How To Use Notion As A CRM Software (CRM Features, Templates, Pros & Cons)

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Imagine You've just closed a big deal, and excitement is in the air. But as you reach for your customer relationship management (CRM) software, you’re met with a confusing interface that feels like deciphering hieroglyphics. You wish there were a more straightforward way to track and organize customer interactions. That’s where Notion Newsletter comes in. With its clean, customizable layout, Notion makes setting up a CRM that fits your needs easy. This article will guide you through using Notion as a CRM, comparing templates, and weighing the pros and cons.

One common challenge with CRM tools is maintaining customer communication. Feather's send emails from Notion can help simplify this process, making it easier to manage your relationships and stay connected with your customers.

What Is a CRM?

Customer relationship management (CRM) is the fusion of practices, strategies, and technologies companies employ to manage and analyze customer interactions and data throughout the customer lifecycle. The overarching goal is to:

Enhance customer service relationships

Promote customer retention

Drive sales growth

By leveraging CRM, companies can improve their customer relationships and drive significant sales growth, leading to increased business success.

CRM systems compile customer data across different channels and points of contact between the customer and the company. These include the company's:

Website

Telephone

Live chat

Direct mail

Marketing materials

Social networks

CRM systems can also give customer-facing staff detailed data on:

Customers personal information

Purchase history

Buying preferences

Concerns

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Notion Features Perfect for a Great CRM Software

Notion started as a simple note-taking app but has quickly expanded its reach to become a functional organizational tool with applications across industries and use cases. Notion’s CRM capabilities make it an excellent choice for small business owners and solopreneurs who want to manage customer data and interactions without the complexity and cost of traditional CRM software.

Advantages of using Notion and Feather together:

Enhances client relationship management

Seamless integration between Feather and Notion

Send emails directly from Notion to newsletter subscribers

Keep subscribers updated on your business

Strengthen and nurture relationships with clients

Connecting Databases for Better Client Management

One of Notion’s standout CRM features is its relations capability. Relations allow users to link records across different databases, such as connecting a contact record with multiple projects or interactions. This feature helps prevent data duplication by ensuring that updates are reflected universally across your workspace.

By linking records, you gain a comprehensive view of each client's interactions, making it easier to manage relationships and track detailed histories without duplicating information.

Creating Custom Views of Your Data

Linked databases are another valuable feature of Notion. This functionality enables you to create diverse views of your data, all from a single database:

Tables

Boards

Calendars

Galleries

For example, you can use a board view to manage and track project statuses in a Kanban style or a calendar view to schedule and monitor deadlines. The key benefits of customizing views in Notion include the ability to:

Filter, sort, and customize views to suit your needs

Create detailed reports and dashboards with ease

Monitor key metrics and performance indicators more effectively

Summarizing Data for Quick Reporting

Rollup columns are a powerful tool in Notion. The advantages of using Rollup Columns in your CRM include:

Aggregating and summarizing data from related records

Simplifying the creation of comprehensive reports

Rolling up sales totals or average response times across interactions

Building dashboards for insights into various CRM aspects

Centralizing and analyzing key data more effectively

Filtering Views and Customization

Filtered views and customization enhance Notion’s CRM capabilities by allowing you to tailor your workspace to focus on specific needs. You can track high-priority clients or overdue tasks by applying filters and sorting options. This level of customization facilitates detailed reporting and helps users stay organized and efficient in managing their CRM activities.

Keeping Your Client Work Organized

Notion excels in task and project management. Its Kanban board, calendar view, and task management features provide a clear and organized way to track projects and tasks. The Kanban board allows you to visualize project stages, from To Do to Completed, while the calendar view helps you manage deadlines and appointments. These tools integrate seamlessly with Notion’s CRM features, allowing you to maintain an organized workflow and schedule important follow-ups and deadlines.

Enhancing Notion's CRM Functionality

Integration capabilities in Notion extend its functionality even further. It allows you to:

Centralize information by connecting with Google Calendar, Slack, Google Drive, GitHub, and Zapier

Automate workflows for increased efficiency

Access all relevant data and communications from a single platform

Enhance overall productivity

Streamline processes across your organization

Feather for Powerful Blogs & Newsletters

Feather is an SEO-friendly blog and email newsletter service.

