CRM and marketplace audit for a visa business: rebuilding sales and delivery process
A visa business with high application volume operated across three systems — homemade CRM, marketplace platform, messengers for client communication. The audit revealed systemic losses at seams. Process rebuild with migration to a unified platform in 6 months.
Real case of visa business process rebuild — migration from three isolated systems to a unified platform with document workflow automation and messenger integration.
Typical Problem
A visa company with high application volume and offices in several cities faced a growth problem — volume increase did not deliver proportional revenue growth. Some clients were lost at the application stage, others between submission and visa receipt. The team worked across three different systems: homemade CRM for client tracking, marketplace for online application intake, messengers for operational communication. No one saw the full client picture.
Why This Happens
The homemade CRM was outdated — last serious update 5 years ago, supported by one developer, adding new functionality impossible. The marketplace operated separately — new application data entered CRM with 1-3 day delay through manual export-import. Messengers were not integrated with anything — managers manually copied correspondence into client cards. Reporting was compiled weekly from three systems with figure discrepancies. Management decisions on outdated data.
How We Diagnose It
I conducted current process diagnostics — walked the client path from first contact to visa receipt, measured real times and losses. Found 25-30% of clients lost between stages due to async system work. In parallel — manager work assessment: up to 40% of time on manual data transfer between systems. This gave quantitative basis for rebuild decision. Then — assessment of two options: serious modernization of existing CRM or migration to a new platform. Calculation showed migration is cheaper and faster.
The Right Model
Migration to a modern platform with ready components. Architecture: application intake through unified form (with marketplace integration capability), CRM with application management module, document workflow, messenger integration (WhatsApp, Telegram), real-time reporting. Phase 1 — platform selection and pilot in one office. Phase 2 — data migration and transition of all offices. Phase 3 — functionality expansion (partner layer, mobile app for clients).
How We Implement It
Platform selection — combination of ready CRM with serious customization for visa process. Pilot in one office for 2 months — process tuning and team training. Data migration — about 100 thousand client records with history. Transition of all offices to the new platform in 1 month with on-site team support. Messenger integration through unified interface — managers see all correspondence history in client card. Document workflow moved into the system — client uploads documents through personal cabinet, manager assembles the package automatically. Reporting — dashboard for the leader with real metrics.
How the Team Works
I worked as advisor on architecture and operating model. Conducted diagnostics, helped in platform selection, agreed on migration process. The client team independently led the implementation with the platform vendor. My role ended after successful migration and work stabilization on the new system.
Results
A homemade CRM written 5-7 years ago by one developer sooner or later becomes a growth bottleneck. Modernization attempts are usually more expensive and slower than migration to a modern platform. The main migration risk is not technology but team resistance and data transfer quality. These two risks are addressed by preparation, not technology.
Key Lessons
- • Outdated homemade systems are cheaper to replace than to modernize
- • Ready CRM with serious customization is usually cheaper and faster than custom from scratch
- • Data migration is the most painful stage, requires thorough preparation
- • Team training and resistance work are mandatory parts of the project
- • Real-time leader dashboard changes management decision quality
- • Messenger integration into unified interface removes substantial routine work
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