Bespoke CRM Systems
A CRM (customer relationship management) system is where a business keeps track of its customers and everything it does for them: contacts, enquiries, quotes, sales, orders and follow-ups. Off the shelf CRMs suit some businesses, but they are built for everyone, so you can end up paying monthly, per user, for features you don’t need while still missing the ones you do.
A bespoke CRM is built around the way your business already works. I’m a freelance web developer in Colchester, Essex, and have been designing, building and maintaining CRM systems and other web applications for businesses across Essex, Suffolk and the rest of the UK for over 20 years.
What a bespoke CRM can do
- Keep all your customer, contact and company records in one secure place, available from any browser, in the office or on the move
- Follow enquiries, quotes, sales and orders through your own stages and processes
- Create formatted, branded documents such as quotes and invoices in a single click
- Send emails automatically, for example through Office 365
- Give you real time reports on the figures that matter to your business
- Control what each member of staff can see and do, with role-based logins
- Connect to your website, jobs board, online shop or other software, so information only needs entering once
- Bring in your existing data from spreadsheets, Access databases or another system
Examples of my CRM work
- Top Job Recruitment – one online application that runs this Colchester recruitment agency, from sales and marketing through to invoicing, integrated with their website, Office 365 and the office scanner
- Chief Industries UK – the online CRM that was at the heart of an Essex manufacturer’s sales, with single click, branded PDF documents and real time reporting, which I maintained and developed further
- Frinton Summer Theatre – a staff CRM for managing productions, performances, customers and orders, alongside bespoke online ticketing
- AI-assisted CV parsing – custom CV parsing built into a client’s CRM in about a week, replacing a paid third-party service
Why bespoke rather than off the shelf?
- It fits your business – your processes, your terminology and your documents, rather than a compromise
- No per-user licence fees – adding staff doesn’t add to a monthly subscription
- Only what you need – clear, simple screens your team will actually use
- It can grow with you – being 100% bespoke, it can easily be changed and added to as your business changes
- Direct support – you deal with the developer who built it, not a helpdesk
Moving from spreadsheets or an old system
Many CRM projects start with a collection of spreadsheets, an Access database or an older system that no longer fits the business. I can import that data into your new CRM, so your team can carry on from where they left off. See online databases for more about replacing Access and Excel.
How much does a bespoke CRM cost?
It depends on what it needs to do. Many businesses start with the essentials and add features over time, which spreads the cost. Call or email for a no-obligation chat and I’ll give you an idea of costs and timescales.
To talk through a CRM for your business, call me on 07557 955212 or email.