TLDR (Summary)
The best CRM software for interior designers is Plutio ($19/month).
Interior designers managing client relationships across multiple rooms, design phases, and installations need CRM that tracks the complete design journey - not just contact information. Plutio connects client profiles to design boards, material selections, room specifications, vendor relationships, and project phases so returning clients and multi-room projects maintain complete design context without scattered mood boards, lost fabric swatches, or rediscovered vendor quotes.
Unlike standalone contact managers, Plutio connects your client records directly to design boards, space planning, material sourcing, vendor coordination, invoicing, and client portals. When a client references "that sofa we discussed for the living room," the selection history is right there. When vendors ask for room dimensions, the specs attach to the project. When the client adds another room six months later, every design choice and style preference picks up exactly where you left it.
Interior designers using design-connected CRM 8-12 hours through organized design boards, maintained vendor relationships, and preserved client style profiles that eliminate repeated discovery conversations and lost sourcing work.
For additional strategies, read our client onboarding guide.
What is CRM software for interior designers?
CRM software for interior designers is software that tracks client relationships across design inquiries, space planning, material sourcing, and installations with complete style profiles, room specifications, and design history connected to every client record.
The distinction matters: contact databases store names and emails, sales CRM tracks leads through pipelines, and interior design CRM tracks the complete design relationship including style preferences, room specifications, material selections, design board history, vendor relationships, and installation timelines. Design-focused CRM connects to space planning, sourcing workflows, and project phases.
What interior design CRM actually does
Core functions include storing client contact information with style preferences, tracking prospects from initial inquiry through design agreement, maintaining room specifications and measurements for every space, logging material selections with vendor details and pricing, documenting design board evolution and client feedback, tracking vendor relationships per project and room, and maintaining searchable records of every room designed, every material selected, and every vendor sourced.
Contact information lives alongside design context. Client profiles connect to active design boards so style preferences inform current selections. Room specifications attach to project phases so measurements don't get lost between concept and installation. Vendor quotes link to material selections so pricing remains accessible months later when the client adds another room.
Contact management vs design relationship tracking
Contact managers like Google Contacts or general CRMs like HubSpot store basic information: name, email, phone, company. Basic contact management works for sales teams closing deals, but interior design relationships extend across months or years with evolving style preferences, multiple rooms, changing budgets, and dozens of vendor interactions.
Design relationship tracking maintains the complete context: which fabrics the client loved in the mood board, what room dimensions dictate furniture sizing, which vendors provided quotes for specific materials, and how style preferences evolved through the design process. When that client returns six months later for another room, you don't rebuild their style profile from scratch or rediscover vendor relationships.
What makes interior design CRM different
Interior designers face unique relationship patterns: clients who work on multiple rooms over years, style preferences that inform every future project, vendor relationships that need tracking per material category and price range, design transformations that require complete historical context, and multi-phase projects where room specifications guide furniture sourcing months after initial measurements.
Without CRM that maintains design context connected to client profiles, you rebuild style understanding for every returning client, rediscover vendor pricing for every new room, re-measure spaces because the original dimensions are in a notebook somewhere, and recreate mood boards because the original design direction is scattered across Pinterest, Instagram saves, and email attachments.
When CRM connects to design boards, room specifications, material selections, and vendor sourcing, client relationships become design assets. Style history informs new rooms, past vendor relationships speed sourcing, room specs remain accessible across project phases, and no design context ever gets lost between conversations.
Why interior designers need CRM software
Interior designers who grow beyond 3-5 active clients face a compounding problem: every new project adds design context that doesn't scale, and client relationship tracking is where that context tends to scatter across mood boards, vendor emails, measurement notebooks, and fabric swatches.
Style discovery, space planning, material sourcing, vendor coordination, and client communication multiply with each room designed. Without a system that connects these elements to client profiles, details scatter across apps, design decisions get lost between phases, and Spending hours reconstructing context instead of designing spaces.
