to a successful CRM rollout. But, at least these problems are discovered before the clock is ticking and every minor bug is magnified to monstrous proportions.
May-December Romance
Some open source CRM companies have thorough training programs while with others, it's more of a side project written by a group of programmers than a real business entity. A lack of tried-and-true support and good training programs might turn some businesses away from open source CRM.
Most industry insiders agree that open source is definitely a good thing for CRM. Any new technology forces the established vendors to run a tighter ship and gives buyers more choice. Whether there's a "plug and play" open source CRM software solution that's right for a particular company is a definite maybe. It really depends on the industry and the in-house programming talent.
The CRM industry is much more mature than the open source movement-as a business model, at least-but as the two progress and influence each other, one day soon they very well might be in the same "age range" and rediscover how much they have in common. After all, they both revel in shining a light on dark and confusing places. A few short years from now the marriage of open source and CRM could produce a technology "power couple" the likes of which are rarely seen.
