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1 min read
Your Ultimate Guide to Building Customer Experience That Drives Sales

Why does your business need a strong Customer Experience strategy?

Customers don’t evaluate individual touchpoints — they perceive the entire experience of interacting with your business. If there’s a delay, an unclear process, or a lack of personalization anywhere along the journey, you risk losing their trust. That’s why it’s crucial to analyze CX and continuously optimize it to retain customers and boost their loyalty. To help businesses take a systematic approach to CX, we’ve prepared a practical guide with recommendations and examples — a clear reference for building an effective customer interaction strategy. What’s inside the guide?
  • A clear strategy for building effective CX
  • Common mistakes that can cost you customers
  • Tools and approaches for automating the customer journey
Download the free guide and start improving your Customer Experience today! Download the Free Guide Want to learn more? Start now and turn your CX into a success driver! Leave a request
18 min read
Зображення «колообігу» життя клієнта — від наближення до покупки
LTV — Customer Lifetime Value: Calculation and Practical Applications
LTV is all about the ability to measure your brand’s existence. If no one comes back to buy your product again, you’ve either failed to deliver on the brand experience or people don’t value that experience.
Taylor Holiday
Managing Partner of Common Thread Collective.
At the heart of today’s business isn’t the product or the advertising — it’s the customers who keep coming back. These returning customers drive company growth and serve as a measure of success: each repeat purchase is not just revenue, but a confirmation of your brand’s value in the eyes of the buyer. However, retaining customers is harder than attracting them the first time. The market is vast, competitors are aggressive, and customer expectations keep rising. In this environment, simply tracking sales or counting new leads is no longer enough. Companies need a clear answer to the question: “What real value does each customer bring over the course of our relationship, and is it worth investing resources to retain them?” The answer comes from LTV (Lifetime Value), also known as CLV (Customer Lifetime Value) — one of the key indicators of long-term business success. It allows you to view customers not as one-off transactions but as sources of stable, recurring revenue. Let’s take a closer look at how to calculate LTV and what it can do for your business.

What is LTV (Lifetime Value)

LTV, or Customer Lifetime Value, is a metric that shows the total revenue a business earns from a single customer over the entire period of their relationship. It takes into account all purchases and interactions — from the first transaction to the last touchpoint — capturing the full value a customer brings while staying with your business. How does it work? Imagine a coffee shop attracting a new customer through advertising. On the first day, they buy a coffee for 80 UAH. If they enjoy the drink, the atmosphere, and the service, they return tomorrow, next week, and perhaps even bring friends — becoming a regular visitor for three years, spending an average of 1,000 UAH per month. In this case, their LTV for the coffee shop would be roughly 36,000 UAH. This figure reflects the customer’s entire journey: initial acquisition, repeated purchases, and any additional spending generated by a positive experience. It’s worth noting that alongside LTV, the abbreviation CLV (Customer Lifetime Value) is commonly used internationally. Both represent the same concept, but with slightly different calculation focuses. LTV typically shows the average profit a customer brings over their lifetime with the company, while CLV looks at each customer individually, enabling more detailed segmentation.

Why Customer Lifetime Value Matters for Your Business

Mass marketing is becoming increasingly less effective in today’s market, while acquiring new customers gets more expensive every year. In contrast, retaining existing customers costs 5–25 times less, according to Harvard Business Review research. In this context, calculating customer lifetime value helps you identify which audience segments generate the highest profit and offer the greatest growth potential. This insight opens the door to personalized offers and communications, making customers feel understood and valued. The result is almost always increased loyalty, higher repeat purchase rates, and a boost in average order value. Moreover, analyzing LTV allows businesses to spot weaknesses in the customer experience: where engagement drops, when customers “churn”, and what isn’t working in your strategy. This insight helps generate hypotheses for service improvements, test new approaches, and adapt your business model to meet the expectations of your most valuable leads. In this way, the company invests more in returning customers, creates a positive experience for those still deciding, and identifies potential churners before it’s too late.

Why Calculate LTV: 7 Reasons for Business Owners

The LTV metric answers one of the most critical business questions: “How much do I need to spend to earn more?” But the value of LTV goes far beyond a single number. Calculating customer lifetime value provides businesses with a range of strategic advantages:
  1. Customer segmentation — Understanding which customer groups generate the most profit allows you to focus resources where they matter most.
  2. Personalized offers — Creating relevant products, promotions, and communications for different segments gives customers the feeling that they are seen and understood.
  3. Marketing cost optimization — Clearly defining how much can be spent to acquire a customer while remaining profitable enables more effective financial planning.
  4. Identifying the most profitable channels — Analyzing which sources bring in the highest-LTV customers helps you prioritize these channels in your marketing efforts.
  5. Reducing conversion costs — Eliminating ineffective channels and strategies that don’t bring valuable customers ensures budget efficiency.
  6. Adapting strategy to high-value leads — Flexibly adjusting approaches based on which customers drive the most growth helps preserve resources.
  7. Revenue and ROI forecasting — Accurately calculating how much to invest in acquisition maximizes return on investment.

How to Calculate LTV: Formulas for Different Industries

There’s no one-size-fits-all formula for calculating customer lifetime value. The method you choose depends on your business model, industry, and company goals. For example, in retail, the focus is usually on average order value and purchase frequency, for subscription services — churn rate and average revenue per user, and in banking — margin and long-term retention. So how do you pick the right method for your business? Below is a list of formulas commonly used across industries, with examples to help you determine which fits your company best.
  • Simple LTV Formula for Subscription Services and Recurring Payments

LTV = ARPU × Customer Lifetime ARPU — Average Revenue Per User per month = (Revenue ÷ Active Customers) Customer Lifespan — Duration of the customer relationship Example: ARPU = $30/month, Customer Lifetime = 24 months LTV = $30 × 24 = $720
  • Basic Multiplicative LTV Formula for eCommerce and Retail

LTV = AOV × Purchase Frequency × Customer Lifespan AOV — Average Order Value (total revenue ÷ total number of purchases) Purchase Frequency — How often a customer buys Customer Lifespan — Duration of the customer relationship Use case: eCommerce, retail, regularly purchased products. Example: AOV = $80, customer buys 4 times per year, lifetime = 3 years LTV = $80 × 4 × 3 = $960.
  • LTV Formula with Margin and Churn (for SaaS and Online Services)

LTV = (ARPU × Gross Margin) ÷ Churn Rate ARPU — Average Revenue Per User per month = (Revenue ÷ Active Customers) Gross Margin — Profit margin Churn Rate — Customer attrition rate Use case: Services with predictable payment streams. Example: ARPU = $15/month, Gross Margin = 60% (0.60), Churn = 4% (0.04) ARPU × Margin = $15 × 0.60 = $9.00 Divide by churn: $9.00 ÷ 0.04 = $225.00 LTV ≈ $225.
  • NPV Model (for B2B and High-Value Products)

LTV = Σ (Revenueₜ × Margin ÷ (1 + Discount Rate)ₜ) — CAC Σ — Sum across periods (year, month, etc.) Revenueₜ — Revenue in period t Margin — Profit margin CAC — Customer acquisition cost Use case: Long-term contracts and infrequent purchases. Example: Revenue: $200, $240, $300 over three years. Margin = 50% (0.5), Discount Rate = 10% (0.10), CAC = $100 Year 1 = (200 × 0.5) ÷ (1 + 0.10)¹ = 100 ÷ 1.10 = $90.91 Year 2 = (240 × 0.5) ÷ (1 + 0.10)² = 120 ÷ 1.21 = $99.17 Year 3 = (300 × 0.5) ÷ (1 + 0.10)³ = 150 ÷ 1.331 = $112.70 Sum of discounted contributions = $90.91 + $99.17 + $112.70 = $302.78 LTV = $302.78 − $100 = $202.78
  • Segmentation and Analytical Approaches (Applicable Across Industries)

LTV = Σ (Segment Revenue × Retention Probability × Margin) Σ — Sum across periods (year, month, etc.) Segment Revenue — Revenue from the customer segment Retention Probability — Likelihood of retaining the segment Margin — Profit margin Use case: RFM analysis, cohort analysis, and multi-category businesses. This approach helps account for the fact that different customer groups have varying levels of value and retention.

How to Use LTV in Marketing and Business: Practical Applications

Knowing your LTV helps companies make informed decisions: how much to invest in customer acquisition, which loyalty strategies work best, and where to identify profit growth opportunities. But how does it work in practice?
  • Customer Segmentation LTV is an ideal criterion for segmenting your audience, allowing you to categorize your customer base — from the most valuable to those generating minimal profit. This helps identify high-potential clients and deliver personalized experiences: VIP offers, tailored communication, special discounts, and more.
  • Forecasting and Planning Revenue prediction is a core use of LTV. With thoughtful approaches like cohort analysis, channel segmentation, and geographic breakdowns, businesses can estimate where future profits will come from.
  • Personalized Offers Analyzing lifetime value reveals which products or services your most valuable customers purchase. This insight enables targeted campaigns, product bundles, and upsell or cross-sell opportunities.
  • Retention and Loyalty LTV directly correlates with brand reputation: customers who feel valued return more often and spend more.
  • Identifying Growth Opportunities in the Customer Experience A declining LTV in a segment signals waning customer interest. Tracking changes in LTV allows businesses to quickly spot issues in service, communication channels, or product offerings and address them proactively.
  • Strategic Planning and Risk Management Knowing LTV helps forecast long-term profitability, plan business scaling, and build realistic financial models. LTV also highlights dependency on a limited customer group. If most revenue comes from a narrow segment, it’s time to consider diversifying audiences and channels, reducing vulnerability to market shifts or changes in customer behavior.
  • Efficient Marketing Budgeting LTV provides a clear answer to: “How much can I spend on acquiring a customer (CAC) while still making a profit?” If LTV exceeds CAC, marketing spend is justified. If not, it’s a signal to optimize campaigns or acquisition channels.

Understanding the LTV:CAC Ratio — What It Is and How to Calculate It

Businesses in the digital market face new challenges: over the past five years, the average Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) for digital companies has increased by 50%, driven by tougher competition and rising advertising costs on platforms like Facebook and Google. Analyzing the LTV-to-CAC ratio shows how much revenue a customer generates compared to the cost of acquiring them. This insight helps companies decide which customer segments are worth investing in. So, what should the LTV:CAC ratio look like (where LTV = Lifetime Value, CAC = acquisition cost)?
  • Less than 1:1 — the business is losing money.
  • 1:1–2:1 — break-even range; a risky balance.
  • 3:1 — considered a “healthy standard”: acquisition costs translate into profit and scalable growth.
  • 4:1–5:1 — indicates a profitable business, but growth may be conservative due to cautious marketing spending.
It’s important to note that LTV:CAC benchmarks vary by industry. The average 3:1 ratio is only a guideline, not a universal rule. For example:
  • B2B SaaS: typical range 4:1 — optimal for model stability and customer retention.
  • B2C SaaS (mass-market): ~2.5:1 due to lower LTV and broader audience.
  • Adtech: 7:1
  • Cybersecurity, Fintech, Edtech: ~5:1
  • Design: ~6:1
  • Business Services: 3:1
  • Industrial & Pharmaceutical: 3–4:1 If customers are acquired exclusively through paid channels, the average ratio is ~2.5:1.
  • Biotech, Business Consulting, Construction: 4:1
  • Financial Services: 4:1
  • Real Estate: 4:1
Effectively managing the LTV:CAC ratio helps understand whether marketing spend is truly benefiting the business. If a customer’s lifetime value significantly exceeds the acquisition cost, the channel is worth scaling — it’s already profitable. That’s why the 3:1 ratio is considered the baseline: it signals that the business model is ready for growth with profit. A 5:1 ratio, meanwhile, indicates the company can make even more aggressive marketing investments without sacrificing efficiency. This metric is also crucial for external evaluation. Investors directly consider LTV:CAC when valuing a business: a model with a 3:1 ratio is typically valued several times higher than one with only 2:1. Similarly, the ratio affects payback speed: with LTV:CAC around 5:1, marketing costs can be recouped in as little as four months, creating a strong resource for reinvestment and growth.

Key Reasons for Low LTV: Business “Mistakes” That Reduce Customer Lifetime Value

Low customer lifetime value is rarely accidental — it usually stems from specific gaps in strategy, service, or communication. Recognizing these mistakes helps businesses identify problem areas early and fix them before they become systemic losses. Here are the main “mistakes” that can lead to low LTV:
  1. Lack of systematic customer retention efforts Focusing solely on acquiring new customers often leads to existing ones gradually “falling away.” Without loyalty programs, personalized offers, or post-purchase support, even satisfied customers may turn to competitors.
  2. Poor customer experience Slow responses to inquiries, complicated purchase processes, clunky interfaces, or unpredictable delivery delays all undermine trust. Customers remember not just the product, but the entire journey with the brand.
  3. Ignoring personalization Sending the same communications to all audience segments risks losing the sense of individualized attention. Personalized recommendations and content increase repeat purchases and average order value.
  4. Undervaluing post-purchase support Lack of follow-ups, service reminders, or tips on using the product reduces the likelihood of repeat engagement. Customers are more likely to forget about a brand if it doesn’t stay on their radar.
  5. Limited assortment or pricing strategy If customers have nothing new to “discover” in your brand — no new products, promotions, upsells, or cross-sells — LTV stagnates. Expanding your offering allows you to increase purchases per customer without additional acquisition costs.

Seven Ways to Increase Customer Lifetime Value

Improving LTV isn’t an abstract goal — it’s a measurable business outcome. It can be achieved by combining quality service, effective communication, and data-driven decisions. The better a brand understands its customers and responds to their needs, the longer and more profitable the relationship will be. Here are several proven, universal practices that help extend and strengthen customer relationships:
  1. Personalize offers and launch loyalty programs Segment your customer base and use data on past purchases to recommend relevant products and services. Points, bonuses, cashback, or perks for loyal customers motivate them to stay with the brand and buy more often. (For example, about 80% of U.S. consumers belong to loyalty programs — and this increases repeat purchases by around 60%.)
  2. Reactivate passive customers Reach out to customers who haven’t purchased in a while — through special offers, discounts, or personalized messages. With this approach, you can re-engage 20–30% of inactive customers before they are considered fully lost.
  3. Deliver high-quality service Fast support, clear information, and a willingness to resolve issues build trust and encourage long-term loyalty. Research shows that over 90% of customers are willing to make a repeat purchase if they’ve had a positive service experience.
  4. Upsell and cross-sell Offer customers upgraded or complementary products. This not only increases average order value but also enhances the overall product experience. Automated post-purchase offers (for example, right after checkout) can significantly raise customer return rates.
  5. Keep the assortment fresh Regularly introducing new products or modifications keeps customers interested and gives them more reasons to come back. This is especially critical in highly competitive industries, where variety directly impacts purchase frequency.
  6. Provide educational content and demonstrate expertise Guides, tutorials, video lessons, or webinars help customers get more value from your product. This strategy strengthens brand trust and encourages consistent use.
  7. Use analytics to optimize interactions Continuously track LTV and test new tools — from email campaigns to upsell offers. This helps identify which actions deliver the most impact and scale them for greater profitability.

