What is CRM software? Off-the-shelf or custom CRM?

If some of your customer information sits in Excel, some in WhatsApp and some in a sales rep's head, quotes get forgotten without follow-up, and when an employee leaves, the customer history leaves with them. CRM software (customer relationship management) brings this scattered information together on a single screen.

#What does a CRM system do?

• Customer record: Contact and company details, every conversation, the quotes sent and the orders, all on the same page.
• Sales pipeline: Which stage each opportunity has reached (first meeting, quote, negotiation, won) and its expected value.
• Tasks and reminders: Jobs like “call back on Thursday” aren't forgotten; the person responsible gets a notification.
• Reports: How many customers came from each channel, how many quotes each rep closed, and at which stage most deals are lost.
• Permissions: Who can see and edit which customers is set by role.

#When do you need a CRM?

If two or more of these signs sound familiar, it is time for a CRM:

• You don't know how many of the quotes you've sent have been concluded.
• Two different employees call the same customer, or nobody calls at all.
• When an employee goes on leave or leaves the company, nobody can reach their customers' history.
• You can't measure where customers find you (Google, Instagram, referrals).

#Off-the-shelf CRM or custom CRM?

For many businesses the right path is to settle the process with an off-the-shelf CRM first, then move to a custom solution once it becomes clear where the software falls short. We compare the two approaches in more detail in custom software vs off-the-shelf software.

#Industry-specific CRM examples

• Real estate: Listings, client requirements and matching the two; viewing appointments.
• Clinics and healthcare: Patient records, appointment history, treatment quotes and check-up reminders.
• Health tourism: Enquiries from abroad, interpreters, accommodation and transfer planning.
• Logistics and transfers: Quote requests, pricing and trip tracking.
• B2B sales: Dealers and corporate customers, contract dates, recurring orders.

#What determines the cost of custom CRM software?

• Number of users and roles (different permissions for sales, management, accounting and so on)
• Modules: quotes, orders, tasks, reports, document storage
• Integrations: accounting or e-invoicing, website forms, WhatsApp, email
• Migrating existing data: customer lists in Excel or an old program
• Mobile use: phone-friendly screens for teams working in the field

When comparing quotes, check whether each item is listed separately; yearly server and maintenance costs should also appear in the quote. We explain the items in a quote on our pricing page.

#A checklist for choosing

1. Write down your sales process as it is today: what are the stages, and who does what?
2. Separate the must-haves from the “nice to have” features.
3. List the programs it needs to talk to.
4. Decide where the data will be kept and who will have access to it.
5. Try it with a small team first; if the team doesn't use it, even the best CRM is useless.

#Where to start

If your team is small and your process is standard, start with an off-the-shelf CRM. If your workflow is specific to you, or customer data is scattered across several systems, we build a CRM tailored to you through our custom software and automation service, and admin panels that bring the work together on one screen. For a similar example, see our clinic appointment system case study, with doctor and admin panels.