The SugarCRM Outlook Plug-in is a free tool you can downloaded from your instance of SugarCRM. This plug-in allows you to sync emails, meetings, calls or tasks to your instance of SugarCRM either manually or automatically. While it is a useful tool, issues can sometimes come up when using it. This blog explains how to resolve five of the most common issues that occur. 

Common Issue #1: Initial Download & Setup 

One common issue that can occur with the SugarCRM Outlook Plug-in is in the initial download and setup process. It is important to make sure you correctly fill out all information regarding your Sugar instance and ensure you are able to login to your instance through the plug-in. To find more information and view the entire step-by-step installation guide, visit this webpage: https://support.sugarcrm.com/Documentation/Plug-ins/MS_Outlook_Plug-in/MS_Outlook_Plug-in_Installation_Guide_2.x/

visit url

To find your URL, just access your instance of Sugar and copy the first part of the URL. After you install the plug-in, you will need to add this link into the Outlook Plug-in to connect it to your instance of SugarCRM. See example here: 

finding the url to use

If you are trying to download the latest version of the Outlook Plug-in, make sure you uninstall the old version of the plug-in first. To find out if you are on the latest version of the Outlook plug-in, review the details by going to Outlook -> Add-ins -> About SugarCRM Plug-in.

update to latest version

Once you have that pulled up, you can compare it to the version available for download on your instance of Sugar. To check if your version of Outlook supports the plug-in, review this documentation: https://support.sugarcrm.com/Resources/Supported_Platforms/Plug-ins_Supported_Platforms/

Common Issue #2: Incorrect Outlook Channel 

Another common issue when trying to setup the Outlook Plug-in could be an incorrect channel on Outlook. You can check which channel your version of Outlook is on by going to File->Office Account-> About Outlook.

checking your channel version

You may run into issues using the Outlook Plug-in if you are not on the Semi-Annual Channel. You can change the channel you are on by following the steps in the documentation found here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/deployoffice/change-update-channels

To figure out what may be causing an issue on your version of the Outlook Plug-in, enable error logging. Enabling error logging will capture any errors in the plug-in. You can also specify the level of logging you want displayed (ex. Fatal, Error). For more information on how to set up error logging on the Outlook Plug-in, you can follow the steps provided here: https://support.sugarcrm.com/Documentation/Plug-ins/MS_Outlook_Plug-in/MS_Outlook_Plug-in_User_Guide_2.x/#Logging_Settings

Common Issue #3: Emails Failing to Sync

Another common issue that can occur with the Outlook Plug-in is when emails fail to sync to Sugar. This can be resolved by closing Outlook, going into the task manager to make sure it is fully closed, and then restarting Outlook. This issue occurs because of the way the Outlook Plug-in handles the Windows path. To find the full article documenting this issue, visit this link: https://support.sugarcrm.com/Knowledge_Base/Plug-Ins/Outlook/Troubleshooting_Outlook_Plug-In_Path_Issues/

Common Issue #4: Using an Older Version of the Outlook Plug-in

Many people have outdated versions of the Outlook Plug-in, and this can sometimes cause issues. To check which version of the Outlook plug-in you have, go to Add-ins->About SugarCRM Plug-in. To see if your version is the latest version of the Outlook plug-in, you can go to your instance of Sugar and check in your user profile. When you are in your user profile, you can go to downloads and check to see if that version matches the version you currently have installed. https://support.sugarcrm.com/Documentation/Plug-ins/MS_Outlook_Plug-in/MS_Outlook_Plug-in_Installation_Guide_2.x/#Uninstalling_Sugar_Plug-in_for_Outlook

Common Issue #5: Using an unsupported version of Outlook

When using an unsupported version of Outlook, you may run into issues after downloading the plug-in. Outlook will be unable to send emails or save emails to Sugar, even though it will appear to be connected to your instance. To resolve this, make sure your version of Outlook is on the correct version by going to File->Office Account and then looking which version you are on in the tab labeled “About Outlook.” When checking your version, make sure to compare to see if the version matches with a supported version in the link below: https://support.sugarcrm.com/Resources/Supported_Platforms/Plug-ins_Supported_Platforms/

If you’ve resolved all the issues explained here and your Outlook Plug-in still isn’t working, this article from Sugar may help you uncover  some of the other common issues that could be occurring : https://support.sugarcrm.com/Knowledge_Base/Plug-Ins/Outlook/

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