BROCARD Case Study: How LTV Analysis in a CRM System Helped Boost Company Profits

The effective use of LTV analytics in building marketing strategies is clearly illustrated by the success story of BROCARD, the largest perfume and cosmetics retail chain in Ukraine. Since 2018, the company has been using Microsoft Dynamics 365 tools to create personalized customer communications. One of the most impactful initiatives was the automation of birthday-related interactions. Previously, marketers manually compiled birthday lists and sent out generic monthly campaigns. Today, the company has moved to daily personalized communications. To achieve this, four tailored customer journeys were created, targeting different customer segments — from standard discounts to exclusive offers for VIP audiences. These offers are sent seven days before a customer’s birthday and remain valid for another week afterward. This approach quickly became one of the company’s top three most effective marketing activities, thanks to its strong results. Another step toward optimizing customer relationships was the full RFM segmentation of BROCARD’s customer base. By applying the Recency (last purchase date), Frequency (purchase frequency), and Monetary (average spend) criteria, BROCARD built a 5×5×5 RFM cube and then streamlined it into 11 key groups. This allowed for more precise targeting of different customer categories. Special attention was given to “dormant” customers. To win them back, cascade scenarios were introduced:
  • The first offer is sent 9 months after the last purchase, as this was identified as the optimal reminder period.
  • The next offers are sent after 12, 15 months, and so on, with increasing benefits for the customer.
  • Only after three years of inactivity does a customer finally move into the “churn” segment.
The implementation of this strategy delivered tangible results: the number of dormant customers decreased almost fivefold, potential churn decreased 3.8 times, and the churn segment itself shrank 1.5 times. By leveraging the customer lifetime value (LTV) metric, BROCARD gained a clear understanding of which customers bring the greatest value and which engagement scenarios are most effective. Without LTV, marketers would have been working “blindly”, launching the same mass campaigns for everyone. Thanks to this metric, the company was able to:
  • justify investments in personalization,
  • optimize work with different customer segments,
  • balance short-term promotions with long-term loyalty.

FAQ — Most Common Questions About LTV

We’ve put together answers to the most frequent questions entrepreneurs ask about LTV:
  • What’s the difference between LTV and CLV? In most cases, they are synonyms — Lifetime Value (LTV) and Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) both describe the total profit a business earns from a single customer over the entire period of cooperation. The only nuance is emphasis: LTV is sometimes used in a broader sense, including not only financial value but also referrals and brand influence.
  • How often should LTV be recalculated? Ideally, every quarter or after significant changes in pricing, marketing, or customer behavior. In fast-moving industries, even monthly updates may be required.
  • Is LTV analysis relevant for all business models? For nearly all. It is especially important in subscription services, e-commerce, mobile apps, SaaS, and B2B. For one-off purchases (e.g., real estate), LTV is less commonly applied.
  • Can LTV be calculated by customer segments? Yes — and it’s actually recommended. Segment-level LTV helps identify which groups of customers are the most profitable and adjust marketing strategies for each group.
  • How does LTV relate to CAC, ROI, and ARPU? CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost): measures how much it costs to acquire a customer. The LTV:CAC ratio shows the profitability of marketing investments. ROI (Return on Investment): evaluates overall investment efficiency, and higher LTV directly drives ROI growth. ARPU (Average Revenue Per User): average revenue per user, which is one of the components in the LTV formula.
  • Can LTV be integrated into a CRM? Most modern CRM systems allow you to automatically calculate LTV based on purchase history and customer interactions, which simplifies segmentation and marketing planning.
  • What are the most common mistakes in calculating LTV? 1. Using only revenue without considering margin. 2. Ignoring customer retention costs. 3. Applying average values without segmentation. 4. Calculating based on incomplete or outdated data.
If you’d like to implement automation tools to improve your company’s customer relationships, submit a request — and SMART business experts will select the most relevant solutions for you. Request a demo
16 min read
Візуальне порівняння Bitrix24 з безпечними аналогами SMART CRM та Microsoft Dynamics 365
SMART CRM: A Reliable Alternative to Bitrix24
A few years ago, a significant portion of CRM systems in the Eastern European region were of russian origin. Among them, Bitrix24 was particularly popular and widely used by businesses. However, concerns around data security, compliance, and operational risks have made reliance on russian-origin software increasingly problematic. For example, recent trends show that the use of such CRMs has dropped to around 14% of companies. This shift created an opportunity for local CRM solutions, such as SMART CRM, to gain traction by offering secure, modern, and fully compliant platforms. In this article, we’ll explore the risks associated with using russian-origin CRM systems and outline key factors to consider when choosing a contemporary, safe alternative to Bitrix24 and similar software.

What is Bitrix24?

Bitrix24 is a CRM system for managing business processes, developed by the russian company 1C-Bitrix. Until 2022, Bitrix24 held a significant share of the CRM market across Eastern Europe, with particularly strong adoption among small and medium-sized businesses. This was largely because the solution offered a basic set of tools for communication, task management, and sales. At first glance, this all-in-one approach seemed convenient, especially for companies that could not invest in specialized standalone systems. At the same time, the universal nature of the platform often came with limited flexibility, support challenges, and significant risks related to the origin of the developer.

A Brief Overview of Bitrix24: Key Features and Drawbacks for Businesses

For a long time, Bitrix24 positioned itself as an all-in-one solution for organizing internal company processes. The basic package includes functionality for managing customer databases (CRM), task assignment and tracking, telephony integrations, email and internal chats, organizing workspaces for team collaboration, and more. Despite its broad functionality, today Bitrix24 is more often associated with risks and limitations than advantages — especially for companies operating under international legal frameworks.

Key Drawbacks of Bitrix24:

  1. russian origin — Bitrix24 was developed by 1C-Bitrix, which has russian roots. This system is associated with risks to national security and can undermine trust in the domestic market. Potential consequences: Companies risk losing the trust of partners, clients, and government contractors, as using russian software may be perceived as unacceptable. Additionally, this dependency complicates entry into international markets where compliance with sanctions and ethical business policies is mandatory.
  2. Data storage and processing risks — There is no clear information about the physical location of Bitrix24 servers or under which jurisdiction they fall. There is a high likelihood that data is stored or transmitted through russia, allowing russian authorities potential access to confidential information. This applies not only to technical administration but also to possible requests from security agencies or influence from the regulator of the aggressor country. Potential consequences: Uncontrolled access to internal business data, compromise of client databases, financial information, or internal documentation by third parties connected to russia. This may lead to data leaks, financial losses, or unwanted legal implications, such as:
    • Violation of data protection laws — If a company cannot guarantee that data is stored and processed exclusively within secure jurisdictions (such as EU), it may potentially violate laws like the GDPR or CCPA, which could result in fines or bans in certain markets.
    • Compliance issues (ISO/IEC, SOC 2, etc.) — Many companies undergo audits for compliance with international information security standards. Having russian-origin software in the IT infrastructure automatically creates a risk of non-compliance.
    • Potential claims from clients or partners — In case of a data breach or unauthorized access, the company may face claims, reputational pressure, or lawsuits from business partners.
  3. Overly complex interface — The Bitrix24 interface is often cluttered with extra buttons, features, and sections that are not always intuitive for users. This increases the learning curve and requires additional resources to train employees. Potential consequences: CRM implementation takes longer, and team productivity decreases as employees spend more time adapting to the tool.
  4. Lack of deep integration with local services — Bitrix24 does not provide direct, full integration with popular platforms for accounting, reporting, and communications. As a result, companies often need to process data outside the system or invest in complex custom integrations. Potential consequences: Process automation remains incomplete, increasing the risk of errors and adding extra costs for integrations or duplicate manual work.
  5. Limited data export options — Migrating data from Bitrix24 can be challenging: automatic export is restricted, requiring additional tools and resources. Data is often exported in fragments, with no convenient way to fully extract the complete history of interactions, tasks, files, emails, and more. Potential consequences: Businesses lose flexibility and fall into a “digital lock-in”, with limited control over their own data and dependence on a single vendor.
  6. Complicated licensing structure — Pricing depends not only on the number of users but also on access to core functionality, which is sometimes hidden behind additional packages. Potential consequences: It is harder to predict the actual CRM costs, making budgeting more complicated.
  7. Moral and ethical risks — Using a product from a country with a problematic reputation may conflict with corporate social responsibility principles, particularly if the company wants to promote an ethical or socially responsible image. Potential consequences: Negative brand perception among employees, partners, clients, and even international stakeholders. This is another important reason to consider a Ukrainian alternative to Bitrix24.
For companies, using Bitrix24 has long gone beyond a simple technology choice — it has become a matter of risk and reputation. Having ties to the russian developers carries not only potential legal and compliance issues but also deeper consequences: from losing the trust of partners and clients to facing challenges in entering international markets. In a business environment where digital security is a strategic priority, continuing to rely on this software creates an uncontrolled zone of vulnerability: limited technical support, restricted updates, unexpected failures, or account blocks. With increasing demands for transparency in business processes, such a tool can do more harm than good, making the choice of a secure alternative to Bitrix24 a necessity today.

SMART CRM — a Secure Alternative to Bitrix24 Built on International Technologies

SMART CRM is SMART business’s proprietary solution, built on Microsoft Power Platform. The system combines customer-focused design with the reliability of global IT giant Microsoft, offering businesses tools for sales, marketing, and service management that meet modern security standards and support efficient business processes. The platform is designed for both B2B and B2C segments, enabling a smooth transition from legacy or russian software, making it the best Ukrainian alternative to Bitrix24. SMART CRM ensures GDPR and CCPA compliance and provides ready-made integrations with popular local services and applications. Implementation takes between one and three weeks, and thanks to the platform’s flexibility, each company can customize it to meet its unique needs.

Core functionality and capabilities of SMART CRM:

  • Unified customer database — stores all information about customer interactions in a single secure environment.
  • Integration with business applications — allows connection to modern communication channels and payment services without additional development costs.
  • Real-time analytics — provides extensive tracking of key metrics and current trends to support timely management decisions.
  • Template-based business processes — includes ready-made solutions for B2B and B2C workflows, with flexible customization to fit the company’s specific needs.
  • Team collaboration tools — accelerates internal communication and simplifies information sharing across departments.
  • Preservation of corporate knowledge — centralizes and safeguards accumulated expertise without the risk of data loss.

Four key SMART CRM solutions:

  • SMART Sales — automates B2B sales from first contact to deal closure. Features include customer and sales management, communications, product catalogs, addresses, tasks and notifications, as well as advanced analytics and reporting.
  • SMART Customer Care — ensures efficient service through a single-window interface. Handles requests in real time, supports multiple channels, integrates popular messengers via SMART Chat, monitors SLAs, and generates reports.
  • SMART Order Management — provides full control over the order fulfillment process. From order receipt to delivery, it automates allocation, processing, and execution, minimizing customer wait times.
  • SMART Marketing — enables live omnichannel marketing: audience targeting, customer segment management, automated campaigns, content management, and campaign performance analytics.
As a Ukrainian alternative to Bitrix24, SMART CRM also supports enhanced capabilities through additional tools like SMART Chat, which consolidates communications from Facebook Messenger, Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber, and Instagram into a single CRM window for personalized interactions.

What Sets SMART CRM Apart from Bitrix24 Alternatives: Key Advantages

  • Complete data security and control thanks to Microsoft cloud technologies.
  • Fast migration from russian or legacy systems without losing critical information.
  • Ready-made integrations and modules — no additional development costs.
  • Flexible customization for businesses of any size.
  • Reduced time on operational processes and increased team productivity.
  • Ability to scale functionality as the company grows.
In short, SMART CRM is an ideal Bitrix24 alternative. The SMART business platform combines international standards, Ukrainian expertise, and rapid implementation, providing a secure, modern, and effective tool for managing customer interactions.

SMART CRM vs. Bitrix24: Key Feature Comparison

To objectively assess how well SMART CRM meets the needs of modern businesses, it’s useful to compare its capabilities directly with Bitrix24. Check out the table summarizing the key features of both platforms.
Category Subcategory SMART CRM Bitrix24
Origin & Security Origin
✔️✔️✔️ Ukrainian system built on Microsoft Power Platform ✔️ russian CRM with cloud and on-premises versions
Data Security
✔️✔️✔️ Data stored in Microsoft Azure; compliant with international security standards: GDPR, CCPA ✔️✔️ Local version available for self-hosting, but geopolitical risks exist due to country of origin
Roles & Permissions
✔️✔️✔️ Flexible setup of roles and business units ✔️ Limited granularity in free plan
Access Control
✔️✔️✔️ Access and identity managed through Microsoft Entra, providing deep control over security, user identity, and data access — especially important for large enterprises and government organizations ✔️ Access can be configured on local server or cloud, but without support for global security standards
Audience & Scale Target Audience
✔️✔️✔️ B2B and B2C companies in medium and large enterprises ✔️✔️ SMEs, startups, internal teams
Scalability & Flexibility
✔️✔️✔️ Modular cloud architecture with selectable solutions (Sales, Order Management, Marketing, etc.); flexible scaling via connectors and deployment within the Microsoft ecosystem ✔️✔️ Combination of cloud and on-premises deployment; unlimited telephony; suitable for small and medium businesses; scaling possible, but customization is limited and depends on the plan
Number of Users
✔️✔️✔️ Unlimited users within a single subscription plan ✔️ Up to 2 users free; additional users require paid plan. Stability issues may arise with a large number of users, simultaneous access from multiple locations, or real-time processing of large data sets
Functionality Customization
✔️✔️✔️ Flexible configuration of business processes and workflows using low-code/no-code approaches ✔️ Limited customization in the cloud version; deeper changes possible only in On-Premises with partner or developer involvement
Automation & AI
✔️✔️✔️ Complex business processes built with Power Automate (approvals, document flow, integrations, notifications, RPA), analytics, integration with Microsoft Copilot and Azure OpenAI. Supports low-code/no-code approaches ✔️✔️ Automation via triggers, RPA, document generation, automatic tasks, built-in AI CoPilot (call transcription, summaries, automatic responses)
Analytics & BI
✔️✔️✔️ Built-in Power BI / custom dashboards ✔️✔️ Built-in analytics tools; some features available only in paid modules
Pre-Built Scenarios
✔️✔️✔️ Successful SMART CRM implementations cover B2B sales, customer service, logistics, and marketing, automating key processes, providing analytics, and supporting omnichannel communications ✔️✔️ Standard CRM functions + tasks, calendar, document flow, open lines
Lead Management
✔️✔️✔️ Advanced, with automation and reporting ✔️ Basic + process automation options
Channel Management
✔️✔️✔️ Email, Microsoft Teams, IP telephony (Binotel, Ringostat, Stream Telecom), Viber, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, Instagram Direct, SMS, web forms, surveys, chatbots (SMART Chat, SMART Easy Bot) ✔️✔️✔️ Email, telephony, web forms, SMS, push, marketplace requests, chatbots (via Marketplace or SaleBot, Aimylogic)
Marketing
✔️✔️ Dedicated SMART Marketing module; automation scenarios via Power Automate ✔️✔️ Marketing included in some plans; includes email campaigns, ads, and analytics
Implementation & UX Implementation Speed
✔️✔️✔️ Out-of-the-box solution with ready documentation and training materials, support in Ukrainian, English, and Polish; implementation takes 1–3 weeks; fast configuration thanks to pre-built modules ✔️ Requires setup; knowledge base exists but documentation is often fragmented or in russian; implementation depends on complexity, especially the on-premises version can take a long time
Interface
✔️✔️✔️ Intuitive and modern interface, built on Microsoft logic and adapted to typical sales and customer service workflows ✔️ Overloaded interface; requires time to get used to due to extensive functionality
Localization & Support
✔️✔️✔️ Full Ukrainian localization, support, and documentation; backed by a Ukrainian team; no russian software involved ✔️ Partial localization: interface partially in Ukrainian, documentation often fragmented or in russian; developer is a russian company
Interface Language
✔️✔️✔️ Full Ukrainian localization ✔️ Ukrainian interface present but limited
Integration & Ecosystem Integration
✔️✔️✔️ Deep integration with the Microsoft ecosystem (Microsoft 365, Outlook, Teams, SharePoint, Power BI), ERP systems, chatbots, delivery services, e‑commerce platforms, and DMS. Built-in integrations do not require additional modules ✔️✔️ Built-in ecosystem with 35+ business tools (CRM, tasks, telephony, drive, etc.), support for Power BI, email, social media, and API. Some integrations require setup via marketplace
Comprehensiveness
✔️✔️ CRM focused on business process customization, automation, ERP, and analytics within the Microsoft ecosystem ✔️✔️✔️ Comprehensive ecosystem with 35+ business tools: CRM, tasks, marketing, telephony, drive – all in one package
Finance Cost & Pricing
✔️✔️ Flexible modular model: cost depends on selected functions, number of environments, and Microsoft licenses. Transparent structure with no hidden fees ✔️✔️ Fixed-rate plans (flat-fee) with limits on users and features. Everything included in the plan, but expansions require higher-tier plans
Free Trial
✔️✔️ Up to 30 days, plus promotional offers (e.g., 80% discount for 6 months) ✔️✔️ Free trial available for cloud version

