CRM for social networks

Social networks and instant messengers play an important role in the lives of most people, and now it is difficult to imagine a person who does not have a Facebook, Instagram or Telegram account. At the same time, such channels are often used not only for communication. With their help, companies sell goods, services, look for employees and solve many other business problems.

When using social networks for commercial purposes, a business has to work with a dozen different platforms, which takes a lot of time and negatively affects the quality of communications. To solve this problem, CRM systems are used that perform several important functions at once:

• Single interface. CRM for social networks and messengers provides a single interface for all communications. The necessary sites are connected via API, so the manager no longer needs to switch between tabs and monitor each social network separately.
• Autoposting. It is used to quickly publish posts in all necessary social networks and instant messengers. A deferred scheduling function can also be implemented, which will allow you to set the date and time of posting for different sites.
• Story. CRM stores all data about previous interactions with the client, which can significantly improve the quality of service and increase conversion.
• Collection of client base. Even if a person has not ordered anything, information about him is stored in the CRM database of social networks. This data can be used for further marketing activities.

• Fast order processing. CRM integrates not only with social networks and instant messengers, but also with other services, such as postal services and warehouse accounting programs, so order processing can be done in just a few clicks. This approach helps reduce the operational burden on staff.
• Newsletters. CRM for social networks can be equipped with functionality for mass sending messages. For example, in this way you can inform customers about current promotions, discounts or company news.
• Analytics. Analytics tools help a marketer collect and analyze the performance of all social networks and instant messengers in one interface. In the future, this data can be used to improve advertising campaigns and adapt the published content to the interests of the audience.

CRM will be useful for all companies, regardless of their size. For example, at the beginning it can be a narrowly focused CRM for Facebook or CRM for Instagram, while in parallel with the growth of the business, the software will also be refined and developed, depending on its needs.

In the process of creating CRM for social networks and messengers, different technologies and frameworks can be involved. The choice of the optimal stack often depends on the platform on which the software will run and the complexity of the tasks facing it:

• Web version. CRM on the web platform can work on any device and operating system where a browser is installed. The backend of such projects is often built in the programming languages ​​Python, PHP, Java and their frameworks or on the Node.js platform, and either HTML/CSS, JavaScript or reactive Vue.js/React.js is used to create the frontend part.

• Mobile app. In such projects, the choice of technologies depends on the operating system. For Android, the Kotlin and Java languages are used, and for IOS, the Swift language. In addition, CRM applications for Linkedin and other social networks can be created using the Flutter cross-platform development kit. The latter option is often preferred as it allows you to cover both popular operating systems with less investment.

The technical production of CRM for social networks and instant messengers consists of several stages. Let’s consider them in more detail.

Step 1. Information gathering

At the beginning of production, developers need to determine the specifics of the business, the goals of the project, and what specific tasks it will solve. To obtain all the necessary information, an interview is conducted with the client and the existing solutions on the market are analyzed.

Step 2. Design and technical documentation

The technical documentation of the CRM system includes the creation of a mockup (a prototype of the future system), a full description of the functionality that will be developed, the stack of technologies used, and a work plan. Further, on the basis of this document, the cost and timing of the project are calculated.

Step 3. Design

Often, customer relationship management systems are assigned a large number of routine tasks, because of which they can be oversaturated with functionality. The task of designers is to create a convenient and intuitive user interface, regardless of the scale of CRM.

UI designers use the mockup created by the designer in the previous step to implement the visual skin of the software.

Step 4. Programming

The technical development of CRM is considered the most complex and labor-intensive stage of production. It can be divided into two components that can be implemented in parallel:

• Frontend. Creation of the client part of the project, which will interact with users. Its task is to receive requests and send them to the server for processing, followed by the output of the result. It is worth noting here that the implementation of the front-end using HTML and CSS takes less time compared to development on reactive technologies Vue.js or React.js, which can be significantly cheaper.
• Backend. This is the internal part of the CRM system, which is hosted on a remote server and is not visible to end users. The backend contains all the logic of the functionality and integration with social networks.

Step 5. Testing

When the technical development of CRM is completed, QA engineers begin its thorough testing. At this stage, the correct operation of the functionality, the performance and security of the system, as well as its convenience for end users are determined.

Step 6. Deployment

A ready-made CRM system for social networks and instant messengers is hosted on a public server and becomes available to users. After that, AVADA MEDIA specialists communicate with your business employees and teach how to use the new software.

AVADA MEDIA specializes in the development of CRM systems for working with social networks and instant messengers.

Our staff has already formed teams of experienced professionals who, with the help of a modern technology stack, can implement a project of any complexity.