The scattered design context problem
According to industry research, 36% admin. For interior designers specifically, that means 10-15 hours per week spent on non-design tasks: searching for client style preferences saved in Pinterest or Instagram, locating room measurements scattered across notebooks and photos, finding vendor quotes buried in email, recreating material selections because the original board is in another app, and answering client questions that require piecing together context from five different places.
If you bill at $100/hour for design work, those 12 hours of scattered context represent $1,200/week of potential billable time - over $5,000/month in opportunity cost. Opportunity cost doesn't count the mental energy spent context switching between design boards, vendor emails, measurement notes, and client communication, or the risk of errors when room specifications don't match furniture orders because the measurements are in a different system than the sourcing.
The fragmented design workflow problem
You designers stack 5-8 disconnected tools: Pinterest or Canva for mood boards, spreadsheets for material selections, email for vendor quotes, notebooks for room measurements, project management apps for timelines, invoicing software for billing, and email again for client communication. Each tool handles one function, but none share data automatically.
Design workflow fragmentation creates daily friction: opening Pinterest to find the mood board while answering a client's style question, locating the spreadsheet with fabric selections to cross-reference vendor pricing in email, searching photos for room measurements to confirm furniture dimensions, copying client details from email to invoicing software, and manually cross-referencing project phases with material orders to make sure timing aligns with installation schedules.
The cognitive work of maintaining context across disconnected tools adds up. Design boards don't connect to room specifications, so furniture selections happen without confirmed measurements. Material selections don't link to vendor quotes, so pricing comparisons require manual matching. Room specs don't attach to project timelines, so installation scheduling happens without spatial context.
The lost design history problem
Lost design context affects nearly every interior designer with returning clients. A client completes a living room design, loves the result, and returns six months later for the bedroom. Without connected design history, you rebuild their style preferences from memory, rediscover which vendors provided the best pricing and service, recreate the color palette and material direction, and hope you remember the small preferences they mentioned months ago.
Design history matters because style preferences compound across rooms. The fabric weight the client loved for living room curtains informs bedroom bedding selections. The wood finish that worked in the dining room guides bedroom furniture sourcing. The vendor who delivered quality rugs on time becomes the first call for the next space. Without design history connected to client profiles, this context scatters across completed projects and gets rediscovered through trial and error.
The vendor relationship problem
Vendor sourcing consumes significant design time. Finding the right fabric at the right price point requires contacting multiple vendors, comparing quality and lead times, negotiating pricing, and tracking which vendors deliver on promises. When those vendor relationships scatter across email and don't connect to client profiles or material selections, you rebuild vendor research for every new project.
Connected vendor tracking means knowing which fabric supplier provided good quality on the last project, which furniture vendor offers the best pricing for mid-century pieces, which lighting company has the shortest lead times, and which upholsterer does custom work within client budgets. Vendor intelligence becomes reusable when relationships attach to material selections and client projects.
The scaling tipping point
You designers hit a threshold around 5-7 active clients where the scattered approach breaks down. At this point, you're either spending more time searching for context than designing spaces, or you're making design decisions without complete information because reconstructing scattered details takes too long.
Client calls happen without style preference context because the mood board is in Pinterest and you're in a project management app. Material selections proceed without confirmed room measurements because the dimensions are in a photo on your phone. Vendor sourcing restarts from scratch because the quote from the last project is buried in email. Installation scheduling conflicts with client availability because project timelines don't connect to client communication.
Connected CRM software absorbs the context tracking that would otherwise scale linearly with each new client and room. Plutio maintains design boards, room specifications, material selections, vendor relationships, and client preferences in one place, leaving interior designers to focus on space planning and design work instead of scattered context reconstruction.
CRM features interior designers need
The essential CRM features for interior designers connect client profiles with design boards, room specifications, material selections, vendor relationships, and project phases while handling the unique patterns that interior design work requires.
