TLDR (Summary)
The best CRM software for designers is Plutio ($19/month).
Contact databases track names and email addresses but don't connect to the design work itself. Plutio CRM connects client profiles to design files, revision history, feedback threads, brand guidelines, and project scope... so client relationships live alongside the actual creative work instead of in a separate contact list.
Designers get complete client profiles showing revision history per project, organized feedback loops from clients and team members, brand asset libraries with approved guidelines, project scope and deliverable status, revenue per hour tracking per client, and portal access for clients to review work and provide approvals.
Designers using connected CRM reclaim 5-8 previously spent searching for brand guidelines, tracking down feedback from three months ago, and reconstructing which revision round a client approved.
For additional strategies, read our client onboarding guide.
What is CRM software for designers?
CRM software for designers is software that organizes client relationships by connecting contact information to design the work, revision tracking, feedback threads, brand asset libraries, and project history... so every client profile shows the complete creative relationship, not just a name and email address.
The distinction matters: sales CRM tracks prospects moving through conversion funnels and measures deal close rates, while designer CRM tracks creative relationships after the contract is signed. Design work involves ongoing projects with multiple revision rounds, stakeholder feedback loops, brand guideline evolution, and repeat engagements. Sales metrics like pipeline velocity mean nothing when the real work is managing feedback on logo concepts through round three.
What designer CRM actually does
Core functions include organizing client contact information with all stakeholder details in one record, maintaining complete revision history showing what was changed when and why, collecting feedback threads from email, Figma comments, Slack messages, and meeting notes into searchable logs, storing brand guidelines and approved assets in client-specific libraries, tracking project scope and deliverable status to prevent extra work without extra pay, calculating revenue per hour per client by comparing time invested against revenue received, and providing client portal access so clients can review work, provide feedback, and approve the work without endless email threads.
Sales CRM vs creative relationship CRM
Sales CRMs like HubSpot and Salesforce improve for lead capture and conversion tracking. They measure how many prospects enter the funnel, which marketing campaigns generate qualified leads, and what percentage convert to paying customers. The sales focus makes sense for sales teams closing one-time deals. Designers need something different: tracking what happens after the contract is signed. Ongoing projects span weeks or months, revision rounds accumulate feedback from multiple clients and team members, brand assets evolve as creative direction clarifies, and the same client returns six months later expecting you to remember their style preferences and past decisions.
What makes designer CRM different
Design relationships generate unique data that generic contact databases ignore. Projects go through multiple revision rounds requiring complete feedback history... when a client asks "what did we decide about the color palette in round two?" the answer needs to be in your system, not scattered across email and Figma comments. Clients return months later expecting continuity... starting a new website project for a client whose logo you designed last year means their brand guidelines need to be immediately accessible, not buried in old project folders. Multiple clients and team members give conflicting feedback requiring organized approval workflows... the CEO wants bold, the marketing director wants minimal, and CRM needs to track who said what so revision round four doesn't contradict the feedback you got in round one.
Brand assets accumulate over time needing version control and organized storage. Logo files in six formats, color palette specifications, typography systems, approved design elements, and reference materials... all tied to the client record so starting any new project means the right assets are right there. Without CRM that connects to design the work, client profiles hold a phone number while the actual creative context lives in Figma, Google Drive, email archives, and your memory.
When CRM connects to projects, revisions, feedback, and brand assets, client profiles become creative context hubs. Opening a client record shows what you designed, what they approved, what feedback they gave, and what brand direction guides future work... so context is never lost and time is never wasted reconstructing history.
Why designers need CRM software
If you're managing more than 5-7 active clients hit a context threshold where scattered feedback, revision history, and brand guidelines multiply faster than memory can track... and hours disappear weekly searching for what a client said about the mockups, which revision round they approved, or where their brand guidelines are stored.
Design relationships generate constant context that needs to live somewhere. Feedback on mockups arrives through email, Figma comments, Slack messages, and video calls. Revision rounds accumulate as concepts iterate toward approval. Brand guidelines evolve as creative direction clarifies. Stakeholder preferences emerge through repeated feedback patterns. Deliverable history builds as projects complete. Without organized tracking, this context scatters across disconnected tools... and reconstructing what happened three months ago when a client returns for phase two becomes detective work instead of instant lookup.
The scattered context problem
According to research, knowledge workers lose 1-2 hours to fragmented information and context switching. For designers specifically, that fragmentation looks like feedback scattered across tools that don't talk to each other. Email holds "can we try a darker blue?", Figma comments contain "stakeholder prefers sans-serif", Slack has "client approved option 2", and meeting notes with detailed brand direction live in a Google Doc you can't find six weeks later. When a client asks "which logo concept did we choose?" the answer requires hunting through four different tools, scrolling back through weeks of threads, and hoping you remember which channel the conversation happened in.
The tool stack fragmentation problem
You stack 6-9 disconnected tools trying to manage their business. Figma or Adobe Creative Suite for design work, email for client communication, Slack for quick feedback, Google Drive or Dropbox for file storage, spreadsheets for tracking projects and revisions, separate invoicing software like FreshBooks or QuickBooks for billing, scheduling tools like Calendly for booking calls, and maybe a proposal tool like HoneyBook for contracts. Each tool handles one function well, but none share data automatically.
