Spreadsheets are brilliant tools. But they are not CRM systems. When businesses try to use Excel for customer management, chaos follows. Data gets duplicated. Information goes missing. Teams work from different versions. Bespoke CRM Custom CRM
This case study shows how one organisation moved from spreadsheet chaos to a seamless CRM system. The transformation was completed efficiently. The results were immediate.
The Problem: Spreadsheet Sprawl
Our client managed a membership organisation with 2,000 members. They used spreadsheets for everything:
Learn how we helped a client with their membership management system.
- Member contact details
- Event bookings
- Payment tracking
- Volunteer coordination
- Committee communications
The problems were clear:
- Five different versions of the member list
- Event bookings recorded in three places
- Payment data that never matched bank statements
- Volunteers who never got contacted
- Committee members working from outdated information
Staff spent more time managing spreadsheets than serving members. Something had to change.
The Solution: Bespoke CRM
We built a custom CRM system that replaced all their spreadsheets. The system handles:
- Member management with automatic renewals
- Event booking with capacity management
- Payment processing with bank reconciliation
- Volunteer coordination with automated emails
- Committee tools with shared calendars
Everything connects. When someone books an event, the system checks their membership status. If they need to renew, it sends an automatic reminder. Payment updates flow through to the finance system.
The Results
The transformation was immediate:
- Admin time reduced by 60%
- Payment errors eliminated
- Event bookings increased by 40%
- Volunteer response rate improved to 85%
- Committee productivity doubled
Staff now focus on serving members instead of managing data. The system handles routine tasks automatically. Everyone works from the same information.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- How long did the transition take? – The project was completed efficiently from start to full deployment, with benefits visible quickly.
- Was training difficult? – No, the system was designed to match their existing workflow, making adoption natural.
- What about data migration? – We handled all data migration, ensuring nothing was lost in the transition.
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Ready to escape spreadsheet chaos? Get in touch and let us show you how a bespoke CRM could transform your organisation.
