Using Custom CRM Software to Level Up Your Business

The importance of custom CRM software cannot be overstated in today’s customer-centric market. A business has to listen to its client needs to be successful, and the insights you receive from customized CRM suites are invaluable. While regular CRM solutions can be helpful, too, they are not fine-tuned to fit the specifics of your company and don’t have the same effect.

Generic CRM systems lack the precision and refinement that custom ones bring in terms of both features and design. They also have weaknesses, such as a lack of scalability and giving no built-in advantage over other companies using the same solution.

So, today, DigitalSuits is happy to guide you into the world of custom CRM development and show what you can expect. Our team has created such platforms before, so we’ll share an insider’s look at this industry sector. From the advantages of custom over mass-market to the key features of your system, we’ll cover it all. Without further ado, let’s begin.

Challenges with off-the-shelf CRM

We want to clarify upfront that a generic CRM suite isn’t necessarily a bad option. It’s an affordable and simple way to aggregate your customer data. They do, however, pale in comparison with custom-built systems that are designed for a specific business. Let’s talk about what makes off-the-shelf solutions inferior to custom ones.

Lack of support for integrations

Third-party services can be used to enhance your system and process data more effectively. That is, of course, if those services can be integrated into your infrastructure. While a custom CRM platform will work with third-party extensions, a generic one might not. With a tailored CRM system, you can simply request specific services to be supported from the get-go.

Having the ability to expand your system with more unique features means being able to do more with customer data and get unique insights. It also ultimately saves money as you won’t have to invest in creating corresponding software yourself. Thus, integrations are pretty crucial to an effective CRM platform.

Poor flexibility

A good business grows over time, expanding its services and branching out. With that, you will also need the ability to adjust your toolset to match these new ambitions. However, generic CRMs don’t offer the option to change them for your company’s new direction, as they have to fit the broadest possible audience. Thus, pivoting becomes harder, and you’re discouraged from trying new directions.

No edge over the competition

If everyone is using the same off-the-shelf solutions, nobody gets a competitive boost from them. It keeps companies at the same level, making leading in your niche much harder. Meanwhile, a customized CRM is guaranteed to deliver unique features and abilities, propelling you above your rivals.

In fact, if we were to generalize the core shortcomings of generic CRM systems, it would sound like this: they don’t do enough. On the flipside, custom CRM suites deliver variety and quality, resulting in many improvements. Which ones? We’ll address this in our next section.

Benefits of developing a custom CRM system

So, having discussed the flaws in generic CRM systems, let’s discuss what changes for your company when you employ a custom CRM solution. All of the following should see a solid increase:

• customer experience
• return clients
• operational efficiency
• resource usage.

Customer experience

Having a high-quality CRM system means you know and understand your customers better. Thus, you’ll be able to deliver exactly what they need, improving their experience through offering more well-rounded services.

Return clients

A happier customer base means people are more likely to use your services again. This establishes a foundation of repeat clients loyal to your business.

Operational efficiency / Resource usage

A custom CRM system will help automate a lot of the routine processes and operations that your company runs day to day. This not only frees up employees to work on different tasks, saving time and energy, but speeds up these operations. Thus, your company will be able to process more data while using less time.

Now, the benefits of custom CRM development don’t end with increased metrics. Custom CRM platforms also have tangible benefits that make them easier to adopt and mold to your company’s specifics.

Reinforced security measures

It’s no secret that having any sort of security breach will harm a company’s reputation, sometimes permanently. Emphasizing securing operational and client data is the most straightforward way to avoid that. Generic CRM offerings will, of course, offer some level of protection, but custom development allows you to apply your own standards in securing the data.

It’s also important to remember that generic CRM systems are more likely to be the target of an exploit or hack just due to notability. With that one risk point being attacked, every client using that CRM would be left vulnerable. Meanwhile, a custom system means you’re in total control of your security and can guarantee your customers’ data will be safe.

Tailored design

Any time a business adopts a new tool, onboarding inevitably stalls the process. This can be curbed if you customize the CRM and configure its design to match your needs. It can be simplified to the point where the initial stages of learning it are nearly instant. With that, it will be easier to kickstart your use of your CRM solution.

Long-term budget efficiency

When you buy an off-the-shelf CRM, you pay an upfront cost and a subsequent licensing fee. That fee is recurring and with time, it really starts to add up. Plus, some systems will also include a user fee - with the company paying per each unique user in the system.

With no extra fees, the upfront cost of a custom solution development becomes less imposing. After all, when you opt for a generic CRM, you’ll end up paying the same amount eventually. The catch is that you wouldn’t then get the benefits of using a custom CRM despite it having the same cost.

