From complex application to a simple CRM integration

This project was a textbook case of an ‘over-engineered’ solution, and of how much simpler the replacement could be.

Customer portal with CRM integration

Our client wanted their customers to be able to enter and update certain information in the Pipedrive CRM themselves, in the form of a secure and user-friendly customer portal.

The existing situation

Years ago they had an application built to meet this need. But, the client tells us, the application had long stopped meeting their requirements. On top of that they regularly experienced outages and problems. Data that did not come through properly, outdated information in the portal… In short, time for a fresh look.

We started by examining the current application and built a proposal for the client from there.

After logging in to the server we found a larger-than-expected codebase written in vanilla PHP. There was an interface, a database with thousands of rows and a synchronization script. That script used considerable resources and logged plenty of errors. We made our diagnosis.

Problems with the existing application:

• No realtime integration (the cause of losses and outdated data)
• A lot of code for very little result
• A major security risk

The new application

After presenting this to the client, we quickly agreed it was time for something new. The client was wary of long development time and high costs, though.

We reassured them: in essence the end result is much simpler to achieve with a login portal, a secured form and a direct connection to the CRM’s API. That way there is only one source of truth, and all the problems above are resolved.

The client was enthusiastic and we started building that same week. Not much later the form was ready: a simple login screen, followed by an interactive form with read-only fields and writable fields. Given the use case these fields are hard-coded, but very easy to customize.

The result is a transformation from…

• A codebase that was hard to maintain
• A database holding thousands of rows of personal data
• Unreliable synchronization

…to a clear codebase that fits on a few sheets of paper, and a (realtime) integration with the Pipedrive CRM.