The story behind Capsule CRM
Launched in 2009, Capsule was developed by founders Phillip Haines and Duncan Stockdill. They were frustrated with existing CRM solutions they described as “overly simplistic or far too complex for most businesses,” so they decided to create an easy-to-use, customizable application that worked for everyone. The CRM software company—headquartered in Manchester, UK—now boasts 51 team members and more than 10,000 customers.
Capsule is available in the QuickBooks App Store and provides a two-way, real-time integration with QuickBooks Online. It also offers access to the following features:
- Opportunity and pipeline management
- Easy contact management
- Project management tools
- Comprehensive integrations, including Outlook, Gmail, QuickBooks, and more
- Easy workflow automation
- Custom data fields
- Access controls
- Mobile App
- Email and calendar sync
Capsule’s self-service CRM delivers speed to value, and promises to help businesses win more deals and retain more customers while avoiding expensive onboarding costs and paying for unused features.
“Once customers find out about Capsule and understand how we can help, they tend to adopt it and stick with us,” said Ledgerwood. “We’re grateful for the fantastic feedback and reviews we get from our customers.”
He’s referring in part to more than 45 five-star reviews Capsule has received in the QuickBooks App Store, like this one:
“I chose Capsule partly because of its integration with QuickBooks, combined with the affordable price point for a no-frills, no code CRM option. I feel like I couldn’t have made a better decision. The integration is fast and streamlined—both ways! I add a new client or vendor into Capsule, and with two simple clicks, it’ll flow over to QuickBooks and ready for immediate use. Likewise, I can see information from QuickBooks present in Capsule, so I can make smart decisions with my opportunities and client profiles. If you’re like me and interested in Capsule for the sake of simplifying things [including QuickBooks], this is my recommended choice. I love it and can’t wait to see where the product continues to go!” —ThomboTalks
Overcoming challenges
After spotting a promotion of the Developer Growth Program, Ledgerwood reached out for more information. The Capsule team decided to participate in our program, and as a result, have been able to overcome a unique set of challenges, such as getting the app in front of businesses.
“It’s expensive to run ads in traditional places like Google Search, and we’re always looking for more cost-effective ways to get in front of new customers,” said Ledgerwood. “The QuickBooks App Store is a great example of how businesses can find apps like Capsule, and there are no significant marketing costs to achieve this. The overall benefit to keeping marketing costs low is that we can keep Capsule as affordable as possible.”
Another challenge is delivering quick product updates to their customers, but Ledgerwood pointed out that it’s not insurmountable. “The solution has an agile and efficient production team, but it also means building the right things.”
The Developer Growth Program has helped them determine the right things to build and how to grow their customer base.
“Having a partnership like this, where we can explore a feature set with a partner’s product team, gives us more insight than we could get by ourselves,” he said. “It enables us to get the right features in front of customers, faster, and see how they can ramp up our funnel of signups.”
Interacting with Intuit experts
With the Developer Growth Program, the Capsule team has had direct interaction with an Intuit core team, received app reviews from Intuit user experience (UX), Intuit solution engineering, and an expert accountant panel, and has been provided access to assets in the Intuit Marketing Portal. When asked about his experience with the various aspects of the program and the Intuit team, Ledgerwood had only good things to say.
“Helina Patience and Jacint Tumacder from the expert accountant panel were amazing in their review of Capsule and had invested significant time in getting to know our product,” he said. “They identified some key opportunities for us to enhance Capsule and grow our revenue, and these are making their way onto our roadmap. Helina understands not just accounting, but offers real insight into what’s important for companies to become efficient and effective in different areas of business.”
Ledgerwood also described the UX feedback from Adam Beasley as going “beyond the basics and into more complex areas like getting the onboarding the best it can be.” And he said that even though they haven’t taken full advantage of the Intuit Marketing Portal assets, they’re working on it.
Developer Growth Program delivers long-term benefits
Overall, Ledgerwood and his team have enjoyed being a part of the Developer Growth Program. “It’s professionally run by Intuit, and although we’re in different parts of the world, Judy [Vander Sluis] and the team have been very accommodating at finding times that work for all of us to have live sessions.”
In addition, he said the pace of the program allows them time to fully prepare for the various sessions. And the app insights that have been shared have helped them understand how they market and promote Capsule, as well as offered them opportunities to improve. Ledgewood believed that connecting with the Intuit team during the program has provided—and will continue to provide—far-reaching benefits.
It’s been fantastic to build a relationship with some of the Intuit team. When you integrate with QuickBooks, there’s plenty of material to support development and you can self-serve, but there’s not a lot of opportunity to talk to the team at Intuit. The Developer Growth Program has enabled us to connect on a personal level, and we’re looking forward to continuing those relationships for the long term.”
We’re also looking forward to continuing our relationship with the Capsule team. We look forward to seeing Capsule CRM reach even more success after implementing recommendations stemming from the Developer Growth Program.
Developers interested in the program can visit our developer forums to inquire about the program and how to participate. We’re always looking for innovative apps that can address the needs of the QuickBooks community. Our step-by-step guide makes listing your app on the QuickBooks App Store easy.
