Fit with the work
Map the client journey, records, approvals and exceptions. Compare what an existing product can support through configuration with what genuinely needs custom development.
Resources →Does your firm need
Does your firm need
a custom CRM?
The right answer depends on the work, the existing options and the full cost of running the system. Start with the business requirements and compare the alternatives on the same terms.
Six questions before you decide.
The full cost of ownership
Compare implementation, licences, hosting, model usage, integration, maintenance, security review and internal ownership over the same period. Released staff capacity is different from a cash saving.
Integration and data
Check access to existing systems, data quality, migration effort and ongoing synchronisation. Confirm provider permissions and limits before treating an integration as available.
Adoption and accountability
Identify who owns the system, who keeps records accurate, how users are trained and how support works. A system needs to fit the working day to deliver value.
Control and licensing
Agree source-code access, intellectual property, data portability and third-party dependencies in writing. A custom build and a licensed product can have different ownership arrangements.
Evidence before expansion
Test the most important workflow with a defined group. Agree success measures and review what changes in practice before widening the rollout.
Configure, extend
or build.
An existing product may be the right choice when its workflows fit and your team can operate it well. Extending an existing system may address a specific gap. A custom build becomes worth exploring when important requirements remain unmet and the value justifies the delivery and operating commitment.
Costs and payback depend on scope, usage and your starting point. We work through those assumptions with you and agree a proposal for the engagement.
How we scope engagements →