Core CRM features
- Client profiles with design context: Store contact information alongside style preferences, budget parameters, decision patterns, and personal notes. Add custom fields for preferred design styles, color palettes, material preferences, and room priorities.
- Design board connections: Attach mood boards, material selections, and inspiration images directly to client profiles so style direction remains accessible across projects and conversations.
- Room specification tracking: Maintain measurements, dimensions, architectural details, lighting conditions, and spatial constraints for every room designed. Attach photos, floor plans, and notes.
- Material selection logging: Track fabrics, furniture pieces, lighting fixtures, accessories, and finishes with vendor details, pricing, lead times, and client approval status per selection.
- Vendor relationship management: Maintain vendor contacts organized by category (fabric suppliers, furniture vendors, lighting companies, upholsterers, installers) with pricing history, quality notes, and past delivery performance.
- Communication history: Keep all client conversations, design feedback, approval decisions, and change requests attached to client profiles so context remains accessible months later.
Interior designer-specific features
- Multi-room relationship tracking: Connect multiple design projects to the same client profile so returning clients maintain style continuity and design history across spaces. According to research, 65% of return for additional rooms within 18 months.
- Style preference evolution: Document how client preferences change through the design process - initial inquiry style vs. final selections - so future projects benefit from refined understanding rather than starting discovery from scratch.
- Budget tracking per room: Maintain investment levels, budget flexibility, and spending priorities for each space designed so multi-room projects reflect appropriate budget allocation and design scope.
- Installation timeline coordination: Connect client availability, vendor lead times, and project phases so scheduling happens with complete context about room specifications, material delivery, and client preferences.
Platform features that multiply value
- White-label branding: Custom domain, logo, colors, and typography. All client-facing communications show your brand. Clients never see the software vendor's name.
- Unified inbox: All client messages, design approvals, and vendor communications arrive in one place. Reply without switching to email. Conversation history stays attached to client profiles.
- Client portals: Clients access design boards, room specifications, material selections, project timelines, and invoices through branded portals. Self-service access reduces "where is it?" questions.
- File organization: Attach inspiration images, floor plans, vendor quotes, fabric swatches (photos), and installation photos to client profiles so design documentation remains organized and accessible.
- Mobile access: iOS and Android apps for accessing client profiles, design boards, and room specs during vendor sourcing trips, client site visits, and furniture showroom visits.
- Permissions: Control what clients see in portals, what contractors access in projects, and what team members view in internal records.
The deciding factor for interior designers is integration depth. CRM software that connects client profiles with design boards, room specifications, material selections, vendor sourcing, project phases, and invoicing eliminates the scattered context that consumes hours every week.
CRM software pricing for interior designers
CRM software for interior designers typically costs $15-165 per month for standalone tools, with the actual cost depending on whether you need additional software for design boards, project management, invoicing, and client communication to complete your workflow.
What interior designers typically pay for CRM tools
- Houzz Pro: $65-165/month for design-specific CRM with project management, but requires separate invoicing software and lacks integrated proposal tools
- HoneyBook: $19-79/month for client management focused on wedding and event professionals, but lacks design board connections and room specification tracking
- Dubsado: $20-40/month for client workflow automation, but requires separate design board tools and doesn't track material selections or vendor relationships
- HubSpot CRM: Free-$50/month for sales-focused contact management, but lacks design context, room specifications, and material selection tracking
Standalone CRMs handle contact management but don't connect to design workflows. You designers add separate tools for mood boards (Canva Pro $13/month, Pinterest Business free-$15/month), project management (Asana $11-25/month, Trello $5-18/month), invoicing (FreshBooks $19-60/month, QuickBooks $30-200/month), and client communication (typically email).
Combined, this stack costs $75-200/month before counting the time lost switching between disconnected tools, manually transferring client information, recreating design context, and tracking down scattered material selections and vendor quotes.
