M27BuildTechnology· Module 3
CRM
Every lead lives in someone's phone. When a salesperson leaves, their customers go quiet.
- Grow
- Fix
- Technology
- Customers
- ~5 min · Template
The business problem
Customer conversations happen on WhatsApp, email and phone, held by individual staff. The business has no single view of enquiries, quotes or customer history. A CRM is often bought as the fix, then abandoned because the underlying pipeline was never defined.
Why it matters
A CRM is valuable when it enforces a clear sales and service process. It protects customer relationships from staff turnover and makes performance visible.
What you will learn
- Define the pipeline before choosing a CRM
- Decide what data to capture and why
- Connect messaging channels like WhatsApp to the CRM
- Drive adoption through management use, not mandates
Core questions
- What are our pipeline stages and exit criteria?
- What do we need to know about each customer and enquiry?
- Where do enquiries arrive today?
- Which reports will management actually use?
Work through the module
CaseWhat is happening?
Travel company, 15 people · Illustrative teaching case
Consultants handle enquiries in personal WhatsApp chats. Response times vary and no one knows the conversion rate. The team agrees five stages and a response rule, then connects WhatsApp Business to a simple CRM that enforces them. Management reviews the pipeline weekly in the CRM.
Full teaching case: WhatsApp Is the CRM
DecisionWhat does the leader need to decide?
Buy a CRM now, or first define how an enquiry should move from first message to booking?
FrameworkHow should they think about the problem?
Process before platform
Define stages, owners, next actions and data needed. Choose the simplest tool that enforces them. Adoption follows when managers run their reviews from the CRM rather than asking for separate updates.
ToolWhat can they use?
CRM requirements sheetTemplate
- Pipeline stages and exit criteria
- Required fields per stage
- Channels to connect: WhatsApp, email, web forms
- Three reports management will use weekly
ApplicationHow does it apply to their business?
Apply it to your own business:
- Write your pipeline stages
- Measure response time for last week's enquiries
- List the reports you would use weekly
ImplementationWhat changes?
What should change in the business:
- Configure the CRM to the pipeline design
- Route all enquiries into it
- Run the weekly sales review from the CRM
ReviewDid it work?
How to tell whether the change worked:
- Are all enquiries in the CRM?
- Has response time improved?
- Can you report conversion by stage and source?
After this module you should be able to decide
Buy a CRM now, or first define how an enquiry should move from first message to booking?
And leave with: A pipeline design ready to run in a simple CRM.
Sequence · Technology
Related modules
Part of these learning paths