And just a couple of weeks ago, this designer was remembered by everyone - and precisely in relation to CRM. Guess why?
It's exactly the same in development
A proud piece of document circulates through specialized IT groups and chats, in which an architect who worked with Microsoft gives an example of calculating the implementation of CRM Dynamics 365 Sales and a "filed" solution on the Power Platform, which costs only $ 84,000 against something about $ 245,000 for 3 years, per 100 users. I'm not sure if you can upload this screenshot in full access, so I describe it in words - if anyone has seen it in open sources, write, we'll attach. Not, of course, our CRM does not require such money from clients (for comparison, “full stuffing” for a company of 100 people for 3 years will cost 17 times cheaper with a developed set of capabilities tailored for Russia), here is another matter.
The bottom line is that this document is intended to demonstrate how much cheaper it is to "cut" your CRM thanks to the low-code platform. So what does it do, the era of total democratization of development has come, and now every company can turn to low-code and cut for itself "cheaply"? It's tempting, fact. But in fact, everything is very, very marketing, venal and sly.
Let's figure it out.
Low-code, templates, open source - whatever you do, just not implement
Typical low-code system through the eyes of a non-technical user. Start with wheels - so what if there is no frame?
Basically, in the world you can find spare parts for the assembly of any car. To puff in the garage for 2-3 years, spend a lot of money and effort, endure a lot of mistakes and build a really driving and even passing unit. But for some reason only a few go to such a feat all over the world. But many people want to try to put together their ERP or CRM system on their knees. This is a huge, interesting group of smart entrepreneurs who have already realized that free versions of popular CRM are just a marketing lure and an inconvenient product, and for some reason they don't want to buy something universal and ready-made. If you talk to these guys and dive into their motivation, then three specific reasons are obvious.
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Today we will talk about three relevant options to get your CRM and the fourth, the most obvious, simple and, oddly enough, economical.
Low code, big money
Low-code development is a type of technology that allows users to create applications without programming. You have tons of building blocks (function blocks) from which you can configure the functions you want. At first glance, this technology seems simple and attractive - a pleasant and useful "toy" like MS PowerPoint (you do not only make presentations there, too, right?). That is, you move the cubes, connect them in the order you need, and the smart system remembers which CRM / ERP you have assembled for yourself. It's a miracle! But experienced guys have probably already remembered this depressing feeling when you have a bunch of blocks in front of you, and you cannot build logic, because you understand what you need, but do not understand how it should be glued together and work (for example, how client data should go to documentation module,and warehouse leftovers "suck" information from the nomenclature).
Low-code is good in many cases: from teaching programming and system design to creating simple "clean" business processes, marketing processes, etc. However, it is impossible to mold CRM on a low-code platform without professionals. Do you know why? Because, firstly, although it is low, but code, secondly, you need an understanding of the insides of information systems, and thirdly, you need ultra pumped business skills. Let's take a closer look.
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We are familiar with low-code from the very first moments of its use in an enterprise. It cannot be denied: there is a wow effect. The first three "assembled" blocks will inspire you, and then everything will be like in the picture about an owl. On this one:
And your business is also template?
Wake up our main developer at night, and he will instantly describe and draw any business process: from multi-stage production, warehouse management and organization of a checkout line to media planning, on-air inquiries and outdoor advertising. This is reflected in almost 30 years of not just programming, but also of experience in business, doing business, analyzing companies where implementations took place. Many features got into RegionSoft CRM precisely after working with companies and their real requirements. Actually, this is what distinguishes professional CRM from numerous forms and templates in Yii and Laravel (by the way, there are no questions about the frameworks themselves).
We have already conducted an experiment with freelancers (you can read about the results), - in the vast majority of cases, a freelancer will quickly create a system for you that is visually very similar to CRM, but without business logic. The reason is simple: he works with code and does not understand how and how deeply everything is interconnected in business. Due to such inexperience, he will not be able to do the elementary things: to bring together the business logic and principles of organizing relational DBMSs so that you can work quickly and conveniently.
Freelancer for 12,000 rubles saws CRM according to the manual from the Internet
A good, normal CRM system is designed like this: from any module you can get into other modules, reference books, magazines, reports, etc. It is a coherent, complex analytical complex that automates the work, makes it fast and simple due to these very connections. CRM for a couple of months according to the template is a notebook, i.e. what the current CRM systems were evolutionarily 15-20 years ago, or even earlier.
When ordering CRM from freelancers, you risk a lot both time and money - even if he turns out to be an executive and generally a good guy. And then there is fraud, but that's a topic for other blogs.
Open Source - open but not free
If freelance CRM is a story about amateurism, then open source CRM is a professional topic. Indeed, there are several powerful open source CRM developments in the world that are popular with large businesses and forks of which are in every country in the world under different names. Moreover, open source CRMs provide a choice: you can also buy or rent pre-built and ready-to-use versions without tinkering with the code, but they will be the same as the rest, universal.
When an open source CRM forked, and she does not want to build, install and work for free
The value of Open Source is that you can flexibly configure CRM, while being responsible for the code (which is much better than platform black boxes), but ...
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Open Source is a cool story in development, in many ways the foundation of what the entire IT world works on. But if you have a small (SMB) non-technological business without strong personal programmers in the staff, open source CRM will fall on your infrastructure either as dead weight, or with a lot of money and tied to any company that provides technical support. That is, in other words, you do not use open source, but order your CRM project, which some IT company will create for you based on the existing open source code. For money.
Advantages of developer implementation
First of all, we speak for ourselves and the implementation of RegionSoft CRM, but in fairness, it should be noted that the bulk of the benefits are relevant for all experienced CRM vendors (not those that have appeared recently, of course). There are important nuances, for example, frankly weak partners of some companies or, even worse, implementing business coaches and coaches, but you will immediately feel this (presentation of the company, not a product for 15 minutes of your time, conversations about additional services, stories about endless regalia of experts, etc.). In general, I recommend everyone to choose a CRM-system, not lonely poking around an empty interface, reading reviews, asking Facebook, but to conduct full-fledged "interviews" - online product presentations in the format of a dialogue with a manager. You can't even imagine how much you will reveal, discover and come up with during such communication.
Okay, all the tips and tricks cannot be crammed into one article, so let's get back to the advantages.
- 100% responsibility for the quality and performance of the CRM system. When you develop a CRM system (and any other software) from the first line of code, you carefully approach algorithms, optimization and refactoring. If software solves business problems, it must be reliable, functional, and fast. Otherwise, such a number of transactions and operations will turn into torture.
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The CRM system developer knows every detail of his system and can modify, reconfigure and attach each to a new functional module (in the picture, the most complex GBC from Lego: a track for balls of 17 mechanisms, taken from Twitter Popular Mechanics)
Soon 2021 will come, in which little , medium and large business will have to wake up, revive, recover, grow. We know from experience that automation in crisis and post-crisis is one of the surest ways to overcome stagnation. And CRM itself is an optimal tool for working with a team and clients for their retention and further development. In general, the advice is simple: design, work with instructions, and choose versatile, proven solutions with a good implementation and support company. Then the work with CRM will go like a knurled one.
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