Custom CRM software development:
services, features & guidelines

Custom CRM software development: services, features & guidelines

Our custom CRM services

Our custom CRM services

Itransition’s consultants can share their expertise to facilitate the adoption of custom CRM software, helping your company draw up a development roadmap, estimate a realistic project budget, and select a suitable feature set, tech stack, and deployment model.

Our team of software engineers delivers custom CRM solutions built from scratch and equipped with modules and features tailored to your business requirements, taking care of prototyping, UX/UI design, front-end and back-end development, and testing.

We can reshape a custom or platform-based CRM through various customization options, including functionality extensions, feature, and UX/UI modifications, or additional integrations, to adapt your existing solution to emerging business needs and technology trends.

Build your custom CRM software with Itransition’s guidance

Contact us

The functional scope of a custom CRM

We equip your CRM solution with a comprehensive set of custom features and integrate it with other corporate and external systems through APIs, middleware, or iPaaS to expand its built-in capabilities and enable seamless data exchange.

Custom CRM features

Lead management

    • Sentiment analysis of prospects’ and customers’ online activity to assess brand reputation
    • Customer profiling and segmentation based on various metrics to fine-tune marketing campaigns and related budgeting
    • Customer journey mapping to identify the touchpoints and marketing channels involved in early customer interactions
    • Personalized marketing via targeted ads, tailored offers, and customized engagement strategies
    • Lead scoring to prioritize prospective customers with the highest perceived value and maximize the conversion rate

    Sales management

      • Real-time data aggregation from multiple corporate systems and communication channels for a unified customer view
      • Contact management to store names, addresses, telephone numbers, and other information in a unified repository
      • Automated appointment scheduling and follow-ups to let sales reps focus on customer-related tasks
      • Sales pipeline dashboards to monitor the progress of prospects and customers through the sales process
      • Administrative task automation, including quoting, CPQ, invoice generation, and contract management
      • Account history tracking to identify upselling opportunities based on customer information and past sales
      • Sales team performance assessment and enhancement via KPI analysis and account-specific suggestions

      Customer service

        • Personalized recommendations of products and services to improve customer engagement and lifetime value
        • 24/7 customer support through chatbots and automated email responses to facilitate help desk operations
        • Integration with 3rd-party ServiceDesk solutions, such as Zendesk
        • Automatic ticket categorization and routing to address customer queries more efficiently
        • Proactive assistance via push notifications to update customers in case of delayed delivery or other issues

        Custom CRM integrations

        to supervise customer-related processes and harmonize them with other corporate workflows

        to track customer journeys and purchases and enable dynamic pricing

        and other in-store payment gateways to gather customer data from traditional sales channels

        to enable user access to personalized services and relevant information

        to automatically fill in quotes, invoices, contracts, and other documents with customer data

        to unlock more advanced analytical and forecasting capabilities

        Social media

        to monitor user interactions and better assess sentiments towards your brand

        to monitor your sales managers’ KPIs in relation to sales performance and customer feedback

        Marketing platforms

        such as Mailchimp and Bloomreach, to automate marketing campaigns and personalize customer journeys

        Custom CRM development steps

        Itransition offers full-cycle consulting and development services to guide your organization through all CRM implementation stages, from project planning to software engineering and post-deployment maintenance.

        1

        Business analysis

        Our consultants carry out discovery workshops and software ecosystem evaluations to determine your goals and needs. Then, they help you outline your CRM’s functional and non-functional requirements, set up an implementation roadmap, and define the project’s budget, timeframes, and deliverables.

        2

        Design

        We define your CRM’s usage scenario and user journeys and prepare a software specification detailing its architecture and features, along with wireframes and mockups. Then, we select an effective tech stack and deliver a PoC to ensure the project’s feasibility.

        3

        Development

        Our team proceeds with front-end and back-end development, building the CRM solution through multiple iterations. We also set up all necessary software integrations via APIs or message-oriented middleware and handle code reviews and debugging.

        4

        Testing

        Combining manual reviews and test automation software, our QA engineers execute functional, performance, compatibility, usability, and security tests to identify and correct bugs, UX/UI design mistakes, or other issues.

