Excel vs a real estate CRM: when should developers switch?

Excel is fine, until it is not

For a dozen bookings, a spreadsheet is quick and cheap. The trouble starts when several people edit it, when payments arrive daily and when buyers ask for statements.

Signs it is time to switch

Two executives promised the same unit. Nobody is sure who has paid. Demand letters are copied from an old file. Month-end reconciliation takes days. Any one of these is a signal.

What to look for in a real estate CRM

Look for unit-level inventory, payment schemes with slabs, demand letters and receipts in your branding, WhatsApp delivery, role-based access and a mobile app for the site team.

Watch the pricing model

Many CRMs charge per user, which discourages giving the whole team access. Pricing by project and unit keeps cost aligned with your inventory instead of headcount.

Keep reading

• A simple walk-in follow-up process for real estate sales teams
• Construction-linked payment plans explained for buyers and developers
• How developers can reduce payment delays from flat buyers
• A documentation checklist for real estate developers
• Using WhatsApp for real estate collections and buyer communication
• How to manage channel partners and brokers without losing track
• How to prevent double booking of flats and shops
• The sales funnel metrics every real estate developer should track
• The home loan lien process: what builders need to know
• Digital vs manual payment receipts for real estate
• Managing parking allotment in residential and commercial projects
• A checklist for taking your site sales office digital
• Poladio vs Salesforce for real estate developers
• Poladio vs Zoho CRM for builders and developers
• Poladio vs HubSpot for real estate developers
• Poladio vs LeadSquared for real estate teams
• Poladio vs Sell.Do: choosing a real estate CRM in India
• How to choose the best real estate CRM software in India