Client feedback lives in email. Design files live in Figma. Brand guidelines live in Drive. Payment history lives in invoicing software. Revision counts live in memory or a spreadsheet you update manually. When a client profile exists in CRM, it shows contact details... but opening that record tells you nothing about which revision round they're on, what feedback they gave last week, where their brand assets are stored, or whether they've paid the last invoice. The relationship data exists, scattered across seven places, none of them connected to your contact database.
The revision tracking problem
Design projects rarely finish in one round. Logo concepts go through 2-5 revision iterations, website mockups get refined based on stakeholder feedback, brand guidelines evolve as creative direction clarifies. Most design contracts specify revision limits... "three rounds of revisions included, additional rounds billed at hourly rate." That contract term only works if you actually track revision counts. Without organized tracking, questions like "how many rounds have we done?" require manual counting through project files, email threads, and Figma version history. By the time you realize a project is on round five, having the "additional rounds are billable" conversation feels awkward instead of contractually clear.
Extra unbilled work happens silently when revision counts aren't visible. Client asks for "one small change" in what's actually round six, you make the change to maintain the relationship, and the revenue per hour of that project quietly drops. Multiply that across ten clients and the revenue loss becomes significant... not from one big problem but from many small unbilled revision rounds that happened because tracking wasn't systematic.
The brand guideline accessibility problem
Returning clients expect continuity. A client whose logo you designed six months ago now needs a website... and they expect you to remember their brand guidelines, color palette, typography system, and approved design direction. If those brand assets live in a folder structure somewhere on Google Drive, starting the new project means "let me find those files and get back to you" instead of "I have everything right here."
Clients who work with you repeatedly accumulate brand assets over time: logos in multiple formats, color specifications, typography choices, design element libraries, approved mockups for reference. These assets should be immediately accessible when any new project starts. Generic file storage gives you folders. Designer CRM gives you client-specific brand libraries where every approved asset is tagged, organized, and accessible from the client profile.
The scaling tipping point
You hit a threshold around 5-7 active clients where manual context tracking breaks down. Below that threshold, memory works reasonably well. You remember which client prefers minimal aesthetics, who gave feedback about the color palette, and where you stored their brand guidelines. Above that threshold, details blur together and questions multiply. Was it Client A who wanted bolder typography or Client B? Which stakeholder approved the homepage mockup? What did they say about the logo in round two? Did I send them the final files in PNG or SVG?
The questions don't get harder, they just multiply faster than memory can handle. Each client generates the same type of context... but when you're managing ten clients across twenty active projects at various revision stages, the cognitive load of tracking everything manually becomes unsustainable. Hours disappear searching for information that should be organized systematically. The work itself doesn't change, the volume just exceeds what informal tracking can handle.
Connected CRM software absorbs the context tracking work that would otherwise scale linearly with client count. Feedback gets logged systematically instead of scattered across tools, revisions track automatically instead of counted manually, brand assets stay organized instead of buried in folder structures, and client history becomes instantly accessible instead of requiring archaeological searches... so growth doesn't demand proportionally more admin time.
CRM features designers need
The essential CRM features for designers connect client relationship tracking to design the work, revision management, feedback organization, brand asset storage, and revenue per hour visibility while handling the unique patterns that creative work generates.
Core CRM features
- Complete client profiles: Contact information for all clients and team members, company details, industry and project type tags, relationship history timeline, custom fields for design-specific data. Opening a client record shows everything about that relationship in one place.
- Project history per client: Every project organized under the right client. Past work informs future proposals and pricing. Revenue per project rolls up to revenue per hour per client, revealing which relationships generate the best returns.
- Document organization: Proposals, contracts, invoices, and design briefs attach to client records and specific projects. Finding what was agreed in the contract two years ago takes seconds instead of searching through email archives.
- Communication history: Email threads, messages, meeting notes, and feedback threads all logged chronologically. Complete conversation timeline searchable by keyword, date, or topic.
- Search and filtering: Find clients by name, project type, industry, status, revenue per hour, or custom tags. Segment your client base by any attribute for targeted outreach, portfolio curation, or revenue per hour analysis.
Designer-specific features
- Revision tracking per project: Automatic counting of revision rounds. When contracts specify limits (industry standard is 2-3 rounds with additional rounds billed separately), visible tracking prevents extra unbilled work and supports billing conversations backed by data instead of vague recollections.
- Feedback thread organization: Design feedback arrives through email, Figma comments, Slack messages, video calls, and in-person meetings. Organized threads collect all feedback in one searchable place, tagged by project and stakeholder, so finding what was said about the color palette in round two takes seconds instead of hunting through multiple tools.
- Brand asset libraries per client: Client-specific storage for logos in all formats, color palette specifications, typography systems, brand guidelines documents, approved design elements, reference materials, and past the work. Starting any new project for a returning client means brand materials are right there instead of buried in old folders.
- Stakeholder preference tracking: Different decision-makers have different aesthetic preferences. Notes about who prefers what prevent revision cycles where round three contradicts the feedback from round one because different clients and team members gave conflicting direction.
- Approval workflows: Track what's been approved by whom, what's pending stakeholder review, what needs revisions based on feedback received, and what's ready for final delivery. Status visibility prevents projects from stalling silently in "awaiting approval" limbo.
