What Should a Small Business Look for in a CRM?
By Bill Stilwell · Last reviewed October 17, 2026
The short answer
Section titled “The short answer”A customer relationship management (CRM) system is one place to keep every contact, lead, estimate, customer, and conversation. Pick one that holds the record types in this section, keeps message history and consent, is simple enough that you’ll actually use it, and lets you export all your data. Start small. You can add features later.
Why it matters
Section titled “Why it matters”Leads in text threads, sticky notes, and three inboxes get forgotten. Estimates don’t get followed up. Past customers never hear from you again. And if your records live in a tool you can’t export from, switching later means starting over. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also advises knowing what personal information you have and where it’s kept, and a CRM makes that possible.
15.1.1 Contact records
Section titled “15.1.1 Contact records”What it means: each person, with name, phone, email, address, preferences, and relevant history.
What to look for: custom fields, notes, and a timeline of activity on each contact. You’ll set required fields in 15.3 Contact and Company Records.
Common mistake: storing personal details you don’t need, like full birthdates or ID numbers (see 11.6.1 Data Minimization).
15.1.2 Company records
Section titled “15.1.2 Company records”What it means: business customers, their locations, their contacts, and how they connect.
What to look for: the ability to link several people and service addresses to one company. A property manager with ten buildings is one company, ten locations, and several contacts.
Common mistake: creating a separate contact for each building with no link between them.
15.1.3 Lead records
Section titled “15.1.3 Lead records”What it means: inquiries before you know if they’re a good fit.
What to look for: a way to capture leads from your website forms, calls, and texts automatically, with the source attached (see 15.8 Lead-Source Tracking).
Common mistake: only entering leads after they buy, so you never learn how many you lost.
15.1.4 Opportunity records
Section titled “15.1.4 Opportunity records”What it means: estimates, proposals, negotiations, and their expected value.
What to look for: a pipeline view with stages, values, and next follow-up dates (see 15.7 Sales Pipeline).
Common mistake: tracking estimates in a spreadsheet that’s separate from the contact.
15.1.5 Customer records
Section titled “15.1.5 Customer records”What it means: active and completed relationships.
What to look for: job or service history on each customer, so you can see past work, repeat jobs, and who’s due for a follow-up or review request (see 15.6 Customer Lifecycle Stages).
Common mistake: no way to tell a past customer from a lead that never bought.
15.1.6 Communication history
Section titled “15.1.6 Communication history”What it means: relevant calls, emails, texts, notes, and consent, kept on the contact.
What to look for: email and text logging, call notes, and consent fields (see 12.6 Communication Consent Records). Check which messages sync automatically and which you must log by hand.
Common mistake: conversations living in personal phones and inboxes instead of on the record.
15.1.7 Exportability
Section titled “15.1.7 Exportability”What it means: you can get all your records out.
What to look for: a full export of contacts, companies, deals, notes, and activity, usually as comma-separated values (CSV) files. Run a test export before you commit. Check what happens to your data if you stop paying.
Common mistake: finding out at cancellation that notes and history don’t export.
When to get help from a pro
Section titled “When to get help from a pro”You can usually pick and set up a simple CRM yourself. If you have several staff or complex sales, a CRM consultant can help. Questions to ask:
- Can I export everything, including notes and message history?
- How do user roles work, so each person sees only what they need (see 11.7.6 Least Privilege Access)?
- What will this cost when I add users or features next year?
Bill’s note
Section titled “Bill’s note”[Bill: add a short note. For example, which CRM SiteSmarty uses and why, or a client who lost years of customer history switching tools.]
How I did this for SiteSmarty
Section titled “How I did this for SiteSmarty”- [Date I did this:]
- [What I actually did, step by step: CRMs I compared, the one I picked, and the record types I set up]
- [What it cost and how long it took:]
- [What surprised me or what I’d do differently:]
- [Screenshot or photo to add, with private info blurred: the record types and a test export]
- [Result so far:]
Questions people ask
Section titled “Questions people ask”What is a CRM? Software that keeps your contacts, leads, estimates, customers, and conversations in one place.
Is a spreadsheet enough? At the very start, maybe. Once you have regular leads, estimates to follow up, and staff, a CRM saves time and lost jobs.
What should a CRM hold? Contacts, companies, leads, opportunities, customers, communication history, and consent.
Why does exporting matter? If you switch tools or the vendor changes, you need to take your records with you.
Audit check
Section titled “Audit check”| Outline line | Question | Pass looks like | Fail looks like | Evidence to collect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15.1.1 Contact records | Does each contact have needed details and history? | Contact fields and activity timeline in use | Contacts scattered across phones and inboxes | Sample contact record |
| 15.1.2 Company records | Are business customers linked to their locations and contacts? | Company records with linked people and addresses | Unlinked duplicates | Sample company record |
| 15.1.3 Lead records | Are leads recorded before they buy? | Leads captured with source | Only customers entered | Lead list |
| 15.1.4 Opportunity records | Are estimates tracked with value and follow-up? | Pipeline with values and dates | Estimates in a separate sheet | Pipeline view |
| 15.1.5 Customer records | Can you see each customer’s job history? | Service history on records | No history | Sample customer record |
| 15.1.6 Communication history | Are messages and consent on the record? | Logged emails, texts, notes, consent | Messages in personal devices | Record timeline |
| 15.1.7 Exportability | Can all records be exported? | Successful full test export | Export never tried or incomplete | Test export file |
Where this fits
Do this first: 11.5 Data Map, 12.6 Communication Consent Records
Do this next: 15.3 Contact and Company Records
Related pages: 11.7.6 Least Privilege Access, 11.7.3 Multi-Factor Authentication, 11.7.7 Removing Access When People Leave, 11.8 Business Backups, 15.6 Customer Lifecycle Stages, 15.7 Sales Pipeline, 15.8 Lead-Source Tracking
Sources
- Federal Trade Commission, "Protecting Personal Information: A Guide for Business" (checked October 17, 2026)
- Federal Trade Commission, "Start with Security: A Guide for Business" (checked October 17, 2026)
This page explains general rules and Bill's own experience. It is not legal, tax, or insurance advice. Talk to a qualified professional about your situation.