What a CRM is (and what it isn't)
A CRM (Customer Relationship Management system) is a tool that tracks every interaction you have with contacts and helps you follow up systematically. At its core, it answers three questions: Who are you talking to? What stage are they at? What happens next?
That's it. Everything else—automation, analytics, AI features—exists to support those three questions.
CRM vs spreadsheet vs inbox vs helpdesk
| Tool | Best for | Breaks when |
|---|---|---|
| Spreadsheet | Static lists, one-time projects | Tracking conversations over time |
| Inbox | Reactive communication | Proactive follow-up, team visibility |
| Helpdesk | Support tickets, issue tracking | Sales pipelines, complex workflows |
| CRM | Systematic relationship tracking | Simple one-off tasks |
The 5 jobs a CRM must do well
Capture every contact automatically
From email, forms, calls, chat—without manual entry.
Show the full timeline
Every email, call, meeting, note in one place.
Track pipeline stages clearly
Who's where, what they're worth, what happens next.
Remind you to follow up
Automatic prompts so nothing slips through.
Report what matters
Response time, follow-up coverage, conversion rates.
Common myths (and why small teams still need one)
"I remember everyone I talk to"
You do—until you don't. CRMs fail when you rely on memory. They work when they capture context you'd otherwise lose.
"CRMs are for big sales teams"
Small teams benefit more. You can't afford to lose deals because someone forgot to follow up.
"We'll start using one when we're bigger"
Starting early is easier. Migrating messy data later is expensive and painful.
"Our inbox works fine"
Your inbox shows who emailed you. A CRM shows who you haven't followed up with.
The CRM landscape in 2026 (the categories that matter)
Sales CRM, marketing-led CRM, service-led CRM, suites
Most CRMs fall into one of four categories. Understanding which category fits your workflow saves months of testing.
Sales CRM
Built around pipelines and deals. Track stages, forecast revenue, manage follow-ups.
Best for: B2B sales teams, consultants, agencies
Marketing-led CRM
Built around campaigns and lead scoring. Track email opens, segment lists, automate nurture sequences.
Best for: Content businesses, e-commerce, SaaS with long funnels
Service-led CRM
Built around tickets and customer history. Track issues, response times, satisfaction scores.
Best for: Support-heavy teams, service businesses, SaaS post-sale
Suites
Try to do everything. Sales + marketing + service in one platform. More features, steeper learning curve.
Best for: Teams that need all three and can invest in training
Inbox-native CRMs vs traditional CRMs
Inbox-native CRMs live inside your email. Traditional CRMs live in a separate tab. This matters more than most features.
Inbox-native
- ✓No context switching
- ✓Easier adoption
- ✓Better for email-heavy workflows
- ×Limited reporting
- ×Fewer integrations
Traditional
- ✓Powerful reporting
- ✓More integrations
- ✓Better for complex workflows
- ×Requires active logging
- ×Slower adoption
Industry CRMs (when they make sense)
Industry-specific CRMs come with pre-built workflows and terminology. They save setup time but lock you into their assumptions.
Choose an industry CRM if:
- Your workflow matches the template exactly (real estate, insurance)
- You need compliance features built in (healthcare, finance)
- Integration with industry tools is critical
Avoid if your workflow is even slightly custom. General CRMs are more flexible.
The real cost of a CRM (what pricing pages don't show)
CRM pricing pages show per-seat costs. They don't show setup time, data cleanup, training, or switching costs. Those hidden costs often exceed the subscription.
Licensing models and how vendors price
Per-seat pricing
Most common. Watch for tier jumps (first 5 seats cheap, next 5 expensive) and feature gates (reporting only on higher tiers).
Contact-based pricing
Marketing CRMs often charge per contact stored. Hidden cost: duplicates and old contacts inflate your bill.
Usage-based pricing
Charge per email sent, API call, or automation run. Predictable until it isn't.
Freemium
Free up to a limit, then paid. Risk: outgrowing the free tier before you're ready to pay.
Switching costs and lock-in
CRM switching is expensive. Expect 2-3 months of reduced productivity, lost historical context, and re-training. Check three things before committing:
- Can you export all data in a usable format (CSV)?
- Can you export attachments, notes, and email history?
- Can you leave without penalties or minimum terms?
A simple ROI model (time + follow-up lift)
Use this calculator to estimate the total cost and break-even point for your CRM.
