Building a quality, commercial-grade CRM doesn’t have to be expensive. Whether you’re looking to improve your company workflow, increase your client-side automation, or just get organized, there are a few keys to keeping costs in check without compromising quality.

1) Don’t Reinvent the Wheel

It seems so obvious, right? Don’t duplicate work by recreating what is already available. But you may be surprised at what’s now available. Business automation tools are expanding rapidly, and machines can now complete some tasks that only a human could just a few years ago.

Of course, it’s also easy to overdo automation, which typically requires some degree of up-front customization. To save time, only tasks that are repeated often should be automated, and nothing mission-critical should pass without human oversight or considerable testing. In all other cases, it’s probably better to have a person do it, or to use a judicious mix of human and machine labor.

If you’re not sure what tasks can be automated, don’t worry. We can help match solutions to your needs.

2) Create Single Points of Contact

Time is money, and in software development, the biggest drag is typically in the decision-making process. Don’t worry. We get it. You and your team are busy, and relevant stakeholders aren’t always available.

We’re here to help. The best way to facilitate your project is to assign a single project champion who can coordinate decisions and help collect materials and information from subject-matter experts.

It also helps to create a single repository. There’s less of a burden on your organization if everyone can bulk-upload documents to a single project directory, which also provides additional transparency over something like email, which may get deleted or lost as spam. And don’t worry about overdoing it. It’s our job to go through everything and find the nuggets that will make the project a win.

3) Write It Down

Whether it’s the processes, the project schedule, or the decisions made meetings, everything should be captured and circulated.

It seems like more work, right? We’re all busy. Why can’t we just make the decision and move on?

The answer is simple. Every decision that’s not captured will have to be decided again in the future (typically at yet another meeting). Memories fade, and the point of capturing action items and key decisions is not to create extra work but to eliminate rework. It’s important, for example, to record not just that a decision was made, but briefly why. If conditions change, the decision may need to be revisited. But if they haven’t, there’s no need to keep discussing it.

It’s okay if your team is in the habit of shooting first and asking questions later. We can help train them in best practices without adding additional burden.

Ready to get started? Caret Growth Strategies can help.