Case Study: Successful Migration from Bitrix24 to SMART CRM

AQUA PLUS — a leading Ukrainian company in water treatment and comprehensive water purification services — faced growing client demands and needed a tool to systematically manage customer relationships. Their previous experience with Bitrix24 was unsatisfactory: setup was done in-house, functionality didn’t match the company’s processes, and data security remained a concern. These factors became decisive in the search for a more flexible and reliable Bitrix24 alternative. Key selection criteria included full data migration with interaction history, advanced customization capabilities, user-friendliness for managers, and a high level of data protection. A demonstration of SMART Order Management by SMART business convinced the AQUA PLUS team that the system could cover the company’s core needs and scale for future challenges. The result was the migration of all processes into SMART Order Management, including the full client database and communication history. Data management became faster and more transparent, order processing more automated, and customer communication more efficient thanks to the SMART Connector for GMS, which automates bulk and triggered communications via SMS and Viber directly from the CRM. The company gained not just a high-quality Ukrainian alternative to Bitrix24, but a flexible tool that easily adapts to new ideas, goals, and internal changes, allowing the team to focus on what matters most — excellent service and business growth. Read more about the implementation results here.

Conclusion:

The case study and comparative analysis clearly demonstrate that SMART CRM significantly outperforms Bitrix24 in key areas — from data security and scalability to business process automation. Seamless integration with the Microsoft ecosystem, AI-powered tools, and flexible customization options make SMART CRM a more reliable and forward-looking solution for companies that want to adapt quickly to change while maintaining high efficiency. Although Bitrix24 offers broad functionality, it falls short in depth of customization, stability during scaling, and compliance with international security standards. Additionally, limitations in free tiers, a more complex implementation process, and less focus on localization reduce its appeal for medium and large businesses. For organizations focused on long-term growth, scalability, and robust data protection, SMART CRM is a smart and strategically sound choice. Request consultation
16 min read
A conceptual illustration of a customer journey through consolidated communication channels with a company
What Is Omnichannel in Business and How Does It Streamline Customer Interaction?
In the world of Internet Customer Service, it’s important to remember your competitor is only one mouse click away.
Doug Warner
Today’s business reality is one where the customer journey is not linear but rather resembles a metro map with numerous stations, transfers, and spontaneous stops. Along this journey, the brand must accompany the customer wherever they turn — whether it’s a messenger, social media, a website, or a physical store. The modern customer journey is a complex system of turns, repeated contacts, and unexpected interaction points. Yet, customers expect a seamless, convenient, and personalized experience with the brand, regardless of where their journey begins. This is why omnichannel has become a strategic necessity in business.

What Is Omnichannel?

Omnichannel means seamless, unified communication with the customer that preserves the essence of the dialogue regardless of where it takes place. By consolidating all communication channels into a single system, a company can personalize its interaction with the customer by enriching their profile. Every point of contact between the consumer and the company collects information about the customer, and all other channels have access to this data. This way, omnichannel enables businesses to see the full picture and respond quickly, consistently, and personally. Omnichannel usually integrates data from the following communication channels:
  • Company website
  • Mobile app
  • E-mail campaigns
  • Messengers (Viber, Telegram, WhatsApp, etc.)
  • Contact center (telephony)
  • Online advertising
  • Offline sales points
  • Social media
  • Service support systems (ticketing, help desk)
  • Chatbots and AI assistants

What Is Multichannel?

Omnichannel begins with multichannel because first, a customer must be able to contact the company through various platforms — depending on which is most convenient for them. Multichannel means having multiple communication channels (e-mail, phone, social media, messengers, offline locations) that customers can use to get information or support. However, these channels usually operate independently and are not synchronized: interaction histories don’t transfer between them, and each new contact starts “from scratch”. This is the first step toward more convenient service, but without data integration and continuous dialogue, such an approach often fragments the customer journey.

What Is the Difference Between Omnichannel and Multichannel?

The difference between multichannel and omnichannel lies not just in the number of channels but in how these channels interact with each other. In multichannel, a customer can reach the company via different platforms — but each functions separately, without sharing data. For example, an e-mail inquiry won’t be linked to a message sent via a messenger, so the customer must repeat information about their order each time. In contrast, omnichannel unites all these channels into a single system: no matter which channel the interaction starts or continues on, customer data, interaction history, preferences, and statuses are stored and synchronized.

Omnichannel in Practice — in Sales and Customer Service

According to data from Digital Commerce 360, companies with effective omnichannel interaction show an annual revenue growth of 9.5%, while businesses with weaker strategies achieve only 3.4%. How exactly does this work in the context of company–customer communication? In sales, omnichannel means that a customer, for example, starts their selection on the website, clarifies details on Instagram, makes a purchase via a mobile app, and picks up the product in a physical store — with each stage conveniently integrated and logically complementing the previous one. All customer actions are synchronized in a single system (usually a CRM system) that combines analytics tools, an e-commerce platform, and all communication channels. Thanks to this, the brand not only records every contact but also understands the context — which products were viewed, what questions arose, and which payment method is preferred. This enables personalized offers and process optimization: ensuring product availability in a specific store, reducing service time, minimizing returns, and more. Omnichannel sales build a unified interaction logic that guarantees comfort for the customer and higher conversion and repeat purchases for the business. In customer service, omnichannel means care without disruptions or unnecessary repeats. For example, the operator already sees the issue the customer raised yesterday via chat, and the service team continues the conversation over the phone from where it left off — without needing the customer to explain everything again. This is possible thanks to the integration of communication channels (chatbots, e-mail, telephony, messengers) with the CRM system, which stores the full interaction history in real time. Every employee sees the status of the request, colleagues’ notes, attached files or complaints, as well as the customer’s segment and profile. This not only saves time and reduces frustration but also improves overall customer satisfaction (CSAT) and reduces repeat inquiries.

Advantages of Omnichannel Customer Service:

  • For the business: Omnichannel guarantees coordinated channel operation, reduces response time, lowers service costs, and forms a comprehensive picture of customer needs. Data from different sources no longer exist separately — they are unified into a single system that enables more accurate decisions and helps build long-term relationships.
  • For the customer: Omnichannel means, above all, convenience and consistency — the ability to receive the same quality of service regardless of the channel — online or offline. Every interaction is accounted for, interaction history is preserved, and personalized solutions are offered from the very first minutes. This approach creates a sense of trust and professionalism, which directly influences brand loyalty.

What is Omnichannel Marketing and How to Develop an Effective Omnichannel Marketing Strategy

In marketing, omnichannel means seamless communication where a customer sees a banner on the website, receives a personalized offer in a messenger, and then a reminder by e-mail with a relevant product in the cart. Thanks to the integration of marketing channels with CRM systems, analytics, and automated scenarios, businesses can send accurate and timely messages in a convenient format — considering the customer’s behavior, preferences, and previous interactions. This not only improves campaign effectiveness but also retains audience attention without intrusiveness, preserving trust in the brand. Building a quality omnichannel marketing strategy starts with creating a portrait of the omnichannel customer. After all, the customer is at the center of this communication — they set the rules, choose communication channels, and points of interaction with the company. These choices and behavior patterns should be taken into account when forming the customer profile.

Building a Personalized Customer Profile: What to Consider

The average omnichannel customer typically:
  • Prefers BOPIS (Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store) — orders a product on the website and picks it up in a physical store. According to statistics from Fireworks, 50% of shoppers prefer BOPIS, and 67% of them make additional purchases while collecting their order in-store.
  • Frequently orders products online with home delivery.
  • Tracks and compares prices on websites or in apps.
  • Installs store or brand apps to make ordering products or services more convenient and to receive updates on discounts and promotions.
  • Subscribes to e-mail or messenger newsletters from the company to monitor deals and new arrivals.
  • Actively leaves feedback and suggestions via chatbots, social media, or phone support.
Using these common patterns as a foundation, you can start building more personalized customer profiles — for instance, a Customer Journey Map.

CJM for the Omnichannel Customer and How to Build One

A Customer Journey Map (CJM) is an analytical tool that helps a business visualize the customer’s interaction with the company at every stage of their journey — from the first contact to purchase and post-sale service. This map clearly outlines which touchpoints the customer encounters, what obstacles they face (e.g., a hard-to-find checkout button or a long hotline queue), what emotions accompany their decisions, and at which stages the company loses effectiveness. The more detailed the map, the more precisely you can identify critical blockers: non-functional CTAs, complex registration forms, overwhelmed support teams, or inconsistent cross-channel communication. Focusing on real customer segments allows for the setup of personalized scenarios, automation of interactions, and tailoring of content to specific user needs.

Calculating CLV — the Next Step in the Strategy

To build an effective omnichannel marketing strategy after developing a customer profile, the next step is to calculate their CLV (Customer Lifetime Value). This metric allows a business to assess the actual long-term value of a customer to the company. With CLV, a business can segment its customer base, tailor communication, prioritize support, and make informed decisions about where to invest time and budget — and where to optimize spending. CLV is the total revenue a customer generates over the entire period of interaction with the brand — for example, over a year or the average customer lifecycle. Let’s say a buyer spends ₴2,000 every two months. Their annual value (CLV) would be calculated as 6 × 2,000 = ₴12,000. However, if supporting this customer requires two hours of service each month and one hour of a specialist’s time costs ₴500, then the annual service cost equals 12 × 2 × 500 = ₴12,000. As a result, the company earns no profit from this customer. Identifying such cases in time is crucial to optimize resources and focus on customers with higher potential value. By creating an omnichannel customer profile and calculating their CLV, a company is ready to begin building a data-driven omnichannel marketing strategy.

How to Work with an Omnichannel Customer: Tips and Insights

The growing number of communication channels opens up new opportunities for engaging with customers — but it also makes managing those interactions more complex. Without a unified strategy, communication quickly turns into chaos, where marketing becomes ineffective and customer trust is lost. While every company must choose its own path to customer engagement, here are a few universal recommendations to help make the process as effective as possible:
  1. Identify key touchpoints You don’t need to be everywhere — you need to be where your customer is. Analyze the platforms and channels your audience actually uses, and focus on those that ensure stable, measurable engagement: website, messengers, e-mail, social media, physical locations, app, and so on. Tip: Keep your number of touchpoints optimal. Respect both your budget limits and your customer’s privacy — too many newsletters, promotions, or surveys may backfire and damage the experience.
  2. Ensure technical integration between channels Your CRM, marketing platforms, analytics, chatbots, contact center, and e-commerce modules should all be synchronized. All customer data — orders, interaction history, campaign responses — should be accessible in a single view.
  3. Build personalized engagement flows Use customer data (behavior, purchase history, content interactions) to develop automated communication flows: welcome sequences, abandoned cart reminders, personalized follow-ups, dynamic discounts for loyal customers. Personalization should always make sense in the context of that specific customer.
  4. Implement cross-channel analytics Track not only the effectiveness of each channel individually but also how customers move between them. Monitor KPIs such as conversion rate, time to purchase, cost per contact, open and click-through rates. This will help you pinpoint bottlenecks and growth opportunities — for example, when customers start in Instagram but don’t complete purchases on your site.
  5. Maintain brand consistency Your brand voice, visual style, and value proposition should be aligned across all platforms. A customer shouldn’t feel like they’re dealing with different companies on Facebook, via the call center, or at a pickup point.
  6. Establish feedback loops and run tests Make sure every omnichannel campaign includes a way to gather feedback. What are your customers saying? Where is communication breaking down? A/B testing messages, formats, and channels will help you continuously improve customer experience.
  7. Regularly review your strategy Channels evolve — and so does customer behavior. Keep your customer journey maps, segments, flows, and campaign logic up to date. Your strategy shouldn’t be static — it should evolve alongside your audience.
  8. Deploy AI assistants and chatbots Automate basic inquiries and repetitive tasks using chatbots and AI-powered assistants. They can instantly handle standard questions, help place orders, or offer recommendations based on purchase history or user behavior. Modern AI tools can understand context and even adapt to changes in customer behavior, delivering a fast, effective, and personalized experience — 24/7.