Plutio pricing (February 2026)
- Core: $19/month: Up to 9 active clients, unlimited CRM profiles, projects, design boards (via files), proposals, contracts, invoicing, client portals, white-label branding, mobile apps.
- Pro: $49/month: Unlimited clients, 30 team contributors, advanced permissions, priority support, API access.
- Max: $199/month: Unlimited team, full white-label with custom domain, single sign-on, dedicated support.
All plans include complete functionality: CRM, project management, proposals, contracts, invoicing, time tracking, client portals, file storage for design boards, and unified communication. No feature gates that lock design tools behind higher tiers.
The ROI calculation for interior designers
If you currently spend $120/month on separate tools and 12 hours/week on scattered context reconstruction (searching for design boards, locating vendor quotes, finding room measurements, recreating material selections), the math looks like this:
- Tool savings: $120/month to $19/month = $101/month saved
- Time recovered: 12 hours/week at $100/hour = $1,200/week potential billable capacity
- Monthly impact: $101 direct savings + up to $5,000 in recovered design time
Even if you only convert 3 of those 12 hours into actual billable design work, that's $1,200/month in additional revenue enabled by a $19 subscription. The investment pays for itself in the first client conversation where design context is immediately accessible instead of scattered across five apps.
Hidden costs to consider
- Learning curve: Switching CRM systems has a time cost. Budget 3-5 hours for initial setup and 2-3 weeks to reach full comfort with connected design workflows.
- Migration effort: Moving existing client profiles, design boards, and vendor relationships from scattered tools to connected CRM takes 4-6 hours spread over a weekend.
- Annual vs monthly: You offer 15-20% discount for annual billing. Plutio's annual Core plan works out to about $15/month.
CRM software ROI for interior designers comes through eliminated context switching and maintained design history. When client profiles connect to design boards, room specifications, material selections, and vendor relationships, scattered reconstruction time converts to billable design work.
Why Plutio is the best CRM for interior designers
Plutio handles CRM as part of a complete platform where client profiles, design boards, room specifications, material selections, project phases, vendor coordination, and invoicing work together rather than as separate tools that need manual connection.
Design boards connected to client profiles
Upload mood boards, inspiration images, material swatches (photos), and design direction directly to client files. Style preferences attach to client profiles, so when that client calls six months later about another room, their design aesthetic is right there. Tag files by room, design phase, or material category for organized access.
Instead of maintaining Pinterest boards separate from client information, or saving inspiration images in a folder structure disconnected from project details, design context lives where client records live. When you're on a call discussing fabric selections, the mood board is in the same place as the client's contact information, project timeline, and invoice history.
Room specifications attached to projects
Store measurements, dimensions, architectural details, lighting conditions, and spatial constraints directly in project records. Attach floor plans, measurement photos, and specification notes. When vendors ask for room dimensions, the specs are in the same place as the material selections and project timeline.
Room specifications remain accessible across design phases. Initial space planning uses the measurements, furniture sourcing references the dimensions, vendor coordination confirms the constraints, and installation scheduling works from the same spatial context. No searching through photos on your phone or notebooks for measurements taken months ago.
Material selections tracked with vendor details
Log fabrics, furniture pieces, lighting fixtures, accessories, and finishes with vendor contact information, pricing, lead times, and client approval status. When a client asks about "that sofa we discussed," the selection history shows the piece, the vendor, the pricing, and whether they approved it.
Material tracking connects to room specifications and project phases. Fabric selections reference room measurements for quantity calculations, furniture sourcing aligns with installation timelines, and vendor lead times inform project scheduling. Everything connects instead of existing in separate spreadsheets or email threads.
Vendor relationships maintained per project
Track vendor contacts organized by category: fabric suppliers, furniture vendors, lighting companies, upholsterers, installers, painters. Add notes about pricing, quality, delivery performance, and communication responsiveness. When you need a fabric supplier for the next project, vendor history shows who delivered quality materials on time at fair pricing.
