Build
Sensaria builds custom CRM and ERP systems, and extends the CRM you already run when that is the better option. We model your sales pipeline, customer data, orders and workflows, set up roles and reporting, and connect the system to your website, email, accounting and online shop. You own the code and the data.
Most SMEs should start with a standard CRM such as HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics 365 and adapt it. A custom CRM or ERP pays off when your process is itself a competitive advantage, when many people need one narrow view but would each need a license, when core data has to stay where you control it, or when most of the work is integration with systems a standard CRM can’t reach. Sensaria doesn’t resell CRM licenses, so the recommendation follows your process.
| Option | Fits when | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Standard CRM, configured | Your sales process is close to what the product assumes | Workarounds in notes fields; license cost growing with the team |
| Existing CRM, extended | The CRM works but lacks data from other systems | API limits and plan tiers that gate custom objects |
| Custom CRM or ERP | The process is specific, integration-heavy, or data location matters | You own maintenance and further development |
| Hybrid | Standard CRM for sales, custom application for operations | One owning system per shared field |
The comparison continues in custom vs off-the-shelf software.
Data model before screens. We define the entities (companies, contacts, deals, orders, products, tasks), their identifiers and the matching rules first. Normalized email addresses and company domains are the usual keys for deduplication, and every merge is recorded in an audit trail, so a wrong match can be traced.
Pipelines as configuration. Stages, required fields per stage, follow-up windows and assignment rules live in settings, not in code, so sales management can change them without a release.
Roles enforced in the backend. A salesperson sees their accounts, a manager sees the team, finance sees the invoicing fields. Hiding a button in the interface is not access control.
Automation that respects people. Automated steps create tasks, send reminders and move statuses, and each action is logged. When a person overrides an automated decision, the person wins. In one system we built, AI classifies incoming replies, and a manager’s manual label always takes precedence.
Integrations read-only by default. Syncs from other platforms start read-only, run incrementally with cursors and are safe to repeat. Writing back is added deliberately, field by field.
| Driver | Effect on effort |
|---|---|
| Entities and workflows | Each object type and approval path adds model, screens and tests. |
| Users and roles | Fine-grained permissions add design and testing work. |
| Data migration | Volume and quality of existing data often decide the go-live date. |
| Integrations | Accounting, e-banking, shop and email platform APIs vary widely in quality. |
| Reporting | Custom reports and exports for finance and management add scope. |
| Mobile or field use | Teams on the road need a different interface and sync logic. |
When you compare against a SaaS CRM, look at several years: licenses per user, implementation, integrations and internal admin time on one side; build, hosting, maintenance and further development on the other. After discovery we send a fixed-price proposal for a first release or a phased plan.
A CRM is mostly personal data, so data protection law affects its design. For data processed in Switzerland that is the revised Federal Act on Data Protection (FADP), in force since 1 September 2023; for people in the EU it is the GDPR. Under the FADP, people can ask what you hold about them (Art. 25), so we build a per-person export. Retention periods and deletion are part of the system rather than a yearly manual clean-up. Processors such as hosting and email platforms are documented, and breaches likely to cause a high risk must be reported to the FDPIC (Art. 24). Under the FADP, companies with 250 or more employees must also keep a record of processing activities; smaller ones only if they process sensitive data on a large scale or run high-risk profiling. Hosting is in Switzerland or an EU region, agreed with you.
A CRM is only as good as the data that flows into it. Leads arrive from your website. Follow-ups run through CRM and sales automation and email automation. Orders, invoices and payments move through API integrations. The whole chain is described under sales automation.
We have built systems that work next to a CRM and feed it. A startup discovery and outreach platform pushes positive replies into the client’s CRM over its REST API. An affiliate reactivation system syncs read-only from a tracking platform and turns replies into manager tasks. An affiliate recruitment engine resolves identities across email, domain and social profiles, with an audit trail for every merge. We have also built a WooCommerce integration that turns new orders into CRM deals. Sensaria AG is based in Lugano, Switzerland, and works with companies in Switzerland and abroad in English, Italian, German and French.
