Is your company growing so fast that you need to implement your custom CRM (Customer Relationship Management) or ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) solution? Congratulations, you are a successful startup.
Now you are facing a question that has been asked by many other startups like yours: "How should I improve management of my company to withstand this grow and to keep my customers well-served and satisfied?".
Get your CRM or ERP.
But to get better advise, you need to get answers on some additional questions.
Custom CRM or off-the-shelf?
The main difference between custom CRM and off-the-shelf CRM lies in their level of personalization and flexibility.
Choosing a custom CRM might be the best option if your business has very specific needs or requires a solution that can grow and scale in a highly tailored way. Here are a few reasons why you might want to go with a custom CRM: implementation of unique business processes, scalability in the future to cover further growth, long-term support or simplicity of usage by avoiding unnecessary features.
Choosing an off-the-shelf CRM could be the better choice if you’re looking for a quick, cost-effective solution with proven reliability. With such, you'll get your CRM faster and probably at lower costs, but you'll need to cope with limitations of the provided solution.
What should be considered in implementation of custom CRM or ERP solution?
When implementing a custom CRM or EPR solution, there are several important factors to consider to ensure successful deployment and long-term usability:
- Business Requirements & Goals
- Integration with Existing Systems
- User Experience (UX) and Interface Design
- Scalability
- Security
- Customization and Flexibility
- Training and Support
- Data Analytics & Reporting
When done right, implementing a custom CRM or ERP can dramatically improve business operations, but it’s critical to carefully plan each step of the process to avoid costly mistakes. What stage are you at in your implementation process?
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How the custom CRM is implemented?
The process of implementing a custom CRM system involves several key stages. Each stage is important for ensuring that the system is tailored to your business’s needs and integrates well with your existing workflows. See table below summarizing main phases of such implementation.
| Phase | Tasks to be performed |
|---|---|
| Discovery & Requirements Gathering | Organize stakeholder interviews Develop business processes mapping Define key features Set clear objectives |
| System Design & Customization | Choose platform and technology stack Define user roles and their permissions Define models, views and controllers |
| Integration Planning | Identify integration needs Select data migration strategy Provide integration testing |
| Development & Configuration | Perform system development Customize platformPerform comprehensive testing |
| User Training & Documentation | Organize training sessions Create full and comprehensive documentation Get feedback from real users |
| Continuous Improvement & Updates | Implement new features based on user feedback Update systems and platforms to make it secure |