Vendor relationships become reusable assets. The upholsterer who did good work on one client's sofa becomes the first call for the next client's chair. The lighting vendor who found the perfect fixture within budget gets repeat business. Quality vendor relationships compound when they're tracked and accessible instead of buried in email.
Complete workflow integration from inquiry to installation
When a design inquiry comes in, create the prospect profile with style notes from the initial conversation. When they accept your proposal, the project generates automatically with the client profile attached. When you track design time, it logs to that project. When you source materials, selections attach to room specifications. When you invoice, billing pulls from the proposal terms. When clients log into their portal, they see design boards, project progress, material selections, and payment status.
Every step connects to the next without copying client information between systems, recreating design context, or transferring details manually. Client profiles flow through design phases naturally because CRM, project management, design documentation, vendor coordination, and invoicing exist in one connected platform.
White-label everything for professional presentation
Use your own domain (clients.yourstudio.com instead of plutio.com/yourusername). Upload your logo, set your brand colors and typography. Every client-facing touchpoint shows your brand: proposals, contracts, invoices, client portals, design board presentations, project updates, payment receipts.
Professional presentation matters for interior designers because brand perception directly affects perceived value and willingness to invest in design services. When clients access design boards, material selections, and project timelines through the branded portal, the experience reinforces your professional positioning.
Unified inbox for all client and vendor communication
When a client messages about design preferences, when vendors respond to sourcing requests, when project collaborators comment on timelines, all communication appears in one inbox. Reply directly without switching to email. Conversation history stays attached to client profiles, so months later when you need to reference a design decision or vendor quote, the discussion context is exactly where the client record lives.
Granular permissions for team and client access
Control exactly who sees what. Clients see their design boards, material selections, and project progress through portals - not your internal notes or vendor pricing. Project collaborators access assigned work without seeing other clients. Team members view relevant client information based on their role. Your internal design notes, vendor negotiations, and profit margins remain private.
Mobile access for vendor sourcing and site visits
iOS and Android apps provide full functionality on the go. Access client profiles, design boards, and room specifications during vendor sourcing trips. Review material selections while at furniture showrooms. Check room measurements during site visits. Update project status from client locations. The complete design context travels with you instead of requiring laptop access or office returns.
Native integrations for design workflows
Connect Stripe and PayPal for invoice payments. Sync Google Calendar or Outlook for client appointment scheduling. Link Google Drive or Dropbox for additional file storage if needed. Use Zapier to connect 3,000+ other apps. Plutio handles the core design workflow while integrating with specialized tools where deeper functionality makes sense.
Everything runs from one app with your branding, your design workflow logic, and your terminology. Instead of switching between 6-8 different tools to manage one client's design project, you operate from a single platform where client profiles, design boards, room specifications, material selections, vendor relationships, project phases, and invoicing connect naturally.
How to set up CRM in Plutio
Setting up CRM in Plutio takes 3-5 hours for initial configuration, then 10-20 minutes per new client after your templates, design board organization, and vendor lists are in place.
Step 1: Configure client profile defaults (30 mins)
Set up custom fields for client profiles: preferred design styles (modern, traditional, transitional, eclectic), color palette preferences, material preferences (natural, industrial, luxe), budget flexibility (strict, moderate, adaptable), room priorities, and decision-making style (quick decisions, needs time, collaborative).
These fields become reusable context. Every new client profile includes these fields, so style discovery gets documented consistently and remains accessible across projects and conversations.
Step 2: Create design board templates (1-2 hours)
Set up folder structures for design documentation: mood boards (organized by room or project), material selections (fabric, furniture, lighting, accessories, finishes), room specifications (measurements, floor plans, photos), vendor quotes, and installation documentation.
Organize by client and project so design context remains connected to client profiles. When a client returns for another room, their style history, material preferences, and vendor relationships are exactly where you left them.
