Sherman On Software

Smile And Dial CRM, A Fable About Transforming Fundamental Constraints

Sherman On Software

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jeffpsherman

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Data assumptions are baked into your CRM’s makeup and can seem impossible to change.  Email marketing requires contacts to have an email, because you can’t do email marketing without one.  Call center software requires prospects to have phone numbers so that agents can do outbound sales.

But what happens when your business needs to change and your fundamental constraints are no longer fundamental?  How do you change your core data model assumptions without starting over or freezing development?

SmileAndDial CRM has spent years positioning themselves as the go to CRM for boiler rooms, pump and dumps, extended car warranties, and other outbound call centers on the strength of their dialer integrations.  They’ve done well, making a quality product for horrible people.  But the FTC is cracking down on junk calls and putting their customers out of business.  They need to expand into email spamming and help support their horrid customers.  After all, keeping your customers out of jail massively extends Customer Lifetime Value.

This series will follow SmileAndDial on their journey to remove phone numbers as a fundamental constraint in their software.  

Part 1 – The problem with direct change
Part 2 – Start TheeSeeShipping
Part 3 – Invisible Shipping
Part 4 – Numberless Contacts appear as if by magic

Comments

5 responses to “Smile And Dial CRM, A Fable About Transforming Fundamental Constraints”

  1. Smile And Dial CRM – Part 1 – The problem with direct change – Sherman On Software

    […] back to SmileAndDial CRM’s journey to remove phone numbers as a fundamental constraint.  In the introduction I introduced SmileAndDial CRM, a loathsome service for boiler rooms, pump and dumps, extended car […]

    Reply
  2. Smile And Dial CRM – Part 2 – Start TheeSeeShipping – Sherman On Software

    […] know why SmileAndDial CRM needs to change their fundamental constraints We know why changing the data model is […]

    Reply
  3. Smile And Dial CRM – Part 3 – Invisible Shipping – Sherman On Software

    […] with SmileAndDial CRM, and their quest to remove phone numbers as a fundamental constraint!  Part 2 introduced the […]

    Reply
  4. Smile And Dial CRM – Part 4 – As If By Magic – Sherman On Software

    […] SmileAndDial CRM was built around the concept that people are nothing but a number.  Phone numbers were a fundamental constraint in the software; it was impossible to have a contact that didn’t have a number. With the introduction of TheeSeeShipping and months of Invisible Shipping SmileAndDial has been able to free themselves of this incremental constraint.  Through many iterative releases the company has slowly been transforming itself.   […]

    Reply
  5. Your Edge Case Is Showing: Jewel’s Dummy Email – Sherman On Software

    […] I can imagine managers prioritizing stability and pushing edge cases like email receipts to the side.  After all, if no one can use the app, it can’t leak any data!  Fixing bugs is also much easier than changing fundamental data constraints.  I wrote a whole series of articles on the topic! […]

    Reply

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