A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a crucial aspect of any successful business. It helps you manage and analyze customer interactions and data, with the goal of improving business relationships, retaining customers, and driving sales growth. However, setting up a CRM system can often be complex and expensive. This is where a Google Sheets CRM comes in!
Google Sheets can be transformed into a simple yet effective CRM system. This article will guide you through the process of setting up your own CRM system using Google Sheets, with the help of a free template provided by Softr. There are two methods to accomplish this:
- Using Google Sheets as a CRM with our free sheet template;
- Using Google Sheets as a CRM, combined with an interactive and user-friendly interface
For a more detailed overview, check out our tutorial:
Option 1: How to use Google Sheets as a CRM with a template
In this section, I'll guide you through the process of setting up your CRM system using Google Sheets, with the help of our template. I'll walk you through accessing the template, understanding its layout, customizing it to your needs, and managing your CRM data effectively.
1. Access the template
The next steps will guide you on how to access and copy our free template to your Google Drive. You will also learn how to set up the access permissions
1.1 Visit our Google Sheets’ template link
Navigate to the link of the Google Sheets CRM template. This link will take you directly to the template, which is hosted on Google Drive and is almost ready for you to use and customize.
1.2 Make a copy of the spreadsheet
Open the Google Sheets template provided by Softr, access the File menu, and click on “Make a copy.”
1.3 Rename your file and change its location
Optionally, you might want to rename your file and change the location where you want to save it in your Google Drive. When you’re done, click on “Make a copy.”
2. Modify access permissions
To guarantee that your team can access your CRM in Google Sheets, you need to modify the access permissions. Follow the next steps to do it.
2.1 Click on “Share”
On your newly created spreadsheet, click on the 'Share' button, which is positioned in the top right corner.
2.2 Choose “Anyone with the link” under General Access
Once you've clicked on Share, a dialog box will appear. Look for the General Access section in this box, click on the dropdown menu, and select “Anyone with the link.” After making this selection, click on “Done.”
Alternatively, you can choose to share directly with someone, inserting their email in the field “Add people and groups,” and choosing their individual access level.
3. Adjust the settings
3.1 Open the Settings tab
On the bottom of the screen, you’ll find a list of tabs, the last one is 'Settings'. Click on this tab.
3.2 Edit the categories and options
This tab is where you can customize the categories and options that will appear in your CRM. For example, in the example below, the options for the category Contact Type are ALL, Potential Customer, Current Customer, and Other. Feel free to edit these categories and/or their options, according to your organization needs,
4. Add your data
At this stage, if your business already has existing data on companies, people, and opportunities, it's time to incorporate this information into your new CRM. This step involves populating the relevant fields in the spreadsheet with your data, ensuring that each piece of information is placed in the correct column.
4.1 Add the existing companies
Navigate to the 'Companies' tab in the spreadsheet. Here, you'll find several fields where you can input your company data. These fields include the name of the company, phone number, company’s website, and address.
Start populating these fields with the relevant information for each company in your database.
4.2 Add the existing people
Next, switch to the 'People' tab in the spreadsheet. In this sheet, you'll see various fields where you can enter your contact data. These fields include the person's name, company (in a dropdown list), email, title or job position, and more.
Begin filling in these fields with the corresponding information for each person in your database.
4.3 Add the existing opportunities
Finally, move to the 'Opportunities' tab in the spreadsheet. This sheet provides fields for you to input your opportunity data. These fields include stage, value, close date, status, priority, and source.
Fill these fields with the appropriate information for each business opportunity in your database.
5. Understand the dashboard
The dashboard is a powerful feature of your Google Sheets CRM that provides a visual representation of your data and key metrics. It's divided into two main sections: Sums and Charts.
5.1 Understand the Sums section of the dashboard
The Sums section of the dashboard provides a summary of key metrics in your CRM: sales value, total number of people, total number of companies, total number of opportunities, number of opportunities by stage, and value of opportunities by stage.
These sums give you a quick overview of your CRM's current status, allowing you to understand your sales performance and customer relationships at a glance.
5.2 Understand the Charts section of the dashboard
These charts offer a graphical view of your sales pipeline, making it easier to understand your progress and identify areas for improvement. By visualizing your data, you can gain insights more intuitively and make data-driven decisions more effectively.'
6. Personalize your CRM
One of the key advantages of using Google Sheets as your CRM is the flexibility it offers. You can easily customize your CRM to better fit your specific needs and business processes.
For instance, you might want to add additional fields to each tab. Let's say you want to evaluate each account manager's opportunities. You can simply add a new column to the 'Opportunities' tab for 'Account Manager'. Once you've added and populated this column with data, you can then create a new table or chart in the 'Dashboard' tab to analyze this information.
