Should you adopt a well-known CRM or have a tool built for your business? Both options have their place.
Off-the-shelf software
Pros: available right away, feature-rich, widely documented.
Cons: it imposes its own logic. You adapt the way you work to the tool. Per-user costs climb quickly, and many of the features will never be useful to you.
Ideal if: your sales process is standard and you have time to configure the tool.
A custom CRM
Pros: it follows your steps, your vocabulary and your documents. Your teams adopt it more easily. You can build in a client portal or field forms.
Cons: an upfront investment and development time.
Ideal if: your process is specific (files with steps, field jobs, documents to collect) or you've already tried an off-the-shelf tool without success.
Questions to ask yourself
- Do my steps look like a standard sales process?
- Do my clients need access to part of the information?
- How many users, and what would a standard subscription cost over five years?
- Do I need to build in field forms or documents?
A middle-ground approach
Start small: a custom CRM limited to the essentials, then add modules as needs arise. You pay for what you actually use.
