Imagine walking into a generic shirt store and all the shirts are the same size, same colour and same length. To make it fit, some customers would have to roll the sleeves up, others would have to add or take away fabric, some might require a different colour. However, the likelihood is you will have to find a way to do these alterations yourself or find a temporary workaround. The same comparison can be made for an off-the-shelf CRM system versus a bespoke solution; with off-the-shelf software, you’re going to have some elements that suit your business, but it won’t be a perfect fit.
Why choose bespoke…
A Bespoke CRM is like taking a trip to a tailor; you can choose all the elements that suit your specific requirements. Plus, you’ll receive an exceptional customer experience.
Whether you’re transitioning away from spreadsheets or moving away from your existing CRM system, choosing the right solution is a big decision. Here, Pragmatiq, a local Microsoft Gold Partner, compares these solutions and discusses some of the reasons why a Bespoke CRM could be a good fit for your company.
Off-the-shelf software
As the name suggests, off-the-shelf software is essentially a product that is already built for the mass market and is ready to use pretty much immediately. This software is more generic, as it is pre-built for a much wider audience, and often has more features than an individual organisation would require. As a result, you have to adapt your processes to fit around the way the system works.
From a price perspective, opting for an out-of-box solution is often cheaper, as you don’t pay for it to be built around your requirements, but there will likely be plenty of functions that are not of value to your business, which you will still get charged for through your licensing fee and must navigate around from a user experience perspective.
Another consideration is that although the upfront costs might be cheaper, as your requirements change and you require additional functionality, an off-the-shelf solution can be restrictive. Unlike a bespoke solution, there are limitations as to how much you can customise the system to fit around your evolving needs. You might have to invest in additional software, or if possible, pay a developer to build integrations into other systems. These costs all add up in the long-term and the outcome may not be as effective as a bespoke solution.
Bespoke CRM
Ultimately, you want to invest in software that supports your business processes and the way you do business, rather than having to fit your processes around the system. Working with a partner, like Pragmatiq, a bespoke solution is custom-built and tailored to suit your specific business requirements. The key benefits of choosing bespoke are:
Work the way you want to: a bespoke solution fits around your individual needs and matches the way in which your business operates day to day. Users are more likely to engage with it and want to use it, as they are not having to navigate around irrelevant functionality which hinders their processes.
Scalability: over time, your business requirements are more than likely to change, rarely staying the same as when you initially implement your CRM solution. Off-the-shelf systems can be restrictive when it comes to changing requirements and users may start to find workarounds outside of the system. A Bespoke CRM provides a stable platform to build on in the future, and can scale and evolve as your needs shift and your business grows.
Cost: with a Bespoke CRM, you are paying for functionality that suits your business and processes. Additionally, as a scalable platform, it is easy to extend the platform at a lower cost. With an out-of-the-box solution, charges can creep up if your requirements change as you may need to build integrations with other products, making it a costly alternative.
Final thoughts…
When you invest in a tailor-made shirt, you are confident that the fit will be exactly what you are looking for. In the lifecycle of that shirt, you could have purchased many alternatives that weren’t quite right, going through the unnecessary hassle each time.
Implementing a Bespoke CRM can be regarded as a more costly investment initially, but these costs are justified if you consider your long-term business goals and the value the solution will bring across the business, both today and in the future.
If you would like to find out about how Pragmatiq can support your business, visit www.pragmatiq.co.uk or email info@pragmatiq.co.uk
