Should You Use Multiple CRMs For Different Business Divisions?

Should you have multiple CRM instances for different business divisions or regions? Keep reading for a candid look into why the answer is definitely not.

My company is in the B2B space with 3 distinct divisions, each with its own web domains. Each unit has its own leads, contacts, and marketing campaigns. Should I set up three different Copper accounts or Pipelines for these different divisions?

This question hits *super* close to home. We have a customer that is doing $60m/yr in revenue, and they thought it'd be a good idea to spin up 5 different CRM instances to segment divisions. DO NOT EVER DO THIS.

You'll learn that with implementing a CRM for scale, comes building automation and integrating external software. A different CRM for each division means 5x the work for building and maintaining automation, 5x the work for setting up and maintaining the various CRM's, and complete segmentation of reporting (which is awful for upper management to deal with).

Problems With Building Integrations (Way More Expensive)

When we met, this customer had 5 Copper CRM instances and they wanted to build out integrations. We had to explain that we'd have to charge them 5 times the price, for managing each of these Copper instances.

The reason is that for all intensive purposes when we're building integrations, we have to treat each CRM environment as a separate customer of ours. Each environment will have different API Keys, different custom field drop-down ID's for each environment, different custom fields for each environment, therefore creating 5 times the workload.

Do not make the same mistake! Your company will be a mess, and you'll be charged more through everything you do.

The Clean-Up Is Expensive Long-Term

That customer hired us four years ago to turn those 5 CRM instances into 1 Copper instance, and we put in the proper visibility permissions for new leads (broken up by division, which in their case was state-by-state), and it took us over a year to do the migration and to train the team. It was A LOT of work. They paid around $50k for this alone, not to mention the internal change frustration/costs, just to rope back in the mess that they created.

If I didn't say it enough, I'll say it again: don't make the same mistake they did.

You're Stuck With The Decisions You Make Today

Invest the time and thought into setting up your CRM right from the beginning. Hire someone like us if you aren't sure about the best way forward as it will save you tons of headaches down the road. If you can't afford to work with someone just yet, consider our Copper CRM Crash Course that will cover the basics of getting your CRM set-up the right way from the start.

Just for a moment, try projecting 2 years out from now. There are two possible positions that you will be in. You'll either not think much about it and things will be chugging along great, while looking back on the decisions you made when first setting up your CRM and appreciate your past self for it. Or... You'll be so frustrated with the data-inconsistency and lack of thoughtful organization, and be ready to rip out the entire CRM and be looking to start from scratch again. Hoping this post will help you become the former before being forced to become the latter :)

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