How to Choose the Right Tools to Automate Your Omnichannel Marketing Strategy: What to Look For and What the Market Offers

Choosing the right tools to automate your omnichannel marketing strategy isn’t just about convenience — it’s a critical step in building strong, lasting relationships with your customers. So, what should you consider when selecting a platform?
  1. Integration with existing systems: The solution should integrate seamlessly with your current platforms (CRM, CDP, e-commerce, analytics) to ensure consistent data flow and efficient information exchange between systems.
  2. Flexible communication channels: Your platform must support a variety of communication channels — e-mail, social media, messengers, phone, and website chat. All channels should be consolidated into a single system to enable continuous dialogue with the customer.
  3. Communication automation: The tool should support setting up automated notifications, messages, and communication flows for every stage of the customer journey — such as order confirmations, abandoned cart reminders, and more.
  4. Personalization capabilities: Look for a solution that enables you to deliver personalized offers based on customer data, behavior, and purchase history. This directly impacts the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.
  5. Data analysis and reporting: The platform should provide tools for collecting, analyzing, and visualizing data across each customer interaction channel — allowing you to track performance metrics and adjust your strategy in real time.
  6. Customer profile management: You should be able to create and maintain a unified profile for each customer by consolidating data from all touchpoints.
  7. Scalability and flexibility: Your tool should scale as your business grows and adapt to new channels or changing needs without requiring major restructuring.
  8. User-friendliness: An intuitive, easy-to-use interface is essential to ensure your team can quickly adapt to new workflows and settings.
  9. Data security: Protecting customer data is a top priority. The platform you choose must comply with security standards and ensure the confidentiality of customer information.
  10. Ongoing support and updates: The tool should come with reliable technical support and regular updates to keep pace with market demands and emerging technologies.
SMART business offers a suite of solutions that meet all these requirements. Let’s explore how the functionality of these tools can help automate your marketing processes and enhance your customer engagement strategy.

SMART CRM, Microsoft Dynamics 365, SMART EasyBot, and SMART Chat: How These Tools Optimize Your Omnichannel Strategy

SMART CRM is a comprehensive CRM platform designed to automate sales, marketing, and customer service processes by consolidating all essential trade data in a single digital environment. The CRM system includes four core modules, which can be implemented individually or together: SMART Sales, SMART Customer Care, SMART Order Management and SMART Marketing. The platform also offers seamless integration with a variety of key connectors, such as SMART Connector for Telephony, SMART Connector for GMS, SMART Connector for Ringostat, and others. Implementing SMART CRM or its individual modules helps businesses automate customer communication at every stage of the journey, consolidate all communication channels into a unified workflow, efficiently analyze customer behavior, and reduce the manual workload for marketing and service teams. Two additional CRM modules — SMART Chat and SMART EasyBot — are particularly useful for building an effective omnichannel marketing strategy:
  • SMART Chat enables your business to consolidate all messaging platforms (Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber, Instagram, etc.) into one clear communication stream, while automatically syncing customer data into Dynamics 365 or SMART CRM. This unlocks additional opportunities for personalized engagement.
  • SMART EasyBot is a chatbot that automates customer communication on Viber and Telegram. It supports sending personalized messages, building interactive menus, handling inbound requests, launching segmented campaigns, and managing everything directly from the CRM system. The bot integrates with customer profiles, supports user registration, and enables self-service flows.
By selecting the tools most relevant to your business and integrating them into a single ecosystem, you can build a seamless chain of interactions that keeps the customer engaged throughout the sales funnel. For example:
  1. A customer calls the company. A customer record is automatically created via SMART Connector for Telephony, based on their phone number.
  2. Using SMART Marketing, an SMS or messenger message is sent with a summary of the conversation and a link to a chatbot.
  3. The customer subscribes to SMART EasyBot and begins receiving personalized offers through the bot.
  4. The customer chooses their preferred channel of communication — for instance, selecting from five available messengers.
  5. A manager continues the personalized conversation using SMART Chat, communicating with customers across multiple messengers — all from one convenient interface.

Real-World Use Cases: Managing Omnichannel Interactions with SMART business Solutions

Ultimately, the best way to showcase any solution’s capabilities is through real-world results. Here are two examples of how SMART business helps optimize omnichannel marketing: Brocard, the largest perfume retail chain in Ukraine, implemented Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights along with SMART Connector for GMS to automate Viber/SMS campaigns, analyze customer behavior, and send trigger-based messages (e.g., birthday reminders or abandoned cart follow-ups). This allowed the company to move beyond one-time promotions and offer personalized customer experience to over 1.8 million consumers. LEOLAND, a sports and entertainment complex in Lviv, integrated Dynamics 365 Sales with SMART Connector for Binotel, SMART Chat, Easy Bot, eSputnik, and GMS to automate e-mail/SMS/Viber campaigns, telephony, chatbots, and Power BI analytics — all within a single CRM ecosystem. As a result, LEOLAND visitors enjoy not only the entertainment experience but also flawless service and communication. If you're also looking for solutions to automate your omnichannel strategy — request a demo, and SMART business experts will help you choose the tools that fit your goals: Request a demo
19 min read
Sales funnel in a CRM system
A Seamless Sales Funnel: How CRM Keeps Every Lead in Focus
In business, sales often define a company’s success — every inquiry holds the potential to become a deal, and every interaction can lay the groundwork for future collaboration. That’s why sales teams often resemble emergency response units: juggling a flood of contacts, limited time, and constant multitasking. Without a clear system to track every interaction, the sales funnel can quickly turn into a sieve, leaking valuable opportunities. What’s more, according to Gartner, 84% of business leaders say that the handoff between marketing and sales is one of the most complex and critical challenges. Sounds familiar? The transition from MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead) to SQL (Sales Qualified Lead) is a delicate process that requires nurturing the lead at every stage of the funnel — until they show a clear intent to buy. This is where most gaps occur, and they can cost companies dearly. In simple terms, an effective sales funnel is a tool that helps the team act in sync. It’s a way to see the big picture, identify where the flow stalls, and uncover what’s holding back conversion.

What Is a Sales Funnel in Business Terms?

A sales funnel — also known as a “sales pipeline” — is a sequence of stages a potential customer goes through, from the first interaction with a company to closing a deal (making a purchase, signing a contract, ordering a service, or subscribing to a product, etc.). Think of it as a narrowing path, like a funnel: many interested prospects enter at the top, and only those truly ready to buy make it through to the bottom. For businesses, it’s a practical tool that helps to:
  • Organize the customer acquisition process.
  • Identify weak points (analyze where most leads drop off).
  • Optimize resources (allocate the team’s efforts so that every sales stage operates efficiently).
  • Increase conversion (better understand customer needs and tailor communication strategies).
In other words, a sales funnel gives you a clear view of where prospects are “getting stuck,” where customers need more attention, and how to increase the number of successful deals. It’s the foundation of a strategy aimed at minimizing losses and maximizing profit.

Business Benefits

An effective sales funnel offers a number of advantages for businesses, including:
  1. Full process visibility — you can track every step of the customer journey, understand where a lead currently is, and what actions are needed to keep the momentum going.
  2. Bottleneck detection — the funnel shows where potential clients are most often lost. This allows for targeted, data-driven decisions instead of guesswork.
  3. Prioritization focus — instead of spreading efforts too thin, the team can concentrate on leads that are closest to conversion. This saves time and resources while boosting performance.
  4. Improved customer experience — by knowing where a customer is in the funnel, you can tailor communication, offer relevant solutions, and address the questions that matter most at each stage.
  5. Outcome forecasting — by analyzing the funnel, it becomes easier to predict how many deals are likely to close soon. This improves planning and minimizes surprises.
  6. Higher conversion rates — a structured approach helps increase the percentage of leads moving from one stage to the next, resulting in more closed deals overall.
  7. Transparency and accountability — the sales funnel makes the process clear both for managers and the team. Everyone understands their role and is accountable for results at their stage.
  8. Scalability — when the process is well established, it becomes easier to grow sales volumes since every stage is clearly defined and under control.

How Does a Sales Funnel Work?

Imagine the real path of a buyer: first, they search for something, then come across your product or service. Next, they read reviews, compare you to competitors, hesitate, consult others — and finally make a decision. A typical sales funnel is divided into several stages:
  • Top of the funnel — the broadest level where people are just becoming aware of your brand. This stage is driven by advertising, social media, and SEO tools.
  • Middle of the funnel — the potential customer is already interested: they’re reading your blog, attending a webinar, or downloading your price list. Here, it’s important to explain why your offering is worth their attention.
  • Bottom of the funnel — the customer is almost ready to buy but needs a final push: a product demo, success story, or a personalized consultation.
When the funnel is thoughtfully designed — with respect for the customer and without pressure — it doesn’t feel like a sales push. Instead, it feels like guidance. The customer sees that you’re not dragging them forward but leading them along a path they’re genuinely interested in.

How to Work with a Sales Funnel

To truly serve your business, a sales funnel must be a living tool — meaning it should be fully integrated into your day-to-day operations. Here are several key principles to make your funnel systematic and results-driven:
  1. Start with your current reality — assess what your funnel looks like right now. How many leads are at each stage? Where are most of them dropping off? Without an honest diagnosis, it’s hard to make changes. Don’t be afraid to identify weak spots — they are your growth points.
  2. Clearly define the stages — every sales funnel has its own levels, from the first contact to closing the deal. Structure your stages based on your business process, for example:
  • Lead generation (creating interest via ads or content)
  • First interaction (a call, email, or meeting)
  • Solution presentation (demo of your product or service)
  • Negotiation (discussing deal terms)
  • Closing the deal (purchase, contract signing, service activation)
There’s no one-size-fits-all funnel. Some may have 4 stages, others 8. The key is aligning each stage with the logic of your customer journey — from first click or call to the final signature.
  1. Assign clear actions and responsibilities at every stage — when your funnel becomes a team tool, everyone knows what to do with leads at their specific stage. For example: “A lead who responded to a commercial offer” = a task for the manager within 24 hours.
  2. Log every interaction — from the first “hello” to the final “thank you for your purchase,” since each potential client may be at a different stage of the funnel. A CRM system is your best assistant here, ensuring that all calls, emails, notes, and negotiation history are kept in one place. This minimizes the risk of losing important information during handovers or team changes.
  3. Measure, analyze, adjust — because what isn’t measured can’t be improved. If you’re losing many leads at a specific stage, it’s a signal to optimize the process. For example, maybe your presentation isn’t convincing enough, or the negotiation stage needs more flexibility. In this case, data becomes your best advisor.
  4. Automate where it truly makes life easier — reminders, email campaigns, auto-tasks — these save time and reduce human error. But don’t let automation become bureaucracy. An automated sales funnel should enhance, not hinder, live communication.
  • Collecting lead data
  • Sending reminders and emails
  • Generating analytics on each stage’s performance, and more
  1. Use a personalized approach — customers value tailored communication. Your sales funnel should reflect their interests, and a CRM system for business helps you adapt your offers to their specific needs.

The Most Common Types of Sales Funnels and Key Differences Between B2C and B2B Funnels

For B2C, the classic marketing funnel AIDA is typical: Attention → Interest → Desire → Action. Let’s break down these stages in detail:
  1. Attention — The company first grabs the person’s attention toward the product or brand. For example, a bright banner, a provocative headline, or social media ads.
  2. Interest — At this stage, you need to engage interest: show why it’s relevant, useful, or simply worth noticing. This involves meaningful content that answers questions or highlights the product’s value.
  3. Desire — Here, the customer starts wanting the product or service. It’s important for them to see how it solves their problem or improves their life. Reviews, use cases, and visualizing benefits work well here.
  4. Action — The final step. The customer takes the desired action: buys, registers, submits a request, etc. Marketing’s job is to simplify this step and eliminate any last doubts.
In B2C, purchase decisions are usually faster, and contact often happens directly with the end consumer. It’s more about impulse, convenience, and speed. The funnel is short, with minimal steps. In such conditions, SMART CRM helps ensure no contact is lost, quickly responds to customer actions, and automates repeat sales — exactly what’s needed to work effectively with B2C audiences. B2B is much more complex. The decision is made not by one person but by a team, each with their own perspective, motivation, and concerns. So, the B2B funnel typically looks like this: Need Identification → Solution Research → Option Evaluation → Agreement → Deal → Post-sale Support Here, both emotion and logic, arguments and trust, matter. Sales cycles are longer, more complex, and every stage is critical. SMART CRM helps keep a complete history of interactions, structure all deal stages, automate follow-ups, and ensure continuous communication between departments. This creates a sense of control and transparency in B2B sales. As a B2B company itself, SMART business also works with long sales cycles and uses SMART CRM to manage its own marketing and sales processes to stay effective at every customer touchpoint.

How to Determine When a Customer Is Ready to Move Forward?

Obviously, not every contact immediately becomes a lead. And not every lead is ready to buy. For the funnel to work systematically, it’s crucial to clearly understand the signs that show when a potential customer moves from one stage to the next. Here are some examples of criteria companies commonly use:
  • From Attention to Interest: the user clicked a link, subscribed to a newsletter, or left their email. This means the content worked, and it’s time to prepare personalized communication.
  • From Interest to Desire: the person downloaded a price list, registered for a demo, asked a question in chat, or spent time on a case studies page. In this case, it’s appropriate to hand the lead over to a sales manager.
  • From Desire to Action: the client requested a consultation, agreed to a call, responded to an offer, or filled out an application. This is the moment when it’s crucial to maintain momentum and close the deal.
  • From Action to Post-sale Support: payment has been made, the client became an active user or partner. This is where a new story begins — about support, upselling, and loyalty.
SMART CRM enables you to track these signals and automate transition logic. This means the system helps you see which stage the client is at and suggests what to do next: send an email, create a task, offer content, or hand the contact over to another department, etc. Thanks to a clear view of transitions between stages, the sales team doesn’t lose potential deals and works not by guesswork but strategically, understanding exactly where each lead stands and what needs to be done to get them to the finish line.

Automated Sales Funnel with the SMART CRM Platform

In sales, victory doesn’t always go to the loudest, but to the most systematic. However, it’s important that this system doesn’t stifle initiative — instead, it should support it. That’s exactly how SMART CRM works: a full-fledged sales ecosystem where there is room for both rules and creativity. An automated sales funnel isn’t a rigid robot forcing everyone into the same mold. Rather, it’s a detailed map clearly marking key points — but how you get there is up to you. The system sets the route but doesn’t limit your choice of tools: call, write, schedule meetings, launch marketing campaigns — all these capabilities are gathered in one working environment. So, SMART CRM disciplines without restricting. But how much of the sales process should be regulated, and how much should remain creative? Regulation is necessary for:
  1. A unified standard of customer service quality.
  2. Analytics and forecasting (without defined stages and statuses in CRM, measuring effectiveness is impossible).
  3. Training new employees: a clear structure significantly shortens the adaptation period.
  4. Ensuring scalability: it’s good if the process works for one manager, but when the team grows, a single system is needed.
  5. Compliance with legal and commercial requirements: for example, in B2B, it’s important to have an approved offer, contract templates, and clear approval procedures.
In other words: funnel stages, criteria for moving between them, a set of mandatory actions and documents, and communication rules must be clearly defined and followed. So, what should remain creative?
  1. Building a personal connection with the client: adapting to their style, mood, and expectations.
  2. Negotiations that require flexibility, improvisation, and unconventional solutions.
  3. Visualizing product value to most effectively convey benefits tailored to a specific situation.
  4. Handling objections, because standard templates often don’t work — a personalized approach is needed.
It’s worth noting: the more complex the product, the greater the role of creativity. But mass sales require stricter regulation to maintain consistent quality.

