Custom CRM Development

We know this one from both sides: TravelCRM is our own CRM product, built because travel agencies kept bolting a travel-shaped process onto tools that had no concept of an itinerary, a supplier balance or a deposit schedule. That is the pattern worth looking for — not “we want it tailored”, but “the thing our business actually does has no representation in this software”.

Build, customise or configure?

What we build

• Data models built on your actual entities — jobs, cases, bookings, properties, patients — rather than forced into contacts and deals.
• Pipelines matching your real stages, including the ones that loop back.
• Integrations with accounting, email, telephony and the systems the team already lives in.
• Data migration from whatever you are on, including the spreadsheet nobody admits to.
• Reporting on the numbers the business actually manages by.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a custom CRM cost?

Typically £30,000–£80,000 for a focused one, and £70,000–£150,000 where there are several integrations, complex permissions or heavy reporting. Compare it against several years of per-seat licensing at your projected headcount — that comparison, not the sticker price, is the real decision.

Can you customise an open-source CRM like SuiteCRM instead?

It is a legitimate middle path when you need self-hosting and control but a standard contact-and-deal model is close to your process. It is worth being clear-eyed that you take on hosting, upgrades and security in exchange, and that heavy customisation of any packaged CRM eventually costs more than it saves.

What usually goes wrong with CRM projects?

Adoption. A CRM nobody updates is worse than no CRM, because decisions get made on data that looks current and is not. The fix is building around how the team already works and migrating enough history that the system is useful on day one.

Do you integrate with our accounting system?

Usually yes — Xero, QuickBooks and Sage all have workable APIs. Where a system has no API, the honest answer is sometimes a scheduled export rather than live integration, and we would rather propose that than pretend otherwise.

How the engagement runs

• Scoping call, then discovery. We establish what you actually need before quoting. You approve scope before we write a line of code.
• Fixed price or capped time and materials. Tightly specified work suits a fixed price; genuinely new work suits a capped retainer. We recommend one rather than offering both and letting you guess.
• Weekly demos. You see working software every week, so nothing surprising turns up at the end.
• You own everything. Repositories, infrastructure and documentation transfer to you on payment. No vendor lock-in, no licensing you do not control.
• NDA as standard, usually before the first detailed call. We will often send one ourselves if you do not.

If you are planning work of this kind and want a straight assessment of scope, timeline and cost, tell us what you are building. We work with clients across the UK, EU and US.