CRM Total Cost Calculator
Time spent on data cleanup, updates, maintenance
Average hourly rate for admin work
Migration, training, consulting
Estimated increase in follow-up rate
The CRM selection framework (choose faster, regret less)
Most teams spend weeks testing CRMs and still pick the wrong one. This framework cuts decision time in half.
Step 1: Map your workflow
Before looking at any CRM, map your actual workflow. Answer these questions:
- How do leads enter your system? (form, email, call)
- What stages do they go through? (inquiry, quoted, closed)
- What triggers a follow-up? (time delay, status change)
- Who needs visibility? (just you, a team, external partners)
- What reports matter? (response time, conversion rate, pipeline value)
Write this down. It becomes your requirements doc.
Step 2: Decide your non-negotiables
List 3-5 must-haves. These are deal-breakers. Common ones:
- Two-way email sync (not just logging)
- Mobile app that works offline
- Specific integration (e.g., QuickBooks, Stripe)
- Custom fields without limits
- Bulk actions (import, update, delete)
- Export all data without vendor help
Any CRM that fails a non-negotiable gets cut immediately.
Step 3: Score options with weighted criteria
Create a simple scoring sheet. Rate each CRM on:
- Ease of use (weight: 3x)
- Core features (weight: 3x)
- Integrations needed (weight: 2x)
- Reporting quality (weight: 2x)
- Price (weight: 1x)
- Support quality (weight: 1x)
Score 1-5 for each criterion. Multiply by weight. Highest score wins.
Download: CRM Scoring Sheet Template
A pre-built Google Sheet with weighted criteria, scoring guide, and comparison view.
Download Scoring SheetStep 4: Run a proper 14-day test
Don't just click around. Run a real test:
- Day 1-3: Import 20-50 real contacts, set up pipeline stages
- Day 4-7: Use it for actual work (log calls, send emails, set follow-ups)
- Day 8-10: Test integrations (email, calendar, key tools)
- Day 11-14: Pull reports, check mobile app, test support
At the end, ask: Did we actually use it every day? Was it faster than our old system?
Step 5: Make the call (avoid "committee CRM")
CRMs chosen by committee fail. One person should own the decision, gather input, and commit. That person also owns rollout and training.
If you can't decide between two options, pick the simpler one. Over-customized CRMs become junk drawers.
Not sure which CRM category fits?
Take this 2-minute quiz to find your recommended CRM type and top priorities.
What's your primary use case?
Features that actually matter (and the ones that don't)
CRM demos show hundreds of features. Most teams use 10. Focus on these.
Contact timeline and record quality
The timeline shows every interaction with a contact. Check:
- Does it capture emails automatically?
- Can you log calls with one click?
- Do notes sync across devices?
- Can you attach files and link to deals?
If the timeline is cluttered or hard to read, skip the CRM.
Pipelines and stages (how many is too many)
Start with 3-5 stages. More than 7 means you're over-engineering. Good pipeline stages:
- New lead
- Qualified
- Proposal sent
- Negotiation
- Closed won / Closed lost
Test: Can you drag deals between stages easily? Can you see value per stage?
Follow-ups (the real revenue driver)
This is the feature that justifies a CRM. You should be able to:
- Set follow-up tasks automatically
- See today's follow-ups in one view
- Get reminders before tasks are overdue
- Track follow-up completion rate
If follow-ups require 3+ clicks, you won't use them.
Email and calendar integration checks
Email sync makes or breaks CRM adoption. Test these:
- Two-way sync (send and receive from the CRM)
- Thread tracking (keep conversations together)
- Auto-linking (attach emails to the right contact)
- Calendar sync (meetings show on timeline)
- BCC logging (for emails sent outside the CRM)
If email sync is laggy or unreliable, move on.
Reporting that's worth looking at
Most CRM reports are noise. You need 3-5 core reports:
- Pipeline by stage: Where are deals stuck?
- Lead response time: How fast do we reply?
- Follow-up coverage: % of contacts with next steps scheduled
- Conversion rates: Stage-to-stage drop-off
- Source quality: Which channels convert best?
If you can't build these reports in 5 minutes, the reporting is too complex.
Permissions and audit trail basics
Even small teams need access controls. Check for:
- Role-based permissions (admin, user, view-only)
- Private records (hide sensitive deals from some users)
- Audit logs (who changed what, when—critical for data integrity)
- Bulk delete protection (prevent accidental wipes)
Integrations and your stack (stop buying overlapping tools)
What belongs inside the CRM vs outside it
The biggest CRM mistake: trying to do everything in one tool. Use your CRM as the central record, not the place where work happens.
