When a business starts to grow, it becomes difficult to manage it with Excel spreadsheets. Many routine operations appear, and data gets lost. There is a need for smart software that helps control indicators, automate sales and hire, forecast revenues, and solve other management and strategic tasks.
But choosing such software isn’t an easy task either. In the process of searching for the right product, you’re literally bombarded with a lot of terms and incomprehensible instructions. To make it all easier to understand, specialists from RexSoft prepared a guide to custom CRM development, reviewed the best technology for its development, as well as stated how much custom CRM development costs and how to reduce the spendings.
What is CRM?
CRM is a customer relationship management system. The task of custom CRM is to automate routine processes. As a rule, such systems are used in sales departments where a transaction requires several contacts with customers.
Here are a few examples of custom CRM features and functions that can help businesses.
Systematization of customer data
The custom CRM database stores customer cards. They contain customer personal data, transaction information, documents, emails, call records, his or her orders, invoices, and payments. Everything related to a particular customer is recorded and structured in the custom CRM.
Help and reminders for employees
In custom CRM you set up a sales scenario adopted by your business i.e. the sales funnel. Сustom CRM will monitor the process at each sale and remind the manager when and what action he needs to take.
Automation
Сustom CRM helps to save time on routine tasks. The supervisor doesn’t need to constantly put the same type of task managers as the system will do this instead.
Generation of documents
You can create templates in the custom CRM. The system will generate contracts, additional agreements, certificates, invoices, and other documents for each transaction. Additionally, CRM will put the document signature of the manager who is engaged in a particular transaction.
Analytics and Reports
You can set up almost any kind of reporting in the CRM, and employees do not need to waste time on it. There is no need to manipulate with figures as the system itself makes the reports, not the person. You can study the overall statistics for all employees, the productivity of a particular person, the number of deals at different stages of sales.
What technology to use during custom CRM development?
When choosing the technological stack for the development of a custom CRM system should first decide for what devices the software will be created. Depending on this aspect the technology set will be different.
Web version
An optimal choice for the web version of the custom CRM are React JS for the frontend and Node js for the backend. This technology stack will maximize the speed of solution development without sacrificing functionality.
Mobile version
In this case, the best choice will be Flutter and React js for the frontend and Node js for the backend. This combination of technologies will allow you to create a fast and functional cross-platform application working on any device.
When choosing a technology stack remember the main thing – every tool is only as good as the specialist using it. Therefore, the most important aspect is the choice of a professional custom CRM development company.
How much does it cost to develop a custom CRM?
Custom CRM development costs consist of development itself, as well as the cost of implementation.
In particular, the cost of implementation includes:
- analysis of business processes
- CRM-system setup
- database import
- integration of additional services
- Training employees to work with the software
All in all the process of development and implementation will take you about 4 months.
- 3 months for development;
- 1 month for implementation and updates.
Considering that the average specialist’s rate is about $40 per hour and we need at least 2 (front-end and backend) developers, we get the following figure:
2*40*160 hours*4 months = about $50k.
Are there any ways of reducing the cost? Of course, for example you can:
– Outsource specialists from other regions. Developers from Eastern Europe do their job no worse, and sometimes even better than their U.S. counterparts.
– Start with MVPs. You do not have to order the development of CRM with many functions at once. The development can proceed gradually. At first, order only the key features and add the rest as needed.
In any case, the development of your own custom CRM will cost you less in the long run. Remember, in this case, you pay only for the features you need, and the final product is fully consistent with your business processes. This will give you a competitive advantage that converts into profit in the long run.
***
Custom CRM development is suitable for those who are engaged in small business, specializing in transactions that involve at least one direct contact with the client. It is also useful for those who sell through calls, letters, and meetings with customers. Custom CRM development will be useful for companies specializing in wholesale, retail sales with checks on a decent amount or a long cycle of transactions. No matter what the company does, the main thing in custom CRM development is to find good professionals capable of turning your idea into reality.
