Is a CRM also worthwhile for small businesses?

The real question

Not "do we have enough customers?", but "what happens if the person who supports the customer is out for two weeks?"

Can someone else track the status and continue working? If not, you need a system – regardless of company size.

When it becomes worthwhile

• Starting with about three people in customer contact
• As soon as requests come in through multiple channels (phone, form, email)
• As soon as someone asks "has someone already answered?"
• As soon as follow-ups on offers are required

When a table is sufficient

One person, manageable number of customers, no coverage required. Then a well-maintained table is more honest than an unused system.

What small businesses need

Less than what is typically offered. Specifically:

• Contacts with history
• Tasks and follow-ups
• Offers stored per customer
• A simple overview of open processes

Pipelines with eight stages, scoring and forecasts are a burden for twenty customers per year.

Recommendation

Start with a simple standard product. Custom development is rarely worthwhile for small businesses – unless processes deviate significantly or there are special legal requirements.

We say this even when it means we don't get a project.