A CRM is where a business keeps track of its customers, its sales and, often, its work. When you choose one you have two broad options: have one built for you, or buy one off the shelf. We do both (we build bespoke CRMs, and we make IceBubble CRM), so here is how we see the trade-off.
A bespoke CRM
A bespoke CRM is built around how your business already works. It can match your process step by step, use your terminology, and connect directly to the other systems you rely on, so the same information is not typed into three places.
You decide what is in it. The screens, the reports and the automation all do exactly what you need and nothing else. For businesses with unusual rules (our client JC Lindsay needed housing association rate codes on every quote and invoice) that can be the only way to get a system that fits.
The cost is time and money up front. A bespoke CRM needs proper planning with the people who will build it, and someone has to host and maintain it once it is live.
An off-the-shelf CRM
An off-the-shelf CRM is ready to use. You can be up and running quickly, updates and security are the vendor’s job, and the common jobs are already covered.
The catch is fit. These products are built for everyone, so they rarely match your process exactly, and you change how you work to suit the software. Customisation is limited to what the vendor allows. And while they are easy to set up if you know what you are doing, many teams end up needing help to get them configured properly.
A middle way
IceBubble CRM sits between the two. It is a ready-made CRM for small teams, with pipeline, jobs, helpdesk, invoicing and email in one place, and because we are a software house we can build what it does not do yet. You get a quick start without being stuck with a product that cannot change.
Support
Ask about support whichever way you go. Some bespoke developers hand over the system and move on (we do not: we host and support what we build), and off-the-shelf products often tie the level of support to the price tier. Think about your team’s skills and how much help you will want once it is live.
Which to choose
Bespoke makes sense when the way you work is part of what makes your business better, or when you are spending hours every week working around a generic tool. Off the shelf makes sense when a product already fits and you want to start this week.
If you are not sure, talk it through with us. If an off-the-shelf CRM is the right answer we will say so, and we can help you set it up. If bespoke is the answer, we can build it, host it and support it.