Short answer: choosestandard (HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive)if you want to get started quickly, have common sales needs and fewer than a dozen users. Chooseown CRMwhen the license cost becomes high, when you are forced to adapt your entire way of working to the tool, or when the very way you handle customers is part of your business model. Below you will find the limits, the numbers and a checklist.
What is the difference between a standard CRM system and a custom one?
CRM stands forCustomer Relationship Management- a system where you collect customers, contacts, business and history in one place. Astandard systemis a ready-made product you rent per month and user, for example HubSpot or Salesforce. You get tons of features right away, but you adapt to how the tool is built.
Aown CRMis a system that is built based on your company's way of working. You own the code and the database, pay no per-user licenses and decide exactly how it works. The price is that someone has to build and maintain it.
When does it pay to continue with standard?
For the vast majority of companies, standard is the right choice. This applies to you if:
You have common sales needs: leads, pipeline, follow-up, quotes.
You are a small team - roughly up to 10-15 salespeople.
You want to be up and running within days, not months.
You do not want to be responsible for operation, security and updates.
A standard system is like a rental apartment: ready to move into, but you don't get to knock out the walls however you want.
When does own CRM start paying off?
The calculation usually reverses when one or more of these are true:
The license cost is skyrocketing.Salesforce and HubSpot charge per user and per month. With many users and more expensive packages, the annual cost quickly reaches six-figure amounts. Then an own construction cost can pay for itself in a few years.
You are forced to adapt the way of working to the tool.If you spend time bypassing the system rather than working within it, the tool works against you.
Your way of working is a competitive advantage.If you have a unique process – a special quote logic, an industry-specific customer journey – you don't want to force it into a template that all competitors also use.
You need deep integration.When the CRM must talk closely with your business system, your e-commerce and your own tools, a separate system is often simpler in the long run.
Rule of thumb: as long as the standard system costs less than what your own would cost to build and run - and you can work efficiently in it - stick with it. When both of these conditions reverse, start counting on your own.
How much do the different routes cost?
Rough ranges, to give a feel - not exact quotes:
Standard CRM:from a few hundred Norwegian kroner per user per month. Cheap to start, but the cost grows linearly with the number of users and features.
Own CRM:a one-off cost to build (depends entirely on scale) plus ongoing operation and maintenance. No license per user – the cost does not automatically grow as the team grows.
The important insight: standard has low initial cost but rising ongoing cost. Own has a higher initial cost but flat ongoing cost. The more users and the longer time horizon, the more it speaks for itself.
Checklist: build your own if you answer yes to several
Are you already paying a lot in CRM licenses, and is the team growing?
Are you bypassing the system instead of working in it?
Is your customer process unique and an actual competitive advantage?
Does the CRM need to be closely integrated with your other systems?
Do you want to own data and functions in full, without being locked to a supplier?
If you answer yes to one or two - think about it. If you answer yes to three or more - then your own CRM is worth a serious calculation.
How does ZORC think about this?
OnZORCwe always start with your actual situation, not with a product we want to sell. Often the answer is that a standard system is enough, and then we say so. But when the numbers and the way of working point towards our own, we build a CRM that fits exactly how you work - and that you own yourself.
Are you unsure which path is right for you? Get in touch with ZORC, and we'll go through your users, costs and processes and calculate it together - completely without sales talk.