Advantages of an Automated Sales Funnel with SMART CRM

  • Clear structure and freedom of action — SMART CRM helps standardize the sales process with clearly defined stages. Yet within each stage, the manager has freedom to decide which specific actions to take to achieve results. This allows for maintaining a unified system without losing the individual approach to the client.
  • Timely follow-ups without the risk of missing anything — automated reminders, triggers, and tasks in the CRM help ensure no potential client is overlooked, keeping order and control at every stage of the sales process.
  • The whole team works in a single information space — reports, comments, and interaction history are available in real time. With an automated sales funnel, there’s no need to ask or clarify statuses with colleagues — everything is always up to date and visible.
  • Business sees the full picture — data in SMART CRM is presented in an easy-to-understand format for fast and informed decision-making.
  • Instructions exactly where they’re needed — newcomers don’t get lost thanks to clear scripts, while experienced sellers stay engaged because there’s room for improvisation.

What About the Drawbacks?

It’s important to be honest here: automation almost always means changing habits. If previously a manager kept everything in their head or in spreadsheets, that won’t work with a CRM. It’s a system that requires a culture of reporting and regular interaction. But once this culture takes root and becomes routine, the company’s efficiency grows exponentially. SMART CRM is the entire sales logic in one solution. The platform combines marketing, service, analytics, inquiry and order processing for both B2B and B2C directions. Thanks to the SMART Sales solution, a company can keep the entire deal cycle under control — from the first contact to closing. The SMART Order Management solution automates order processing. SMART Customer Care helps quickly resolve client inquiries without losing requests. And SMART Marketing enables managing customer segments, launching omnichannel campaigns in real time, and analyzing their effectiveness. All actions are transparent, coordinated, and measurable. Moreover, the system supports extension through additional connectors and integrations, allowing you to unify all key communication channels in one environment — such as messengers, social networks, and popular services like Nova Poshta, Rozetka, and others. This capability ensures a seamless and personalized experience for your customers. A practical example of implementing an automated sales funnel approach comes from AM Integrator Group. The company approached SMART business with a request to strengthen their sales department with a modern CRM solution that supports flexible integration with Microsoft 365. As a result, SMART Sales from the SMART CRM product stack was implemented. Thanks to this, the AM Integrator Group team gained a unified workspace for smoothly guiding clients through the key sales funnel stages. The solution integrates with Outlook and Microsoft Teams, so managers receive reminders about planned tasks, meetings, or activities right in their familiar work tools, without switching between multiple applications. This significantly simplifies daily work and improves discipline in task completion. The procedure for creating a new client card was also automated, and important data is displayed in Power BI analytical dashboards, which greatly sped up business process planning and control. The system allowed configuring funnel stages according to the company’s internal processes and adding important fields for evaluating each deal — for example, the probability percentage of closing or the expected margin. Overall, this enabled better work planning, simplified onboarding for newcomers, and provided a complete picture of specialist involvement in each deal.

How to Measure the Sales Funnel — An Example

To not just guess but actually know where you are “losing” customers and how to fix it, you need to regularly calculate conversions between funnel stages. Conversion is the percentage of leads moving from one funnel stage to the next. The formula is very simple: Conversion (%) = (Number of leads that moved to the next stage / Number of leads at the previous stage) × 100 Example: You have 500 leads who submitted a request on your website. Managers contacted 300 of them, and 120 agreed to a product presentation.
  • Conversion from request to call = (300 / 500) × 100 = 60%
  • Conversion from call to presentation = (120 / 300) × 100 = 40%
These simple numbers already show where potential customers are lost. If you lose 40% at the first step, it signals room for improvement. And if only 10% proceed from presentations to commercial offers, it’s necessary to analyze the presentation, the manager’s approach, or the relevance of the offer to the target audience more deeply. To get truly useful insights, consider:
  1. The full customer journey, not just the final deal stage.
  2. Lead sources — because conversion rates from a webinar and a cold call can differ drastically.
  3. The role of the manager — who handled the deal and what tools they used.
  4. Product complexity — SaaS solutions are one thing, developing a large project from scratch with numerous integrations is another.
Calculating conversions at each stage (lead → qualified lead → presentation → commercial offer → deal) allows you to see exactly where the process “drops off” and, most importantly, why.

How to Improve Sales Funnel Conversion in CRM?

When you identify weak spots in the funnel, you can make targeted process improvements: add triggers, reminders, adjust scripts, and enhance interaction across different channels. To prevent customers from “getting stuck” in the middle of the funnel or getting lost between communication channels, it’s important to create a comfortable and consistent interaction experience for them. SMART CRM helps achieve this through three key approaches:
  • Omnichannel Presence: Be where the customer is — today’s buyer doesn’t have the patience to wait for a callback. They might write in a chat, respond to a lead form, or leave a request via messenger. Omnichannel in SMART CRM means that all these inquiries automatically feed into the funnel on a single customer card, with no risk of getting lost. The manager sees everything in one place and can respond faster. This directly impacts conversion from the first contact: the quicker the response, the higher the chance of engaging the customer.
  • Use of AI: Smart chat assistants at the service of sales — SMART CRM offers scalable customer interaction powered by intelligent solutions like SMART Chat and SMART Easy Bot. These extensions help automate communication, making it personalized and convenient. SMART Chat unifies popular messengers in one window, preserves chat history and analytics, while SMART Easy Bot allows creating smart chatbots for Viber and Telegram, implementing self-service scenarios, mailings, and collecting verified contacts. These solutions are called “smart” because they can automatically respond to customer requests without operator involvement, recognize intent, suggest next steps, and provide relevant information in real time. Together, they reduce response time, boost customer trust, and give managers tools for proactive work.
  • Building a Customer Journey Map: Understanding the customer’s path = Impact on results — SMART CRM collects information about customer interactions: when and how they contacted you, what they viewed, and where they got stuck. This helps identify typical behavior patterns and adapt to expectations. For example, if most leads “drop off” after receiving a commercial offer, it might be time to revise the email template or add a reminder call.

Conclusion:

With SMART CRM, a company gains not only clear metrics but also real tools to influence them. The system highlights problem areas and provides solutions to address them — from automation to in-depth customer journey analytics. If you’re curious how SMART CRM can help your sales team close more deals, request a consultation to learn how to tailor the system to your sales funnel and achieve measurable results! Request Consultation
12 min read
An image of a laptop and two software passports, symbolizing the choice between safe and unsafe software
What to Replace russian CRMs with: Better, More Efficient, and Safer Alternatives
Ukrainian companies continue to abandon russian software. The first wave of boycotting software from the aggressor state occurred in 2017 due to moral reasons and the introduction of sanctions, and after the full-scale invasion in 2022, the issue of IT security became critically urgent. The government supported amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On Sanctions”, which provide for a complete ban on the use of hostile software products and access to electronic resources controlled by russia. As a result, a significant number of companies began switching to Ukrainian or Western alternatives. This trend is not only a matter of principle, but also of practical security. After all, using hostile software carries a number of critical business risks, such as:
  1. Lack of data control – russian IT companies are subject to national legislation, under which security services may demand access to any information. This means there are absolutely no guarantees regarding the protection of personal and commercial data.
  2. Risk of sudden “blackout” – Servers or access to the service may be shut down by the vendor at any moment – for political or strategic reasons. This jeopardizes the continuity of business processes.
  3. Inability to receive updates and support – Sanctions restrict the legal use of russian software, blocking access to technical support and updates. These restrictions will only tighten, which in turn will impact related business processes.
  4. Geopolitical isolation – Global companies are massively cutting ties with russian vendors, directly affecting businesses that use their software. In addition to reputational damage, using russian software can lead to isolation from the European and American markets.
  5. Support for the aggressor – Every license or payment for russian software means funding the state that is waging war against Ukraine.
Nevertheless, despite these risks, in 2024, 17% of Ukrainian companies still used russian software, including CRM systems – as reported in a Ringostat’s study. This typically happens due to financial constraints, migration challenges, or simply out of habit. However, some organizations do not consider switching from hostile software simply because they cannot find local or foreign CRM alternatives. That’s why we propose to explore which solutions should be abandoned and what can replace russian CRMs.

List of the Most Popular russian CRMs on the Ukrainian Market: Which Systems to Avoid

Unfortunately, for a long time, russian software was the most popular option for doing business in Ukraine. The reasons varied: aggressive marketing, convenient integrations, or a lack of understanding of who the actual developer was. As a result, a number of CRM solutions of russian origin gained wide popularity in Ukraine. Among them:
  • Bitrix24 – A comprehensive platform for managing sales, tasks, communications, and document flow.
  • amoCRM (also known as Kommo) – A cloud-based CRM system focused on managing sales and customer communication.
  • Megaplan – A tool for project management, task tracking, and team communication.
  • EnvyCRM – A CRM system for sales and marketing automation.
  • Prostoy Business – A universal CRM system for small and medium-sized businesses.
  • Okdesk – A system for request management and customer service.
These are the most well-known software products from the aggressor state that are still present in the Ukrainian business environment. At the same time, there are solutions on the market that conceal their russian “origin”, posing as international ones. So how can you check whether the software you’ve chosen is connected to russia or Belarus? The IT Ukraine Association has created the Vorozhyi Soft (“Enemy Software”) platform, where you can easily check the origin of software, and the Opendatabot portal provides detailed information about whether citizens of russia or Belarus are among the owners or beneficiaries of a product. The issue of information security is especially critical in the CRM segment — systems that store customer data. The choice of CRM affects not only the efficiency of the team’s work but also the security of confidential information and the company’s reputation. So, having decided to abandon software from the aggressor state, Ukrainian businesses face a strategic choice: what can replace russian CRMs while ensuring stability, alignment with Ukrainian realities, and the potential for business growth?

Alternatives the Market Offers Ukrainian Businesses to Replace russian CRMs

To replace russian CRMs, the market currently offers Ukrainian businesses the following alternatives:
  • SMART CRM (Ukraine) — Built on Microsoft Power Platform, this solution offers flexible customization, secure data migration, and integration with popular services such as Nova Poshta, Rozetka, and Binotel.
  • Dynamics 365 CRM (USA) — This is a set of Microsoft systems with built-in AI. They are categorized by functionality, enhancing different business units: Dynamics 365 Sales (B2B and B2C sales management), Dynamics 365 Customer Insights (marketing automation), Dynamics 365 Customer Service (transparent service support), Dynamics 365 Field Service (on-site service coordination), Dynamics 365 Contact Center (omnichannel customer communication through a contact center).
  • Perfectum CRM+ERP (Ukraine) – A comprehensive solution for small and medium-sized businesses with CRM and ERP modules, supporting automatic updates, REST API, and certified data security.
  • SalesDrive (Ukraine) – A cloud-based CRM system focused on sales automation, lead management, and analytics, with integration options for telephony and email services.
  • Creatio CRM (Ukraine) – A no-code platform for CRM and business process automation that allows for quick adaptation to changes in the business environment.
  • KeepinCRM (Ukraine) – A user-friendly CRM system for small businesses, featuring customer tracking, task management, and integration with popular services.
  • OneBox CRM (Ukraine) – A flexible system that allows business process customization, task automation, and integration with various services, including telephony and email.
  • Asteril CRM (Ukraine) – A specialized CRM for online stores, integrated with marketplaces such as Rozetka and Prom.ua, offering order and inventory management features.
  • NetHunt CRM (Ukraine) – A CRM system integrated with Gmail, enabling sales and customer management directly from the inbox; actively supports the Ukrainian market.
  • Odoo (Belgium) – A modular open-source platform that combines CRM, ERP, and other business apps, providing flexibility and scalability for various business types.
  • Zoho CRM (India) – A cloud CRM system with a wide range of features for automating sales, marketing, and customer support, integrated with over 800 third-party apps.
  • KeyCRM (Ukraine) – A CRM system for e-commerce that consolidates orders from marketplaces, messengers, and social media into a single interface, with inventory management and analytics tools.
  • LP-CRM (Ukraine) – A CRM system focused on processing orders from landing pages and online stores, featuring sales automation and integration with popular payment systems.
It is important for a new CRM for business to be reliable, flexible, user-friendly for the team, and financially reasonable. So, let’s explore which aspects are most important to consider when choosing a new CRM system.

How to Choose a Quality Replacement for russian CRMs for Ukrainian Businesses: Tips and Recommendations

A quality CRM is not just a “replacement” for an old system. It is a new tool that should become part of the business ecosystem: support sales, automate customer interactions, enable transparent analytics, and facilitate scaling. So, when choosing a replacement for russian CRM systems, it is important to consider not only technical specifications but also a number of critically important criteria.

Criteria for Choosing Software to Replace russian CRMs

  1. Localization, support, and service for Ukrainian clients: A Ukrainian-language interface, technical support, compliance with Ukrainian legislation and business specifics – these are essential factors when selecting a system.
  2. Customization flexibility: A quality CRM should easily adapt to the working logic of a specific company – from the sales funnel structure to access rights, reporting, and internal integrations.
  3. Optimal financial conditions: A CRM must be a financially sound investment. It’s important to consider not only the subscription cost, but also the expenses for setup, employee training, technical support, and scaling. The market currently offers many options with broad functionality at an affordable price.
  4. Migration speed and data retention: Data transfer from previous systems must be fast, secure, and controlled. Choose CRMs with a track record of successful migrations – this will significantly reduce risks during the transition.
  5. Integrations and level of automation: The availability of ready-made integrations with telephony, email, messengers, accounting systems, and more is critically important. A CRM system should become the central hub for all customer-related processes.
  6. Analytics and management reporting: Analytical tools must be clear, flexible, and accessible. This enables informed decision-making based on real-time data – from sales performance to evaluating manager effectiveness.
  7. Compliance with legislation and security standards: The CRM system must comply with current Ukrainian laws on storing and processing personal data, as well as international security standards (including GDPR, ISO/IEC 27001, SOC 2, etc.).
Replacing russian CRMs and switching to a completely new system may feel like a “leap of faith”, but it can unlock new opportunities for business, support expansion into the European market, and help build stronger relationships with clients. A properly implemented and configured CRM system is a strategic tool that can strengthen internal communication, enable faster responses to market challenges, and support better managerial decision-making. To ensure that replacing a russian CRM and migrating to new software goes as smoothly as possible and without risking your company’s operations, it is best to rely on a trusted vendor. For over 16 years, SMART business, in partnership with Microsoft, has been implementing and localizing leading solutions for business process automation – providing full technical support from the start of integration to the creation of a unified digital environment for the company. The company offers a full-fledged alternative to russian software – SMART CRM, a modern platform built on Microsoft Power Platform technologies. This solution for B2B and B2C companies covers all key customer interaction processes. SMART CRM is a reliable replacement for russian CRM systems like Bitrix24, Kommo, Megaplan, and other similar solutions – fully aligned with the modern needs of Ukrainian businesses.