What's included
Companies, contacts, deals and activities modeled on how you actually sell, including the fields and stages your current tool pushes into free-text notes.
Orders, stock, purchasing or service jobs built as focused modules around your core process and connected to your accounting system rather than replacing it.
Stages with entry and exit rules, required fields per stage, follow-up deadlines and automatic hand-over from sales to delivery.
One record per customer: matching on normalized email addresses and company domains, merges with an audit trail, and imports that validate before they write.
Tasks, reminders, approvals and status changes triggered by events, with every automated action logged and a person always able to override it.
Permissions by role, team, region or record, enforced in the backend rather than only hidden in the interface.
Pipeline, conversion and activity reports with each metric defined once, CSV export for finance and a read-only API for BI tools.
Website forms, email platforms, online shop orders, accounting and billing systems, connected through APIs and webhooks with retries and logs.
Custom objects, fields, pipelines and API integrations inside the CRM you already pay for, when a new system would only move the same problems.
Typical scenarios
Website forms, partner referrals and event contacts create deals with the source attached. Duplicates merge automatically, and the responsible salesperson gets a task within minutes.
Incoming email replies are classified by AI and become tasks for the right manager, and opt-out replies are honored automatically. A manager's own label always overrides the AI's.
Each new web shop order creates or updates a deal with its value and products, so sales and service see the full purchase history next to every contact.
Orders, stock and production planning that live in a set of linked Excel files move into one application with roles, validation and a history of every change.
Activity data is synced read-only from the platform where it lives, inactive customers are segmented and scored, and each gets a personal sequence that stops the moment they become active again.
FAQ
Most SMEs should start with a standard CRM and configure it. A custom CRM pays off when your sales or service process is unusual enough that the standard tool needs constant workarounds, when many users need only a narrow view but would each need a license, when data location matters, or when integration with in-house systems is most of the work. We don't resell CRM licenses, so we recommend whichever fits.
It depends on the number of entities and workflows, users and roles, the volume and quality of data to migrate, integrations with accounting, e-banking or your shop, and reporting needs. We don't publish prices. After discovery we give a fixed price for a first release or a phased plan, and we show the build, hosting and maintenance costs so you can compare them with license costs.
Compare over at least five years. For a SaaS CRM: license per user per year times users, the plan tier needed for custom objects and API access, implementation, integrations and internal admin time. For a custom CRM: the build, hosting, maintenance and further development. The result depends heavily on user count and on how much integration work either option needs.
Usually yes, but the details matter. Accounting systems such as bexio, Abacus, Xero or QuickBooks offer APIs, and what can be synchronized depends on the modules and API access your license includes. Banks in Switzerland and the SEPA area exchange payment and statement data in ISO 20022 formats. We confirm each connection with a test in discovery before it goes into the scope and the price.
A CRM is mostly personal data. The Swiss FADP applies to data processed in Switzerland, the GDPR to data about people in the EU, and both expect you to tell people what you hold about them, delete data you no longer need, document your processors and report serious breaches to the supervisory authority. We build a per-person export, retention rules, role-based access and an audit log into the system, and agree the hosting location, Switzerland or an EU region, with you.
A first release covering the core pipeline, contacts, roles and one or two integrations typically takes two to four months, including discovery and data migration. ERP modules and further integrations follow in later releases. Migration of existing data often sets the go-live date, so we start cleaning and test-importing it early.
You do. The code is delivered to your repository with documentation and deployment instructions, and the database runs on infrastructure you control or that we operate on your behalf. You can export all data at any time in open formats, and further development is not tied to Sensaria.
Yes, and often that is the better option. We add custom objects, fields, pipelines and automations inside your CRM and build the integrations it lacks through its API. We check first whether your plan tier allows custom objects and the API volume you need, because that sometimes changes the comparison.
Technology we use
TechnologyCustom CRM and ERP systems, or an extension of the CRM you already use: sales pipelines, customer data, workflows, roles, reporting and integrations built around your process.