- Design brief history: Creative briefs for past projects stay attached to client records. What the client said they wanted versus what they actually approved after three revision rounds reveals preference patterns that inform future work.
Platform features that multiply value
- White-label branding: Custom domain, logo upload, brand color configuration. All client-facing communications show your design studio brand, not generic software branding. Designers especially value brand consistency.
- Unified inbox: Client messages, feedback, questions, approval notifications, and project updates arrive in one inbox regardless of source. Reply directly without switching between email, Slack, and other tools.
- Granular permissions: Control who sees what at precise levels. Junior designers see projects assigned to them, senior designers see team workload, studio owners see revenue per hour and financials, clients see only their portal.
- Automations: Create rules that trigger actions without manual work. Revision approval creates next task automatically, deliverable submission sends client notification, feedback received assigns task to designer, project completion triggers invoice generation, overdue approvals send reminders.
The deciding factor for designers is integration depth. CRM software that connects client profiles to project tracking, revision counting, feedback organization, brand asset storage, and invoicing eliminates duplicate data entry and creates complete visibility from first inquiry through final payment and beyond.
CRM software pricing for designers
CRM software for designers typically costs $20-100 per month for sales-focused platforms that track contacts but not design work, with the true cost climbing when you add separate tools for project management, proposals, contracts, and invoicing that generic CRM doesn't include.
What designers typically pay for CRM tools
- HubSpot CRM: Free basic contact database, $20-100/month for features designers actually need (custom properties, workflows, reporting, multiple pipelines)
- Salesforce: $25-165/month per user, enterprise sales platform designed for large teams not solo designers or small studios
- Pipedrive: $14-99/month per user, sales pipeline optimization focused on deal closing not creative relationship management
- Copper: $29-134/month per user, Gmail-integrated CRM with limited design workflow support
Sales CRM tracks contacts and conversion metrics but not design the work, so designers add tools to fill the gaps: project management software like Asana or Monday ($10-24 per user monthly), proposal and contract software like HoneyBook or Bonsai ($19-79 monthly), invoicing platforms like FreshBooks or QuickBooks ($17-55 monthly), file storage like Dropbox or Google Drive ($10-20 monthly), and scheduling tools like Calendly ($10-15 monthly). Combined monthly cost reaches $100-250 with client data fragmented across six disconnected tools that don't share information automatically.
Plutio pricing (February 2026)
- Core: $19/month: Unlimited CRM client profiles plus projects, tasks, proposals, contracts, invoicing, time tracking, scheduling, file storage, and client portals. Everything designers need in one connected platform.
- Pro: $49/month: Unlimited clients, 30 team contributors, advanced permissions and automations, priority support, API access.
- Max: $199/month: Unlimited team members, white-label custom domain, single sign-on, dedicated account manager, priority feature requests.
All plans include all features with no tier-locked functionality. The difference is client limits and team size, not feature access. Annual billing saves 20%.
The ROI calculation for designers
- Time reclaimed from context searching: Designers report saving 5-8 hours weekly when feedback, revisions, and brand assets are organized systematically instead of scattered. At $75/hour billable rate, that's $375-600 weekly or $1,500-2,400 monthly in recovered billable time.
- Extra unbilled work prevention: Visible revision tracking prevents one unbilled revision round monthly on average. With typical project value of $2,500-4,000 and contracts specifying 3 included rounds, preventing one unbilled round four saves 15-25% of project value or $375-1,000 monthly.
- Repeat client conversion: Complete relationship history and immediate access to past brand guidelines reduces friction for returning clients. Converting one additional repeat engagement yearly (average value $3,000-6,000) pays for annual subscription multiple times over.
- Tool consolidation savings: Replacing 4-6 separate subscriptions ($80-180 monthly combined) with one platform ($19-49 monthly) saves $30-130 monthly while reducing context switching overhead.
CRM software ROI for designers comes through three mechanisms: time reclaimed from searching for scattered context, extra work without extra pay prevented through visible revision tracking, and tool consolidation eliminating fragmented subscriptions. Plutio pays for itself when revision visibility prevents one unbilled round monthly or recovered hours let billing 2-3 additional hours weekly.
Why Plutio is the best CRM for designers
Plutio handles CRM as part of a complete platform where client profiles connect directly to design projects, revision tracking, feedback organization, brand asset storage, and invoicing... so client relationships live alongside the actual creative work instead of in a separate contact database that knows nothing about what you're designing.
Client profiles with complete design context
Opening a client profile in Plutio shows their complete creative relationship, not just contact information. Active projects with current status and next steps, complete revision history showing which round each project is on, organized feedback threads tagged by project and stakeholder, brand asset library with approved guidelines and deliverable files, proposal and contract history showing what was agreed, invoice and payment status showing financial relationship, and complete communication timeline with every message and note... all in one profile.
When a client calls asking about the logo revisions from six months ago, the answer is right there: revision history shows you delivered round three on March 15th, feedback thread shows they approved option B with the darker blue, brand library has the final files in all formats, and invoice shows they paid in full on March 22nd. Total time to answer: 15 seconds of looking at their profile instead of 20 minutes hunting through Figma version history, email archives, and file storage trying to reconstruct what happened.
