不省钱且局限性大 开源CRM市场难以接受
最近一段时间，开源软件在软件市场上好像显得很活跃。开源的CRM软件也想在CRM市场上，分得一杯羹。但笔者认为，这没有他们想的那么容易——开源Linux系统在操作系统上取得的成功，不一定在开源的CRM市场上能够重演。
开源CRM在CRM中不再是优势
开源软件的优势主要为两点，一是其开放源代码，用户可以根据自己的需要，定义自己的功能；二是省钱，可以节省软件的授权使用费用。但是，这两点，对于CRM软件用户来说，不见得有什么优势。
①开放源代码，用户也无法随心所欲地进行功能自定义。
一方面，进行二次开发需要一定的技术人才，特别是像CRM这种大型的管理系统，其内部就像一张错综复杂的大网，理顺CRM的内部关系、了解 CRM的后台数据库结构，就需要一段不短的时间，而且，没有几把刷子的用户还不一定能够搞明白；而二次开发的难度更大，企业为此，必须招募几个专业的程序人员，这对于一般的生产或者贸易企业来说并不现实。
另一方面，二次开发后需要大量的测试后，若未经过测试就投入使用，则太过冒险；即使有了测试，但是程序员自己测试则不够全面。
②开源CRM不一定省钱。
企业用开源的CRM软件，真的可以节省CRM项目的成本吗？其实，个人认为，企业这么想，是一厢情愿。
企业若是自己招募人员进行开源CRM软件的实施，一方面，要招募一些程序开发人员，同时，也要招一个懂CRM实施的人员，可是，现在市场上，这两类人才都是非常昂贵的，而且，一个CRM项目一般需要三个月到半年左右的时间，而项目结束后，这些人员如何处理？若只召短期工，还不见得有人会做。若企业请实施公司实施，则因为开源软件的功能没有商业软件的齐全，所以二次开发的费用比商业软件还多很多，然后再加上实施费用等等，最后算下来的项目成本，比用商业软件来说，并不显得有多少优势。若考虑时间成本，则开源的CRM软件更加没有优势。
从现在项目实施的情况来看，对同等规模的CRM项目来说，商业软件的CRM项目实施周期普遍要比开源软件的实施周期要短。
所以这样来看，开源CRM软件，在商业的CRM软件面前，并没有多少优势。
开源CRM项目的局限性
由于生长环境问题，开源CRM软件还有不少的局限性。
①缺乏既熟悉开源CRM软件又精通CRM实务的人才。
跟其他软件不同，CRM项目更多的是一个管理工程。一个成功的CRM实施顾问，是不是一个技术人才不敢说，但至少应该是一个客户关系管理人才，他需要精通客户关系管理的各种方法与模型，了解CRM管理过程中的常见、难点问题，并能够提出有效的解决方案。但是，现在这方面的人才，都被商业软件公司所拥有，基本没有人从事开源软件的设计与开发。
②二次开发与后续服务环节的薄弱。
因为CRM软件是个套装软件，所以，在项目实施过程中，根据企业的实际情况进行一些二次开发是不可避免的，对于开源的CRM软件来说，更是如此。而这些二次开发，光靠技术人员是无法实现的。要先有懂实务的客户关系管理人才提出一些解决方案，然后，技术人员再按照这个解决方案，进行二次开发。
但是，开源CRM软件的实际情况呢？企业一般自己没有这方面的人才，而如果交给外部公司实施，实施公司大都是要求用户自己把解决方案写好，然后他们照着开发，而不管这个解决方案是否合理。这种情况下，开发出来的功能，能够确保合理嘛，对改善企业的业务流程有所帮助吗？
③版本升级成为瓶颈。
开源软件的另一个症结就是版本升级问题。开源软件出现一个新的版本时，一般只是让程序员测试一下，而没有给用户试用的环节，就开始推广了。所以，新版本中存在的漏洞，比起商业软件来说，要多的多。
其次，其无法提供升级的服务。大部分开源的软件，你若想系统实现升级，用新的版本，则只有重新建一个帐套，无法在旧版本的基础上，进行升级。
最头疼的问题是，开源软件或多或少自己都会开发一些功能，如报表定义、表单的开发时，可是，升级过后，在新版本中，又要重新开发。若是交给第三方来实施并提供升级支持的话，在升级过程中，他们也只支持升级他们所做的二次开发，而对企业自己开发的功能则不支持升级。
所以，基于以上的原因，笔者大胆断定，开源CRM软件无法在CRM管理软件市场上，跟商业软件分庭抗礼；开源Linux系统成功的案例无法在CRM市场上进行重现。
附：十大开源CRM
CRM buyers might have very few choices were it not for open-source applications. The CRM field is dominated by huge players such as Oracle Corp. and SAP, and the open-source model is perhaps the easiest way into the CRM market for new companies. Open-source CRM projects have been proliferating; SourceForge Inc. lists 369 active open-source CRM projects. The following 10 open-source CRM solutions have risen to the top of the list.