Inside the CRM
- • Contact and company records
- • Communication timeline
- • Deal pipeline and stages
- • Follow-up tasks
- • Core custom fields
- • Basic reporting
Outside the CRM
- • Proposal creation (DocuSign, PandaDoc)
- • Invoicing (QuickBooks, Stripe)
- • Project management (Asana, Linear)
- • Advanced analytics (BI tools)
- • Content creation (Notion, Google Docs)
- • Deep technical support (Zendesk)
Email, forms, chat, proposals, invoicing, support
Must-have:
Two-way sync, thread tracking
Nice-to-have:
Templates, tracking opens
Forms
Must-have:
Auto-create contacts, assign ownership
Nice-to-have:
Lead scoring, routing rules
Chat
Must-have:
Capture transcripts, link to contact
Nice-to-have:
Live visitor tracking, chatbots
Proposals
Must-have:
Attach to deal, update status
Nice-to-have:
Two-way sync, e-signature tracking
Invoicing
Must-have:
Link invoice to customer record
Nice-to-have:
Payment status updates, revenue tracking
Support
Must-have:
Show tickets on contact timeline
Nice-to-have:
Sync ticket status, SLA tracking
Native integrations vs Zapier vs API
Native integrations: Built and maintained by the CRM vendor. Most reliable, deepest features. Always prefer these.
Zapier/Make: Good for simple one-way syncs. Breaks when APIs change. Not suitable for mission-critical workflows.
API/custom: Maximum flexibility. Requires developer time. Only worth it for unique workflows or high-volume operations.
Data hygiene (duplicates, field rules)
Integrations create data faster than you can clean it. Set these rules early:
- Duplicate matching: Match on email first, then phone, then company domain
- Required fields: Minimum: first name, last name, email. Don't require more.
- Field validation: Format phone numbers, validate emails, standardize addresses
- Auto-cleanup: Weekly de-dupe scan, quarterly purge of old unengaged contacts
Data model basics (so your CRM doesn't become a junk drawer)
Contacts vs companies vs deals vs tickets
Contacts
Individual people. One contact can be associated with multiple companies and deals.
Example: "John Smith, VP of Sales at Acme Corp"
Companies
Organizations. Contains shared data (industry, size, location). Link multiple contacts.
Example: "Acme Corp, 50 employees, Tech industry"
Deals
Sales opportunities with a value and stage. One contact can have multiple deals over time.
Example: "$15,000 deal, Proposal Sent stage, closes March 2026"
Tickets
Support requests or issues. Linked to a contact and optionally a deal or company.
Example: "Bug report, Priority High, assigned to Support Team"
Custom fields without regret
Custom fields are dangerous. Every field you add is one more thing to maintain. Rules:
- Start with zero custom fields. Use default fields for 30 days first.
- Only add fields you'll update regularly. If it won't change, put it in notes.
- Use dropdowns, not free text. Free text becomes unreportable garbage.
- Name fields clearly. "Contract Renewal Date" not "Renewal" or "CR Date"
- Delete unused fields. Quarterly audit. If it hasn't been updated in 90 days, delete it.
Tagging vs properties vs lists
Tags: Quick, flexible, messy. Good for temporary categorization. Bad for long-term structure.
Properties/Fields: Structured, reportable, rigid. Good for core data. Bad for experimental categorization.
Lists: Filtered views based on criteria. Best for campaigns, segments, or workflows.
Use tags for experiments. When a tag sticks for 3 months, convert it to a property.
What to log automatically vs manually
Log Automatically
- • Emails sent and received
- • Calendar meetings
- • Form submissions
- • Website visits (if tracked)
- • Deal stage changes
- • Task completions
Log Manually
- • Phone call summaries
- • In-person meeting notes
- • Competitor mentions
- • Budget/authority insights
- • Relationship context
- • Strategic decisions
Implementation plan (30 days, no drama)
Most CRM rollouts fail because teams try to do everything at once. This plan gets you live in 30 days, with adoption that sticks.
