Software development
Custom CRM development.
Systems that replace spreadsheets, paper and manual re-entry. Cut to the process that actually exists in your company, not to someone else's template.
We reply within 24 hours.
Based in Zagreb, EU VAT registered, working with international clients.
What is a CRM system?
A CRM system (customer relationship management) is software in which a company keeps everything about its clients in one place: contacts, quotes, contracts, arrangements and the history of communication. The whole team sees the same information, so nobody searches for data across emails and spreadsheets. A custom CRM does the same, but it follows your process instead of making you adapt to the tool.
Off-the-shelf CRM or custom CRM?
Off-the-shelf CRM tools work well as long as your process looks like the process they were written for. The problem starts when it does not: half the fields are of no use to you, the one you need does not exist, and the team goes back to Excel because it is faster. At that point the company is paying a subscription for a tool nobody uses.
A custom system works in the opposite order. First we look at how the work actually runs today, who enters what and where data gets lost, and then we build the tool around that. The result is a system your staff use because it makes their day easier, not because it is mandatory.
| Off-the-shelf CRM | Custom CRM | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting started | Off-the-shelf: Right away, after setup | Custom: After a call and a written proposal. The first version usually in two to four months. |
| Way of working | Off-the-shelf: The team adapts to the tool | Custom: The system follows the process you already have |
| Cost over time | Off-the-shelf: A subscription per user, rising with every new employee | Custom: Development, then monthly or yearly maintenance |
| Links to other tools | Off-the-shelf: Integrations the vendor has planned for | Custom: Connections to the tools you already use |
| Growth | Off-the-shelf: Up to the limit the tool was designed for | Custom: New features are added when the business needs them |
| Ownership | Off-the-shelf: You use the tool while you pay the subscription | Custom: The code and the data are yours |
If the limits of an off-the-shelf tool do not affect you, choose an off-the-shelf CRM. We will tell you so in the first call, even when it means we do not get the work.
What a custom CRM covers
Scope depends on the business, but the core is usually the same:
- Records of clients, locations, equipment or cases, depending on the industry.
- Contacts and communication history per client, with a reminder before a quote, contract or renewal expires.
- Incoming and outgoing documents: quotes, invoices, payment status and due dates.
- Reports that someone puts together by hand today, generated with one click.
- Roles and permissions: the owner sees everything, a manager their own area, staff their own part of the work.
- Work from a phone for people who are not at a desk.
A CRM often comes with a mobile app for people in the field or a portal where clients see their own data. We build them on the same data, so nothing is entered twice. We also build them as separate projects: mobile app development for iOS and Android, and web application development for the browser.
How CRM development works
You come with a problem, not a specification. We write the scope and the estimate.
- 1EnquiryDescribe the business and what slows you down in it today. We reply within 24 hours and arrange a time.
- 2Introductory callWe go through how the work runs today and who will work in the system. There is no charge for the call.
- 3Proposal and contractWe send the scope, timeline and price in a written proposal, also at no charge. Code ownership, terms and confidentiality are set out in a contract before work starts.
- 4First versionWith the people who do the work, we write down how it actually runs and build the core. The first usable version is usually ready in two to four months.
- 5Phases and maintenanceThe system grows in phases, with a delivery at the end of each and a regular progress report. After go-live we stay on for maintenance.
Examples from our work
Cautus Sistemi, based in Zagreb, builds custom CRM and business systems for companies in Croatia and abroad. Some of them are our own products, so we also run them after launch.
Patrono
Patrono is our system for running restaurants and cafés. The owner and the manager see revenue, supplier invoices, food cost per dish and the staff schedule in one application, and staff open their shifts from their phones, in the app from the App Store or Google Play. At Papoy in Zagreb it gave the owner and the manager back over 10 hours a week previously spent on administration in other tools.
Read the case studyAgency CRM
For an agency that runs delivery platforms and strategy for restaurants we built a CRM that takes in platform reports, joins them per venue and assembles the report that goes to the client. Work that used to mean several days of assembling spreadsheets is now an import and a check, and every figure in the report traces back to its source row.
