In the fiercely competitive landscape of modern business, a company’s success is dependent on its ability to manage relationships with its customers. Businesses that organize and manage customer information, conversations, and valuable insights are consistently outperforming their competition.
However, without the right software in place, it’s easy to get bogged down in the day-to-day minutiae of handling leads, email, support requests, and marketing messages. While numerous CRM software options promise to take some of the pain away, if they aren’t the right fit for your needs then they can become a hindrance to productivity and efficiency.
This is where a CRM development company comes in. These are firms that specialize in designing, developing, and supporting software that lets you easily manage and share customer information, record and track interactions, streamline sales, and optimize marketing. They build solutions to your exact specifications, rather than attempting to shoehorn your business processes into the limitations of an off-the-shelf product.
As more and more companies in all industries recognize the inefficiencies of standard CRM products, the market for CRM software development companies is only growing. For most businesses, a good software development partner will become a long-term strategic partner, ensuring that your CRM solution is always fit for purpose and capable of evolving with you as your business expands and changes.
In this post, we will explore what makes a good CRM development company and the most important factors to consider when you are on the hunt for a CRM development partner.
What is a CRM Development Company?
Before we get into what makes a good CRM software development company and the factors to evaluate them by, let’s first explore a bit more about the nature of CRM development services.
The Role of a CRM Development Company
A CRM development company is more than just coders. It is a partner in:
- Conducting a business process review to understand your customer management workflow.
- Designing a software system to centralize all your customer-related information across sales, marketing, and customer service.
- Developing the custom CRM solution to replace manual tracking and disjointed systems.
- Integrating the CRM software with other tools like ERP, accounting, email marketing, etc.
- Providing ongoing support and maintenance for your CRM system to make sure that it stays in sync with your business needs as you evolve and scale.
Off the Shelf vs. Custom CRM Development
Most businesses begin their CRM journey with off-the-shelf products like Salesforce, HubSpot, ZohoCRM, etc. These are robust systems with the usual feature sets you would expect from a CRM. Some may even be open source.
However, off-the-shelf CRM packages will also include:
- Features you don’t need, slowing down employee adoption.
- Limits on customization, making it difficult to add functionality to the areas you really care about.
- Potentially significant licensing costs that grow as your headcount increases.
Tailored CRM software development companies instead focus on building the system you need around your unique workflows and goals.
Who Needs a Custom CRM the Most?
CRM software is a must-have for businesses of all sizes in just about any industry, but custom-built CRMs are overkill for the vast majority of small to medium businesses. Instead, they are most useful for:
- Enterprise and departmentalized businesses with complex workflows and disparate systems.
- Healthcare and finance companies that need software that follows strict compliance rules.
- Retail and e-commerce sites with integrations with inventory management systems and marketing automation tools.
- B2B companies that have long sales cycles and multiple stakeholders in the process.
Factors to Consider When
Now that we have a better understanding of the role a CRM software development company plays, let’s explore the critical qualities that distinguish the best development companies from the mediocre.
Experience & Expertise
Experience in CRM software development is one of the first red flags that sets apart the good companies from the also-rans.
- Do they have a portfolio? Have they worked with clients in your sector or niche?
- Ask about the team that will be working on your CRM, the CRM architects as well as the developers, who ideally should have significant experience on both sides of the business-technology divide.
Tip: Rather than taking years of experience as gospel, consider what kind of projects the CRM development company has worked on.
Technical Skills & Technology Stack
Your CRM is more than a database for managing customers. The best systems integrate AI, automation, and analytics. The development company you choose needs to have demonstrable skills in:
- Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, etc.).
- Languages and frameworks (Java, Python, .NET, PHP, etc.).
- Artificial intelligence (Machine learning, neural networks) for predictive intelligence.
- API connectors to connect to other apps and services.
The tech stack the CRM company works in will ensure that your CRM software is ready for the future.
Customization & Flexibility
No two companies are alike and a custom CRM needs to work for your business, rather than the other way around.
- Does the company offer to customize modules for your sales, marketing, and service teams?
- Can they tailor the CRM to support your exact business processes through workflow automation?
- Are they open to iteration after the initial implementation based on user feedback?
These are critical capabilities that a good CRM development company needs to have.
Integration Capabilities
Your CRM needs to be the central hub. A company with strong integration capabilities will ensure that your CRM is able to connect with:
- ERP software for finance, sales, and operations.