Pre-work: clean data and define stages
Before setup, invest 2-3 days in:
- Clean your contact spreadsheet (de-dupe, standardize fields)
- Map out 3-5 pipeline stages
- List your must-have integrations
- Decide who owns the CRM (one person)
- Set success metrics (response time, follow-up rate)
Week 1
Capture + pipeline + follow-up rules
- ✓Import contacts (start with 50-100, not everything)
- ✓Set up pipeline stages and default values
- ✓Connect email (two-way sync)
- ✓Create 3 follow-up task templates
- ✓Set up new lead capture (form or email forwarding)
Week 2
Templates + reporting
- ✓Create 3-5 email templates for common scenarios
- ✓Build core reports (pipeline, response time, follow-ups)
- ✓Set up daily digest or notifications
- ✓Add mobile app and test basic workflows
- ✓Document your process (one-page quick-start guide)
Week 3
Integrations + permissions
- ✓Connect calendar sync
- ✓Set up key integrations (proposals, invoicing, etc.)
- ✓Configure user roles and permissions
- ✓Test data export (make sure you can leave)
- ✓Set up weekly data cleanup automation
Week 4
Training + QA + launch
- ✓Train team (2 hours max, hands-on practice)
- ✓Run parallel with old system for 1 week
- ✓Fix friction points and adjust workflows
- ✓Turn off old system completely
- ✓Schedule 30-day review meeting
Who owns the CRM (even in tiny teams)
CRMs without an owner become data graveyards. One person must:
- Make config decisions (fields, stages, integrations)
- Run weekly data cleanup
- Monitor adoption (are people using it?)
- Troubleshoot issues
- Review and approve changes
This person doesn't need to be technical, but they do need authority to enforce standards.
Download: 30-Day CRM Rollout Checklist
Week-by-week checklist with setup tasks, training templates, and launch criteria.
Download Rollout ChecklistMigration guide (from spreadsheets or another CRM)
What to export and what to leave behind
Don't migrate everything. Migrating garbage data wastes weeks.
Migrate
- • Active contacts (engaged in last 6 months)
- • Open deals and opportunities
- • Recent communication history
- • Core custom fields that are up-to-date
- • Active tasks and follow-ups
Leave Behind
- • Contacts with no activity in 12+ months
- • Closed/lost deals older than 1 year
- • Old custom fields nobody uses
- • Duplicate records
- • Test data and sandbox records
Field mapping step-by-step
- Export from old system. Get CSV with all fields. Check for data you didn't know existed.
- Map required fields first. First name, last name, email, company. Everything else is optional.
- Standardize formats. Phone numbers, dates, currencies—clean before import.
- Create fields in new CRM. Match data types (text, number, date, dropdown).
- Test with 20 records. Import a small batch, verify everything mapped correctly.
- Run full import. Do it outside business hours. Check for errors immediately.
De-duplication rules
Set your de-dupe rules before importing. Common strategies:
- Match on email: If two records have the same email, merge (keep most recent activity)
- Match on phone: Secondary check for contacts without email
- Match on company domain: Link contacts from same company
- Manual review for close matches: "John Smith" vs "J Smith"—flag for human review
Import validation checklist
Post-import checks:
Post-migration rules to keep it clean
After migration, enforce these rules to prevent data decay:
- Weekly de-dupe scan (automate if possible)
- Required fields enforced on new records
- No manual CSV imports without CRM owner approval
- Quarterly audit of custom fields (delete unused)
- Monthly purge of contacts with no activity in 18+ months
Download: CRM Migration Checklist
Step-by-step migration plan with field mapping template and validation checklist.
Download Migration ChecklistCRM playbooks (copy/paste workflows)
These playbooks have been tested across hundreds of small teams. Copy them directly into your CRM.
Lead capture playbook
When: New lead enters system
1. Auto-create contact from form submission, email, or manual entry
2. Assign owner based on source, territory, or round-robin
3. Set first follow-up task (due within 2 hours during business hours)
4. Send internal notification to owner (email or Slack)
5. Log source (where they came from: website, referral, event)
Follow-up timeline (0–2 hours, 24 hours, 3 days, 7 days)
Initial response
Acknowledge inquiry, set expectations, ask qualifying question
Follow-up #1
Share relevant resource or answer question. Suggest next step (call, demo, quote).
Follow-up #2
Check in, address objections, provide social proof or case study.
Follow-up #3
Final touchpoint before longer nurture. Offer specific help or discount if appropriate.
Long-term nurture
Quarterly check-ins with valuable content. No hard sell.
