Bespoke CRM vs Off-The-Shelf | Pros and Cons

There are two types of CRM software: Bespoke CRM or Off-the-shelf and choosing one of them depends upon the business’s specific needs, objectives and goals. 

Bespoke CRM is custom-built to meet the particular needs of your business while Off-the-shelf software is pre-built and designed to fulfill several needs of any type of business.

Both the software has their pros and cons which we are going to discuss in this article. But before that let us walk you through what Bespoke and Off-the-shelf CRM system is.

What is a Bespoke CRM?

A bespoke CRM (Custom Relationship Management) is a tailored CRM system specifically built by keeping in mind the specific need of your business. Customers are the driving force of any business and customer satisfaction and loyalty will result in increased sales.

A CRM system is important to streamline and manage customers relationship which has a great effect on the growth of your business. You can specify all the features and functionalities required in your CRM system and the software is designed according to it. This CRM system integrates well with your business and:

• Automate complex business processes.
• Reduce ineffectiveness and inefficiencies.
• Improve productivity
• Increase profitability and sales.
• Improve customer satisfaction and win customer loyalty.

What is an Off-the-Shelf CRM?

Off-the-shelf software is pre-built software and applications that are mass-produced and sold to the general public or businesses for immediate use. They are designed to target a wide range of customers with a set of features and functionalities to streamline operations.

Off-the-shelf CRM systems are user-friendly, convenient and competent providing competitive advantages to your business. These systems are built to meet the general customers related needs of businesses of any kind.

Benefits of Bespoke CRM:

Bespoke CRM is relatively more popular as compared to off-the-shelf software as it is:

1. Fully customizable

As Bespoke CRM is tailor-made, it offers complete customization and control to you. You can have full control over the design, functionality and branding of the CRM system. This will provide you with a CRM system that fits fully with the specific needs of your business. 

2. Increased flexibility

Bespoke CRM offers more flexibility in terms of set features and functionalities. You can make adjustments and modifications to the design even after the completion of the software. In this way, bespoke CRM provides greater flexibility which helps to streamline the workflow.

3. Scalability

Over time, your business requirements will most likely change when you scale. Here bespoke CRM system will help you in making changes as well as it can be developed to handle larger volumes of data effectively.

4. Competitive advantage

As bespoke CRM is specifically designed for your business only, this will give you an advantage over your competitors. It will help you to differentiate from your competitors and enhance your revenue.

5. Greater control with integration

Bespoke CRM also offers greater control over the workflow and data. You can design it to meet your security requirements and also you will be given full ownership of the software. 

Another great feature of bespoke CRM is its ability to integrate with other third-party applications and systems.

Benefits of Off-the-shelf software:

Some of the highlighted benefits of Off-the-shelf software include:

1. More affordable

Off-the-shelf CRM software is more affordable as the software is made for a wider range of customer base. The development cost is kept reasonable so that all sizes of businesses can take advantage of it.

2. Immediate setup

As the Off-the-shelf software is predesigned, launched, and built and also it is fully developed and ready to use. Therefore, there is no waiting period and it is available to use as soon as you purchase it. Just like any other software, download the software, install it and then use it as per you like.

3. Reviews available

Off-the-shelf software is available for general public use so a lot of people have used it before you. You can read the reviews about this product from previous users and take their advice. This will help you in making the right decision.

4. Continuous development and updates available

Mostly Off-the-shelf software is developed by polished developers providing a promising product for people to use. You will get continuous updates available to improve your CRM system, which will most likely not require additional charges.

5. Availability of free trials

One prime benefit of Off-the-shelf software is the availability of “try before you use feature”. You should avail of this feature before making a financial decision.

But keep in mind Off-the-shelf CRM system has limited customization, is only affordable in the initial stages, contains unnecessary features, missing specific functionality and comes with no control over it.

Why choose a Bespoke CRM instead?

Bespoke CRM is much better as compared to Off-the-shelf software in terms of customization, scalability, features and much more.

Let’s discuss the pros and cons of using Bespoke CRM.

Pros of Bespoke CRM	Cons of Bespoke CRM
1. Customization: It is dully customizable that fits perfectly to the specific need of your business.	1. Costly: It is a bit costly as it requires development charges, unlike off-the-shelf software.
2. Individuality: It is specifically tailored for your business only giving you the personal touch.	2. Longer waiting period: As the tailored CRM system is built from scratch, it requires time for coding and development.
3. Flexibility: It will help you to make modifications before and after the completion and implementation of your CRM system.	3. Less or no updates: It gives you zero updates or only gives updates when requested.
4. Expansion: You can add more features and functionality with time or when you scale.
5. Integrations: Bespoke CRM can easily be integrated into a larger volume of pre-existing databases and systems.

So, what suits you the best?

Both Bespoke CRM and Off-the-shelf software has their pros and cons. The best CRM software for your business will be the one that fits your business needs perfectly. It doesn’t matter whether it is bespoke or Off-the-shelf CRM software.

But we recommend you use a bespoke CRM system as it is more beneficial than the Off-the-shelf software.

At Web Alliance, you will get a custom Bespoke CRM system specifically tailored for your small or large size business. Visit our website and read the testimonials to know more about our services.