Step 3: Build vendor contact database (1-2 hours)
Import existing vendor contacts organized by category: fabric suppliers, furniture vendors, lighting companies, upholsterers, installers, painters, contractors. Add notes about specialty areas, pricing levels, lead times, and past project performance.
This vendor database becomes reusable sourcing intelligence. Instead of rebuilding vendor research for every project, you reference organized contacts with quality and pricing context already documented.
Step 4: Set up proposal and contract templates (1 hour)
Create templates for design services: initial consultation, full room design, multi-room projects, design-only packages, design-plus-sourcing packages. Include your standard terms, deposit requirements (typically 30-50% for design services), payment schedules, revision limits, and sourcing arrangements.
Templates speed client setup. When a design inquiry converts to a project, you're selecting the appropriate template and customizing scope rather than creating proposals from scratch.
Step 5: Connect payment processing (20 mins)
Link Stripe or PayPal to accept invoice payments. Both charge 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction. Consider offering bank transfer (ACH) for larger project deposits (typically 0.8% fee). Test payment processing with a small transaction before using with clients.
Step 6: Configure client portal settings (20 mins)
Decide what clients see in portals: design boards (yes), material selections with pricing (your choice), vendor details (typically no), room specifications (yes), project timeline (yes), internal notes (no). Set privacy defaults that match your client communication style.
Step 7: Import existing client data (30 mins)
Upload existing client contacts via CSV. For active clients, create their project records and attach relevant design documentation. For past clients, maintain basic profile information so you have their style history and contact details when they return for additional rooms.
Step 8: Test with one complete project
Run through the entire workflow with a real client: create prospect profile with initial style notes, send proposal, convert to project when accepted, upload mood board and room specifications, track material selections with vendor details, log design time, invoice based on payment schedule, and provide portal access for design review.
Real workflow testing reveals friction that theoretical setup misses. Adjust templates, field labels, and folder organization based on actual use before scaling to all clients.
Common setup mistakes to avoid
- Over-customizing before use: Start with basic templates and essential custom fields. Refine based on actual client patterns rather than imagining every possible scenario upfront.
- Incomplete vendor import: Bringing vendor contacts into CRM without quality notes, pricing context, or category organization creates a contact list without decision-making intelligence.
- Skipping mobile app setup: Download iOS or Android apps during initial setup and test accessing client profiles, design boards, and room specs on mobile. Design work happens on-site, in showrooms, and during vendor visits - not just at desks.
- Generic client fields: Using default CRM fields (company, job title) instead of design-specific fields (preferred style, color palette, material preferences) misses the context that matters for interior design relationships.
Build for your typical design workflow first. Set up the 80% case - initial consultation, mood board development, room specifications, material sourcing, installation coordination - then handle the 20% of unique situations by adapting the standard process.
Client organization for interior designers
Organizing client records by relationship stage and design context creates clarity for follow-ups, repeat projects, and maintained style intelligence across multi-room relationships.
Client relationship categories for interior designers
- Active prospects: Initial inquiries, consultation scheduled, proposal sent. Track style notes from first conversations so proposals reflect documented preferences.
- Active design clients: Project in progress, mood board development, material sourcing, installation coordination. You relationship stage requiring frequent access to design boards and room specifications.
- Completed projects: Design finished, installation complete, final payment received. Maintain design history for returning clients and referral relationship tracking.
- Returning clients: Past projects complete, potential future rooms. Style preferences and vendor relationships from previous projects inform new work without repeated discovery.
- Referral sources: Clients, contractors, vendors, other professionals who send design work. Track referral attribution and relationship maintenance.