Key Features

Publish blog content and newsletters directly through Notion, with no coding or design skills required.

Automatically publish blog content written in Notion to your Feather blog.

Set up a subfolder blog (domain.com/blog) for better SEO, rather than a subdomain (blog.domain.com).

Manage your CRM and website blog entirely through Notion, offering a HubSpot-like experience.

Customize your design with custom CSS, collect emails, and access additional features.

Write on Notion and automatically publish to an SEO-friendly blog, collaborating effortlessly with your team. Feather lets you set up and send newsletters directly from Notion to your email subscribers.

Run your blog and newsletter with Feather today! Create a new account and send emails from Notion, or go from notion to blog in minutes!

Ways of Using Notion as a CRM

Organizing Contacts and Client Information

Notion can be a powerful tool for managing your contacts effectively. Here’s how you can use it to keep your contact database organized:

Creating a Contact Database

Create a new database in Notion using the Table layout. This gives you a spreadsheet-like interface where you can add essential columns for contact details. Add columns by clicking the "+" icon at the top right of your table and selecting the appropriate property type (e.g., "Text" for names, "Email" for email addresses).

Implementing Tags for Categorization

Use tags to categorize your contacts to make your contact management more efficient. Add a column with the Multi-select property type and label it Tags or something similar. Tags could include categories like client, prospect, employee, or partner and help you filter and group contacts based on various criteria.

Adding and Updating Contacts

Adding new contacts is as simple as clicking the empty row at the bottom of your table and filling in the details. For more specific information, click on a contact’s name to open a detailed page to add additional notes or data. Updating contact information is just as straightforward—click on the cell you want to change and edit it directly.

Managing Projects and Tasks

Once you have your contact database set up, you can use Notion to manage projects and tasks efficiently:

Creating a Kanban Board

Notion’s Kanban board view is perfect for tracking projects. Create a new database and choose the "Board" option to set up columns for different project stages, such as:

To Do

In Progress

Review

Completed

You can customize these columns by clicking the "•••" icon to add or rename them.

Connecting Client Information to Projects

Link your contact database to your project board by:

Creating a "Relation" property in your project database

Adding a new property and selecting "Relation"

Linking the property to your contact database

Naming the property "Client" or a similar identifier

Associate projects with specific clients

Tracking who’s involved in each task

Organizing Communication and Follow-Ups

Effective communication management is crucial for any CRM, and Notion offers several features to help you stay on top of your follow-ups:

Using the Calendar View

Create a new database with the "Calendar" option to keep track of important dates and deadlines. Add properties like "Event Description," "Date," and "Contact" to organize your calendar entries. This view helps you visualize your schedule and ensure you don’t miss any crucial follow-ups.

Integrating Reminders and Notifications

To stay alert about upcoming tasks and deadlines, set up reminder notifications. Click on a task within your calendar, select the "Date" property, and add a reminder. Choose when you’d like to be notified (e.g., one day or an hour before the event) to keep everything on your radar.

Connecting Communication Logs to Contacts

For better tracking, create a separate database for communication logs. Add a "Relation" property to link each communication entry to the relevant contact in your main database. This setup allows you to view all communication related to a specific contact without mixing information with others.

Team Collaboration and Task Management

Notion excels in fostering team collaboration. Here’s how to make the most of it:

Assigning Tasks

Add a "Person" property to your task database to assign tasks to team members. This feature helps ensure everyone knows their responsibilities and deadlines. Each task can be assigned to a specific team member, making it clear who is accountable for each item.

Collaborating Using Comments and Mentions

Enhance communication by using Notion’s commenting and mentioning features. Click on a task or project to open its detailed page and add comments or attachments. Use "@" followed by a team member’s name to mention them directly. This sends a notification to the mentioned person, allowing for quick responses and updates.

Integrating With Other Tools

Notion’s integration capabilities extend its functionality and streamline your workflow:

Google Calendar

Embed your Google Calendar in Notion to keep all your events and deadlines in one place. This integration ensures you have a centralized view of your schedule and tasks.

