Most CRMs are overbuilt for tradesmen. Here's what features matter and which ones you can ignore.
A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system helps you track leads, manage follow-ups, and stay organised as your business grows. But most CRMs on the market are designed for large sales teams, not tradesmen. You need one that's simple, mobile-friendly, and focused on the features that actually matter for service businesses.
The essential features for a trade CRM are: lead capture (automatically importing enquiries from your website and phone), pipeline management (tracking where each lead is in your sales process), follow-up reminders (so no lead falls through the cracks), and basic reporting (showing you conversion rates and response times).
Mobile accessibility is non-negotiable. Your engineers and sales team are in the field, not sitting at desks. The CRM needs a mobile app where they can update job status, add notes after site visits, and see their schedule. If it only works well on desktop, it won't get used by the people who need it most.
Avoid CRMs that try to do everything. You don't need built-in email marketing, social media management, website builders, and project management in your CRM. These all-in-one tools are typically mediocre at everything rather than excellent at the core function of managing customer relationships. Pick a CRM that does lead and customer management brilliantly, and use dedicated tools for everything else.