Revision tracking connected to contracts
Design contracts specify revision limits... typically 2-3 rounds included with additional rounds billed separately. The revision limit only works if you actually track revisions. Plutio counts revision rounds automatically per project. When a website design project hits round three and the client requests "one more small change," the revision counter shows you're at the contract limit... so the conversation about round four being billable happens with clear data backing you up instead of vague recollections about how many rounds you've done.
Preventing extra unbilled work through visible tracking saves the revenue that silently disappears when revision counts aren't monitored. One unbilled revision round per project across ten annual projects at $3,000 average value with 20% extra work without extra pay represents $6,000 in lost revenue annually... revenue you get to keep when tracking makes the contract limits visible and enforceable.
Feedback organization by project and stakeholder
Design feedback arrives through every channel: email responses to mockup shares, Figma comments on specific elements, Slack messages with quick reactions, meeting notes from presentation calls, written notes from in-person reviews. Plutio collects feedback in organized threads attached to specific projects and tagged by stakeholder.
When you need to remember what the marketing director said about the homepage color palette in round two, search finds it in seconds. When stakeholder feedback conflicts (CEO wants bold, CMO wants minimal), organized threads show exactly who said what and when... so revision round three can address the conflict explicitly instead of creating a design that satisfies neither because you're working from blurred memory of what was said.
Brand asset libraries per client
Every client accumulates brand assets through your relationship: logos in PNG, SVG, EPS formats, color palette hex codes and Pantone specifications, typography system with font files and usage guidelines, approved design elements and icon libraries, brand guideline documents, past the work for reference. Plutio stores all of it in client-specific libraries automatically organized and searchable.
When a client who you designed a logo for last year returns wanting a website, starting the project means opening their brand library where everything is right there: logo files in every format, color specifications, typography choices, and the creative brief showing their stated preferences. No "let me find those files and get back to you," no searching through old project folders wondering if you saved the final version, no asking the client to resend materials they assume you have... just immediate access to everything needed to start the new project with complete brand consistency.
Project revenue per hour rolled up to client revenue per hour
Time tracking per project captures hours invested. Invoices show revenue received. Plutio calculates revenue per hour automatically at both project level and client level by comparing time investment against revenue. The data reveals patterns that informal tracking misses: which project types generate best margins, which clients consume disproportionate time through endless revisions, which relationships pay best per hour versus just high-revenue but low-margin.
Some clients generate $10,000 in annual revenue but consume 120 hours through constant revisions and feedback rounds, resulting in $83/hour effective rate. Other clients generate $6,000 in annual revenue but require only 40 hours of clean efficient work, resulting in $150/hour effective rate. Revenue alone doesn't tell the story... revenue per hour per client based on actual time invested reveals which relationships to cultivate and which to phase out. Without systematic tracking, these patterns stay invisible.
Proposals and contracts connected to client history
Generating a proposal for a returning client means their contact details, company information, past project history, and previous pricing all populate automatically from their profile. Accepted proposals create projects automatically with the right client attached, scope documented from the proposal, the work defined, and team members assigned based on project type.
Contracts follow the same connected pattern. The contract a client accepted 18 months ago stays attached to their profile and that project... so when questions arise about what was actually agreed regarding revision limits or deliverable formats, the answer is right there in the contract attached to the project attached to the client. Everything connects instead of scattering across separate tools.
White-label everything
Designers care about brand presentation. Use your own domain (clients.yourstudio.com instead of generic-software.com/yourstudio). Upload your logo, configure your brand colors, set your typography. Every client-facing touchpoint reflects your design studio brand: proposals show your colors and logo, contracts carry your brand identity, invoices present your visual system, client portals use your domain and styling, booking pages match your website aesthetic, email notifications come from your domain.
Clients experience your design studio at every interaction, not generic software with your logo awkwardly pasted on. For designers whose business is visual identity, brand consistency across all touchpoints matters more than for most industries... and white-label capability delivers that consistency.
Unified inbox for all client communication
When a client messages about a project, responds to a proposal, approves a revision, requests changes, questions an invoice, or books a call... the message appears in one inbox regardless of which channel it came through. Reply directly without opening email. Conversation history stays attached to that client's profile and the relevant project automatically.
Six months later when you need to remember what was discussed about the logo revision in March, the conversation thread is right there in the client profile, tagged to the logo project, searchable by keyword. No digging through email trying to remember which account the conversation happened in, no searching Slack history hoping you didn't delete old messages, no opening three different tools trying to reconstruct the conversation... just one inbox with complete context.
Granular permissions for team and client access
Control exactly who sees what at the precise level your studio structure requires. Junior designers see only projects assigned to them plus the brand assets needed for that work. Senior designers see team workload, project pipeline, and delivery timelines. Studio owners see revenue per hour, financial reports, and client relationship health. Clients see only their own portal with their projects, the work, and communication.
Permissions adapt to your structure instead of forcing you into predetermined roles. As your team grows from solo to small studio to larger agency, permission configurations scale with your needs without requiring platform change.
No-code automations for routine workflows
Create rules that trigger actions automatically without your involvement. Common designer automations include: revision approval creates next design task automatically and assigns it to the right designer, deliverable upload triggers client notification to review and approve, client feedback received creates revision task assigned to project designer, project marked complete sends invoice automatically, invoice overdue three days triggers payment reminder, proposal accepted creates project with predefined task structure and team assignments, and project completion creates follow-up task to request testimonial and case study approval.