Slack

Connect Notion with Slack to receive updates and notifications in your Slack channels. Share Notion pages and updates directly in Slack to keep your team informed.

Google Drive

Embed Google Drive files into Notion pages to quickly access documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. This integration keeps all relevant files within your Notion workspace.

GitHub

Link Notion with GitHub to track commits, pull requests, and issues related to your projects. This connection helps you manage development tasks and track progress directly from Notion.

Zapier

Use Zapier to automate workflows between Notion and thousands of other apps. This tool helps you create automated tasks and data flows, reducing manual work and improving efficiency.

How To Use Notion as a CRM Software

Getting started with Notion as a CRM is straightforward, thanks to its intuitive interface and user-friendly features. Begin by creating databases for different aspects of your CRM, such as:

Contacts

Leads

Deals

Tasks

Utilize Notion's database templates or design your own to align with your workflow and data requirements.

Customize Properties for Your Needs

Customize database properties to capture specific information for each entry. For contact entries, define properties such as:

Name

Phone number

Company

Add additional properties as needed to track relevant details.

Design Your Workspace Layout for Easy Access

Design your workspace layout to optimize visibility and accessibility. To facilitate easy navigation and information retrieval, arrange:

Databases

Views

Dashboards

Experiment with different layouts to find what works best for your team.

Benefits of Using Notion as a CRM

Cost-Effective Solution

Notion as a CRM is a budget-friendly alternative to traditional CRM software. Not only do conventional CRMs come with high price tags that can cripple a small business, but their plans often include features that you don't need and won't use.

On the other hand, Notion has flexible pricing plans so that you can get started for free. Even as you scale your operations and need additional users, you can customize Notion to fit your needs without breaking the bank.

Scalability and Flexibility

Notion's scalability allows it to grow with your business, accommodating changes in:

Data volume

User count

Workflow complexity

Its flexible architecture enables users to adapt and customize their CRM setup as their needs evolve, ensuring long-term viability and relevance.

Limitations of Using Notion as a CRM Software

Limited Automation Functions Can Hamper Your CRM Processes

Using Notion as a CRM has some limitations, particularly regarding automation. Notion offers basic automation features, such as:

Reminders

Notifications

Limited Notification Options

You can’t set notifications for specific changes within a page; it's an all-or-nothing approach. This means if you want to be notified only when a particular field or column is updated, Notion doesn’t offer that level of granularity.

Automation Gaps

Notion lacks robust automation for syncing or updating data across different columns. Let’s say you want to automatically record the date and time when a task is marked as complete; there's no built-in, reliable way to automate this process beyond formulas, which can be cumbersome and prone to errors.

This lack of advanced automation can become a significant hurdle as your CRM processes grow more complex or your team scales, requiring more sophisticated workflows and automated actions.

Risks of Data Deletion and Limited Backup Support

Another drawback of Notion as a CRM revolves around data management and backup capabilities. Notion's support for data backups and imports is relatively weak compared to dedicated CRM systems. The risk of data deletion or loss can be a concern if you don’t have robust backup solutions in place.

Notion doesn’t offer comprehensive tools for regular data exports or easy data importation, which can be crucial if you’re dealing with large datasets or frequently need to migrate information.

Notion’s sharing permissions and access controls are not as granular as those in more specialized CRM platforms. This can lead to potential issues with data security and user access management. If your CRM needs to involve strict control over who can see or edit specific pieces of information, Notion’s current permissions model might not meet your needs, making it a less ideal choice for larger teams or more complex organizational structures.

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Tips and Best Practices for Using Notion as a CRM

Use a Consistent Structure

Establishing a clear and consistent structure for your Notion CRM workspace is crucial for managing your data efficiently. Create a hierarchy of pages and databases that reflect your workflow and information needs. For instance, have main pages for different aspects of your CRM, such as:

Contacts

Projects

Communication Logs, with sub-pages for detailed views

Categorize Information

Organize your data using nested:

Pages

Tags

Multi-select properties

This allows you to group and filter information based on relevant categories. For example, you might group contacts by:

Industry

Project type

Client status

This approach helps you quickly locate and manage data without getting overwhelmed.