SMART CRM as an Alternative to russian CRMs: Features, Capabilities, and Advantages

Implementing SMART CRM opens up a wide range of opportunities for companies, tailored to today’s market challenges. The CRM platform offers a number of key advantages:
  • Flexible configuration for business needs: Thanks to a convenient tool builder, users can independently adapt the basic functionality of the CRM system to their own processes – without needing to involve developers.
  • Robust technological foundation: SMART CRM is built on Microsoft Power Platform – one of the world’s leading low-code/no-code platforms. This allows for rapid scaling while minimizing costs associated with complex development.
  • Integrations with modern services: The CRM system supports native integration with services like Ringostat, Binotel, Stream Telecom, Nova Poshta, Rozetka, eSputnik, PayPal, UAPAY, InPost, plata by mono, and more. This ensures centralized management of customer communications and logistics.
  • High level of security and compliance: SMART CRM complies with more than 13 international security regulations and standards, including GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, SOC, RODO, FedRAMP High, and others. This guarantees reliable data protection and compliance with legal requirements.
  • Regular feature updates: The platform is continuously evolving – new versions are released every 3–4 months, consistently expanding capabilities and enhancing the user experience.
  • Support and training from experts: Included are professional documentation, training materials, and consultations from certified specialists – helping users quickly get up to speed.
  • Deep customization options: If needed, a company can request personalized configuration for its specific processes – provided directly by the SMART business team.
  • Mobility and accessibility: The CRM system is accessible from any device – mobile or desktop – providing work flexibility and real-time control over business operations.
The SMART CRM platform offers four CRM solutions: SMART Sales, SMART Customer Care, SMART Order Management and SMART Marketing. These tools are currently demonstrating their effectiveness across industries such as retail, logistics, IT, as well as in education, energy, and pharmaceuticals. Below are a few recent CRM implementation cases from SMART business:
  • Nova Post: SMART Sales and SMART Customer Care Goal: Enable effective B2B sales management and customer inquiry handling during expansion into the European market. Result: The implementation of the CRM system helped the company scale quickly and efficiently, optimize internal team communication, and improve customer satisfaction.
  • AM Integrator Group: SMART Sales Goal: Optimize the process of working with potential deals and improve sales analytics. Result: The implementation of SMART Sales streamlined deal management, aligned sales funnel stages with the department’s business processes, and enhanced analytics.
  • British-Georgian Academy: SMART Sales and SMART Customer Care Goal: Improve communication with students’ parents and optimize administrative processes. Result: The implementation of SMART Sales and SMART Customer Care improved communication with parents and reduced the administrative workload.
  • AQUA PLUS: SMART Order Management Goal: Optimize order processing and ensure effective coordination between departments. Result: The implementation of SMART Order Management automated key service processes – from order creation to invoicing – enabling a unified, integrated view of all orders.
  • DTEK: SMART Sales Goal: Optimize engagement with potential donors and track the entire lifecycle of equipment. Result: The implementation of SMART Sales created a single, transparent, and convenient environment for interacting with donors of specialized equipment and allowed for full traceability of the equipment’s journey.
If you’ve decided to stop using hostile software and are looking for a replacement for a russian CRM – or if you’re simply ready to implement a flexible, innovative, and efficient CRM system – submit a request, and SMART business experts will help you choose the right solution: Submit a Request
9 min read
A human and a robot high-five through smartphone screens, symbolizing friendly interaction between humans and artificial intelligence.
How to Improve Customer Experience with Chatbots and Virtual Assistants
Customer-oriented service, since the start of the 2020s, has firmly shifted from being a “nice to have” to a “must-have” in the business value system. Why? Because consumers are no longer just looking to purchase products or services. Increasingly, they expect unforgettable customer experiences from their favorite brands. According to Forbes research, in 2023, 58% of respondents were willing to switch trusted brands for the sake of a better customer service experience. Businesses had to accept these new rules of the game because, according to McKinsey research, losing one loyal customer can only be offset by attracting three new ones. This demand has spurred the active development of technologies that help improve the key elements of customer-oriented service:
  • understanding customers,
  • omnichannel communication,
  • personalization of offers,
  • automation of service processes.
With innovative solutions, it’s easier to stay connected with customers and partners 24/7, communicate through the most convenient channels, remember every detail of preferences, and never forget about personalized offers. This is why CRM systems – software products for automating customer, consumer, and partner relationship management – have become bestsellers in the software market over the last decade. And their extensions – various chatbots and virtual assistants – are essential components of good service.

Chatbots and Virtual Assistants: Differences and Areas of Responsibility

Chatbots and virtual assistants are digital tools used as extensions of classic CRM systems to automate user interactions. A chatbot is a software product that facilitates user interaction through text or voice interfaces and follows a clearly defined script. It is designed to perform specific narrow tasks, such as registration or booking bots. A virtual assistant is a multifunctional version of a chatbot, which may be enhanced with artificial intelligence. In this case, it understands context, takes past interactions into account, and continuously improves. The difference between a chatbot and a virtual assistant lies in the depth of functionality and adaptability. Chatbots are best suited for basic tasks, while virtual assistants provide personalized, context-dependent support. By the way, according to McKinsey’s research, the implementation of AI-based virtual assistants in the banking sector contributes to a 22-30% increase in employee productivity and leads to a 6% growth in annual revenue.

AI-Powered Technologies – A Revolution in the World of Bots

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) has the potential to completely revolutionize customer service. According to a study by McKinsey, incorporating GenAI into customer service, solely by reducing human hours during the handling of customer inquiries, boosts productivity by 30-45%. However, it’s also important to consider the increased sales that come with improved customer satisfaction. This happens through:
  • efficient automation of responses. GenAI-powered chatbots can independently engage in conversations, generating answers to common questions and even solving more complex issues without involving service staff,
  • improved accuracy and relevance of responses. Thanks to natural language processing, GenAI can understand both the context and tone of the inquiry,
  • faster processing of customer requests. GenAI’s ability to quickly analyze large amounts of data speeds up response times.

Common Use Cases for GenAI-Powered Virtual Assistants

SMART business, a company with over 15 years of experience in developing and implementing digital transformation solutions and creating AI-powered products, has compiled a list of the most common use cases for generative AI. An AI chatbot for customer support and an AI assistant on the website provide high-quality customer support 24/7, even when your employees are off. They:
  • quickly search the knowledge base and generate summary responses with links to documents,
  • ensure high accuracy, even if the inquiry contains mistakes,
  • find the required product, even if the user forgot the name but can provide related information.
AI Assistant for HR:
  • automation of the recruitment process, including job description creation, resume screening, and candidate selection. This process is used by the renowned high-tech HR company Wonderlic,
  • creating personalized learning programs,
  • virtual L&D assistants and tutors,
  • automation of upskilling and reskilling processes,
  • assisting with onboarding new employees by answering questions based on HR documents and wikis. Employees without computers can access information via messaging apps like Telegram, Viber, or Facebook Messenger.
AI Assistant for Legal Departments: With significant potential to improve compliance and risk management, an AI assistant can:
  • quickly identify inconsistencies in documents or risks that may affect business outcomes,
  • monitor operations in real-time for compliance with regulatory standards and detect potential violations,
  • predict risks based on historical data,
  • check documents for alignment with company policies and identify those that need updating.
AI Assistant for Healthcare Institutions:
  • assists in processing inquiries to the hotline,
  • aids in diagnosing diseases. An interesting example is PathAI, which uses AI to analyze tissue samples for pathological conditions,
  • accelerates the drug discovery process by analyzing billions of potential chemical compounds to identify promising ones in terms of research.
AI Assistant for Educational Institutions:
  • automates communication with parents and students,
  • creates personalized learning programs, such as the globally recognized language-learning platform Duolingo.
AI Assistant for Product Descriptions on Websites:
  • automatically creates unique, high-quality product descriptions tailored to specific keywords,
  • selects images for product cards in accordance with SEO requirements and optimizes them for fast loading and correct display on different devices,
  • generates tags frequently used by users to search for similar products,
  • performs SEO optimization for existing product cards, for example selects the most relevant keywords, creates titles, and meta descriptions that improve CTR (Click-Through Rate).
Customer Service Quality Assessment:
  • transcribes and analyzes support team conversations with customers and evaluates them for professionalism, empathy, and adherence to company norms,
  • provides recommendations for improving service levels when necessary.
Intelligent Social Listening (Online and Social Media Analysis) for companies planning rebranding, launching a new product, or exploring a new niche. It not only counts mentions and hashtags but also deeply analyzes the context and tone. This allows for highly accurate predictions of market trends and the development of strategies that resonate with the target audience. By creating personalized solutions in partnership with the SMART business team or choosing from ready-made options and integrating them into business processes, companies can enhance a wide range of functions. Want to understand which business processes in your company benefit most from an AI assistant? Request a free consultation here.

Opportunities for Creating a Unique Customer Experience by SMART business

Having seen how significantly AI-based solutions can boost profitability, businesses today no longer ask “Is it worth it?” but rather “Where do we start?” Successful cases show that it starts with reviewing needs and choosing the right vendor. For instance, global retail giant Walmart partnered with Microsoft to implement a range of generative AI-based solutions. This collaboration elevated customer experience for consumers across 11 countries. The company’s top management emphasized access to the most advanced AI models, combined with high data security, as key reasons for choosing this partnership. SMART business, a leading Microsoft partner, offers the full spectrum of solutions from the vendor. Specifically, SMART CRM provides all the necessary tools to build effective interactions with customers and partners. SMART Chat and SMART Easy Bot have been developed as extensions of the platform’s capabilities: SMART Chat is a tool that:
  • integrates popular messaging apps (Facebook Messenger, Telegram, WhatsApp, Viber, Instagram) into a single window,
  • records conversations and key metrics (such as wait times and communication duration) and integrates communication history for a personalized experience,
  • optimizes each subsequent interaction with the customer by saving communication history in the customer’s profile, enabling personalized communication.
Learn more here. SMART Easy Bot is a tool for simple and convenient management of Viber and Telegram chatbots directly from the CRM interface. Unlike SMART Chat, which facilitates omnichannel communication, SMART Easy Bot can also be used for self-service by customers who have subscribed to the bot. Key features include:
  • building a client base with verified contacts,
  • sending bulk or segmented messages,
  • supporting feedback,
  • generating unique texts directly from CRM,
  • converting texts into barcodes or QR codes as needed.
This tool supports various scenarios, such as purchases or service maintenance. Learn more here.

How SMART business Chatbots Help Build Trust-Based Relationships with Consumers

The value of these solutions for businesses is evidenced by successful implementations with our customers. For example, LEOLAND, a sports and entertainment complex in Lviv, is a unique project spanning 30,000 square meters with numerous family-friendly locations. It attracts many visitors daily, each of whom deserves to feel special, which implies being informed about changes in operating hours, the availability of certain areas, or new personal offers. Additionally, visitors expect immediate responses to their inquiries, regardless of the complex’s operating hours. The SMART business team received a request from LEOLAND for an upgrade to their IT ecosystem. The result was the implementation of Microsoft Dynamics 365, integrated with several connectors, including SMART Connector for Binotel, SMART Chat, SMART Easy Bot, SMART Connector for eSputnik, and SMART Connector for GMS. The system enables seamless communication with visitors through their preferred channels, records and analyzes inquiries to the customer center, and automatically analyzes preferences to generate personalized offers. Despite opening amid the war, LEOLAND quickly became a popular family destination for locals and visitors alike. SMART business solutions ensure efficient business process automation with flexible customization, rapid implementation, and user-friendly interfaces. They also comply with the highest international standards, particularly regarding data protection. Implementing any toolset on the SMART CRM platform guarantees:
  • improved customer interactions,
  • increased operational efficiency,
  • enhanced precision in decision-making processes,
  • increased security of information systems.
Order a free consultation here. Get a consultation
15 min read
Пунктирна крива з маркерами: лампочка і знаки запитання, ноутбук, візочок для покупок з коробкою і коробка зі смайликом
Customer Journey Map: Streamlining Business Processes and Removing Barriers Along the User Path
The modern era of overproduction is increasingly being called the age of meaning-makers, where businesses offer consumers not just products, but personalized value. According to a Benchmark study, 87% of fast-growing companies actively apply the “value creation” approach. Their experience shows a clear link between the effort a business invests in building a strong emotional connection with customers and its sales performance. Businesses understand well: “How to strike the right chord with the customer and secure a lasting place in their heart” is not some magical ritual – it’s a matter of collecting and processing data. And for that, effective tools are essential. CRM is the most popular among them, but not the only one. Another must-have is the Customer Journey Map (CJM).

What Is a Customer Journey Map?

It is a method of visualizing how customers interact with a company at different stages of their journey. It helps to understand their needs and emotions at every touchpoint with the brand. That’s why experts consider CJM one of the essential business process optimization tools, on par with CRM systems.

Why Use a CJM

Did you know that, according to Benchmark data, over 90% of customers conduct their own research online before purchasing your products or services? And most of them find at least a few offers similar to yours? Why did they choose you – and will they choose you again next time? Will they recommend your brand to their family, friends, and acquaintances? A well-designed Customer Journey Map can give you a realistic answer to these questions.

The Purpose of a Customer Journey Map: How to Turn Plans Into Real Sales

You’ve analyzed your product’s market niche, defined your target audience, mapped out the ideal customer journey, and even estimated potential sales volumes. But the actual results fall short of expectations, and potential buyers are abandoning their shopping carts and not becoming repeat customers? Then it’s the perfect time to start creating Customer Journey Maps. The foundation of CJM is analyzing the interests, needs, motives, and emotions of customers at each stage of interaction with the brand. These maps are usually created as tables, diagrams, or infographics. This approach helps visualize the pain points along the customer journey – from the first contact with the company to post-sale interactions. It gives businesses the opportunity to understand how customers perceive a product, service, or solution, to identify growth areas, and to suggest relevant improvements for related business processes. Building a Customer Journey Map is useful at any stage of business development.

The Benefits of a Detailed Customer Journey Map

The more information you gather when creating a Customer Journey Map, the higher the chances of accurately reflecting the processes specific to your business. A detailed CJM always offers extra opportunities:
  • The more detailed the map, the easier it is to spot real obstacles along the customer path – such as a registration form that freezes, unclear instructions, or an overloaded support line. Stepping beyond the “average journey” allows you to address conversion issues in a targeted way and significantly improve results.
  • Detailed CJMs visualize the behavior of different types of real customers, their expectations, and the barriers they face. This enables businesses not only to create highly customized content and personalized offers but also to configure automated scenarios that actually work.
Involve your CRM system in creating a detailed CJM; make full use of web analytics data; analyze support service call records; interview managers and focus groups. Tip: Don’t overlook customer feedback – according to a Forbes survey conducted in 2023, 50% of respondents are willing to share their data with companies in exchange for better service and a positive customer experience.