Configure once during initial setup based on your standard workflows... then automations run continuously without attention, handling routine triggers and actions that would otherwise require you to remember to do fifteen small administrative tasks per project.
Native integrations for design workflows
Connect Stripe and PayPal for payment processing on invoices and proposal deposits. Sync Google Calendar or Outlook so scheduling updates flow both directions. Link Slack for team notifications when clients respond, projects update, or deadlines approach. Connect QuickBooks or Xero through Zapier for accounting synchronization. Integrate Figma through webhooks so design file updates trigger project status changes.
Use Zapier to connect 3,000+ other apps in workflows customized to your specific stack. Integrations keep data flowing between tools instead of requiring manual copying... when a client pays an invoice in Stripe, the payment records in Plutio and syncs to QuickBooks automatically. When a Figma file gets marked ready for review, Plutio sends the client a notification with portal link to approve the mockup.
Everything runs from one platform with your branding, your visual identity, and your workflow logic. Client relationships, project tracking, revision counting, feedback organization, brand asset storage, and invoicing all connected... so design context is never scattered across disconnected tools and hours are never wasted searching for information that should be systematically organized.
How to set up CRM in Plutio
Setting up CRM in Plutio takes 2-4 hours for initial configuration, then 5-10 minutes per new client once your templates, integrations, and workflows are established.
Step 1: Configure CRM structure (30 minutes)
Define what information you track per client. Basic fields include contact details for all clients and team members (decision-maker, project manager, billing contact, creative director if different people), company information, industry and project type tags, and custom fields for designer-specific data like design style preferences, stakeholder roster with approval authority, brand guidelines location, and preferred communication channels.
Set up client status categories: Active (current projects running), Past (completed work, potential for future engagement), Prospect (in conversation, not yet contracted), Dormant (past clients inactive 12+ months). Configure tags for segmentation: industry categories, project types you offer, client source (referral, portfolio inquiry, marketplace), and relationship quality (VIP, standard, challenging).
Step 2: Create project templates (1-2 hours)
Build 3-5 templates covering your most common project types. For designers, recommended templates include:
- Logo design project: Discovery phase with brand brief questionnaire, concept development with 3 initial directions, revision rounds with structured feedback collection, final deliverable package with all file formats and usage guidelines. Include tasks for each phase, revision tracking, and approval checkpoints.
- Website design project: Wireframe and structure phase, homepage mockup with responsive breakpoints, internal page templates, revision rounds per page or section, final handoff with development-ready files. Template includes feedback organization by page and stakeholder.
- Brand identity project: Discovery and strategy phase, logo and brand mark development, color palette and typography system, brand guidelines document creation, asset library with all elements. Multi-phase structure with approval gates between phases.
Each template includes predefined task lists, deliverable checklists, revision tracking structure, approval workflows showing who needs to approve what, and automated notifications for stakeholder review requests. New projects start from templates instead of building structure from scratch each time, saving 30-60 minutes of setup per project.
Step 3: Connect integrations (20 minutes)
Link payment processing: add Stripe and/or PayPal so invoices and proposal deposits can collect payment directly. Connect calendar: sync Google Calendar or Outlook bidirectionally so scheduled calls appear in both systems. Link team communication: connect Slack if you use it for project updates and client notifications. Add accounting: connect QuickBooks or Xero through Zapier so financial data syncs automatically.
Test each integration before using with actual clients. Send yourself a test invoice and verify payment processes correctly, schedule a test event and confirm it appears in your calendar, trigger a test notification and make sure Slack messages arrive as expected. Integration failures with real clients damage credibility... test with internal workflows first.
Step 4: Import existing client data (30 minutes)
Export clients from HubSpot, Pipedrive, Salesforce, or your current CRM as CSV. Export includes contact details, company information, tags, and custom fields. If you're working from email contacts or a spreadsheet, organize columns for name, email, phone, company, and any other data you track. Upload CSV to Plutio and map fields appropriately during import: your "company name" column maps to Plutio's company field, "contact name" to name, "email" to email address.
Import in batches if your client list is large... easier to verify correct field mapping with 20 clients than with 200. For active projects, you can recreate them in Plutio connected to the imported clients, but focus on active work first. Historical completed projects can be added later selectively or referenced from old systems as needed. The goal is getting current relationships organized, not perfect historical archives.
Step 5: Test with one real client project
Run through your complete workflow with an actual client engagement instead of theoretical testing. Create client profile with complete stakeholder information, generate proposal from template with pricing and scope, accept proposal to verify automatic project creation, track time as you work on design the work, log client feedback as it arrives through email and other channels, track revision rounds as concept iterates, send the work for client approval through portal, invoice based on time tracked or fixed project price, and verify client portal access shows appropriate project status and deliverable access.
Real workflow testing reveals gaps that theoretical setup misses. Maybe your proposal template is missing a clause you always include. Maybe revision tracking isn't granular enough for your typical process. Maybe feedback organization needs an additional tag for stakeholder role. Refine templates and settings based on what actually happens with a real client instead of what you think will happen in theory.
Common setup mistakes to avoid
- Over-customizing before use: Don't spend eight hours building the perfect configuration before running a single project. Start minimal with basic templates and essential custom fields, then refine based on actual use. The right structure emerges through real projects, not theoretical planning. Add complexity only when its value becomes clear through repeated need.
