CRM implementation: stages, budget and preparation

CRM implementation starts with describing your sales process, roles, data and integrations. You buy the licence afterwards, to fit that description. In the AKORDO catalogue, business analysis and a specification cost $400-800, and implementation or relaunch costs $1,100-2,700. The client pays for licences and other external costs separately, and AKORDO sets the exact scope after a free consultation.

Start with the sales process

AKORDO carries out business analysis and a specification as a separate piece of work: process analysis, choosing a CRM to fit the process and budget, roles, pipelines, integrations, the specification and a plan. After this work, you have defined requirements for the future system.

Before the consultation, write down how an enquiry currently comes in, who takes it, where the information is stored and what happens after the conversation. Add the situations the team works around manually: a repeat enquiry, a change of the person responsible, a postponed decision, clarifying terms.

An example for discussion: a company works with corporate and private clients, and the team has to explain whether the sales steps and the data needed differ between them. The case on a commercial system for hospitality follows this split: two sales structures, one for corporate clients and one for private clients. Decide the number of pipelines and fields only after that explanation.

What to prepare for business analysis

Gather a compact set of materials that show how the department works in practice:

• a description of the current process and the people responsible;
• sample data from spreadsheets or your current CRM;
• the reports the head of sales uses to monitor sales;
• a list of systems the CRM needs to work with;
• sample documents and messages that accompany a deal;
• the team’s questions about the current way of working.

You do not need a full catalogue of desired features at this stage. Next to each wish, write down the business task: what action a person needs to take or what decision they need to make.

Specification: roles, pipelines, fields and integrations

A specification explains how to check the finished work. Use this structure to prepare.

This list will help you prepare requirements. Agree the specific criteria and scope for your project.

The CRM catalogue lists KeyCRM, HubSpot, Pipedrive, Zoho CRM, Odoo, Creatio, Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics 365, OneBox and NetHunt. Business analysis matches the system to your process and budget.

Data, launch and team training

In the catalogue, implementation or relaunch includes pipelines, fields, roles, data migration, integrations with the website, telephony, email and messengers, and training.

Before migrating data, agree which records are needed for work and how the team will handle disputed cases. For example, two records relate to the same client but contain different agreements. Agree the merge rule before the work starts.

For the launch, choose the working scenarios the team must go through: take an enquiry, clarify the need, record an agreement, hand over a task, close a deal. Running through these scenarios shows whether the process is ready, and you check the settings along the way.

If a CRM is already running, name the problem first. For duplicates, empty fields and distrust of reports, the catalogue has CRM Health Check. It includes diagnostics of structure and data, risks with a plan, and CRM discipline rules.

What the cases confirm

In the case on a commercial sales system in financial services, CRM structure sits alongside the department’s processes, KPIs, incentives, training, scripts and management analytics. The case does not give the name of the CRM vendor.

The case on a sales department for a brand with seasonal demand describes CRM together with how the department is organised: KPIs, manager training and communication standards. The case names neither the platform nor the implementation timeline.

The case on sales department transformation in retail describes a sales management system, team management and standardised processes. For requirements on how the department works, this is useful context; the case does not mention a particular CRM vendor.

Budget and indicative timelines

According to the AKORDO service catalogue:

In the catalogue, the CRM implementation or relaunch package starts from $1,400 and includes business analysis and a specification together with implementation or relaunch. You agree the package contents for your specific request, so do not work out its price as a simple sum of the individual service ranges.

AKORDO quotes the exact amount after a free consultation. The client pays for licences, API, hosting and telephony separately. Catalogue timelines are indicative and are not contractual.

If a separate in-house tool alongside the CRM is under discussion, the article on vibe coding for business automation will help you move that topic into a separate review. First define the tool’s task and the limits of its interaction with the CRM.

Questions before you start

Is the CRM licence included in the cost of the work?

No. The catalogue lists external costs separately: licences, API, hosting and telephony are paid for by the client.

What if there is a CRM but the team does not use it?

The catalogue offers a relaunch for this situation. CRM Health Check pins down problems with structure, data and discipline. At the consultation, agree what task the work should solve.

Is there a universal launch timeline?

The catalogue indicates from 4 weeks for implementation or relaunch. The actual timeline depends on the agreed scope, and catalogue timelines are not a contractual obligation.

Discuss your requirements through the CRM implementation service or a free AKORDO consultation.