Key Elements of a Customer Journey Map

A Customer Journey Map is always created with the specifics of each business and product in mind. However, the core elements are usually universal. These include:
  • Journey Stages – a list of all significant interaction points between customers and the company. For example: awareness, exploring offers and comparing competitors, making purchase decisions, buying, service, and post-sale support.
  • Touchpoints – specific places or channels through which the customer interacts with the company: website, social media, popular messengers, offline or online stores.
  • Customer Emotions at each stage.
Tip: Don’t spare resources or effort to find out how customers feel at every stage of their journey. According to research by one of the most influential American consumer behavior companies, PWC, 32% of consumers say they are ready to abandon their favorite brand after just one negative experience.
  • Customer Goals – understanding what the customer wants at each stage: to find information, receive a discount, or solve a problem (what problem, and how).
  • Pain Points – obstacles on the customer’s path. These might include inconvenient website navigation, a complicated payment process, poor warranty service, late delivery, or lack of communication about changes to delivery conditions or timing. When identified in time, these obstacles turn into growth opportunities for the company.
Tip: Focus on building long-term, trust-based relationships with your customers. Do everything you can to make them want to recommend you. According to Benchmark data, 70% of companies report that referral leads convert into sales faster than any other type of lead.

Build Your CJM the Right Way

Creating an effective Customer Journey Map involves following a clear sequence of essential steps.

Defining the Goal

Start by clearly defining your business goal – whether it’s gaining a specific market share, achieving ROI, or increasing profits – and set a pool of relevant, measurable metrics. For example: Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT), Net Promoter Score (NPS), Customer Retention Rate, Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), Conversion Rate, Average Resolution Time, return or complaint rate, and Customer Engagement Metrics.

Map Creation is a Team Effort

It’s important to involve all employees who interact with customers in the CJM creation process – including service staff, after-sales support teams, and salespeople. This ensures a comprehensive view, effective identification of pain points, and synchronized efforts to implement a customer-centric approach.

A Complete List of Touchpoints

Make sure you capture every single touchpoint where customers interact with your brand at each stage of the journey.

In-Depth Target Audience Analysis

This step is based on:
  • Data from the CRM system, including sales analytics and customer support records,
  • Web analytics and behavioral insights using tools like Microsoft Clarity,
  • Social media analysis and marketing campaign analytics,
  • Field research, including surveys and focus groups,
  • Customer feedback gathered via support chatbots, reviews on marketplaces, and forum discussions.
Tip. Communicate with your customers via the channels that are convenient for them. According to Benchmark research, businesses that adopt an omnichannel sales strategy reach a customer retention rate of 89%.

Audience Segmentation

It’s essential to break your customer base into separate segments and create detailed personas for each one. The segmentation criteria will depend on your business specifics and objectives. Typically, these include:
  • Socio-demographic factors: age, gender, job title, income level, marital status, education,
  • Geographic factors: region, area, and local consumption patterns,
  • Buying behavior: purchase frequency, timing, and decision drivers (necessity, impulse, etc.),
  • Psychographic factors: values and lifestyle.

Testing the Customer Journey Map

Once your CJM is complete, test it by simulating real-life scenarios with focus groups. Afterward, start developing a clear action protocol for each department – based on customer types and journey stages. Use A/B testing to identify the most effective improvements for different customer segments.

Process Optimization at Pain Points

Identified customer pain points must be transformed into targeted improvements – such as refining website UI/UX, streamlining the order process, or enhancing delivery service operations.

Measuring Core KPIs

It’s crucial to regularly assess the effectiveness of your implemented changes by tracking relevant metrics.

Key Types of Customer Journey Maps

Let’s take a closer look at the most common formats for visualizing customer journeys.

Current State Customer Journey Map

This type of map reflects customer thoughts and feelings throughout their interactions with the company. It highlights emotions and issues at each touchpoint and is particularly useful for identifying gaps in the customer experience. Tip: When working to improve customer experience, remember that – according to research by PWC – customers value speed, convenience, helpful staff, and a friendly yet non-intrusive service approach the most.

Day in the Life – Stepping into the Customer’s Shoes

This CJM format models an entire day in the life of a potential customer. It’s a valuable tool for proactive businesses. For example, future parents might not yet be actively searching for educational programs for their child, but they can already be engaged with interactive early development solutions.

Future State – The Best Way to Model the Ideal Customer Journey

This type of Customer Journey Map focuses on carefully designing every stage of the customer journey – including potential pain points – to envision the perfect experience. Tip. Don’t hesitate to invest time and effort into answering the question: “What more can I do for my customers?”. According to PWC research, 54% of Americans believe that most companies need to improve their customer experience.

Organize Customer-Centric Business Processes

A Customer Journey Map built on the Service Blueprint approach aims to “audit” the teams and processes involved in customer service. One of the key growth opportunities here is relieving employees of routine tasks, allowing them to focus on customer care and attention. Tip. According to Benchmark, introducing AI into the sales process can take over up to 40% of routine tasks.

Customer Journey Map Examples for B2C and B2B

Example: Customer Journey Map for a Car Service Center (B2C)

Example of a CJM for a CRM System Provider (B2B)

Best Practices for Customer Journey Mapping

  • It’s important to clearly define the goal before creating a customer journey map. For example, if a company wants to reduce customer churn and focus on retention, it’s essential to carefully address post-purchase pain points.
  • Study real customers, not hypothetical ones, and build the CJM based on data, not assumptions. Draw relevant conclusions from the data you collect. For example, if customers often contact support right after registration, it might be necessary to refine this process.
  • Create detailed customer personas. A customer journey map should be built for specific audience segments.
  • Carefully analyze the emotional state of customers. You can add a mood scale from negative to positive and highlight critical moments. For example, if new users feel confused, consider adding video tutorials or automated tips.
  • Use digital tools to build your CJM.
  • Optimize bottlenecks and test improvements. After all, a customer journey map is a tool for driving necessary changes. For example, if customers often abandon their shopping cart, you could test adding a “Buy in one click” option.

10 Common Mistakes in Customer Journey Mapping

  • Building a CJM without real data. This risks wasting resources on improving things that are not critical for customers.
  • Creating a customer journey map for an “average” client, without clearly defined personas.
  • Ignoring the customer’s emotional state.
  • An incomplete set of touchpoints.
  • No map of the ideal scenario, focusing only on “as-is” without understanding what the “to-be” state should look like.
  • Ignoring negative customer experiences and focusing only on positive interactions.
  • A map that’s either too detailed or too general. The optimal balance is 5–10 main stages with clearly defined touchpoints.
  • No CJM updates: it’s important to regularly analyze changes in customer behavior and update the map at least once every six months.
  • Creating a CJM as a formality: this is a decision-making tool meant to drive process changes.
  • Lack of cross-functional collaboration: a CJM should not be created solely by the marketing team without involving other specialists.

Tools for Creating a Customer Journey Map

The main requirements for CJM tools are:
  • Interactivity and advanced visualization capabilities,
  • Integration with CRM systems and other data sources,
  • Collaboration features for team workflows,
  • Advanced analytics and automation options.

Microsoft Visio

A tool for creating diagrams, charts, and visualizations, including CJM. It offers ready-made blocks and templates for building maps.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights enables the analysis of customer journey based on data from various channels. It also uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze customer behavior.

Microsoft Power BI

A platform for data analytics and visualization that can be used, among other things, for CJM analysis. It allows the creation of custom CJMs based on data from different sources.

Microsoft Whiteboard

An intuitive and simple tool for collaborative teamwork, integrated with Teams and Outlook. Suitable for creating CJMs at the early stages of business development. In addition to these, there are also a number of specialized tools

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between a Customer Journey Map and a User Journey?

A Customer Journey Map is a global view of the customer and their experience. It covers all stages of interaction with the company and includes all channels. It focuses on emotions, pains, expectations, and the overall consumer experience. It is used for strategic customer experience management. A User Journey, on the other hand, is a specific scenario of user interaction with a product or digital service. It usually covers a single scenario or case. It is used when the goal is to optimize interactions with a website or app and improve UX/UI.

What’s the difference between a Customer Journey Map and a Sales Funnel?

A Customer Journey Map and a sales funnel are two different approaches to analyzing customer interaction. The sales funnel is a model that describes the path of a potential customer from the first contact with the brand to the purchase. It focuses on business outcomes and conversion. It is more oriented toward marketing and sales, rather than the entire customer experience. It helps increase sales effectiveness and the ROI of advertising campaigns. The funnel helps identify weak points in sales (e.g., high abandonment rate at the checkout stage). A CJM helps understand the reasons behind the problem (e.g., an unclear or inconvenient website interface).

What’s the difference between a Customer Journey Map and a Customer Experience Map?

A Customer Experience Map (CEM) is a broader overview of customer interaction with the company throughout their entire lifecycle, regardless of the specific scenario, compared to a Customer Journey Map. It focuses on the overall, brand-independent experience. It analyzes all interactions and the consumer context, from when they’re unaware of the company to when they become a loyal customer or leave the brand. It helps identify opportunities for improving the overall customer experience.

How to use a Customer Journey Map?

A CJM is a powerful tool for identifying ways to improve products, building successful marketing strategies, and establishing effective communication with consumers to increase loyalty and attract new customers. A CJM combined with a CEM allows you to assess customer interactions with the company comprehensively and improve both the overall business strategy and specific processes. It is also effective to combine a CJM with a sales funnel. The funnel visualizes the problem, while the CJM helps understand how to solve it. Combining a CJM with a User Journey helps improve customer experience at a strategic level while simultaneously optimizing the company’s digital services.

What SMART business solutions are useful for creating a Customer Journey Map/improving the Customer Journey?

SMART business offers a range of comprehensive solutions for collecting and analyzing the information necessary to optimize business processes and build a CJM. These include: SMART Sales, SMART Customer Care, SMART Order Management and SMART Marketing, with a full suite of extensions for organizing omnichannel communication and 24/7 service support. Would you like to learn more about how to optimize your business’s IT ecosystem to create a maximally customer-oriented service? Register for a free consultation here. Get a consultation
21 min read
Abstract illustration with a compass symbolizing a CRM system as a navigation for business
CRM for Business: From Spreadsheet Chaos to Structure in Just a Few Clicks
Objectives can be compared to a compass bearing by which a ship navigates. A compass bearing is firm, but in actual navigation, a ship may veer off its course for many miles. Without a compass bearing, a ship would neither find its port nor be able to estimate the time required to get there
Peter Drucker
*In navigation, a bearing is, simply put, the direction indicated by the compass. According to this analogy from Peter Drucker, a founder of modern management, business is like a merchant ship navigating stormy seas – tossed by waves of shifting demand, heading toward hyper-personalization, global market expansion, and entry into new regions. To avoid getting lost in the storm of business processes, companies need more than just a strategic course – they need a reliable navigation system. Such a system helps steer every customer and partner interaction, build trust, and earn loyalty, all while keeping critical details in focus. This is exactly how a CRM system works for business: it locks the course onto the customer, helps retain them, and keeps you on target. A CRM is like the compass bearing in the world of customer experience. Without it, it's easy to lose the connection, timing, context – and ultimately, the customer.

So, what is CRM in business?

A CRM system (Customer Relationship Management) is software that serves as a strategic tool, enabling a company to build long-term, mutually beneficial relationships with its customers. CRM for business acts as the digital brain of the sales, marketing, and customer service teams. It ensures no inquiry goes unnoticed, helps better understand customer needs, and enables timely responses. CRM records the full history of customer interactions – who asked what, when they reached out, and where the deal currently stands – and turns that chaos into a structured system. It tells you when to call, what to offer, and how to keep the customer engaged. Want to know how to choose the CRM for business that truly matches your goals and needs? Let’s explore in more detail!

In Which Business Areas Are CRM Systems Used, and What Functionality Should Modern Solutions Provide?

Today’s CRM systems for business go far beyond just the sales department. They’ve become comprehensive tools that bring together marketing, service, analytics, communication, and even team management. Let’s explore the key business areas where CRM brings the most value.

Business Areas Where CRM Is Applied

A CRM system supports several key areas of business at once:
  • Sales – Modern CRMs provide full control over the sales cycle – from the first contact with a potential customer to signing the contract. The system can automatically capture inquiries from multiple channels, help qualify leads, assign responsible managers, manage deals in stages, create tasks and reminders, store interaction history, and integrate document workflows. As a result, it enables structured sales, ensures no opportunity is missed, and supports effective decision-making based on up-to-date data.
  • Marketing – CRM for business significantly expands marketing capabilities – from basic lead collection to launching personalized campaigns. A CRM allows you to segment audiences by interests, behavior, and funnel stage. Solutions like SMART CRM enable you to configure messaging workflows, automatically launch email or SMS campaigns at the right time, and track results. With integration of websites, messengers, and ad channels, marketing becomes more creative, controllable, and measurable.
  • Customer Service – CRM systems fundamentally transform how businesses approach customer support. Instead of chaotic responses and lost inquiries, CRM functionality builds a structured support system. With SMART CRM, all customer requests – submitted via website forms, messengers, email, or phone – are automatically recorded in a single database, where nothing gets lost and everything is prioritized and processed accordingly. Managers can quickly retrieve interaction histories and offer solutions from a knowledge base, while adhering to SLAs (Service Level Agreements).
  • Team Collaboration – CRM for business is not only about working with customers – it’s also a tool for efficient internal teamwork. A modern CRM allows you to assign tasks, appoint responsible team members, track task statuses, and manage deadlines effectively. Built-in analytics tools help assess each employee’s workload and productivity. As a result, the company experiences less chaos and more coordinated steps toward shared goals.
  • Analytics – Reporting and analytics tools in CRM systems empower businesses to make decisions based on real data – not just intuition or assumptions. This means every action – from planning a marketing campaign to optimizing the sales process – is backed by processed and analyzed data. This approach allows companies to better predict future trends, identify issues early, and quickly adapt their strategy. It reduces the risk of error and increases overall business efficiency.
  • IT Infrastructure – Modern CRM systems like SMART CRM or Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales support flexible integration with other corporate platforms. This creates a unified ecosystem for managing data and business processes. Cloud access makes it possible to work with the CRM system from anywhere, not just the office, ensuring mobility and flexibility. Additionally, security remains a top priority: two-factor authentication, access rights management, and reliable data storage protect against unauthorized access, which is crucial for maintaining the confidentiality and integrity of sensitive information.
That’s why, to be truly effective across these business areas, a CRM system must meet specific functional requirements.

What Should a Modern CRM for Business Be Capable Of?

