Eight software suggestions for former SAP Anywhere customers

SAP has started a sudden shutdown of its cloud-based, SMB-focused SAP Anywhere solution.

The bad news is that as well as having to find a new CRM, former SAP customers must do so within 30 days - SAP has indicated that after that time period, all accounts will be decommissioned.  

The good news is that there are plenty of alternative SMB-oriented CRM and customer service options out there that could potentially meet your needs better than SAP did. The Register’s report quotes several SAP Anywhere customers, who suggest that the enterprise-level specialists just didn’t understand the needs of smaller businesses - one likened SAP’s approach to small business to a college professor trying to teach kindergarten.   

Use our interactive CRM comparison tool to find SAP alternatives that suit your company

(The other good news is that you can get a refund on the current terms of your subscription contract...if you agree not to sue). 

Having to unexpectedly find and implement an entirely new CRM within the space of a month is never an ideal situation to find yourself in. Equally, if you take a measured and strategic approach to replacing SAP, you might just find your sales department better off in the long term.

Obviously, you’ll need to do your own research and gather your own, unique software requirements before making any concrete replacements decisions - but the systems below are a good place to start your vendor research.

Enterprise software suites for former SAP Anywhere customers

We’ll start with software suites as a whole. If you have been using SAP Anywhere to manage a range of functions across your small business (such as inventory and customer service), the list below is a good place to start your search for a replacement.

• Microsoft Dynamics 365: available on-premise or through the cloud, Dynamics 365 provides a full range of functionality across sales, customer experience and operations
• Oracle CX Cloud: Oracle Customer Experience can facilitate growth and productivity in marketing, sales, service and commerce. They provide small business editions of each of their cloud packages.
• Odoo: Odoo is a suite of business applications available on both an open source and paid-for model. If you have the development talent available, or have highly-specialized customization needs, open source software could be the perfect option for you.   

CRM solutions for former SAP Anywhere customers

The vendors below are a good place to start your search if you primarily used SAP Anywhere for its sales functionality.

• HubSpot: one of HubSpot’s major selling points is that its core CRM features are free for an unlimited number of users, with no restrictions on storage space (though you will need to pay a per user/month fee if you want to progress from this). It’s quick to implement too, so if you’re looking to 
• Base: Base CRM positions itself as a comprehensive software solution for companies looking to generate faster lead response times, expand to generate a larger amount of new leads and increase overall annual revenue Accordingly, it provides excellent call tracking and reporting functionalities.
• Capsule: Capsule integrates well with a range of tools (notably Zendesk, if Anywhere’s shutdown has left you without customer service functionalities too), so if you’re looking for something that you can fit into your stack with little fuss, this might be a good option. 
• Insightly: Insightly is geared specifically towards the needs of small businesses, and can be expanded easily as your company grows. All packages include military-grade encryption to ensure data is protected for both the customer and company