CRM for agencies and service businessesKlinika Hub
Klinika Hub is our system for private medical practices. Patients book online, the doctor keeps the record and writes the findings, and electronic prescriptions, referrals and insurance checks run through an integration with CEZIH, the Croatian national health information system.
Software for clinics and pharmaciesIntegrating with what you already have
A custom system rarely starts from nothing. We connect to the tools you already use: POS and fiscalisation systems, delivery platforms, email, accounting services and Excel files whose data is imported instead of retyped. The aim is to enter data once and have it passed on automatically.
Patrono is one example. It connects to the POS Sector POS system and to the ePoslovanje e-invoicing service, so a venue that already uses them keeps its hardware and its POS.
Your data stays yours
The data in the system remains your property and is stored on European infrastructure. Access is limited by roles, and every record shows who entered it and when. If you ever decide to leave, you receive the data in a standard format, and we hold nothing back.
From the portfolio
Business systems we have built.
Restaurant Management Platform
VisitPatrono
Operations platform for a restaurant, in the browser and as an app on the App Store and Google Play. The owner sees where the place stands every day: revenue, costs and supplier invoices in one place, food cost per dish with margins, shift schedules staff open on their phones, and HACCP records ready for an inspection.
Read the case study
Business system
VisitAgency CRM
CRM for a consultancy working with restaurants and food brands. Tracks clients and their venues, consolidates data from delivery platforms, and produces reports, a planner and analytics.
CRM for agencies and service businesses
SaaS platform
VisitKlinika Hub
Clinic management platform with online booking, patient records and WhatsApp automation.
Questions
FAQ
How much does custom CRM development cost?+
The price depends on scope: how many processes and roles the system covers, how many existing tools it connects to, how much data has to be moved from spreadsheets, and whether it needs a mobile app or a client portal. You get the exact amount in a written proposal after the first call, and there is no charge for the proposal. Describe the business in the enquiry form.
How long does it take to build a CRM system?+
The first usable version with the core process is usually ready in two to four months. The system then grows in phases, by priorities we set together, instead of everything waiting for one release.
What is the difference between a CRM and an ERP?+
A CRM manages the relationship with clients: contacts, quotes, arrangements and sales. An ERP manages internal operations, for example the warehouse and bookkeeping. In a custom system you do not have to keep that line. We build the part your business needs and connect to the ERP or bookkeeping system you already have.
Can it connect to the tools we already use?+
Yes, that is the most common part of the work. We connect to POS systems, delivery platforms, email and accounting services, and import your existing Excel spreadsheets as starting data.
Can we move our data from an off-the-shelf CRM or from Excel?+
Yes. Before the transfer we go through clients and contacts with you, merge the same clients entered under different names, and only then import. The new system starts with the data you already have.
Our process is not written down anywhere. Is that a problem?+
No, that is the normal situation. It is exactly the first step of the project: we go through the work with the people who do it and write down how it actually runs. We then build the system on that, not on an idealised version.
Who sees which data in the system?+
Everyone sees what they need for their work. The owner sees everything, a manager their own area, and staff their own part of the work. If you give clients access, each of them sees only their own data. Every record shows who entered it and when.
Does the CRM work on a phone?+
Yes. The system opens in the browser on a computer and on a phone, and people in the field can also get an app for iOS and Android. Patrono works this way, in the browser and as an app on the App Store and Google Play, so the same data is there at the desk and in the venue.
Which industries do you build CRM systems for?+
We have built systems for hospitality, private medical practices, agencies and retail. An industry we have not worked in yet is not an obstacle, because the first step is always the same: with the people who do the work, we write down how it actually runs.
What happens to our data if we stop working together?+
The data is your property from day one. If we stop working together, you get a full export in a standard format and access to everything that has been built.
Do you work with clients outside Croatia?+
Yes. We are based in Zagreb and build software for clients in Croatia and abroad. We invoice as a Croatian company with an EU VAT number.
Contact
Have an idea? Let's talk.
Tell us about the project. We reply within 24 hours. We write the scope and the estimate, after a first call and at no charge.
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