Hello, I’m Jan-Frederic, Head of CRM at The Swedish Institute (SI) . My organisation is a public agency that builds interest and trust in Sweden around the world. SI shares information about Sweden abroad and analyses how other countries perceive Sweden. They also facilitate international exchanges and partnerships with the goal of increasing awareness of Sweden and building good relationships with individuals, organisations, and other countries.
Navigating the complex landscape of a large organisation is not always easy. We’ve become known for our innovative approach to data management and customer engagement. Our journey with SugarCRM has been transformative, enabling us to centralise data, segment audiences, and automate responses, which has significantly enhanced our marketing efficiency and improved our engagement with international students and alumni.
People in my organisation often joke, "I might as well start working for Sugar, given how much time I spend in the system and how well I know it." As the Head of CRM at the Swedish Institute, I’m responsible for the Sugar implementation and supporting our marketing and nurture campaigns. My role is crucial, and I find myself immersed in Sugar Sell and Sugar Market almost every minute of my workday.
I take pride in my expertise in Sugar Market, especially, and have even advised others on the system. During the spring, we encountered some issues and worked closely with Sugar’s customer success team. It felt like we were beta testers, discovering issues before others did, and this collaboration was invaluable.
Before we embarked on our journey with Sugar, one of our major challenges was securely sharing personal data with external partners, such as Swedish embassies. However, thanks to SugarCRM and the Sugar Portal developed by our partner Exsitec, we can now share data in a secure manner, eliminating the need to send Excel files via email. This solution has significantly improved our compliance with data protection laws. When looking back at our journey with Sugar, some of the biggest sales benefits we’ve seen have been reducing manual errors on the data entry side and time saved.
Through this partnership, we have also been able to create lead-scoring models and set up individual modules in Sell that allow us to make use of all our marketing data. Moreover, as a government organisation, we don't focus on selling. Instead, we utilize the leads and contacts modules based on our specific contact types. This approach proves highly beneficial when managing different target audiences, as it allows us to effectively segment and address each group's unique requirements by being able to customize and adapt our platform and how we use it to fit a variety of different internal needs.
I am particularly proud of the improvements we’ve achieved since managing the Sugar implementation. Our marketing emails now boast an average open rate of 40-50%, and we’ve seen a 31.8% increase in lead volume. These metrics highlight the effectiveness of our strategies, and the value Sugar brings to our organisation.
For those looking to make the most out of SugarCRM, here are a few pieces of advice based on our experience:
When implementing Sugar, it is essential to have a clear understanding of your customer journey while remaining open to utilising the system's default fields. Although Sugar offers extensive customisation options to tailor the platform to your specific needs, taking advantage of the pre-configured features can provide a solid foundation and streamline the setup process. By balancing customisation with the system's existing capabilities, you can optimise your CRM implementation for greater efficiency and effectiveness.
Encourage your team to make use of resources like Sugar Manuals, SugarClub, and SugarU, as they are a goldmine of information packed with valuable tips and tricks that can significantly enhance your understanding and use of the platform. Taking the time to familiarise yourself with these guides can provide you with insights and shortcuts you need to make the implementation process smoother and more efficient. That way, your organisation can begin to make the most of Sugar’s platforms and features from the very start.
In addition to Sugar resources, we’ve also created our own SharePoint page with customised manuals and a Teams channel for discussions. This collaborative approach not only provides valuable information but also fosters a community where everyone can benefit from seeing each other's inquiries and solutions.
For those looking to specialise in a position similar to mine, my advice is simple: embrace trial and error when working with Sugar. Spend ample time with the system, testing its features thoroughly. Reading manuals and consulting with other experts can provide invaluable insights. Although I was new to Sugar when we procured it in 2020, my experience with other systems like Salesforce and HubSpot made the transition smooth. Familiarity with different CRM platforms can significantly ease the learning curve and enhance your overall experience with Sugar.
Implementing Sugar has been a game-changer for us at the Swedish Institute. By leveraging the system's capabilities and continuously learning and adapting, we’ve achieved remarkable success, and we are looking at a bright future ahead.
