7 reasons you need a bespoke CRM system
CRM systems are vital for a company to maintain and manage their relationship with their clients.
Off-the-shelf CRM systems are where most companies or charities start, and they’re a great way to initially manage clients and internal workload.
Many of our clients struggled with their off-the-shelf systems and needed a bespoke CRM to improve their day-to-day work. Bespoke systems are designed to fit your specific needs and can resolve issues that are unique to your workflow, something off-the-shelf solutions don’t do.
Here are some of the reasons our clients have needed a bespoke CRM system:
1. Integration
Off-the-shelf systems are notoriously difficult to integrate with existing websites or other software packages. They are designed for mass adoption - one size fits all. This results in the systems often lacking integration features, as companies across different sectors use various software solutions.
We design bespoke CRM systems that can be integrated with your existing software, tools, and website. Take our work with Snowdrop for example.
Snowdrop is a Sheffield-based charity that helps victims of human trafficking recover from their trauma. They developed a risk matrix using Excel to determine the level of risk involved with a single user due to their experiences. This matrix was extremely useful for their work, but their partner organisations couldn’t easily access it because it was created in Excel.
We designed and developed a bespoke CRM system that incorporated the matrix into the system. This made working with the matrix much easier, and their partners could now also access the data. Having one single software solution where the matrix was easily accessible to use for each separate user saved time and made their services more valuable.
2. Analytics
Staying with Snowdrop, their off-the-shelf system lacked analytical functionality. Snowdrop needed metrics that could identify trends experienced by their users to help them.
The CRM we developed had analytical tools built into it so that any trends in the data could be easily identified. This enables Snowdrop to adapt its services to these trends and ultimately improve its quality of care.
3. When two become one
We have spoken about integrating existing systems; however, sometimes our clients need a single bespoke system to replace all their off-the-shelf systems. Arrow Technical is an electronic product design consultancy specialising in developing new products and technologies. They had three off-the-shelf systems: a CRM system, a portal for their staff to track projects and costs, and finally a management information system (MIS) to monitor stock levels.
Arrow Technical needed a development team to combine all these systems into one, all-encompassing software solution they could easily manage themselves.
Arrow Technical needed a development team to combine all these systems into one, all-encompassing software solution they could easily manage themselves.
We were more than happy to help. We designed a bespoke CRM system that also incorporated the functionality of the MIS and portal they had been using. It provided a central location for all internal business processes. This central location makes it a lot easier for the staff at Arrow Technical to keep on top of their workload.
4. Cost
As well as this, Arrow was saving money by paying for hosting and support for one bespoke system, as opposed to monthly or yearly fees for three separate solutions. Custom CRM systems are more expensive initially, but when you pay for three systems that don’t adequately address your business needs, a bespoke solution is often a cheaper alternative in the long run.
We know cost is very important to your business, and a bespoke CRM system ensures none of the money you spend is wasted on inefficient solutions.
Custom software systems also add value to your business. They fall under your company's capital expenditures, which effectively means that a bespoke system is a purchase designed for long-term use. If you were to sell your company, the bespoke CRM system would add value.
This is compared to commercial systems, which are classified as operating expenses. They are a day-to-day expense that adds nothing of value to your business.
5. Growth and flexibility
In time, you may also find that your off-the-shelf solutions can’t grow alongside your business. These systems are suitable for a time, but as your business grows and you need more from them, they often fall short.
Bespoke CRM systems are designed with flexibility and business growth in mind. We offer ongoing support and development agreements to all our clients so that we can help you develop your CRM system alongside your business. This ensures that the system remains useful and up to date. Off-the-shelf solutions often become outdated, obsolete, or buggy as time progresses.
6. Automation
Another reason why our clients needed a bespoke CRM system was due to manual processes.
Take Keebles – their employees all had different ways of operating, making it difficult to track quotes.
The sales process was simplified when we developed a CRM system which streamlined their quoting process. The automation of quotes enabled the team to track their leads better, in turn increasing their business efficiency.
7. Tracking
Finally, our custom systems can help managers and directors keep track of incoming leads and sales. This is extremely useful for evaluating the performance of their workforce.
We designed a bespoke email processing system for Let Alliance, which keeps track of new leads and the source of those leads.
The sales team often have competitions based on this data and it is invaluable to their workforce.