Having talked about the advantages of tailored CRM systems, let’s discuss how a professional team creates them.

DigitalSuits' approach to custom CRM

For the last eight years, DigitalSuits has been creating custom solutions for companies, tailoring them to niche use cases and precise specifications. Among other cases in our portfolio, we have picked our work on management platforms. We’ll use these examples to illustrate the value companies get from CRM development services and how they can transform your business.

AskPorter

One of our favorite examples of a custom solution streamlining daily processes and optimizing workflow is AskPorter. This AI-enhanced platform is used to let citizens request apartment repairs, track the status of their properties, and get feedback. It takes all the standard property management processes online, making it easy to get your problem taken care of with just a few taps.

AskPorter makes the process of repairs to residential buildings transparent, digitally transforming the outdated approach. By using a custom platform, it’s able to include all the relevant services with a simple, straightforward design that can be understood by any user.

Claim Technology

One of the most effective ways for platforms to truly transform a business is to create a whole ecosystem. Having interconnected apps and services using a common API means a lot of busy work is optimized and automated. We brought this example to life with an insurtech project for Claim Technology.

Our solution brought together separate services into one streamlined workflow. A simple design made the platform more usable, as the client could work with the data without coding. Despite our focus on the services being connected for convenience, we also kept them independent where it mattered. This prevented different processes from interfering with each other.

This solution also offered Claim Technology the option to provide different domains to their client companies. Moreover, the ecosystem was also easily connected to apps, making the platform mobile-friendly.

Laurus

Last but not least, we want to cover our cloud RPA solution for Laurus, a law firm that wanted to modernize its work with clients. Traditionally, any information collection was done via email or phone, requiring further work to log, categorize, and process it. That resulted in extra operational expenses, delays in work, and additional labor on the part of company employees.

In response, DigitalSuits created two apps with a shared API that digitized essential processes for Laurus. Our focus was on making the UI intuitive, simplifying the digital transition, and providing a secure platform to record data and store documents. We were using the advantages of custom CRM systems to eliminate paperwork and reduce the time spent per customer.

Now, with documents stored and logged more easily, we set out to simplify data management. So, we created a full platform where documents could be uploaded, categorized, and worked on by both the company and clients. We implemented shared access so that Laurus could work with clients remotely and get them involved.

Through the three projects above, DigitalSuits perfected its skills as a CRM development company while finding new ways to improve our clients’ businesses. Developing feature-rich CRM systems is a point of pride for us.

Key features of DigitalSuits' custom CRM

While all of our development is tailored to the client, some core features unite DigitalSuits’ management platform projects. Before we finish, let’s discuss what you can expect when partnering with us for CRM development.

Scalability

First, we focus on making the solution easy to scale to allow companies easy growth without investing in new development. Similarly, as we’ve worked with various businesses of different sizes - flexibility has been a big priority. Our solutions can be adapted to fit any company structure, as well as customized to match new directions in your operations.

Compatibility

Another big priority for businesses is finding solutions that fit into their existing ecosystem. We make a point of integrating our products with your existing systems. This is intended for ease of use and to streamline the work done on these systems. A unified cloud infrastructure with data being stored and shared seamlessly shaves off hours from routine operations.

Automation

Speaking of saving time, we always provide automation features to simplify customer communication. From marketing emails to auto-scheduling calls and meetings, we emphasize smoothing out these regular tasks. By simplifying these routine moments, we allow you to focus on more personal touches in your customer relationships.

Support

DigitalSuits is also committed to providing full support for our CRM suites, as well as post-release updates. This way, the system is guaranteed to fulfill its potential and match the company’s own development and new directions. We also provide onboarding help if your employees require support in adopting the new system.

Conclusion

In this guide, we’ve covered the benefits of custom CRM platforms and their stark differences from generic systems. A well-made CRM suite can help cut down operational costs, streamline daily processes, and improve your relationship with your clients substantially. However, to achieve that result, you need to invest in developing a high-quality solution.

You set yourself aside in a competitive market by committing the budget to creating a custom solution. Having it tailored to your unique structure and operations means you can optimize your company’s daily work and know your customers better.

So, with the pros of vital features and unmatched flexibility on one side and the cons of complex development and potentially high pricing on the other side, what’s the best solution? Ideally, you should request a consultation to determine your needs and capabilities. This is how DigitalSuits starts our collaborations: by setting clear goals and metrics to remove uncertainty.

Once you understand the scope of your future custom CRM, you can put the work into our team’s capable hands. We’ve made solutions for companies of all sizes and from all industries, helping them transform their operations. If you’re ready to achieve your full potential and optimize your daily processes, get in touch with DigitalSuits now.