- Ignoring mobile functionality: Download iOS and Android apps during setup and test key workflows on mobile. Checking client context during meetings, responding to feedback while away from desk, tracking time on the go, and accessing brand assets from anywhere requires mobile access. If you don't configure it during setup, you won't use it when you need it.
- Skipping automation configuration: Don't plan to set up automations later... configure basic ones during initial setup. Revision approval workflows, invoice reminders, overdue feedback notifications, proposal acceptance triggers. Without automations, you'll manually trigger every routine action, creating accumulated administrative burden that defeats the purpose of systematic organization.
Build complete templates for the 80% cases that represent most of your work. Logo design, website projects, and brand identity projects account for most designer engagements... perfect templates for those three types before adding edge cases. Better to have three good templates than eight mediocre ones.
CRM organization for designers
Organizing CRM reveals patterns across your client base: which relationships pay the most per hour, which project types you excel at, which industries value your work highest, and which clients consume disproportionate time relative to revenue generated.
Client segmentation strategies for designers
- By relationship status: Active (current projects running, frequent contact), Past (completed work, positive relationship, potential for future engagement), Prospect (initial consultation happened, proposal pending or under consideration), Dormant (past clients inactive for 12+ months, relationship cold but not burned). Status visibility shows pipeline health and identifies dormant relationships worth reactivating.
- By project type specialization: Logo and brand identity, website and digital design, print and packaging, illustration and custom artwork, motion graphics and video. Segmentation by what you create enables targeted portfolio showcasing when you want to attract more of a specific project type.
- By client industry: Tech startups, professional services, retail and e-commerce, nonprofits and social impact, hospitality and food. Industry patterns emerge through organized data... tech clients typically want minimal modern aesthetics, retail clients need bold commercial appeal, nonprofits require budget-conscious solutions. Understanding which industries you serve best informs marketing and portfolio emphasis.
- By relationship quality and revenue per hour: VIP (best clients, repeat engagements, profitable margins, pleasant collaboration, timely payment), Standard (professional working relationships, reasonable revenue per hour, clear communication), Challenging (high maintenance, extra work without extra pay tendency, delayed payments, unclear feedback). Honest categorization informs which relationships to cultivate through good service versus which to phase out through pricing increases or selective availability.
Project pipeline stages
- Discovery: Initial inquiry received, consultation scheduled, creative brief in progress, proposal pending creation
- Proposed: Proposal sent, under client consideration, follow-up scheduled, negotiations happening
- Contracted: Proposal accepted, contract signed, deposit received, project scheduled but not started
- In Progress - Concept: Initial design work happening, first round concepts in development, internal review before client presentation
- In Progress - Revision: Client feedback received, revision rounds happening, iterating toward approval
- Awaiting Approval: Deliverables submitted to client for review, awaiting feedback or final approval, designer work paused
- Final Delivery: Approved by client, final files being prepared, handoff and training in progress
- Complete: Delivered and invoiced, payment received or pending, relationship maintained for future work
Pipeline visibility shows where work concentrates and where bottlenecks form. If 60% of projects sit in Awaiting Approval status for weeks, that pattern suggests either your approval workflows need tightening, client communication about review timelines needs improvement, or you need to build review deadlines into contracts with late fees for delayed approvals. Data makes invisible patterns visible.
Essential information to track per client
- Complete stakeholder contact details: decision-maker, day-to-day project manager, billing and accounting contact, creative director if different from decision-maker, technical setup contact for web projects
- Communication preferences: email versus Slack, response time expectations, preferred meeting frequency, timezone for scheduling
- Brand assets and guidelines: current logo files in all formats, color palette with hex codes and Pantone specifications, typography system with font files, brand voice and messaging guidelines, approved design elements and icon libraries
- Design preference patterns: style directions that resonate with this client, aesthetic approaches to avoid based on past feedback, stakeholder-specific preferences when multiple people provide input
- Complete project history with revenue per hour data: revenue received per project, time invested per project, calculated margin, project type, completion date, deliverable samples
- Revision patterns: average revision rounds needed for this client, common feedback themes that repeat across projects, extra work without extra pay tendency, clarity of initial brief quality
- Payment behavior: on-time payment reliability, tendency toward delayed payment requiring reminders, deposit versus milestone preferences, billing contact responsiveness
Proven methods for maintaining organized CRM
- Log feedback immediately when received instead of batching updates later. Fresh context captures nuance, tone, and specific language that memory smooths over within hours. Quote the client directly in feedback logs.
- Attach design briefs and creative direction documents to client records. Future projects reference past strategic direction, revealing whether brand direction has evolved or remained consistent.
- Note stakeholder preferences individually when multiple people provide input. CEO aesthetic preferences often differ from marketing director preferences... tracking who wants what prevents revision rounds that contradict earlier feedback from different clients and team members.
- Track time accurately per project and per task. Revenue per hour calculations only work with accurate time investment data. Retroactive time entry loses precision... track as you work or immediately after.
- Update project status promptly when phases change. Pipeline visibility depends on current status being accurate. If you finish a revision round and don't update status to Awaiting Approval, pipeline reports show work in progress when you're actually blocked on client feedback.