Weekly pipeline clean-up (15 minutes)
Every Monday, spend 15 minutes on pipeline hygiene:
- Move stale deals to "Lost" or "On Hold" (no activity in 30+ days)
- Update deal values and close dates based on recent conversations
- Schedule follow-ups for deals with no next step
- Archive or delete contacts with no activity in 6+ months (if not opted in)
- Check for duplicate records and merge
No-show and lost deal re-open
Not all lost deals are dead. Re-engage after 90 days:
- No-shows: Follow up same day ("Hey, we missed you today—everything okay?")
- Lost to price: Re-engage when you have a promotion or new pricing
- Lost to competitor: Check in after their contract renewal period
- Lost to timing: Follow up when their stated timeline arrives
Renewals and retention
Renewal timeline:
90 days before: Check-in call, gather feedback, preview upcoming features
60 days before: Send renewal notice with pricing (lock in current rate if renewing early)
30 days before: Follow-up if not renewed, address concerns
7 days before: Final reminder, escalate to manager if high-value customer
Expiration day: Graceful downgrade, keep door open for re-activation
Download: Follow-Up Scripts & Playbooks
Email and SMS templates for each stage of the follow-up timeline, plus playbook PDFs.
Download PlaybooksCRMs by business type (quick-start picks)
Category-led recommendations based on workflow, not features lists.
Solo operator
Lightweight, inbox-native, minimal admin
Focus on:
- ✓Email sync and tracking
- ✓Mobile app
- ✓Simple follow-up reminders
Avoid:
Complex pipelines, team features, enterprise pricing
Small service business
Client history, scheduling, invoicing integration
Focus on:
- ✓Contact timeline
- ✓Calendar sync
- ✓QuickBooks or Stripe integration
Avoid:
Marketing automation, lead scoring, complex reporting
Ecommerce
Customer segmentation, order history, email campaigns
Focus on:
- ✓Shopify/WooCommerce integration
- ✓Email marketing
- ✓Purchase history tracking
Avoid:
Sales pipelines, deal tracking (use for post-purchase only)
B2B sales team
Pipeline visibility, forecasting, team collaboration
Focus on:
- ✓Multi-stage pipelines
- ✓Reporting and dashboards
- ✓Territory management
Avoid:
Marketing-heavy CRMs, inbox-native tools (need dedicated platform)
Service-heavy teams
Ticket tracking, SLA management, customer satisfaction
Focus on:
- ✓Ticket workflows
- ✓Response time tracking
- ✓Knowledge base integration
Avoid:
Sales-first CRMs, marketing automation
Inbox-heavy teams
Email threading, shared inbox, templates
Focus on:
- ✓Gmail/Outlook native integration
- ✓Shared templates
- ✓Email assignment rules
Avoid:
Separate CRM login, complex data entry
Security, privacy, and vendor checks
Roles, access, MFA basics
Even small teams need access controls. Minimum requirements:
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA): Required for all users, especially admins
- Role-based permissions: Admin, standard user, read-only at minimum
- IP restrictions (optional): Limit access to office or VPN for sensitive data
- Session timeouts: Auto-logout after inactivity
- Audit logs: Track who changed what and when
Data export and retention
Before signing up, verify:
- Export all data in standard formats (CSV, JSON) without vendor help
- Export attachments and files separately
- Export email threads and communication history
- Retention after cancellation: How long do they keep your data? Can you get it back?
- Delete on request: Can you permanently delete data (GDPR compliance)?
Vendor questions (backups, uptime, compliance)
Questions to ask before signing:
Backups: How often? Can I restore myself or need support?
Uptime SLA: What's the guarantee? What's the refund if they miss it?
Data location: Where are servers located? Does it comply with local regulations?
Compliance: SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA (if needed)?
Breach notification: How soon will they tell you if there's a security incident?
Support response time: What's guaranteed vs best-effort?
Download: Vendor Security Checklist
One-page checklist of security, compliance, and vendor questions to ask before committing.
Download ChecklistMetrics that prove your CRM is working
Track these 5 metrics. If they're improving, your CRM is working. If not, fix your process.
Lead response time
< 2 hours during business hours
Why it matters:
Speed wins deals. Responding within 2 hours increases conversion by 400% vs waiting 24 hours.
How to measure:
Track time from lead capture to first contact attempt. Flag anything over 4 hours.
