“Generic CRM systems, despite their flexibility, often fail to align with how government actually works. The initial system design tends to mirror legacy processes too closely or, conversely,
is oversimplified to fit the platform’s limits. In both cases, organizational misalignment emerges over time.”
While generic CRM platforms may seem like an attractive option for government agencies looking to implement permitting and planning solutions, the risks and challenges involved can far outweigh the initial benefits.
From the lack of tailored workflows and regulatory support to the high long-term costs of customization and integration, agencies often find that such platforms do not meet their needs as efficiently as purpose-built software solutions.
In this informative eBook, we assess the immediate and long-term impacts of such systems—while simultaneously providing a strategic framework for fully informed software system evaluation.
In an effort to modernize, some jurisdictions may consider generic platforms built on popular customer relationship management (CRM) platforms, instead of choosing specialized, purpose-built permitting and planning software.
While it may seem cost-effective to adapt a generic CRM platform for these purposes, there are significant pitfalls to this approach. These pitfalls not only hinder
operational efficiency but can also lead to greater costs, security vulnerabilities, and
system failures, especially in larger jurisdictions.
When a government agency selects a generic CRM platform—like Salesforce, Dynamics, or similar—as the foundation for its permitting and planning operations, the more profound impacts emerge over time, manifesting not just as technical problems, but as organizational strain, sustainability challenges, and service delivery constraints.
This analysis outlines the most common organizational obstacles that agencies face as these systems age:
Choosing between a CRM-based permitting solution and a purpose-built system requires more than a technical assessment. It demands a holistic understanding of the
organization’s mission, capacity, and long-term digital trajectory. Ultimately, effective procurement is about future-proofing the public mission.
This framework provides public-sector decision makers with a structured, evidence-based approach to evaluating these options within the context of their long-term digital strategy:
