MOSC is a CRM implementation agency. We work in B2B with a high check and a long transaction cycle, so it is impossible for us to do business without a transparent and simple sales system.
Until the spring of 2020, we worked as the Russian representative office of the international mailing platform Mailigen and used Zoho CRM, which is not the most convenient and friendly system. In March 2020, Pipedrive CRM absorbed Mailigen, and our division ceased to be part of an international company and transformed into an official elite partner and reseller of two products: a mailing platform and a CRM system. Pros, cons and cost of CRM
We switched to Pipedrive CRM, in a couple of years we increased our competencies and created a CRM implementation department in our agency. Since we were no longer part of the company, but only acted as partners, we began to develop areas for the implementation of other CRMs: amoCRM, S2 CRM, and Bitrix24.
In March 2022, Pipedrive officially stopped accepting payments from Russian companies. We transferred our business processes to amoCRM and helped our clients with their move. In two years, we were forced to change two CRMs. We share our experiences. Benefits of a simple and functional CRM
Why we implemented CRM
The B2B sector involves long-term communication with the client before concluding an agreement and, most often, project work or support after. Personal communication and a deep understanding of the client’s business are important here. Without structured information for each project, it is impossible to keep everything in your head. How To Create a Content Marketing Strategy: A Complete Guide
In addition to structured information about the client, CRM allows you to integrate services. Other system features:
- Receive applications from all channels in a single space;
- Answer calls and keeps records of conversations, send letters and messages to instant messengers directly from the system;
- Automate routine tasks, such as writing standard letters or drafting contracts;
- Analyze the work of the entire sales department and each employee separately;
- Timely prevent a drop in revenue and increase sales.
We worked at Zoho CRM when we were only selling the mailing list platform. When we got a separate convenient service for sales – Pipedrive – we transferred all processes to it, set up automatic tasks and reports for managers, and analytics for marketers and managers. 5 Top Digital Marketing Trends for 2022
For example, we had the following automation scripts set up:
- The task of the manager is to call when a new application enters the system.
- The task for the manager is to “Call back” if he did not get through to the client.
- Create a new deal in the service sales funnels after successfully closing a deal in the Qualification funnel.
- The manager’s task is to “Prepare a quotation” when transferring the transaction to the appropriate stage of the sales funnel.
- Create a new deal in the “Renewal licenses” funnel after successfully closing a deal in the “Initial license sale” funnel.
- Create a new deal in the Sales Funnel after successfully closing a deal in the CRM Setup Sales funnel.
- The task for the manager is to call a month before the end of the license.
- The task for the manager is to call a week before the end of the license.
As a result, we got:
- Convenient system for sales;
- Transparent reporting on the actions of managers;
- Tracking the status of affairs in real-time, without distracting employees from their daily tasks;
- Evaluation of the effectiveness of marketing channels not only in terms of lead generation but also in terms of profit;
- Finding weak spots in the funnels where potential customers were lost;
- Reduction of transaction terms and increase in the number of sales per manager.
Pipedrive: pros, cons, and costs
Advantages of the system: user-friendly intuitive interface, flexible system for setting fields and reports, visually understandable analytics, convenient automation system.
Disadvantages of the system: not tailored to the Russian market (few integrations with Russian services); the cost is higher than that of domestic solutions. How to buy Samsung smartphones in Russia now and how much they cost
When we talk about the cost of customization, it is important to understand that customization is a project that includes several stages:
- Design – description, and creation of business processes of the sales and marketing department (sometimes plus logistics and accounting).
- Initial setup of funnels, automation, and connection of the necessary external services.
- Testing and bug fixing.
- Employee training.
- Technical support and development of CRM for the actual needs of the business (an endless process).
In our case, stages 1, 2, and 3 took 2 weeks or 30 working hours at a rate of 2,500 rubles per hour, that is, 75,000 rubles.
Employee training and running-in for 2 weeks are included in the price, but in general, it takes about 5-8 more hours.
1.5 months after the implementation, when we learned how to work with the necessary basic functionality, we began to make improvements to CRM: we added new automation scripts to remove routine tasks from managers and test new services, such as a chatbot. We spent about 4-10 hours a month on this, that is, 10,000 – 25,000 rubles.
As for the cost of licenses, the math is much simpler here: the amount is determined by the number of employees who work in CRM, as well as the chosen tariff. In our case, there were 6 jobs on the Professional tariff. We paid immediately for a year with a 15% discount. It turned out about 280,000 rubles, taking into account the euro.
AmoCRM: pros, cons, and costs
Advantages of the system: simple interface, which means the quick adaptation of employees; cost (compared to Pipedrive); optimal for our tasks is not overloaded functionality.
Cons of the system: compared to Pipedrive, there is a lot of “raw” functionality that works at full capacity only when widgets (third-party services) are connected, which means that it reduces the speed of CRM and increases the cost of using the system.
Migration was carried out in two stages:
- Moved all the funnels and automation that they could set up, taking into account more modest
- Functionality compared to Pipedrive;
connected external services.
The first stage took a week and 15 hours of working time, that is, 37,500 rubles.
The second stage took another 10 hours and 25,000 rubles.
The cost of licenses for 6 workplaces was 72,000 rubles per year + 3 months as a gift. The promotion is valid when purchasing a license from amoCRM partners.
System Selection Tips
- Describe the business processes in the company. CRM is just a program that makes work easier. In order to choose and correctly configure it, you need to understand how sales occur in the company, when and what actions managers perform, and what indicators you track. When the processes are understood, the requirements for the system become clear: how many funnels, which required fields, which reports, etc.
- Make a list of services that need to be integrated with CRM. Each system has its own marketplace and integration options, so first learn about the possibility of integration, and then dig deeper. For example, that integration with IP telephony not only allows you to call from CRM but also attaches a call record to a client card.
- Consider company growth. So that the functionality of the system is enough for at least several years because migration from one CRM to another is a complex, long and unpleasant process.
- Test support. As with any service, there will be questions and bugs with CRM. It is important that technical support responds promptly and really helps, and does not throw off links to useless articles.