Follow-up coverage rate
> 90% of contacts have next step scheduled
Why it matters:
Deals die in the gap between conversations. Scheduled follow-ups prevent ghosting.
How to measure:
% of open deals with a task or meeting scheduled within next 14 days.
Pipeline velocity
Decreasing average days in each stage
Why it matters:
Faster pipeline = more deals closed. Stalled deals waste time and rarely close.
How to measure:
Average days in each stage. Flag deals that sit 2x longer than average.
Stage conversion rates
Know your baseline, improve 5-10% per quarter
Why it matters:
Identifies where deals drop off. Fix the leaky stage, improve overall close rate.
How to measure:
% of deals that move from each stage to the next. Track monthly.
Source quality tracking
Know which channels have highest close rate and LTV
Why it matters:
Focus on channels that bring best customers, not just most leads.
How to measure:
Track lead source through to closed won. Calculate close rate and revenue per source.
Download: KPI Dashboard Template
Pre-built spreadsheet with all 5 metrics, formulas, and charts. Update weekly, review monthly.
Download KPI DashboardWhy CRMs fail (and how to avoid it)
Most CRM failures aren't about the software. They're about how you use it. Here's what kills adoption.
Over-customizing too early
Symptom:
Spent 40 hours building custom fields, workflows, and automation before anyone used the CRM
Fix:
Start with defaults. Add one custom field per month, max. Delete anything unused after 90 days.
Too many stages and fields
Symptom:
7-stage pipeline, 30+ custom fields, nobody knows what half of them mean
Fix:
3-5 pipeline stages, 5-10 custom fields. If you can't explain it in one sentence, delete it.
Nobody owns the system
Symptom:
Data quality degrades, duplicates pile up, nobody enforces standards
Fix:
One person owns the CRM. They approve changes, run weekly cleanup, and monitor adoption.
Data duplication across tools
Symptom:
Contact info in CRM, spreadsheet, email signature, and project management tool—all out of sync
Fix:
CRM is the single source of truth. Other tools pull from it, not the other way around.
Reports nobody trusts
Symptom:
Built 20 reports, nobody looks at them because the data is wrong
Fix:
Fix data quality first, reports second. Start with 3 core reports, add more only when needed.
CRM glossary (plain English)
Contact
An individual person in your CRM. Has name, email, phone.
Company/Account
An organization. Can have multiple contacts associated with it.
Deal/Opportunity
A potential sale with a value and stage. Moves through your pipeline.
Pipeline
Visual representation of deals moving through stages (e.g., Lead → Qualified → Proposal → Closed).
Lead
Unqualified contact. Haven't determined if they're a good fit yet.
Qualified Lead
Contact that meets your criteria (budget, authority, need, timeline).
Stage
Step in your sales process. Deals move from one stage to the next.
Close Rate
Percentage of deals that result in a sale (e.g., 20 closed won / 100 total deals = 20%).
Conversion Rate
Percentage that move from one stage to the next (e.g., 50% of leads become qualified).
Pipeline Velocity
How fast deals move through stages. Faster = more deals closed.
Follow-up
Next scheduled action with a contact (call, email, meeting).
Timeline
Chronological history of all interactions with a contact (emails, calls, notes).
Custom Field
Data field you add beyond the defaults (e.g., 'Industry', 'Contract Value').
Tag
Label attached to a contact for flexible categorization (e.g., 'VIP', 'Hot Lead').
Segment/List
Filtered group of contacts based on criteria (e.g., 'Leads from last 30 days').
Workflow/Automation
Automatic actions triggered by events (e.g., 'Send welcome email when contact created').
Integration
Connection between CRM and another tool (email, calendar, invoicing).
API
Technical interface for custom integrations. Requires developer.
Duplicate/Merge
Combining two records for the same person or company into one.
Owner
Person responsible for a contact or deal. Gets notifications and tasks.
Task
To-do item with a due date. Linked to a contact or deal.
Note
Free-text log of a conversation or context. Shows on timeline.
Activity
Generic term for any interaction (email, call, meeting, task).
Source
Where a lead came from (website, referral, event, paid ad).
Templates and resources library
All templates referenced in this guide, ready to download and customize.
CRM Requirements Doc
Google DocPre-filled template to map your workflow and define must-have features
DownloadReady to implement your CRM?
Use these templates to speed up your selection, implementation, and rollout. Start with the requirements doc and scoring sheet.