There are times when dealing with customers may seem like a maze you can’t solve. The only way out is to have reliable CRM solution. However, you might find it tricky to select what the market now has to offer. This is where you can start planning to build your CRM software – no kidding. Starting off your tool just like the mighty Hubspot CRM is possible.
To get going with this plan of having your customer relationship tool, you need a lot of planning and thinking. It might take a few days or even weeks, but the thinking stage is very vital. This is where your brain questions, answers itself, and questions again.
So to get things started, let’s work on what matters in the planning stage. Here are some things to consider:
Be sure to have tried a few strategies
Before you can even start off putting a system together, make sure you already had a few hands on with some existing CRM software. You must already know what features you like to put together. You must also have an idea on which added plugins or services don’t seem to work. Have a list of what isn’t available yet and needs to be built. You can also compare the available software and make a checklist to cross out. Lastly, combine the best elements and make it work for all.
Know the important pieces to put together
The best CRM software has all the things a business needs to keep a healthy customer relationship. Still, you need to consider the fact that not all are useful or needed. This is where you must list down the MVP: minimum viable product. This is the element that can be considered as the heart of the CRM.
There are vital pieces here worth taking note of:
- The default requirements for contacts, opportunities, reports, etc.
- Setting objectives
- Permission settings and user levels
- Editing levels for records
- Data evaluation
- Reporting and exporting data
- User management
Now seeing this list, there are other features you might know that are unnecessary. Some of these tiny bits are:
- Custom workflows and group actions
- Custom coding and server-related functions
- Bulk importing and exporting
- Customization of dashboards and layouts
- API integrations and plugins
- Marketing tools
So now this quick list is up for you, try to patch the right things together, and you can already start doing the backend work.
Start the job and work on the CRM platform
It’s about time for you to work on the building blocks of your CRM tool. You can start off by working on the four pillars of a great software which are database, metadata, security, and platform. These are your building blocks for the project. By spending ample time on each of these, you can be sure you are on the right track. Now, let’s discuss each piece for you to have a better idea and stepping stone.
Database
This is where all the information is dumped and just primarily stored at. There are a bunch of available database systems online, and some do not even require high technical knowledge.
Some of the things you need to consider though are the way the storage layering would happen. If you decide on going for a NoSQL layer, you can expect faster recordings since the data input has no connection with the rest. You can just mix and match the records depending on the labeling you will make. This might even be a plus factor if your client has a lot of logs and reports that need to be stored.
Metadata
Metadata is like the label of things that cannot be appropriately named. With the right recording, you can separate an object item from an object field. When combined, these two will form a record which has a better value without diminishing the importance of each element. You can add up permission and permission sets; then the rest will be left to be a namespace.
There is a lot of planning that may be required with the metadata part because it’s a unique set that doesn’t follow other coding or records. All it listens to is the setting that has been encoded. It also has its own set of protocols and checklist that make it special in recognizing wrong inputs. Plus, the environment can be altered based on the set rules of the metadata.
Security
The security layer of the system all boils down to the rules set and recorded in the design. If you have specific parts of the CRM that cannot be checked out based on user permissions, then the metadata security must have the right protocols. Start by labeling the guidelines like if I do this, will this happen? Create a list then add it up to the platform for the software to recognize the set limits. You should also key in the right error prompts to appear if a line has been crossed.
Platform
Know the grounds that can be handled by your CRM project. Have the right ground for it that can hold all the rules and database that you will be managing. Check out which platforms are readily available, or you can also make on that suits you. As long as you have proper documentation of all the rules set, your platform will fit the other elements.
Conclusion
With these set of ideas, you are now all set to begin your CRM project. If you can have a helping hand or even two sets to join you, then it’ll all be more fun and collaborative. However, if you prefer to build the job all by yourself, then put your thinking caps on. No matter how you want to achieve the best customer relationship management tool, you must always remember the goal.
The main thing you want to make here is to develop an effective customer relations strategy for your business. That includes building an excellent database, stay updated with your customers, and grow that database for business growth.
