When “clever” means “messy”

Making your CRM do something just the way you need it ... that can be a great thing.

But making it do things it was specifically designed NOT to do ... that can be a big mess.

Things like:

• Intentionally maintaining duplicate contact records

• Tracking "do not contact" in the Nickname field

• Maintaining one Individual contact as "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"

Usually, these clever arrangements are meant to solve one important problem or another.

But because they go against some core assumptions in the CRM software (CiviCRM in this case), they also wind up creating new problems. Usually in ways you don't anticipate.

Sometimes it's hard to know whether your clever solution is really a winner or just a bad idea that goes against the core assumptions of the software.

Sometimes you can ask a trusted advisor beforehand and avoid trouble.

Sometimes you just try it, and find out later.

But this may be worth remembering:

If it feels like you're getting more then your share of surprises from your CRM, it may be that you're trying to make it do something it was designed not to do.

All the best,
A.