- Marketing automation platforms (Mailchimp, Marketo, etc.).
- Customer support software (Zendesk, Intercom, etc.).
- E-commerce stores (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.).
The right integrations will not only prevent data silos but will also enable a true 360° view of the customer in all touchpoints.
UI/UX Design & User Adoption
No matter how great the CRM software is under the hood, if your team isn’t willing to use it, it is effectively deadwood.
- User-friendly design means your system will get adopted much more easily.
- Dashboards and reports need to present actionable insights, rather than just data dump.
- Mobile support is critical for sales teams in the field.
For example, one of the reasons that so many CRM systems end up unused and gathering dust is the difficulty employees have in adopting them, not because they are technically flawed.
Security & Compliance
Customer information is sensitive, and the CRM software development company you partner with must ensure that they are delivering:
- Encryption of data at rest and in transit as well as role-based access.
- Compliance with all regulatory requirements (GDPR, HIPAA, CCPA, etc.).
- Audits and vulnerability tests to harden your systems.
Neglecting this one is one of the easiest ways to open yourself up to financial and reputational damage.
Support & Maintenance
A CRM system is never a project that gets delivered and wrapped up. It’s an ongoing process of development and evolution.
- Is long-term support included in their package or offered as an add-on?
- Do they have an SLA with their response time clearly defined?
- Do they offer ongoing updates and maintenance for your system?
The company needs to view themselves as part of your ongoing growth, and a good long-term relationship is the key to this.
Cost vs. Value
The most affordable CRM software development company isn’t always the one that will provide you the best value. Keep the following in mind:
- Evaluate the value of the features delivered, not just the cost.
- Compare long-term return on investment (ROI) to their initial cost.
- Is the pricing model fixed or do they charge hourly or as a retainer? Fixed cost packages without transparency often mean hidden costs, while others can lead to runaway billing.
Getting the right balance of value and cost is what sets a good CRM development partner apart.
Red Flags to Look Out For
So many vendors claim to be the number one CRM development company, but not all of them deserve your trust. Some warning signs that you should be concerned about:
- Unclear Pricing Structure
Hidden costs are a big red flag. Beware of vendors that aren’t upfront about their pricing model. - Empty Portfolio
The absence of a portfolio is a strong indication that the company is inexperienced or even unprofessional. - Promises Without Evidence
Do they oversell their capabilities without supporting it with real-world proof? - Limited Post-Launch Support
If they offer limited or no support after delivery then it’s a sure sign that they’re only in it for a quick buck.
If you notice any of the above, you may want to think twice before signing the dotted line.
Shortlisting the Best CRM Software Development Company
While it’s a given that the vendor should be qualified, experienced, and equipped with all the ideal qualities, it’s important to follow a rigorous and disciplined approach before signing up with any CRM software development company.
A few things that will help you do just that:
Define the Business Objectives
The first step is to set out clear business goals and objectives. What exactly do you want your CRM to do? This could be anything from simply tracking sales, to managing customer service tickets, to full-on marketing automation and sales analytics.
Preparing a Requirement Checklist
Mandatory
- Dashboards, filtering, and reports.
- Easy CRM integrations.
- Automation.
- Cross-platform access.
Good-to-Have
- AI and ML-powered predictions.
- Chatbots.
User Feedback
Ask the right questions:
- Have you built CRMs for my industry?
- Can you integrate with my existing infrastructure?
- What’s your typical deployment time?
- What is the level of post-launch support you provide?
Compare the Proposals
Compare the features and services provided for similar budgets.
Don’t just focus on cost but also on the experience, scalability, support, and long-term value.
Tip: A detailed CRM vendor selection process is the best way to guarantee you don’t just end up with a vendor but also a long-term technology partner.
Conclusion
Your CRM software is one of the foundations of your business. Selecting the right CRM software development company will help you scale quickly, increase efficiency, and deliver long-term value.
Key takeaways from this blog are to prioritize experience and expertise, strong technical skills, integration and customization, intuitive design, security and compliance, ongoing support, and good value for money. Avoid the usual red flags, like hidden pricing or a lack of transparency in their process.
Remember that the right CRM software development company isn’t just a vendor or service provider. It’s a technology partner for your business and is a key growth driver for your company.
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