Configuration v Customisation

This is all about future proofing your CRM so it\’s important to understand the distinction between these two terms.

When we say configuration, we’re talking about using the native tools or out-of-the-box features offered by a product. Some common examples of configuration include:

• creating the look and feel that you are after; brand colours, logos, email templates etc;
• levels of access – who can see what information is held on records, what they can do to those records (such as editing, deleting, merging etc)
• creating new or re-labelling existing fields to reflect the data captured by your organisation;
• re-organising page layouts so that the flow works for different teams;
• designing workflows and automation*; and/or
• Integrating third party Apps

Where possible, NobleCX tries to avoid customisation, however there are instances where all configuration options have been exhausted, meaning we have to go down that path.

Not to get too technical but customisation generally means that you have modified one of these out-of-the-box features by introducing code or triggers in order to meet your business needs. Customisation isn’t a bad thing, it just means that going forward, you’ll need to have either resources in-house (such as a developer or someone with that skill level) to make any changes or you will assign some budget for an external resource for ongoing maintenance or changes.

A word of caution with customisation. Because customisation is code, if you need to make a change, you’ll need someone can make the change, but also someone that understands exactly how the code behaves, otherwise you risk breaking the system.

Do your homework with this. Ask questions of your vendor, simple ones such as \”Will I (or someone less technical than you) be able to change this once we go live\” or \”What happens if there is an update to the CRM, will this get updated automatically too?\” to get an understanding of what kind of resourcing you\’ll need in the future.