1. SugarCRM Inc. is the 800-pound gorilla in the open-source CRM category. Founded in 2004 by John Roberts, Clint Oram and Jacob Taylor, the Sugar open-source code has been downloaded more than 3 million times. The company has received $26 million in venture financing and employs more than 100 people. More than 12,000 companies use SugarCRM including Honeywell International, Starbucks Corp., First Federal Bank and BDO Seidman LLP. SugarCRM is written in PHP and is compatible with the MySQL database.
2. SplendidCRM Software Inc.'s development team formed in November 2005. The application is built on the Microsoft platform (Windows, ISS, SQL Server, C# and ASP). Designed for system integrators, SplendidCRM allows administrators to add user-customizable features such as .NET 2.0’s Themes, Web Parts and AJAX. SplendidCRM is positioned as a competitor to SugarCRM, as the two applications share many of the same features. For instance, both offer an Outlook plug-in and the ability to add custom fields.
3. CentricCRM has been around for seven years and has achieved a great deal of stability and robustness. In June 2007, CentricCRM (renamed Concursive as of December 2007) received investment funding from Intel Capital, the venture capital arm of Intel Corp. CentricCRM is aimed at the small-business market, although it has scaled up within Fortune 500 companies. Its more complex features can be turned off if they are not needed, and the administrative console allows for a great deal of customization. The free version comes with five user licenses. Centric CRM is written in Java and is compatible with MySQL databases.
4. Hipergate bills itself as “the most complete open-source Java CRM and groupware.” That’s a lot to pack into a single package, but this enterprise-class application seems to have it all. Its functional modules include collaboration and groupware; contact management; project management and support-issues tracking; an e-shopping module with multiple catalogs and payment processing; a content -management module; mass email distribution and tracking; a corporate library; roles-based security; queries and reports; and more. Written in Java and JSP, hipergate is operating system-independent. Databases with which it is compatible include Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle and PostgreSQL.
5. Compiere Inc. offers a complete ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and CRM application with support for marketing and sales, human resources, inventory control and more. There is even a full business-accounting package, something often seen in open-source software. Compiere received a $6 million injection of venture capital in June 2006. Compiere is written in Java, JavaScript and PL/SQL, and it is compatible with JDBC and Oracle databases.
6. Vtiger CRM is built upon the LAMP/WAMP (Linux/Windows, Apache, MySQL and PHP) architecture, with the main development team based in Chennai, India. Vtiger CRM includes SFA (Sales Force Automation), customer-support and -service, marketing-automation, inventory-management, multiple database support, security-management, product-customization, calendaring and email-integration features. It also offers add-ons (Outlook Plug-in, Office Plug-in, Thunderbird Extension, Customer Self-service Portal and Web Forms) and support for other add-ons. Vtiger is written in JavaScript, PHP and Visual Basic. It is compatible with ADOdb, MySQL and PostgreSQL databases.
7. CentraView Inc.'s offering is a combination of contact management, SFA and CRM functions. Its source code is J2EE-based and builds on the MySQL database. The first version of CentraView was released in November 2004, for the Linux and Windows 2000/XP platforms. Today, the software is offered in both hosted and downloadable forms. Centraview CRM is written in Java and JSP and is compatible with MySQL databases.
8. XRMS CRM is a Web-based application suite that incorporates human-resources management, SFA and CRM. It is an on-premise solution for the small to midsize company. XRMS CRM includes computer telephony integration and the ability to add plug-ins for programs such as Outlook. XRMS CRM is operating-system independent, and it is written in an interpreted language (PHP). Compatible databases include ADOdb, SQL-based, Microsoft SQL Server, MySQL and other network-based DBMS.
9. Cream CRM is a multilingual application designed for media organizations. The application tracks sales orders, payments, shipments, services, online and print subscriptions, and the effectiveness of promotional campaigns. Modules allow communication with customers via newsletters, email and a Web interface. Cream CRM is an initiative of the Media Development Loan Fund's Center for Advanced Media in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Cream CRM runs on FreeDSB, Linux and Windows 2000/XP. It is written in Java and JavaScript.
10. Tustena CRM is a Microsoft-centric application written for enterprise-class organizations. It comes in three solutions: On Demand, Business and Open Source. On Demand is the hosted version, while the Business version is installed on clients' site and features tech support. Users who opt for the Open Source version get the source code and can modify it as they wish, relying on the community for support. Tustena CRM is written in C#, ASP.NET and JavaScript. It is compatible with Microsoft SQL Server.
