Customer Relationship Management

How to build a custom CRM solution

Avaza 

Avonni

FormTitan

GivePulse: website

• Utility: GivePulse is an event management system that allows you to keep track of registrations for events, whether this be for volunteers, employees, or guests. Events can be public or private, and shifts can be created for the events, which qualified individuals can then register for. Volunteers/employees of the organization have personal accounts and can be tracked by hours worked. GivePulse also allows for multiple subgroups within the main organization, so volunteers/employees can be divided by specialty.
• Pricing
• We created a silver account for $8 per month, then added on two more subgroups for an additional $8 per month.
• Support is helpful in determining system needs and the price of that system.
• Additional Info: GivePulse has a responsive support team that is quick to answer any questions as needed.

Kintone

Salesforce

• Sandbox - A Sandbox is a testing environment that is meant to look and feel like the Salesforce being used in Production, without actually changing or disturbing any existing data or features.
• Object - An object in Salesforce is an overall entity or business category.
• (Example: Accounts, Opportunities, Campaigns)
• Record Type - A record type is a way to classify a type of object. Record Types are built into Salesforce to distinguish between separate business processes within a single category. For example, the Accounts object has 2 record types: Grantors and Households. The Opportunities object has many different record types.
• Page Layout - A page layout is connected to a record type. It’s essentially the screen/page you will see when you are working with a particular record type, like a Grantor or a Household. A page layout has 2 components: an Edit Page and a Detail Page. Page Layouts are a way to customize the fields you see depending on the record type.
• Tabs - Tabs are what you click on near the top of the screen. They relate to existing objects within your salesforce, and allow you to navigate to your objects to see associated records. A custom object can only have one custom tab, and one custom tab can only be associated with one custom object.
• List Views - List Views are saved filters of the data within your Objects. When you are on the tab for your objects (ie. Accounts/Opportunities), you can create your own filters to be saved as a List View. List Views are saved off to the left in a drop-down menu when you click the name of your Object. List Views are a “snapshot” of all the records within an object based on what you want to filter out for. List Views have played an essential role in making our Visualforce pages.
• Visualforce Page & Visualforce Tabs - Visual Force Pages & Tabs are our workaround for the 1 custom tab for 1 custom object rule in Salesforce. VisualForce Pages are custom coded pages, while Visualforce Tabs are just tabs that connect to a Visualforce Page. They connect to a saved List View that is saved within an object.
• Validation Rules - Validation rules are restrictions on what you can enter into a certain field in Salesforce (ex: Grant amounts cannot be < 0). They help maintain the accuracy of data and help minimize any errors. Validation rules contain a formula/expression that evaluates the data in one or more fields and returns a value of “True” or “False”. Validation rules will display an error message when the rule returns a value of “True” due to an invalid value.
• Workflow Rules - Workflows are “business logic that evaluates records as they are created and updated and determines if an automated action needs to occur. In a way it allows records to speak up or do something – update data, notify people or external systems.” (https://www.shellblack.com/administration/workflow/)
• Time-Based Workflows - Workflows that are triggered by certain time criteria (Ex: 7 days from a deadline field, 30 days from a deadline field). Time-Based workflow actions execute at a specific time defined by you. When salesforce.com triggers a workflow rule, its time-dependent actions are placed in the workflow queue.

Thryv

• Thryv is a user-friendly CRM system commonly used by small businesses 
• The basic plan costs $60 a year 
• Features functionality to integrate with Squarespace so you can install additional widgets for no additional cost to your website, such as a calendar for scheduling appointments and a client portal to allow customers to track their purchases/view account activity/send files/make payments 
• Compatible with Braintree, an easy to use invoicing method. 
• They have a blog that offers advice to small businesses for good automated emails and text messages to start your CRM system off with 
• Their website offers free documentation, webinars, and live online support. There is a 24/7 chat room with a live rep. 
• Thryv is accessible on iOS and Android-operated mobile devices 
• They offer a free 7-day demo here 
• Watch this short tutorial on Thryv for small businesses