What to look for when choosing a CRM: contacts and companies, a clear sales pipeline, tasks for follow-up, and optional email, support, and invoicing. How Piraja fits.
Why you need a CRM
Without a CRM, leads and customer data live in email, spreadsheets, or people's heads. That leads to missed follow-ups, duplicate work, and no single view of what's sold or pending. A CRM (customer relationship management) gives you one place for contacts, deals, and follow-up so the team sees the same picture and nothing falls through the cracks.
Must-have: contacts and companies
Look for: Contacts (people) and companies (organisations) in one place, with the ability to link people to organisations. Search and filters. Optional: company lookup (e.g. BRREG or Companies House). In Piraja, Individuals and Organizations provide this.
Must-have: pipeline and deal stages
Look for: A pipeline or deal board where you see opportunities by stage and can move them (e.g. drag and drop). Clear stages that match how you sell. In Piraja there are six stages: Lead, Qualification, Proposal, Negotiation, Won, Lost. They're fixed so you can start immediately. Every deal linked to a contact (and company in B2B). See the Pipeline and Opportunities modules.
Must-have: tasks and follow-up
Look for: Tasks (or reminders) linked to the deal or contact so the next step is clear. Due dates and assignment. In Piraja, the Tasks module links to individuals, organisations, opportunities, and tickets.
Optional: email, support, invoicing
As you grow: Email in the CRM — Piraja's Mailbox connects Gmail or Outlook. Support tickets — Tickets. Invoicing — Stripe. Enable modules as you grow.
By company size and industry
Small business: Start with contacts, pipeline, tasks. Add email, support, or invoicing when needed. B2B sales: Prioritise contacts + companies + pipeline + tasks. See B2B CRM: Contacts, Companies, and Pipeline. Agencies, consultants, freelancers: Same basics; see CRM for small business and case studies for how Piraja fits.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need configurable pipeline stages? Not necessarily. A fixed set of six stages fits most teams. What about lead scoring? Piraja doesn't have it; you prioritise by stage, value, and task due date and use assignment. Who can I contact for help? Contact support at support@piraja.io.
Conclusion
Choose a CRM that gives you contacts and companies, a clear pipeline with deal stages, and tasks for follow-up. Optional: email, support, invoicing. Piraja provides these with a six-stage pipeline and modules you enable as needed. See Sales Pipeline Software: What to Look For and CRM for Small Business.