It can also produce reports on how well-received your product is, which clients want you to add features or have problems, how long it takes staff to respond to requests, and which products generate the largest volume of calls and why. Some sophisticated systems will also allow you to route calls on particular issues to specific people so they can track them and make sure someone responds. Customizing is a good solution for those who have very simple or very complex needs. Conversely, if you have specialized needs and very heavy call volume, it may be worth extra money to a design a custom system. Be sure to ask other business owners you trust for references before you engage anyone.
Costs also rise with the number of users and features.
The advantages of customization are that you can have the system designed exactly to your specifications, and it will be flexible enough to suit your needs as they change in the future. One disadvantage is that designing a system takes time. If enough customers ask the company to add features, most software companies will seriously consider doing so in future versions, which you might be able to get at reduced cost as an existing customer. Ask our small-business experts. Because of the volume of mail, we won't be able to respond to all questions personally.