Low Cost CRM

After you have decided on the need for CRM, collect all the requirements and organize them: decide what exactly you want to optimize and how much it will pay off. Be prepared for the integrator to offer additional solutions. Do not think that he wants to “wind up” the price.

Integration companies know their product inside and out, and their analysts are paid to ensure that the integration solves the maximum of the client’s problems. Both extremes – “wrap it up” and completely ignoring the recommendations of the integrator – can negatively affect both the budget and the effect of implementation.

Main features

At this stage, you pay for the development of the technical task and the hours of the programmers. System improvements will definitely affect the final cost of implementation. Some companies, trying to save money, give the revision to freelancers. This position has all the risks of becoming a losing one:

• First, a freelancer can significantly mess up the code (you will have to pay again to fix it), and the system will crash, harming the business. For a negligent performer, the risks are minimal – he will simply leave, as they say, “into the sunset”, without incurring any responsibility for your losses. 
• Secondly, the integrator has no goal of delaying the revision or making it of poor quality (so that later rework, according to the terms of the contract): this is unprofitable neither for his profit, nor for his reputation.

It is not necessary to order revision “in reserve”. Do not overload the system and employees, work with the existing set of capabilities: over time, it will become clear whether the current low cost CRM package covers your needs or whether it is worth “pumping” with improvements.

The next expense item is integrations. Perhaps, none of the existing CRMs has integration with absolutely all services (mail, website, telephony, etc.). At this stage, you need to carefully listen to the analyst’s recommendations and clearly state your wishes to him. If the integrator is not rigidly tied to any provider and is not limited by the number of partners, this is a big plus. Be sure to ask the analyst about the range of choice: the larger it is, the more likely it is to optimize the cost of implementation.

The price: if you think that the desired package is too expensive, look at the price through the prism of payback and ask your financial analyst to calculate the losses, profits and time frame when the system will pay for itself. The numbers will clarify the decision.

Who can buy a CRM system from?

Almost always, CRM for startups implementation is done exclusively by integrator partners. And here the most interesting thing begins: each system has many partners, the range of services is different for everyone, the price range is huge. It is not difficult to understand that the lower the price, the less a CRM equipped in this way is capable of a high-quality solution to your problems.

Of course, this is not an absolute truth. For a low price, you will not get a “bad” CRM, and for a high price, you will not get a “good” one. You will receive the same CRM, but how much it will solve your problems is already a matter of cost.

Likewise, there are no good or bad integrators: their differences are solely due to their capabilities. The cheapest option is to implement the system yourself. But it will only work if you have a developer on staff who understands the company’s business processes. In this case, you will save on installation, implementation, and customization.

The only thing to save on is training. Without training, your employees in CRM will understand in the same way as a ballerina does in lathes: there is an employee, and there is a tool, but for some reason skis do not go.