If you’ve been researching your CRM options, you’ve likely stumbled across or even had experience in using the most popular ‘off-the-shelf’ platforms out there: Zoho, Monday.com, HubSpot, Mailerlite, Mailchimp, but to name a few. And whilst these are very reputable solutions, they do lack in many areas.
Often, when businesses come to us, they have relied on out-of-the-box, simple solutions, often due to cost constraints and a lack of time to research the market thoroughly. But now their existing solution is no longer working for them; in fact, in many cases, their CRM is holding them back, and they need something that better aligns with their needs.
And whilst these types of clients come searching for customisation, they also don’t need the bells and whistles that come with solutions such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 or Salesforce. They want the simplicity, customisation and flexibility, but without the high licensing costs.
This is when we introduce Microsoft Power Apps – a far more appetising choice, as it really does offer the best of both worlds; a solution that can be built to the exact needs of your business so that you operate one single central data hub and eliminate the dreaded data siloes. But, at the fraction of the cost of solutions such as Microsoft Dynamics 365 or Salesforce.
And unlike many of the out-of-the-box solutions, CRMs built using Power Apps are truly scalable, meaning the systems can adapt as you grow.
We often wonder why more small businesses are not aware of Power Apps, and we can only surmise that the branding and marketing efforts of the out-of-the-box solutions keep them top of mind with consumers. Power Apps is a hidden gem in the CRM market, and we want more folks to consider switching to help their wallet and grow their business! You can read more about why Power Apps is a great cost-effective option for smaller businesses.
So how do you go about building a CRM on the Power Platform? Well, you’ll need someone to do that for you. But don’t think development time will spiral costs, as it’s not the case. Here’s why…
Building a Bespoke CRM with Power Apps
Power Apps offers a low-code/no-code approach to app development, making it possible for people with minimal coding skills to get to grips with it. Having said that, the whole process of scoping out, building and testing your CRM platform is best left to a Microsoft expert.
And when you work with a Power Apps specialist, they can also work closely with you to understand your exact requirements so that the end CRM solutions tick all of those boxes.
What you’ll end up with is a system that’s a perfect fit, integrating with your existing tech stack and offering only the tools and features you need. No more paying for unnecessary tools, as is the case with many of the self-packaged CRM solutions.
Our client Campden BRI is a great example of how we’ve been able to keep costs low, but deliver everything they need and only what they need:
One of our longest-standing clients, Campden BRI is a national membership organisation that initially approached us with a very specific challenge: they needed a better way to manage their memberships and track renewals. Their existing CRM was a mix of spreadsheets, email trails, and a creaking legacy database that had become more of a liability than a help.
We proposed building a minimum viable product (MVP) using Microsoft Power Apps—focused solely on their core needs: contact management, membership tracking, renewal reminders, and reporting. That first phase delivered exactly what they needed—clean, centralised data and a CRM their team actually wanted to use.
But like many growing organisations, their needs quickly evolved. Once they saw what Power Apps could do, we began working together on future phases: introducing modules for managing member benefits, customer service enquiries, sales processes, and even asset tracking.
Six years on, we’re still working with them—incrementally building out a system that’s uniquely tailored to how their organisation runs. No bloat, no wasted features—just a smart CRM that grows with them, one phase at a time. That’s the beauty of Power Apps: you don’t need to build everything all at once, and you’re never boxed in by the limits of an off-the-shelf product.
How does Power Apps work?
If you’re thinking ‘What’s the catch, it’s too good to be true!’, it might be helpful to understand how Power Apps works and why it is such a clever and powerful tool.
Power Apps are model-driven apps – an approach that focuses on adding components such as forms, views, charts, and dashboards to tables using an app designer tool. This tool can be used to build all kinds of data systems that solve a host of business problems. Some examples include:
- Booking portals
- Employee onboarding
- Service requests app
- Task management portal
- Event management
- Contract approval system
The options are endless. It just so happens we use it to deliver bespoke cost-efficient CRMs.
Cost Efficiency: A Key Selling Point for Power Apps
One of the most compelling reasons to choose Power Apps over traditional CRM systems is the cost efficiency.
Power Apps offers a very affordable licensing model, with prices typically ranging from £4 to £10 per user per month for model-driven apps. This pricing structure makes Power Apps a viable option for mid-sized businesses that may find alternatives such as Dynamics 365’s pricing out of reach. Combining that with the low-code approach means that companies can customise and scale their CRM solutions without needing to invest heavily in custom development or third-party integrations. How smart is that?
At Rocket CRM, we often recommend Power Apps to our clients because it allows them to build a CRM that fits their business needs at a fraction of the cost compared to something very similar, like Microsoft Dynamics 365. Our clients have been able to create fully functional CRMs with all the features they need, from managing customer data to generating invoices, without the rigidity or expense of traditional CRM systems.
Seamless Integration and Scalability
You most likely use a host of tech solutions to operate your business, and you need those systems to talk to each other and integrate seamlessly. Or that should be your objective: to avoid those dreaded data siloes.
Thankfully, Power Apps integrates seamlessly with Microsoft 365 tools, such as Outlook, Teams, and SharePoint, as well as with thousands of third-party systems via connectors.
Additionally, Power Apps will scale as you do, whether you’re expanding into new regions or adding additional functionalities. Or simply growing organically in your existing market and region, nothing is going to hold you back.
Empowering Data-Driven Decision Making
You likely have analytics and data insight high on your CRM checklist, and again, Power Apps can deliver just this with the aid of the Microsoft tool Power BI, which integrates into the Power Platform. Power BI will give you access to real-time data insights and dashboards that help you make data-driven decisions. No more guesswork, no hunches. Access the key performance indicators (KPIs) meaningful to you, whether that’s lead generation, sales pipeline health, sales conversions or ROI. If you’re capturing the data, then Power BI can augment it.
To dive deeper and discover more about the brilliance of Power Apps as a CRM, read this article: The Magic of Microsoft Power Apps CRM – Rocket CRM
Conclusion: Power Apps is a Smart Choice for business, balancing costs and features.
The CRM market is awash with off-the-shelf solutions that oversell and underdeliver, especially in the areas of customisation and scalability. Power Apps offers a more affordable, flexible, and customisable CRM solution without sacrificing functionality.
Power Apps is sat here quietly transforming business operations and helping organisations grow with truly scalable solutions. It really is the unsung hero of the business world.
So Why not give it a try? Contact us for a demo or chat.
About Rocket CRM
Rocket CRM is a Microsoft Dynamics 365, and a platinum Click accredited partner, helping small to medium-sized businesses and charities harness the power of scalable CRM technology. Our mission is to make powerful CRM software simple with custom-built, user-focused solutions.
Website: rocketcrm.co.uk
Podcast: RocketPod
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