A pig in a poke and Bitrix24 integration

If you are now only at the beginning of the way to use this CRM, then the material will be very informative. And now it's time to talk directly about the moment of buying a license and the dangers that can lie in wait for trusting clients from the “sellers” (or “pluggers”, somehow). Using the Avivi company experience as an example, we will demonstrate that the acquisition and implementation of Bitrix24 are completely different things.

Obviously, the sales are important for any company - no explanation is needed here. But selling your own product is always more difficult than reselling someone's product. There is always more responsibility, concern for the quality of the product and its own image. And if you remember that the software Bitriks24 belongs to the company of the same name, which sets the fixed prices, then everything falls into place.

The legal bodies that are Bitrix24 Partners and can supply you with a software product are roughly divided into two types: development companies and the rest. The first, in addition to the implementation of licenses, provide a range of integration services and have a different size of state programmers with the appropriate level of training. The rest are interested in simple implementation and commission. I am by no means saying that this is bad: both activities are legal. However, an inexperienced buyer can easily get to the retailer, purchase a “cloud” or “premise” and ... that’s all. Then all the questions on installation and customization lie on the shoulders of the same buyer.

Thus, the number of licenses sold by Partner Bitrix24 is not an important indicator for a client. It is better to ask about the number of implemented projects.

Pay attention to how actively they will offer you to buy Bitrix24. If this happens on the first minute of the conversation on the pretext of “Buy a license, and then we’ll discuss all the settings”, then most likely you are calling to “plugger”.

There was a case in our company when a client paid for a license after a month of active, almost daily negotiations. Like many others, this customer had many wishes and was poorly guided by the capabilities of Bitrix24. Our managers and programmers offered various possible options, taking into account the capabilities of the customer and his real needs. Of course, it would be much easier to insist right away on the on-premises edition and convince you that you can customize it later, as your heart desires. But for us it is important that customers know what they are buying and why.

A rash purchase will not bring you the desired result. The contractor you choose should know all your wishes and understand whether he can handle them. Thus, do not rush to agree to persistent offers to buy a license without any guarantees from the contractor.

Obviously, the forced transition from one integrator to another will not be painless. And it is better to immediately announce the main burden of this process, so that you do not have the desire to hope for a happy accident.

When you purchase a license, you should already have a future implementation plan ready, preferably with end dates and a calculated budget. In this case, there won’t be a situation when your contractor suddenly stops communicating with you or starts offering other task performers. Before making a deal, do not settle for partial execution: for example, when you are asked to make two items of the technical assignment two now, and a third one later. We met with similar cases and almost always something had to be redone. It’s running especially difficult and long when customization of the system karnel was carried out.

And while the new contractor understands the situation, reevaluates the tasks and starts to work, it will take time for the customer to pay extra. The conclusion here is obvious: it is much better to spend more time searching for the only reliable Bitrix24 partner than to allow the possibility of different performers.

Another pleasant moment in working with development companies is the opportunity to get more benefits. Implementers do not have this, because they have nothing to offer, except the licenses. Feel free to ask a potential contractor what he offers in addition to selling licenses and you will be pleasantly surprised!

In this regard, our company adheres to the principle proven over the years: we are ready to provide the client with bonus services in the amount of up to 20% of the cost of the software product. Such a model fully justifies itself: for example, after buying the simplest on-premises edition of Bitrix24 in partnership with Avivi company, the client will receive up to 10 bonus hours for integration. This is quite enough for the deployment of the on-premises and the basic setting, while for the same money from the “sold” the client does not receive anything at all. Remember also that, in addition to discounts from Bitrix24 itself, listed during promotional periods on the official website, no partner has the right to offer any discounts.

Finally, after all that has been written, the main appeal to all applicants of the contractor for the implementation of Bitrix24 remains: “Do not rush to give your money!” We have tried to best describe the pitfalls that are waiting for you on the way to creating effective CRM and we hope that you will only meet honest contractors on it. In any case, we will always be happy to meet you in our company!