- Store approved work samples and final deliverables per client. Portfolio examples, case studies, and before/after showcases come from client records. Having immediate access to past work for that client enables efficient portfolio updates and award submissions.
Organized CRM data enables pattern recognition across your entire client base. Structure serves insight, not bureaucracy. Which client types generate highest margins? Which project types do you complete most efficiently? Which industries return for repeat work most often? The answers inform strategic decisions about which services to emphasize, which industries to target, and which client relationships represent your ideal future business.
Client portals for designers: CRM connection
Client portals transform CRM from internal organization tool to client-facing experience, giving clients self-service access to project status, deliverable files, feedback history, and brand assets without requiring you to manually respond to every routine status question or file request.
Portal as design project hub
Clients log into branded portals showing their complete project relationship. Active projects with current phase and status, recent deliverables ready for review and download, revision history showing feedback they provided and changes you made, approved files organized by project and format, invoice and payment status, message threads with complete conversation history, and upcoming scheduled calls or deadlines... all in one client-facing hub.
CRM data powers what clients see. The project organization you set up internally determines how their portal presents information. When you mark a deliverable ready for review, it appears in their portal automatically. When you log their feedback, it shows in their feedback thread. When revision round three completes, the revision counter updates in their project view. Client portal is the outward-facing reflection of your internal CRM organization.
Consistent branded experience
Portal presentation carries your design studio brand identity at every touchpoint. Custom domain (clients.yourstudio.com), your logo in the header, your brand colors throughout the interface, your typography system for all text, your visual style in layouts and components. Proposals received through the portal match the aesthetic. Contracts use the same visual system. Invoices carry consistent branding. Message notifications come from your domain.
For designers whose business is creating visual identities, brand consistency across every client interaction matters more than for most industries. Generic software branding breaks the professional experience. White-label maintains it. Clients experience your design studio from first proposal through final payment and beyond... not generic software with your logo awkwardly inserted.
Self-service access reduces routine requests
Clients find their own project status, approved deliverable files, brand asset library, and communication history without emailing you for every update. Common questions that previously required your manual response now resolve through portal access: "Where are we on the homepage mockup?" becomes checking portal project status showing current phase and completion percentage. "Can you resend the final logo files?" becomes downloading approved deliverables from their brand library. "What did I say about the color palette in round two?" becomes searching their feedback thread by keyword.
Self-service doesn't mean abandoning clients to figure everything out alone. Self-service means organized information is accessible when they need it instead of requiring them to wait for your response. You reclaim hours weekly previously spent responding to routine requests for information that was already organized in CRM... client portal just makes that organization visible to them.
Two-way visibility creates complete picture
Portal interactions feed back into your CRM automatically. Client views proposal, the view gets logged with timestamp. Client downloads deliverable file, the download activity records. Client uploads reference images for a new project, the files attach to that project. Client messages about a revision, the message appears in your unified inbox with complete client context attached.
You see what clients access and when they access it, informing follow-up timing. Proposal viewed three times but not accepted suggests client is interested but uncertain... follow-up call makes sense. Deliverables uploaded a week ago but not reviewed suggests client is busy or approval is stalled... proactive check-in prevents silent delays. Data about client engagement patterns improves communication timing and project momentum.
Project continuity across engagements
Portals maintain design relationship history across multiple project cycles. Client who engaged you for logo design in January and returns for website design in September finds their complete history when logging into the portal: past logo project with all deliverables and feedback, approved brand guidelines and asset library, communication thread history, payment history showing reliable payment record.
Continuity creates professional experience that builds relationship depth. Clients don't start from scratch each engagement, they return to an existing organized relationship. Past work informs future work. Brand assets from previous projects are immediately accessible for the new project. Creative direction discussed six months ago is documented and searchable. Relationship maintained between engagements instead of resetting to zero each time.
Client portals make internal CRM organization client-facing. The systematic structure you build for your own efficiency translates directly to professional self-service experience for clients. You reclaim time previously spent on routine status updates and file requests, clients get instant access to information and assets when they need them, and the relationship benefits from organized continuity across multiple engagements.
How to migrate CRM to Plutio
Migrating from another CRM or scattered contact management system typically takes 3-5 hours of focused work spread over a weekend, with the best timing being between project cycles when you have breathing room rather than during peak delivery periods with multiple deadlines looming.
Step 1: Export data from current system
Most CRM platforms and contact management tools provide CSV export functionality. What to export from common systems designers use:
- HubSpot: Navigate to Contacts > Actions > Export. Select all contact properties you use, include associated company data, export deals or pipeline data if tracking project status. Export notes and communication history if available in your plan tier.
- Salesforce: Create report including Contacts and Accounts, add all custom fields relevant to your design business, export report as CSV. Separately export Opportunities if tracking project pipeline.
- Spreadsheets and manual systems: If managing clients through Google Sheets or Excel, organize columns for name, email, phone, company, project type, status, and any other data you track. Export or save as CSV with consistent column headers.
- Email contacts: Export from Gmail Contacts or Outlook Contacts as CSV. Basic contact information transfers, but you'll lose any informal tracking done through email labels or folders.
For project data living in separate tools (Asana, Trello, Monday, Notion), export active projects separately. Plutio imports both client data and project data, but they need to be matched during import. Focus on active projects and recent client history... migrating five years of completed projects creates work without adding much value.
