Blog

Plain answers to the questions small businesses ask us about CRMs and getting software built.

Running your business on a CRM

A CRM sales pipeline with deals as cards across each stage and totals at the top

When a small team outgrows the spreadsheet

The signs a small team has outgrown running sales and customers from a spreadsheet, and what to look for in a CRM, whichever one you choose. (4 minute read)

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A customer email that arrived as a helpdesk ticket in IceBubble CRM

What is plus email addressing?

Plus addressing gives you unlimited email addresses that all land in one mailbox. How it works in Gmail, Outlook and Microsoft 365, and how to use it. (2 minute read)

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IceBubble CRM on a desktop monitor, showing a job plan

Bespoke CRM or off the shelf?

The trade-offs between building a bespoke CRM and buying an off-the-shelf one, from a UK software house that does both. (4 minute read)

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Getting software built

The Dura player app on an unfolded iPhone Duo, showing the player cleared to train and their sleep over the last seven days

Do you need an app, or would a web application do?

When a web application that works well on a phone is enough, when a business really needs an app, and how to tell, with examples from systems we have built. (4 minute read)

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The CJ Fresh Foods ordering platform on a phone, open at the speciality cheese counter

How much does bespoke software cost in the UK?

What drives the cost of bespoke software for a UK small business, why two similar systems can cost very different amounts, and how to keep the price down. (5 minute read)

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The IceBubble CRM two-factor sign-in screen asking for the code from an authenticator app

What is 2FA and why does it matter?

What two-factor authentication is, why every business system holding personal data should use it, and where to switch it on in common tools. (3 minute read)

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A housing association job plan on a desktop monitor, with each stage on a Gantt chart

Software developer or solution architect?

What a software developer does, what a solution architect does, and why a software project needs both. (3 minute read)

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News

Paul and James at the top of Mam Tor

Walking the Edale Skyline for OSCAR's

In May 2024 Paul and James walked the Edale Skyline for OSCAR's Paediatric Brain Tumour Charity, ten years after Oscar Hughes died aged 9. (1 minute read)

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Tell us what you're trying to sort out. If something off the shelf would do the job, we'll say so.

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