Let’s explore the essential capabilities a modern CRM system must offer to become a powerful tool for your company.
  1. 360-Degree Customer View – Your CRM should serve as the single source of truth about each customer by providing:
  • A centralized customer database containing the entire history of deals, purchases, inquiries, and requests.
  • Personalization tools for capturing customer preferences, enabling segmentation and targeted engagement.
  • Automatic tracking of communications – emails, calls, chats, and web form submissions – all in one place.
  1. Automation of Sales, Service, and Marketing – A modern business CRM must eliminate manual tasks by intelligently automating workflows, including:
  • Lead generation management – automatic collection of leads from various sources such as websites, social media, chatbots, and ads.
  • Campaign automation – tools for setting up and running targeted email and SMS campaigns triggered by predefined scenarios. This allows for personalized customer communication and reduces the time spent on routine tasks.
  • Customer service automation using a knowledge base to quickly provide answers to frequently asked questions.
  1. Integration with Third-Party Services – Your CRM system shouldn’t operate in isolation – it should seamlessly support:
  • Synchronization with popular messengers like WhatsApp, Telegram, Facebook Messenger, Viber, Instagram, etc.
  • Integration with your ERP, accounting, and financial systems to keep track of finances and inventory.
  • API support for custom integrations, ensuring flexibility in connecting to internal platforms.
  1. Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) – Data is one of a company’s most valuable assets – provided it’s used effectively. Your CRM should offer:
  • Real-time dashboards and analytics with tracking of key metrics such as conversion rates and sales performance.
  • AI-powered sales forecasting by analyzing customer data and behavior patterns.
  • Automatic lead categorization based on behavior and needs.
For instance, McKinsey & Company shares a case study of a leading real estate company that integrated AI into its CRM system. As a result, customer communications were automated, boosting conversion rates by 25% and reducing the need for human involvement in 87% of cases.
  1. Omnichannel Communication – Customers may reach out via Instagram, call, or submit a request through a feedback form. Your CRM should unify all these channels:
  • A single communication hub with chats, calls, emails, and messengers in one interface.
  • Integrated telephony with features like call recording, playback, and analytics.
  • Chatbots and autoresponders to handle frequent and popular requests automatically.
McKinsey & Company notes that today’s customers interact with brands across more than 10 channels, with two-thirds preferring digital or remote experiences. Companies that quickly implement self-service and automation tools – such as CRMs with self-service capabilities – can significantly boost sales potential and free up valuable team resources. One multinational company, for example, launched an additional online channel and generated over 500 new sales opportunities while easing team workloads during the COVID-19 pandemic.
  1. Task and Team Management – Your CRM should be a workspace for the whole team, equipped with tools like:
  • Calendars, reminders, and task managers to schedule meetings, highlight important dates, and assign tasks.
  • Performance tracking through activity analytics and team productivity metrics.
  • A built-in learning system, enabled through a centralized knowledge base.
  1. Mobile Access and Cloud Availability – Your CRM must be convenient and accessible regardless of a user’s location or work format. This requires:
  • Full access to information from a phone or tablet.
  • The ability to work from anywhere thanks to cloud data storage.
  • Two-factor authentication and flexible access rights to protect company data.
  1. Flexibility and Scalability – It’s simple: as your business grows, your CRM must grow with it. Key considerations include:
  • Customizability to align with your company’s business processes – configurable interfaces and workflow automation.
  • Easy scalability to support new countries, branches, and users.
  • A flexible permissions system that allows for role-based access (e.g., for managers, marketers, or sales teams).
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CRM Benefits for Business: What Results Can You Expect with the Right Solution?

So, why is having a CRM important to a business? Implementing a CRM system enables businesses to achieve tangible results that directly impact financial performance. CRM adoption supports the achievement of key company goals.

Increased Sales and Profitability

CRM in business helps manage leads more efficiently, reduce customer attrition, and improve conversion rates at every stage of the sales funnel. Automating routine tasks frees up managers’ time, allowing them to focus more on client interactions and deal closures. By leveraging up-to-date data, CRM solutions enable customer behavior forecasting, supporting data-driven decision-making and more effective strategic planning.

Enhanced Customer Interaction

With all contacts, interaction history, purchases, and requests stored in a single system, the risk of losing important customer information is minimized. For instance, the modern SMART CRM solution consolidates all communication channels – email, messengers, telephony, and social media – ensuring seamless customer engagement. According to McKinsey & Company, companies that adopted omnichannel solutions using modern technologies achieved a 13.5% increase in EBIT (Earnings Before Interest and Taxes). Additionally, CRM tools allow for analyzing customer preferences and setting up personalized offers, enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty. This enables faster responses to inquiries, resulting in improved service and stronger client relationships.

Improved Operational Efficiency

A CRM in business can automate daily tasks, provide transparency in tracking and completing assignments, and streamline internal workflows. As a result, businesses can reduce labor costs, shorten the time spent on repetitive operations, and lower the risk of financial losses due to inefficiencies or poor decisions.

Increased Company Revenue

All the above factors combined lead to higher company revenues through cost reduction, improved sales efficiency, and a better customer experience. Numerous studies cited by McKinsey & Company indicate that adopting advanced technologies and sales automation can reduce costs and increase company revenue by up to 20%. Submit a Request

What Types of CRM Systems Exist for Specific Business Processes, and How to Choose the Right One?

The choice of a CRM for business depends on the company’s area of focus, scale, and the team’s goals. CRM system classification helps identify which solutions are best suited for automating specific business processes – from sales to marketing and customer service.

CRM Systems for Different Business Processes

Depending on a company’s objectives, the market offers solutions that can help increase sales, improve customer communication, or streamline service request management.

Sales Automation CRM

Speed, clarity, and control at every stage of the sales funnel are essential for successful sales operations, and CRM systems for sales are designed to build and optimize these processes. What such a CRM provides:
  1. End-to-end control over every stage of the deal within a unified workspace.
  2. Increased efficiency in working with clients to ensure no lead gets lost.
  3. Automated reporting on the sales funnel.
  4. Tracking communication history with each contact.
Best suited for:
  • B2B companies with long sales cycles.
  • Businesses using multiple lead generation channels.
  • Companies with large sales departments.
One example of such a solution is SMART Sales, which automates B2B sales processes – from lead acquisition to deal closure.

Marketing Automation CRM

Modern marketing goes far beyond email newsletters and social media pages. It now encompasses a much broader set of processes. A modern CRM for marketing helps align activities with business goals – such as boosting sales, increasing customer loyalty, and improving repeat purchase rates. What such a CRM can do:
  1. Help segment customers.
  2. Automate mailings and communications.
  3. Launch personalized campaigns effortlessly.
  4. Create template libraries for various communication channels.
  5. Provide advanced analytics tools for monitoring and evaluating marketing activities.
Best suited for:
  • Companies aiming to increase customer loyalty.
  • Businesses looking to combine marketing and analytics in a single solution.
To meet these needs, we recommend SMART Marketing, a solution for managing omnichannel marketing communications and delivering a consistent, cohesive customer experience.

Service Process Automation CRM

For service-based businesses, it’s crucial to quickly handle requests, maintain interaction history, and monitor task completion. In this case, a service-focused CRM emphasizes fast request management, transparent service processes, and efficient team collaboration. What such a system provides:
  1. Automation of request and order tracking.
  2. Task distribution by assignee.
  3. Tools for managing deadlines, SLAs, and payments.
  4. Centralized storage of documents and templates for streamlined customer interactions.
Best suited for:
  • Service companies with recurring orders.
  • Businesses handling a high volume of customer requests.
  • Companies aiming to automate internal interdepartmental communication.
For example, SMART Customer Care is specifically designed to support service teams. It enables effective request management, optimizes internal workflows, and ensures transparency at every stage of customer interaction. Request Demo

Does Industry Influence the Choice of Business CRM Software?

Some CRM platforms do offer industry-specific versions – one tailored for agriculture, another for retail, and yet another for IT companies. This segmentation allows businesses to get a solution that’s partially pre-configured for their specific needs. However, there’s a downside: such CRMs are often harder to adapt when a company changes its business model or expands beyond a single industry. SMART CRM is a flexible system designed around business processes rather than industry templates. Its logic is organized by function – B2B and B2C sales, marketing, customer service, and internal collaboration. This means SMART CRM works equally well across various sectors, including professional services, manufacturing, education, agribusiness, IT, retail, non-profit an charitable organizations, and more.

Does Business Size Influence the Choice of CRM System?

When choosing a CRM, what matters most isn’t the company’s size or number of branches, but the goals it aims to achieve. If a business has a large customer base and prioritizes personalized communication, it should consider robust solutions with extensive functionality. A prime example is the SMART business project implemented for the BROCARD network. The client adopted an ecosystem based on Microsoft Dynamics 365 products – Sales, Customer Insights Journeys, Customer Insights Data, Customer Voice, and Customer Service. This comprehensive setup helped BROCARD consolidate all consumer data sources, build complex segmentation, and transition to personalized communication – ultimately enabling a tailored approach to 1.8 million customers. At the same time, even a company with an international presence can opt for a more compact CRM platform if speed, adaptability, and ease of use are the primary objectives. A great case in point is SMART business’s project with Nova Post. As part of it, SMART CRM was implemented for the client’s European branches. Within the first few months, the system handled 500 requests and 3,500 calls daily, providing the sales and contact center teams with a unified digital environment that could scale rapidly as the company grew. That’s why a CRM for business should be selected based on the company’s specific needs, not its size – sometimes versatility and agility outweigh raw functionality. And if your business processes are truly unique and off-the-shelf solutions require excessive time and resources to adapt, SMART business can help you build a custom solution powered by Microsoft Power Platform. Submit a Request

Which CRM System Should You Choose for Your Business – and What Are the Alternatives to russian-Origin Software?

The global trend toward eliminating russian products, services, and narratives from the civilized space is now a necessity. Its destructive impact on global security is obvious. Since 2022, the number of russian cyberattacks has increased not only against Ukraine but also its allies – EU and NATO member states. According to Western intelligence agencies, the targets include not only critical infrastructure and government institutions but also businesses. Russia poses a threat of cyber warfare to the entire world, and the rise in attacks before the onset of full-scale hostilities is already a recognizable pattern of the aggressor state. For instance, russia launched cyberattacks on the government websites and media outlets of Sakartvelo – which preceded the military assault on the country. The same scenario played out in Ukraine at the onset of the Revolution of Dignity. Russian companies cannot operate independently of the state, which is waging a full-scale war against Ukraine and systematically violating international law. By purchasing or continuing to use software of russian origin, businesses are effectively contributing to the funding of the aggressor state – and thereby supporting global instability. Against this backdrop, using russian software products like Bitrix24, AmoCRM, RetailCRM, KommoCRM, or Megaplan appears less like a technological solution and more like a deliberate risk. None of the russian CRM systems can guarantee compliance with international standards for data protection, cybersecurity, or transparency. In a country where businesses are legally obligated to hand over data upon request from security services, there can be no true confidentiality or secure storage of corporate information. That’s why more and more companies are abandoning hostile software in favor of trusted solutions that comply with international requirements. As a secure alternative, SMART business offers its proprietary solution – SMART CRM – built on Microsoft Power Platform. Moreover, SMART business is a Microsoft Gold Partner and has deep expertise in implementing Microsoft Dynamics 365 – a platform that meets international security standards, scales to businesses of any size, and integrates with other Microsoft products to build a unified digital ecosystem. The platform helps manage leads effectively, automate sales processes, improve customer interactions, and generate clear, in-depth analytics. Both systems offer not only advanced CRM functionality but also robust security and compliance with global security standards. Submit a Request

How to Ensure Successful Business CRM Software Implementation for your Business?

Implementing CRM in business is an opportunity to make your customer interactions more structured, transparent, and efficient. When approached with a clear understanding of the company’s goals and business logic, the system won’t be a burden for your team – on the contrary, it will become a reliable assistant.

Tip 1 – Start with goals, not the system

Before searching for a CRM, take a moment to answer a few questions: What exactly do you want to improve? Are sales moving fast enough? Are leads getting lost after the first contact? Are managers returning every call? And so on. Each of these issues points to a specific goal, which can be measured using KPIs. For example, if you're concerned about customer churn, your CRM should help track the dates of the last interactions and remind you when it’s time to reconnect.

Tip 2 – Choose the system and vendor that suit you

The “pick the most expensive – can’t go wrong” approach doesn’t always work. The ideal business CRM software isn’t the one with the most features – it’s the one that supports your processes and scales easily with your business. At the same time, success depends on synergy between the customer and the vendor – a reliable partner who understands your domain and knows how to align the software with your company’s processes. For example, low-code/no-code platforms make it easy to adapt the system to your workflows without a large developer team or deep technical expertise.

Tip 3 – Don’t try to fix chaos with a CRM

A CRM in business isn’t a magic fix. If your internal processes are messy and unstructured, it’s best to address that before implementation. Map out the customer journey, identify what can be automated, and eliminate inefficiencies. For instance, if managers aren’t logging communication history, you can configure automatic tracking. The goal is for the CRM to streamline current processes – not add extra work.

Tip 4 – Communicate the clear benefits to your team

Even the most suitable system is worthless if your team sees it as just another complication. That’s often the first reaction to change. Involve people early in the process: pick internal ambassadors, run brief hands-on training sessions. Most importantly, show real benefits – not abstract value. For example: “Thanks to this system, you’ll save 2 hours every day – so you can focus on the clients who actually bring you results”. Or: “You won’t have to remember who to call and when – you won’t miss key contacts, you’ll retain more leads, and you’ll meet your KPIs, which directly impacts your bonuses and income”.

Tip 5 – Automate the key processes

A good CRM system doesn’t require action – it prompts and helps. It reminds you when to call and whom, creates tasks automatically after a website inquiry, pulls in analytics. If employees have to enter data from forms manually or fill in fields that might never be used, the system quickly becomes a burden for the whole team.

Tip 6 – Integrate your CRM with other company tools

Your business CRM software should not work in isolation – it’s crucial that it supports integrations with your ERP, EDMS, BI systems, etc. The ideal scenario looks like this: a client submits a request → CRM automatically creates a record → the manager sees the task immediately → the call is logged → data flows into analytics – no extra steps!

Tip 7 – Use the data – don’t just store it

CRM isn’t an archive – it’s a strategic tool for decision-making. If analytics show that 80% of leads are lost after the first contact – that’s a signal: maybe the call script isn’t working, or maybe the first response comes too late, when interest has faded. Your CRM data shouldn’t just accumulate – it should be analyzed regularly to guide decisions and drive outcomes.

Tip 8 – Monitor and optimize continuously

A CRM is a dynamic tool that needs ongoing refinement. Every quarter, check: Are managers filling all required fields? Have new processes emerged that aren’t yet covered by the system? Sometimes a small tweak – like adding or removing a field – can save dozens of hours. With over 16 years of experience working across business models, industries, and company sizes, SMART business understands the unique needs of each client and develops solutions that address the challenges faced by the global business community. Submit a request – and SMART business will help you choose a CRM system that integrates seamlessly with your current business processes, improves client management, and supports your growth at every stage! Submit a Request
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