1. Check whether clearer spreadsheet habits are enough
If one person handles a simple customer list and follow-ups rarely get missed, first try consistent fields, an owner and a next-contact date. Use one agreed working file. A new CRM will not resolve unclear responsibilities or inconsistent data by itself. Observe whether these changes remove the problem before commissioning more software.
2. Identify the failures a CRM must prevent
Review a recent working period and collect concrete examples, without exposing customer details in a public brief. For example, an enquiry passed between two staff members may lose its promised callback because neither owns the task. That calls for assignment and a due date, not simply another contact list.
- Two people contact the same customer without seeing each other's work.
- Past orders or conversations cannot be found when a customer returns.
- Overdue follow-ups stay invisible until someone asks.
- Access cannot be limited to the customer records each role needs.
3. Design one useful customer record
Define the minimum: a customer identifier, useful contact details, relevant history, current owner, next action and due date. Agree how duplicate records are reviewed before merging. Keep notes factual and necessary for the work. Decide who can read, edit or export each field, and how long records should be kept.
4. Compare a ready-made tool with a custom workflow
Try the same customer journey in each option: receive an enquiry, assign it, record a conversation, set a follow-up and close the task. A ready-made CRM may fit without custom development. Consider custom work when a necessary workflow cannot be supported acceptably. Verify each proposed LINE, booking or store connection with the actual provider and account; do not assume every message can be imported.
5. Pilot the work before moving every record
Clean a small agreed sample, check duplicates and record where each field came from. Let the people who handle customers test it. Review missed follow-ups, time spent finding history and tasks without owners against your starting point. Keep an export and recovery procedure, then agree when the old file becomes read-only so two competing records do not develop.
O2's CRM scope
O2 offers CRM built to an agreed scope and does not currently publish a completed CRM deployment. Customer records, history and follow-ups are scoped around your team. Membership is separate work; POS, payroll and HR software are outside O2's offer. Bring the actual follow-up problem so the first scope can stay focused.