Design project stages
- Style discovery: Initial consultation, preference documentation, inspiration gathering, budget discussion
- Space planning: Room measurements, floor plans, spatial constraints, architectural details, lighting assessment
- Design development: Mood boards, material selections, furniture sourcing, color palettes, fixture selection
- Vendor coordination: Quotes, ordering, lead time management, delivery scheduling
- Installation: Timeline coordination, contractor management, placement supervision, final styling
- Project completion: Final walkthrough, client feedback, photography, final payment
Information to track per client
- Style preferences: design direction, color palette, material preferences, inspiration references
- Budget parameters: total investment, budget flexibility, spending priorities, payment schedule
- Room specifications: measurements, architectural details, lighting conditions, spatial constraints
- Material selections: fabrics, furniture, lighting, accessories, finishes - with vendor details and pricing
- Vendor relationships: suppliers used, quality assessment, pricing, delivery performance
- Design history: past rooms completed, style evolution, successful approaches, preferences discovered through projects
- Communication patterns: decision speed, preferred communication method, revision tendencies
Proven methods for design CRM
- Update client profiles immediately after consultations and design conversations while style details are fresh
- Attach mood boards, material selections, and room specs to client records - not separate folder structures disconnected from profiles
- Document vendor relationships per project so sourcing intelligence compounds across clients
- Track referral sources to maintain relationship appreciation and understand client acquisition patterns
- Review completed project clients quarterly for follow-up about additional rooms or referral requests
- Tag clients by design style preferences so you can reference past projects when sourcing for similar aesthetics
Organized client records become design assets. Documented style preferences inform future rooms, maintained vendor relationships speed sourcing, room specification history prevents repeated measurements, and material selection intelligence guides efficient design development.
Client portals for interior designers: design context access
Client portals connect CRM data to client-facing access, creating professional design presentation where clients view mood boards, material selections, project progress, and invoices through one branded destination.
Portal as design collaboration hub
Clients access their complete design project through branded portals: mood boards for style direction, material selections with pricing, room specifications, project timeline with phases, design time tracking (optional), invoices and payment status, communication history, and shared files (floor plans, inspiration images, vendor quotes).
Instead of emailing design boards, texting material updates, and using separate payment links, clients get one branded portal where design context lives. CRM organization powers what clients see: mood boards attach to their profile, material selections connect to room specifications, and project phases reflect design development.
Consistent professional experience
Portal presentation reflects organized CRM and design documentation. Mood boards display in clean galleries, material selections show with vendor details and pricing, room specifications present with photos and measurements, and project phases indicate progress clearly.
Professional presentation matters for interior designers because design services are premium investments. When clients access design work through branded portals instead of scattered email attachments and text message photos, the experience reinforces professional positioning and justifies investment levels.
Self-service design access
Clients find their own mood boards, material selections, room specifications, invoices, and project updates without asking you for files. Portal organization enables self-service: design boards organized by room, material selections categorized by type (fabric, furniture, lighting, accessories), specifications attached to relevant phases, and payment history accessible when needed.
Self-service access reduces "where is it?" interruptions. Instead of messaging you for the living room mood board, the sofa vendor details, or the fabric selection pricing, clients access portals and find design documentation themselves. Self-service access reduces interruptions during your focused design work.
Two-way design visibility
Portal interactions feed back into CRM. When clients comment on mood boards, feedback appears in your unified inbox attached to their profile. When they approve material selections, approval status updates in your sourcing workflow. When they view invoices, you see engagement without asking.
Two-way visibility creates design conversation continuity. Client feedback on mood boards informs material selections, questions about pricing guide budget conversations, and approval patterns reveal decision-making styles that improve future project efficiency.
Design continuity across rooms
Portals maintain design relationships across engagements. When clients complete one room and return months later for another space, their portal shows past project history: previous mood boards for style reference, material selections that worked well, vendor relationships that delivered quality, and design approach that resonated.
Design continuity prevents starting from scratch with returning clients. Style preferences from the living room inform bedroom design direction, color palettes extend across spaces naturally, and vendor relationships established through past projects speed sourcing for new rooms.
Portals make CRM client-facing. Internal organization of client profiles, design boards, material selections, room specifications, and vendor relationships translates to external design presentation that reinforces professionalism and enables self-service access.