        5

        Deployment

        We deploy the CRM solution to the hosting environment of your choice (on-premises, cloud, or hybrid). We also integrate the application with other corporate software and migrate data from your legacy systems to the new CRM.

        6

        Maintenance & support

        Itransition provides your organization with ongoing training (demoing, tutorials, etc.) and support, along with maintenance services to fix technical issues and fine-tune the application over time. We can also enhance your software with new features and functional adjustments.

        Custom vs out-of-the-box CRM

        Before embarking on a rewarding but demanding CRM development project, you must decide whether to build your software from the ground up or purchase and customize an off-the-shelf product based on the following factors.

        Custom CRM

        Off-the-shelf CRM

        Features
        Features

        Bespoke functionality in line with your unique business requirements and CRM strategy

        Fixed modules and features established by the CRM vendor

        Costs
        Costs

        Higher upfront investment to fund your CRM software development project

        Higher long-term costs for software licensing fees and necessary customizations

        Adoption timeframe
        Adoption timeframe

        Slower implementation since your team has to design and develop the solution from scratch

        Faster adoption as the solution is ready for deployment, but customizations can slow down the process

        Deployment
        Deployment

        Hosting environment (cloud, on-premises, or hybrid) selected by your company

        Deployment models decided by the CRM software provider

        Support
        Support

        CRM fine-tuning, troubleshooting, and user support performed by your in-house specialists or an external team

        Maintenance and updates included in the software subscription or available for an extra fee

        Integrations
        Integrations

        Flexible custom integrations set up by your IT staff

        Native integrations with compatible third-party platforms and SaaS applications

        Modifications
        Modifications

        Extensive customization possibilities to adapt the CRM functionality to emerging business needs

        Limited customization and configuration options within the vendor’s predefined settings

        Control
        Control

        Full ownership and control over the CRM during its development and after release

        Little or no control over the application

        Change management
        Change management

        Minimal workflow and tech stack adjustments, as the application is designed with your operational scenario in mind

        More extensive changes to your business processes and technical environment to take full advantage of the new CRM

        Potential risks
        Potential risks

        Project budget overruns and long-term maintenance burden for your in-house team

        Vendor lock-ins, unexpected licensing costs for premium services, and lack of essential features

        When to opt for custom CRM

        Consider building custom CRM software if one or more of the following conditions match your business scenario:

        Functional & performance gaps

        Out-of-the-box solutions lack the features, security measures, or scalability essential to meet your business requirements, user needs, and established workflows.

        Expensive customization

        Filling the functional gaps of packaged software through customization is too expensive or impossible due to technical limitations.

        Long-term TCO increase

        Licensing fees for off-the-shelf CRM are likely to increase in the long run, especially if pricing is based on the number of users that can scale up as your business grows.

        Difficult integration

        Boxed CRM solutions are difficult or expensive to integrate with your existing corporate software ecosystem, including legacy applications.

        Streamline your sales cycle with Itransition’s CRM solutions

        Get in touch

        Custom CRM development costs

        The budget to complete a custom CRM development project can range from around $90,000 for an entry-level tool for small businesses to $300,000+ for an enterprise-oriented CRM solution with advanced capabilities. After assessing your specific business case, our consultants will provide more detailed estimates based on the following cost factors:

        Architecture and functional scope
        including modules and features

        Number of users
        along with UX/UI customizations for different user roles and permissions

        Tech stack
        such as development tools, cloud services, and hardware

        Hosting environment
        where the CRM will be deployed (on-premises, cloud, etc.)

        Number and type of integrations
        with other software and data sources

        Data management costs
        for cleansing, storage, modeling, and migration

        Development team composition
        including designers, front-end and back-end developers, QA engineers, etc.

        Post-deployment expenses
        for training, support, maintenance, and updates

        Cost factors

        Key challenges of custom CRM and how to overcome them

        Full ownership of your customer relationship management system and superior control over software implementation are top priorities for many enterprises, but they typically translate into greater effort and accountability. Here are the best practices we follow and the relevant services we provide to address common custom CRM challenges.

