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Strategic Account Planning Tools in SugarCRM

Tanner Mackenthun

This may be the wrong place to ask this question or to open the discussion. If so, sorry about that! 

I was wonder what tools, capabilities, integrations, or processes does your organization have related to Strategic Account Planning, and how do they tie into SugarCRM? 

Our organization has a custom module we've built, but it lacks some of the things I see in some web-based, modern account planning tools. For example, many available tools include full drag/drop mapping of contacts. 

Some of my very rough requirement would be: 
* Contact Relationship Mapping → Both Reporting structure (who reports to who), but also influence mapping.
* Identify Key contacts, relationships, stakeholders, supporters, access/alignment, competitor access, Role, influence level
* Integrated into SugarCRM (ideally bi-directional) for Contacts, Opportunities, Tasks, Meetings. Visibility to certain SugarCRM fields like our tracked Revenues, Open Opportunities by Segment/Product, Whitespace 
* Customer Priorities, Action Items → Be able to create customer initiatives, and map action items related to those initiatives.
* SWOT Analysis
* Clean, Simplified, Modern UI → Simple Drag/Drop tools
* Customizable → Allow our CRM Partner, or our internal CRM Team to be able to configure basic functions, like Product offerings, Key Fields on Opportunities, Job Aids, Uploaded Documents, links to internal training collateral. 

  • hey we're on the same wave! Anyone get back to you on this?

  • AFAIK, the vendor does not provide methodology about Strategic Account Planning with Sugar.
    However, as a platform, Sugar offers a list of visualization components out-of-the-box - additional ones could be developed.
    From the perspective of providing data model and interfaces for arranging and support account planning process along with following account's potential utilization tracking - that processes and data structures, enriched with external to CRM data imports, could be configured by CRM consultants which are led by Sugar subscriber's key accounts planning expert.
    If you have the specific process description to evaluate configuring in Sugar, please feel free to drop me a line at  dch@integroscrm.com 

    Best Regards,
    Dmytro Chupylka

    integroscrm.com
    We make work in Sugar CRM system faster, more convenient and efficient

  • Hi Tanner,

    I encountered similar requirements from one of our customers and implemented an "Account Plan" Module and completely revamped "Meetings" module to accommodate the "Action Items" into the Minutes of the Meetings.

    This is for a major asset management company and they have to meet their strategic accounts every 3 months and give a legally binding progress updates.

    The enhanced Meetings module will convert all the "Action Items" into Tasks, and they are allocated to the corresponding team members. 

    And participants for the meeting are tagged with "Role" field implemented mentioning the importance of each contact in the Meeting.

    "Account Plan" module takes care of the yearly schedule of the planned meetings and gives yearly update to the customer as well as to the Management team.

    For another Not for Profit organisation where their customers are B2B, we implemented an "Account Plan" eco system that diligently tracks the planning.

    Coming to the drag and drop features etc, the best Sugar provides OR your team can implement is "Related Dashlet" . You can create a "Realted Dashlet" that can help you adding records from the Intelligent pane similar to "Product Catalog Dashlet".

    When we are creating the Account Plan for an Account, all the contacts related to that Account can come in a "Related Dashlet" and allow you to add them by click on them, and you can specify the "Role" in the sub panel by adding "Relate Role" similar to "Opportunity -> Contacts" Role field.


    At the end of it, we may not be having the sophisticated drag and drop functionality within Sugar and out of the box account planning functionality, But a significant part of it can be achieved either by simple customisations or code level enhancements.

    This is a good topic and would like to participate if you can come out with more details. 

    Warm Regards

    Ram Kumar LK

    https://www.bhea.com 

    Ram Kumar LK

    Sr Solution Architect

    https://www.bhea.com

  • in reply to Annie Kielian

    Hi Annie, 

    Right now, we are looking at 3rd party vendors. Feel free to reach out if you'd like to know who I am working with. 

    Thanks