SugarCRM introduces playbook functionality thanks to AddOptify acquisition

SugarCRM has introduced integrated playbook functionality to support guided selling and advanced CRM process automation.

The no-code toolset enables business users to design, visualise and automate sales, service and marketing processes.

SugarCRM customers can now create playbooks and templates for sales plays, sales methodologies, guided selling, service processes, lead nurturing and more.

The results are clearly defined, repeatable processes and workflows. In addition, the automation of manual tasks and steps increases efficiency and speed by eliminating up to 90% of clicks, the company states.

Finally, embedded analytics provide the ability to monitor progress and outcomes in real-time.

The functionality comes through the acquisition of AddOptify, a provider of guided selling solutions for SugarCRM customers worldwide.

AddOptify has been providing the Customer Journey Plugin for SugarCRM since 2016, enabling mid-market companies to translate their customer engagement best practises into playbooks to optimise both the user and the customer experience at every stage of the customer journey.

Over the past five years, AddOptify has enabled more than 100,000 of B2B sales professionals on a global scale to define and manage best-in-class sales processes, SugarCRM states.

The need for sales engagement technologies was accelerated by the pandemic and their use is increasingly becoming a key factor in defining and distinguishing high-functioning customer-centric sales organisations, the company states.

According to the Gartner Market Guide for Sales Engagement Applications, executive sales leaders overwhelmingly name sales engagement, the interactions between sellers and buyers, as their top priority.

Technology vendors have responded by creating applications that enable sellers to better deliver high-quality sales engagement at scale.

According to the company, the integration of automation and playbook functionality is the latest example of Sugar's commitment to make the hard things easier, and letting the platform do the work to create a high-definition customer experience.

SugarCRM chief technology officer and chief product officer Rich Green says, "Sugar customers can now leverage proven playbook capabilities within the Sugar platform to streamline sales processes, improve marketing operations and optimise customer service execution.

"This empowers sales, marketing and customer success teams to boost buyer engagement, drive greater customer trust and satisfaction, improve win rates and increase revenues. It also reflects Sugar's commitment to offer more no-code/low-code capabilities designed to put change in the hands of non-technical business users.

In the near future, Sugar plans to provide additional out of the box playbooks and templates for processes including lead qualification, customer on-boarding, case management, troubleshooting and other human-in-the-loop customer interactions spanning the sales, marketing and service realms.

SugarCRM is a customer relationship management solution that enables marketing, sales, and service teams get a clear picture of each customer to help businesses reach new levels of performance and predictability.

The company produces the web application Sugar, and provides functionality including sales-force automation, marketing campaigns, customer support, collaboration, Mobile CRM, Social CRM and reporting.