        Budget overruns

        In the short term, building custom CRM systems is typically more expensive than adopting out-of-the-box or SaaS solutions, and costs can snowball during the project due to technical complexities. Also, companies risk overlooking licensing fees for third-party development tools, hosting environment, and hardware or wasting time and resources to develop unnecessary functionality.

        • We provide project budgeting and license optimization consulting, helping you define a suitable feature set and select cost-effective technologies like open-source tools and deployment models.
        • We offer different engagement models and related pricing systems to best meet your expectations.
        • We adhere to the Agile approach to project planning, managing, and tracking to reduce the initial delivery timeline and support iterative product improvement.
        • We apply DevOps methodologies (CI/CD and test automation, microservices, incremental build model, etc.) to streamline the development process and reduce product delivery costs.

        Compliance & security

        CRM solutions process sensitive data, such as personal data and business-related information about customers, leads, and offers made, which should be protected from leaks or cyberattacks and managed according to relevant standards and regulations. While CRM vendors typically take care of these aspects, adopting custom software implies that safeguarding data and the application itself is up to you.

        • We equip your CRM with solid cybersecurity features, such as identity and access management, multi-factor authentication, user activity monitoring, dynamic data masking, and encrypted data exchange.
        • We perform regular risk assessments via penetration testing to identify and address potential vulnerabilities.
        • We build CRM solutions compliant with the data management standards and legislation applicable to your industry.
        • We help you implement data governance policies defining how data assets should be managed and shared across your company.

        Maintenance efforts

        Despite accurate testing, software solutions can be affected over time by glitches and degraded performance due to latent defects, changes in the software environment, and other reasons. If your organization opts for a custom CRM application, maintenance, updates, and troubleshooting will fall under the responsibility of your in-house staff or contracted specialists.

        • We complement our CRM consulting and development services with post-implementation, long-term assistance that covers:
        • Adaptive maintenance to adjust the application to your evolving software ecosystem and usage scenario
        • Perfective maintenance to improve the CRM functionality and performance through code optimization or new features
        • Corrective maintenance to fix glitches or bugs compromising the software operation and user experience
        • Preventive maintenance to ward off future problems and improve maintainability via code refactoring or backup

        FAQs

        What are the advantages of using a custom CRM?

        Unlike off-the-shelf CRM software or applications built on top of CRM platforms (Salesforce, SAP, etc.), a custom CRM solution offers unique features built according to your business workflows and corporate needs, including compliance with specific security requirements. This results in minimal process adjustments, along with easier user buy-in and adoption across your company. Furthermore, you’ll have full control over your product and avoid licensing fees, achieving long-term savings.

        How long does it take to build a CRM?

        Building your own CRM solution from scratch can take over 2,000 work hours over a 6-month+ development timeline, but figures can vary widely based on the project’s complexity.

        What technologies should be used to develop CRM?

        A typical custom CRM development tech stack includes back-end technologies (.NET, Java, Python, PHP, etc.) and front-end technologies (React, Angular, Vue.js, and more).

        AI in CRM:
top use cases, best platforms, and guidelines

        Insights

        AI in CRM: top use cases, best platforms, and guidelines

        Explore the major use cases, real-life examples, and implementation best practices of AI in CRM, along with the top AI-powered platforms on the market.

        CRM vs ERP: which one you need?

        Insights

        CRM vs ERP: which one you need?

        Learn the difference between CRM and ERP systems and find out whether your business needs a CRM, an ERP, or both.

        Salesforce CRM implementation for a real estate company

        Case study

        Salesforce CRM implementation for a real estate company

        Learn about Salesforce CRM implementation that helped a large real estate company increase their sales by 15% and shorten their sales cycle by 10%.

        Ecommerce CRM:
features, integrations & top platforms

        Service

        Ecommerce CRM: features, integrations & top platforms

        Explore how ecommerce CRM systems help retailers streamline customer data management, personalize buying journeys, and effectively convert leads to sales.