What Is a CRM System? Off-the-Shelf vs Custom CRM

If customer requests get lost between WhatsApp, calls, social media and Excel spreadsheets, and sales are hard to plan, it is a sign that you need a CRM system. In this article we explain what a CRM is, which modules it consists of, and how to choose between an off-the-shelf solution and a custom system.

What is a CRM?

A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system collects all customer data, requests, deals and tasks in one place. Thanks to it, every manager can see when and what was discussed with a customer, no request is forgotten, and management can track the state of sales in real time.

Typical problems without a CRM

• Requests stay scattered across channels and get lost without a reply;
• the history of previous conversations with a customer exists only in one manager's memory;
• follow-up calls and meetings are not made on time;
• it becomes hard to measure sales plan progress and managers' results.

The core modules of a CRM

• Customer database — contact details, companies and the history of interactions.
• Sales pipeline — deals organised by stage, from request to payment.
• Tasks and reminders — calls, meetings and deadlines.
• Communication — calls, email, messengers and website requests collected in one place.
• Reports — analytics on sales, conversion and manager performance.
• Roles and permissions — control over who can see which information.

Off-the-shelf CRM or a custom system?

An off-the-shelf CRM is good for a quick start: it is easy to set up and covers the features needed for standard sales processes. However, monthly licence costs grow as the number of users increases, and the parts that do not fit your process often cannot be changed.

A custom CRM is built around your business's actual workflow. It pays off especially when:

• your processes differ from a standard sales pipeline (for example, in manufacturing, construction, education or logistics);
• you need tight integration with your website, inventory, accounting software or other internal systems;
• you have many users and per-user monthly fees become a serious expense;
• keeping your data on your own server is important.

CRM, ERP and custom management systems: what's the difference?

A CRM focuses on customers and sales. An ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system manages internal resources such as inventory, purchasing, finance, production and HR. A custom management system can combine the parts of both approaches that your business needs in a single platform.

6 steps to a successful rollout

1. Document your current process: where do requests come from, and who does what?
2. Plan a first version (MVP) with the most important features.
3. Migrate your old data (Excel files, phone books) into the system.
4. Integrate channels such as website forms, calls and messengers.
5. Train the team and make using the system a daily habit.
6. Measure the results: response time, conversion and pipeline stages.

Custom CRM and ERP with NS Studio

In our CRM, ERP and custom management systems service we design the system around your processes, integrate it with your website and other tools, and build an interface that is comfortable to use on both desktop and mobile devices. Contact us to work out together which solution fits your business.