Utilize Views

Notion’s flexible database views are powerful. Create multiple views for your databases to visualize your data in different formats:

Tables

Kanban boards

Calendars

This allows you to interact most effectively with your data for your current task, whether you're tracking project deadlines or managing tasks.

Use Color Coding

Apply color coding to tags, labels, or database properties to enhance visual clarity. Color coding helps you quickly identify and differentiate between various items or statuses at a glance, making it easier to manage and prioritize your tasks and contacts.

Implement a Naming Convention

Develop and adhere to a consistent naming convention for your:

Pages

Databases

Properties

This ensures clarity and prevents confusion, especially as your CRM grows. A good naming convention helps maintain a logical and organized structure, making navigating the workspace easier for you and your team.

Use Notion Templates to Get Started Quickly

Contact Databases

Leverage templates designed for contact management, which include predefined properties like:

Name

Phone number

Tags

These templates can be customized to fit your specific needs, providing a quick start for organizing your contacts.

Project Boards

Utilize Kanban board templates to manage projects and tasks. These templates often come with customizable columns and properties, allowing you to track project progress and task status efficiently. Adjust the columns and properties according to your workflow requirements.

Communication Logs

Find or create templates for tracking communication with clients, including details such as:

Date

Type of communication

Notes

Related contact information

These templates help you keep a detailed record of interactions, which is essential for maintaining strong client relationships.

Keep Your Notion CRM Secure and Up-to-date

Regularly Update Information

Maintain accurate records by regularly updating all contact details, project statuses, and other relevant information. Outdated data can lead to misunderstandings and missed opportunities.

Control access to your Notion workspace by configuring permissions and sharing settings. Assign appropriate access levels to team members based on their roles and responsibilities to protect sensitive information and ensure everyone has access.

Enable Two-Factor Authentication

Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) to enhance the security of your Notion account. This additional layer of security requires a second verification step during login, reducing the risk of unauthorized access.

Backup Your Data

Export and back up your Notion data regularly to safeguard against accidental deletion or loss. Regular backups also ensure that you can recover your information if needed.

Stay Informed About Security Updates

Stay up-to-date with Notion’s security updates and best practices. Follow Notion’s official blog, help center, or social media channels to learn about:

New features

Security enhancements

Best practices for using the platform securely

7 Best Notion CRM Templates

1. CRM Tracker - Your Friendly Neighborhood Notion CRM Template

This CRM tracker template in Notion mimics the structure of traditional relational CRMs, making it familiar and user-friendly for those accustomed to using more complex CRM systems. It's particularly beneficial for small to medium-sized organizations with a small sales team or a limited budget for an extensive CRM platform.

2. Ultimate CRM - The Name Says It All

This ultimate CRM template offers ready-made solutions for organizing customer data, tracking sales progress, and managing daily operations. It can be customized to fit your unique requirements and help you stay organized and productive.

3. Sales CRM - Notion CRM for Sales Teams

Sales CRM template is tailored specifically for sales teams to help:

Streamline processes

Track leads

Drive more sales

It has options to track leads, deals, and customer interactions out of the gate. Notion's deep filtering options also allow sales teams to quickly access the information they need, whether it's a list of high-priority leads or a summary of recent customer interactions.

4. Fundraising Database - Not Just for Sales

This template is set up to manage your fundraising database efficiently. You can use the database to keep track of investor interactions, with built-in status updates relevant to the industry, like, for example:

Meeting planned

Term sheet

Closed

Each row opens a page to take meeting notes, embed resources, and create follow-up checklists.

5. Sales Pipeline with Automations - Automate Your Sales Process

This CRM template is tailored for sales teams. It comes equipped with built-in automations that allow for real-time tracking of:

Deals

Updates to contact information

Status changes

This streamlines the sales process and enhances productivity.

6. Client CRM - Manage Your Client Relationships Like a Pro

This free CRM template is ideal for managing client relationships. It provides a structured way to store and access client data, making it easier for service providers or freelancers to keep track of interactions and project details.

7. EntrepreneurOS - The All-in-One Notion CRM Template

EntrepreneurOS is a comprehensive template for entrepreneurs looking to streamline their operations. It integrates various aspects of business management, all within a single Notion workspace. This includes: