Observations
CRM Systems: How a Digital Crutch Can Turn into a Weight Around Your Neck
You bought a CRM system to simplify your work, yet now managers spend more time entering data than calling clients. The system that was supposed to be your “secret weapon” has become a digital junkyard.
Modern CRM systems resemble restaurant buffets: dozens of options, from AI analytics to integration with smart refrigerators. Developers stuff them with features that 90 percent of companies will never use, as if obsessed. But why? The answer is simple: marketing. The more “killer features,” the higher the price and the more impressive the presentation. Meanwhile, frontline managers are struggling to find the “Save contact” button in the interface labyrinth.
Functional redundancy is not an advantage, but a trap. For example, why should a CRM be able to predict a client’s mood if it can’t distinguish between a cold and hot contact? Why integrate with smartwatches if managers want to turn off notifications on their phones? It’s like buying a Ferrari to drive to the corner store for bread: expensive, pointless, and slightly humiliating.
The interfaces of many CRM systems seem designed to train future astronauts. Adding a new contact requires completing a five-step process, confirming the action three times, and solving a CAPTCHA. If you want to find an old deal, prepare for a long search; it will take longer than the deal itself. Users hate such systems. They enter data carelessly just to get it over with. Then, everyone is surprised: “Why are the analytics lying?”
CRM automation often becomes absurd. For example, the system can send clients emails at three in the morning, congratulate them on their cat’s birthday, or generate reports that no one reads. This is not optimization; it’s digital hooliganism. If your CRM annoys clients and employees, it’s working against you. Maybe what needs to be automated is not the processes, but their deletion.
How to Get Value from CRM Instead of Toxicity
The first rule of combating CRM chaos is to cut unnecessary functionality. If a feature isn’t used weekly, delete it. This is a tool, not a technology museum. CRM should solve problems, not showcase what programmers can do. Even if a CRM allows you to create 27 stages in the sales funnel, that doesn’t mean you have to use them all.
Employee training should not be lectures about the “magical capabilities of the system,” but rather an answer to the question, “What’s in it for me?” Managers will not enter data unless they see the connection between a click and their salary. Make it a rule that every action in the CRM directly affects revenue. If there is no connection, then there should be no action. Forget about two-hour webinars. Short videos, checklists, and a “Help, I’m confused!” button are more effective.
Integrations are a necessity, not a luxury. If a CRM cannot integrate with Telegram, Excel, and the Outlook calendar, it is useless. Set up automatic data transfer from chats into the system so that managers do not have to copy it manually. Use Zapier or Make to enable data to flow between services. If your CRM does not work with Excel in 2024, throw it out. Seriously.
Customization is not a whim, but a necessity. A CRM should reflect your processes, not someone else’s. If knowing a client’s favorite color is important to you, add a field for it. If not, delete everything that doesn’t lead to payment. Remember, a CRM is a shovel, not a framed painting. You can swing it, dig with it, and even hit yourself in the forehead if you make a mistake.
A CRM works when:
- It solves a specific problem, such as automating routine work or preventing customer loss.
- Её интерфейс проще, чем инструкция к микроволновке.
- Employees do not perceive it as a punishment.
When a CRM harms:
- Employees dream of “accidentally” deleting it from the server.
- You end up spending more time servicing the system than working with clients.
- Data in the CRM becomes outdated before anyone has a chance to review it.
Three Signs You Don’t Need a CRM
Imagine buying an industrial-grade vacuum cleaner to clean a one-room apartment. It’s loud and expensive, and half of its functions will never be useful. The same goes for a CRM. Sometimes, it’s not just excessive — it’s harmful.
- You work in “I can hear my colleagues breathing” mode. A small team is an ecosystem where decisions are made through personal agreements and quick conversations. If your managers are in the same office (or in a shared chat), a CRM becomes a bureaucratic ritual. Why spend an hour entering data into a system when you could just ask a colleague, “What’s going on with client Petrov?”
- Clients message you privately, not through the CRM. If 90 percent of deals are closed through Instagram direct messages or Telegram, the CRM becomes a digital archive that no one opens. For example, a company implemented an “advanced” system to store conversations. However, managers continued to work in messengers, and data only made it into the CRM afterwards. As a result, the analytics showed last quarter’s problems instead of current ones. Why pay for a CRM if your clients communicate with you on platforms without integrations?
- You love spreadsheets and aren’t ashamed to admit it. Excel and Google Sheets are CRM tools for people who dislike CRM. Spreadsheets are flexible and transparent and don’t require months of training. I personally know several companies where formulas and filters solve problems faster than sophisticated dashboards. Of course, spreadsheets are far from ideal.
Why CRM Is Not About Technology, but About Common Sense
CRM systems have long been a symbol of “serious business.” Like expensive watches or an office in the City. Companies implement them not because they need to, but because “everyone does.” However, blindly following trends is a sure path to digital schizophrenia.
The problem with CRMs is that they are often implemented “for the future.” The idea is that they will come in handy when we grow. But when the future arrives, the company still doesn’t use 80 percent of the functions.
The most dangerous myth is that a CRM “does everything itself.” It’s just a tool. If your business is chaotic, a CRM will turn it into organized chaos. It’s automated with Telegram notifications.
What should you do? Admit that a CRM is not a panacea. Sometimes, a spreadsheet and a chat are enough.
- Test it out before buying. Before buying, run an experiment and work in the demo version for a month. If employees don’t love the system in 30 days, they never will.
- Eliminate “sacred cows.” If the CRM doesn’t pay off within six months, get rid of it. Yes, it hurts. But it won’t hurt as much as paying for useless software for years.
