How to build a no-code CRM with Directual

Customer relationship management systems. Just about any business with any meaningful volume of customers is very likely to use one. There are so many options available: starting with your trusty (not) MS Excel and up to Salesforce with tons of integrations on the table. 

For many, it’s a real analysis paralysis when it comes to choosing one. Price-wise, feature-wise, security-wise, and plain old taste-wise. Apart from Excel, just about any SaaS CRM has one thing in common: it’s a pay-per-seat option. What if…you don’t want to pay per every seat and for all the fancy features you have no use for?

You undertake your own CRM development project. This short article will explore the ins and outs of the process of building one with your own hands, code-free.

What is a CRM

First of all, let’s get the theory straight. A CRM (customer relationship management) system is a data organizer designed for all sorts of people to keep track of their (potential) customers. 

With a CRM in place, it's far easier to store data on every particular lead, communicate with them, and have everyone in sync on every active or inactive deal. CRMs can be used for marketing, sales, and support simultaneously - it really depends on how creative you are with any particular platform. 

Lastly, CRMs spur the efficiency of the sales process. It’s easier to delegate tasks, communicate between teams, and send occasional promo-blasts that just about always bring in extra sales. 

Why no-code CRMs are worthwhile

Short version: pay for data limits, not seats. Get the features you need and nothing else. Build as you go. Takes a bit of time to build, but it’s just so much cheaper and better in the long run.

Long version: quite recently, we’ve released a very curious case of a venture capital management system/CRM built on Directual. 

The task at hand was to build a complex and secure website for venture capital managers, analysts employed by said company, and companies enrolling with it. Three different sides to a single project, with a powerful CRM to back it up and make sure everything goes smoothly for all parties.

Now, here’s the equation: a small number of managers + a moderate number of analysts + hundreds, if not thousands of potential applicants (that must log in to report) = tons of seats. 

Quick gander: $24.90 per seat on the mid-tier Advanced plan. What if we need 40 seats for the company staff alone? That’s almost a thousand dollars a month. For a single app on Directual, that’s just $99. Ten times lower - and you can build whatever you want to go with it. 

To conclude the hard sell on building your own CRM with Directual’s help:

• Cheaper
• Flexible
• Secure
• Looks pretty
• There’s a template to get started!

Speaking of the template…

Building a no-code CRM with Directual

Normally I would go at length to describe every single step you can take to build a CRM, but that’s going to be an awful lot of steps to read. Instead, you should use a pre-made template we have!

Thanks to our Kanban component, you can build a fully functional and visually appealing CRM in literally 15 minutes. Here’s the list of things this little template can help you achieve:

• Database and links
• User authentication
• Web-pages. Form component (e.g. creating an order)
• Web-pages. Cards component (e.g. Fruit catalog)
• Scenarios, triggered by new objects
• Synchronic scenarios (order status change)
• Actions from Cards component
• Conditionals in Actions in Cards component

The Kanban component is extremely versatile and can be used to automate a whole array of things - extra actions, data exchange, messaging, dashboards, and so much more. What’s more, composing the logical core is quite simple and can be done via drag-and-drop. Here’s an example:

There is no set of instructions to get started with the CRM of your dreams - just start with the template, and look into other functions on our YouTube channel or Documentation pages as you go. Enjoy!

Afterword

We understand that committing to building your own CRM (and a whole host of integrations likely) is a task requiring careful consideration. Ask Directual developers anything if you’re unsure - we’ll do our best to answer your questions at hello@directual.com.