Step 2: Build templates in Plutio (2-3 hours)
Before importing client data, create templates representing your standard project workflows. Use exported project data and recent completed work as reference, but don't just replicate old processes. Design templates representing how you want to work moving forward, incorporating improvements and eliminating inefficiencies from past workflows.
Essential templates for most designers: logo and brand identity project with discovery, concept development, revision rounds, and final delivery phases; website design project with wireframes, mockup phases, responsive breakpoints, and development handoff; brand guidelines project with strategy, visual identity system, documentation, and asset library creation. Each template should include task structure showing what gets done when, deliverable checklists keeping nothing is forgotten, revision tracking showing how many rounds have happened, approval workflows defining who needs to approve what, and automated notifications triggering client review requests at appropriate phases.
Time invested in template quality pays back on every future project. Better to spend three hours building good templates than rush through in 30 minutes and rebuild them repeatedly as gaps emerge.
Step 3: Set up integrations (30 minutes)
Connect essential external services before importing client data. Payment processing: link Stripe and/or PayPal so invoices and proposal deposits can collect payment. Calendar sync: connect Google Calendar or Outlook for bidirectional appointment synchronization. Team communication: link Slack if you use it for project updates and client notifications. Accounting software: connect QuickBooks or Xero through Zapier for automatic financial data synchronization.
Test every integration with internal dummy data before using with actual clients. Send yourself a test invoice through Stripe and verify payment processes and records correctly. Schedule a test event and confirm it appears in both Plutio and your calendar. Trigger a test Slack notification and make sure message arrives with correct content and formatting. Integration failures with real clients damage professional credibility... prevent that by testing thoroughly with safe dummy data first.
Step 4: Import client data (30-60 minutes)
Upload your exported CSV to Plutio's import function. Map fields from your export to Plutio's client structure: your "company name" column maps to Plutio's company field, "contact name" to name, "email" to email address, "phone" to phone number, any custom fields you created to corresponding Plutio custom fields you define during import.
Import in smaller batches if your client list exceeds 50-100 contacts. Easier to verify correct field mapping and data integrity with 25 clients than with 250. If mapping errors occur, you'll catch them fast with small batches instead of having to clean up hundreds of incorrectly imported records.
For active projects, recreate them in Plutio connected to imported client records. Use your project templates to speed up this process. Don't try to recreate every completed project from the last three years... focus on active work and recent client history relevant to potential future engagement. Historical archives can live in your old system or exported CSVs for reference if needed.
Step 5: Run parallel systems for transition period (2-4 weeks)
Don't immediately cancel your old CRM or delete your spreadsheets. Run Plutio alongside existing systems for all new client inquiries and new projects while keeping the old system active for work already in progress. Parallel operation for 2-4 weeks builds confidence in the new system without risking active client work.
New client inquiries go into Plutio. New proposals get created in Plutio. New contracts and invoices use Plutio. New projects start from Plutio templates. But design projects already in round three of revisions can stay in your old system until final delivery... moving them mid-stream creates confusion about where current files live and where feedback was logged.
Parallel running reveals gaps in your Plutio configuration that theoretical setup missed. Maybe you need an additional custom field you didn't anticipate. Maybe your revision tracking needs to be more granular. Maybe your proposal template is missing a standard clause. Refine configuration based on real use while old system provides backup safety net.
Step 6: Phase out old system
Once all active projects in your old system reach completion (typically 30-60 days for most design projects), cancel that subscription or archive that spreadsheet. Keep final export or read-only access for historical reference if you might need old data, but stop active use.
Some platforms charge for archived or read-only access. Evaluate whether historical data justifies ongoing cost, or whether final CSV export provides sufficient reference. You find that recent 12-18 months of client history covers 95% of reference needs... older data rarely gets accessed and doesn't justify continued subscription.
Common migration pitfalls to avoid
- Trying to migrate everything perfectly: Don't spend 20 hours recreating five years of project history in your new system. Focus on active clients, current projects, and recent history. Perfect historical archives provide minimal value compared to time invested. Import what matters for future business, reference old systems for rare historical lookups.
- Switching mid-project without clear transition: Don't move a website project from your old system to Plutio when you're in round three of revisions with final delivery in two weeks. Finish in-progress work where it started. Clean breaks between projects work better than mid-stream migration creating confusion about where current files and feedback live.
- Not testing integrations before relying on them: Test payment processing with real money (pay yourself a dollar) before sending your first client invoice through Plutio. Verify calendar sync works both directions before booking your first client call. Confirm accounting sync transfers data correctly before relying on it for tax purposes. Integration failures discovered during actual client use damage credibility and create embarrassing recovery situations... test thoroughly first.
- Underestimating template importance: Don't rush template creation thinking you'll improve them later. Later never comes because you're busy with client work. Invest time upfront building complete templates with proper task structure, revision tracking, and automations... then every project benefits from that initial investment.
The time invested in thoughtful migration pays back in efficiency gains on every future client interaction. Organized feedback threads eliminate hours spent searching email archives. Visible revision tracking prevents extra work without extra pay that quietly erodes revenue per hour. Connected brand asset libraries make starting projects for returning clients instant instead of involving file searching. Migration is a one-time investment generating ongoing returns.
