How to set up a CRM when you have no experience
People asked to build a CRM from scratch often face a tangle of disconnected software that different teams use across the company. Because data does not feed reliably into a central system, they get overwhelmed by endless vendor demos and end up lost trying to figure out how to integrate everything without prior experience.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
How to set up a CRM when you have no experience
- 1leaving integrations unbuilt and uploading manuallyDid this help you?
- 2building custom workarounds with ZapierDid this help you?
- 3connecting systems via Claude and MCPDid this help you?
- 4Narrowing down must-have featuresDid this help you?
- 5Reviewing comparison resources and landscapesDid this help you?
- 6Considering custom-tailored enterprise platforms with middlewareDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I just got asked to "do" CRM setup. I worked with the founder previously and they want me to come on to do something I honestly haven't done.”source ↗
“The company has like 4 pieces of software that different teams are using to manage their departments... but I am just lost.”source ↗
“Nothing reliably feeds into their central CRM except the conference room bookings, but it's one way.”source ↗