How to migrate CRM to Plutio
Migration from scattered design tools to connected CRM typically takes 4-6 hours of active work spread over a weekend, with the best time to switch being between major projects rather than mid-installation when you have active client deliverables.
Step 1: Export from current tools
Gather client information from wherever it currently lives. Common sources for interior designers include:
- Contact management: Export client contact list from Google Contacts, HubSpot CRM, spreadsheets, or email contacts
- Design boards: Download mood boards from Pinterest, Canva, or save inspiration images from Instagram and design websites
- Room specifications: Locate measurement notes from notebooks, photos, or spreadsheets
- Material selections: Export product spreadsheets, vendor quotes from email, fabric swatches (photos)
- Vendor contacts: Compile vendor information from email, business cards, past project files
- Project management: Export active project data from Asana, Trello, or other tools if applicable
Focus on active clients and usable design context. Historical archives from completed projects years ago can remain where they are unless the client relationship warrants migration.
Step 2: Build templates and structure in Plutio (2-3 hours)
Create your design workflow structure: proposal templates for typical services, client profile custom fields for style preferences and budget parameters, project templates for standard design phases, folder organization for design boards and material selections, and vendor contact categories.
Use your current workflow as reference. Recreate the 2-3 project types you use most frequently rather than trying to template every possible scenario. Focus on forward-looking workflow, not historical complexity.
Step 3: Import client profiles (1 hour)
Upload client contact CSV to Plutio. Map fields appropriately: name, email, phone, address, and any custom fields you created for design preferences. For active design clients, create their project records. For completed projects, maintain basic profile information so returning client style history is accessible.
Step 4: Migrate design context for active clients (2-3 hours)
For clients with active projects, move relevant design documentation into Plutio:
- Upload mood boards to client files
- Add room specifications with measurements and photos
- Create material selection records with vendor details
- Import vendor contacts used for that project
- Add notes about style preferences and design direction
This creates continuity for active work. When you're mid-project and switching CRM systems, maintaining design context prevents disruption to client experience.
Step 5: Set up integrations (30 mins)
Connect payment processing (Stripe or PayPal), calendar sync (Google Calendar or Outlook for client appointments), and any other integrations you need (accounting software, additional file storage). Test each integration before relying on it for client work.
Step 6: Run parallel for new clients
Use Plutio for all new client inquiries and design projects while completing active work on the old system. Running parallel avoids the complexity of migrating mid-installation projects and gives you time to learn connected workflows on fresh engagements.
As active projects on scattered tools complete, those clients transition to Plutio for future rooms. Within 60-90 days, all active relationships operate from connected CRM and design documentation.
Step 7: Phase out scattered tools
Once all active projects complete on old systems (typically 60-90 days), cancel those subscriptions. Maintain read-only access to historical design boards and project archives if the tools allow, or download final archives before cancellation.
Common migration pitfalls to avoid
- Trying to migrate every historical project: Focus on active clients and returning client style history. Projects completed years ago with clients who won't return can remain in archives.
- Switching mid-installation: Finish in-progress installations on the old system. Start new design inquiries and projects on Plutio.
- Incomplete vendor migration: Bringing vendor contacts without quality notes, pricing context, or past project performance creates a contact list without sourcing intelligence.
- Not testing client portal presentation: Set up one test client portal and review how mood boards, material selections, and project timelines present to clients before providing portal access to real clients.
- Skipping the learning curve: Use the first 2-3 new clients as deliberate learning opportunities to refine templates, field organization, and design documentation workflow before scaling to all clients.
The investment in migration pays back in time saved on every future design conversation, material sourcing session, and client interaction. Plan for a weekend of setup, a few weeks of adjustment running parallel systems, then benefit from connected design context where client profiles, mood boards, room specifications, material selections, and vendor relationships live in one place instead of scattered across six tools.