Remember, the goal of personalizing your CRM is to make it work for you. Don't hesitate to add, remove, or modify fields, tables, and charts to better align with your business needs and goals. By doing so, you'll be able to maximize the value you get from your CRM and make more informed, data-driven decisions.
Option 2: How to use Google Sheets as a CRM, combined with a user-friendly interface (recommended)
With this method, I'll guide you through the process of adding an interface on top of your Google Sheets data. In order to accomplish this, I'll walk you through the steps of creating a Softr app, connecting Google Sheets to Softr, and mapping fields from Google Sheets to your Softr app. Let's dive in.
1. Access Softr
The first step towards integrating your Google Sheets with Softr, a no code builder, is to access the Softr platform. Visit the Softr login page, where you can use your credentials to login or sign up for free.
2. Choose your template
Once you've completed the registration process, you'll be logged into your new Softr account and ready to start setting up your app.
2.1 Browse the available templates
Now it's time to choose a template for your app. Softr offers a variety of pre-designed templates to help you get started. To browse the best templates for your CRM, look for the search bar with the text ‘Search templates'. Click on it and type ‘CRM’.
2.2 Select the CRM template
On the search results you will find a template named ‘Sales CRM’, just click the ‘Preview’ button on it, once you move your cursor over it.
On the new screen that pops in, select ‘Use Template’.
3. Connect Softr to your Google account
After selecting your template, the next step is to connect Softr to your Google account. This is necessary for integrating Google Sheets as a data source for your app.
3.1 Select “Google Sheets” as the data source
Select “Google Sheets” from the list of available data sources on the left side of the screen.
3.2 Sign in to your Google account
You'll be prompted to sign in to your Google account. Do so.
3.3 Authorize Softr to access your Google Sheets data
Follow the prompts to authorize Softr to access your Google Sheets data. You should make sure all the checkboxes are ticked.
4 Finalize the setup and launch your CRM
Hit the “Go to application” button to finalize the setup process and take you to your new Softr app, ready to be customized and filled with your CRM data.
5. Check and adjust your database
Now that your Softr app is set up and connected to Google Sheets, it's time to check and adjust your database. In order to do so, you can access it through Softr, by following the next steps.
5.1 Change to another page
On the left menu, click on ‘Pages’ and select, for instance, the page Contacts.
5. Check and adjust your database
Now that your Softr app is set up and connected to Google Sheets, it's time to check and adjust your database. In order to do so, you can access it through Softr, by following the next steps.
5.1 Change to another page
On the left menu, click on ‘Pages’ and select, for instance, the page Contacts.
5.2 Select a block that is integrated with Google Sheets
Click on the list block, so that a panel will appear on the right side of your screen.
5.3 Open the Google Sheets file
On the panel on the right side, click on the table icon highlighted below, so that the Google Sheet file linked to your CRM application opens.
5.4 Replace with your own data
While the Google Sheet template may come with sample data, you'll want to replace this with your own. To do this, on the Google Sheets file, replace the sample data with your own.
You can maintain the same structure as the sample data to ensure everything works seamlessly or you can add new columns if needed — remember that you’ll need to make the necessary adjustments to your app. This guide about using Google Sheets as a data source will help you.
Once you've updated the data in Google Sheets, Softr will automatically sync and update the data in your app.
6. Personalize your CRM
With your data in place, you can now start personalizing your Softr app to match your brand and specific needs. On the menu on the left, you’ll find an option to edit your theme (adjusting colors, fonts, and sizes) through the button ‘Theme’. You’ll also find a button called “Settings,” where you can set up a custom subdomain for your CRM, upload a favicon, and more.
7. Add users to your CRM
Once your CRM is customized to your liking, it's time to add users. These could be your team members, clients, or any other stakeholders who need access to the app. These users will be, by default, linked to the ‘Employees’ tab of your Google Sheet file.
7.1 Navigate to the Users panel.
On the left side horizontal menu, click on “Users.”
7.2 Add users’ details
Click on “Add users(s)” to add users. Then you have two options:
- Enter their name and email addresses: you’ll be able to choose if you want to generate a temporary password sent by email to the new user, or generate a link that allows that user to log in without a password;
- Upload a csv file with all the users data, by clicking on “IMPORT USERS.
8. Make your CRM available to others
With your CRM set up, customized, and populated with users, it's time to publish it. Publishing your app makes it live and accessible to your users.
Click on the “Publish” button, located at the top of your Softr Studio.
Once your app is published, you can share the URL with your users. They'll be able to access the app, view the data, and make changes or updates (depending on their permissions).
Congratulations, your Google Sheets CRM is now live and ready for use!
Need more guidance? Check out this step-by-step video tutorial.
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