Can you run CRM in HCL Notes?

Yes. Many companies have run CRM in Notes for more than 20 years. A Notes application can hold customers, cases, mail and workflows with access control in one database.

Should we build on or move our Notes CRM?

If your processes are unique and the system works, building on is often cheapest. Moving to a new platform gives many ready made features, but costs more in moving, changed processes and training.

Can a Notes CRM be connected to Outlook and ERP?

Yes. With the Domino REST API, Outlook, Microsoft 365 and ERP systems can read and write data in Notes securely.

Can you use AI in a Notes CRM?

Yes. With Domino IQ and RAG, the AI can read the customer's history and give a summary or suggest answers. Data stays on your own server, and the AI only sees what the user may see.

CRM in HCL Notes: Build On, Buy Ready Made or Move?

in Articles / by Christian Gravgaard

Do you keep your customers, cases or sales in HCL Notes? Then you are not alone. Many companies have run CRM in Notes for 20 years or more. The question now is whether you should build on, buy a ready made system or move everything. The answer depends on how much your own processes matter. Here you get the pros and cons of each path, and how to choose.

Why do so many have CRM in Notes?

CRM means managing customers. It is about contacts, meetings, quotes, cases and history. Notes was good at exactly that early on. A Notes application can hold documents, mail, workflows and access control in one and the same database. It can also be used offline thanks to replication.

That is why many companies built their own system. It fits exactly their way of working. That is a strength. But it can also become a weakness if nobody knows the code any more.

Three paths

1. Build on your own system in Notes

You keep what works and make it better. It may be new fields and reports, connections to other systems, a web version or AI. It is often the cheapest path, because the data and logic already exist.

2. Buy a ready made CRM on Notes

There are ready made CRM products that run on Domino. That gives a fixed solution with updates from a vendor. On the other hand, you must adapt to the product, and you become dependent on that vendor.

3. Move CRM to another platform

You can move your CRM to for example Microsoft Dynamics, Salesforce or HubSpot. That gives a modern system with many ready made features. But it is the most expensive choice. Data must be moved, processes must be changed, and staff must learn something new. Read more about Notes migration.

Pros and cons

	Build on in Notes	Buy ready made on Notes	Move to a new platform
Price now	Low	Medium	High
Fits your processes	Fully	Partly	Partly
Time before it works	Short	Medium	Long
Dependent on	Yourselves and your consultant	The vendor	The new platform
History kept	Yes	Requires moving	Requires moving
Licences	Domino as today	Domino plus product	New licence per user

How to make a Notes CRM modern

If you choose to build on, there is a lot to gain. Notes and Domino can do far more today than ten years ago.

Connection to mail, Outlook and Microsoft 365

Many use Outlook for mail but keep their customers in Notes. With the Domino REST API, other systems can read and write data in Notes securely. Then a meeting in Outlook can be saved on the customer in Notes. You can also run mail in Microsoft 365 and keep your CRM in Notes.

Connection to ERP

Orders, invoices and stock often live in an ERP system. Through the Domino REST API, Notes can fetch those figures, so the sales rep sees the whole customer in one place.

Web and mobile

With HCL Nomad your CRM can run in the browser and on the phone without a new Notes client. It only takes a few changes. If you want a completely new web version, it can be built with XPages or a modern web app that uses Domino as its engine.

AI on the customer's history

With Domino IQ and RAG, the AI can read the customer's history and give a short summary before a meeting. It can also suggest answers to a request based on earlier cases. Data stays on your own server, and the AI only sees what the user may see. Read also about ChatGPT integration for HCL Notes.

GDPR and access logging

A CRM holds personal data. Under GDPR you must be able to show who has seen and changed data about a person. GDPR Logger for HCL Notes can handle that. It logs who reads, writes and deletes personal data in your Notes databases.

Examples from our customers

The crane company BMS turned a simple list of employees into a whole HR platform in Notes. It brings together contracts, rights and certificates and quickly shows who can drive which crane. Read the BMS case.

At Telenor we have developed a large Notes application with many users and many functions. Read the Telenor case.

Both show the same thing. When the system fits the business, Notes is a strong platform for your own systems.

How to choose

Ask yourselves these questions:

How unique are your processes? If they are part of what makes you better than others, that speaks for building on.
Who knows the code? If nobody does, get a review first. It gives a picture of what the system can do and what needs fixing.
Which systems must talk to each other? Mail, ERP and website can often be connected without changing platform.
What does it cost over five years? Include licences, development, moving and training. See also our guide to HCL Domino licensing.
What do the users say? Ask those who use the system every day. They know what works.

If you are in doubt, start with a review. Then you get a clear answer on whether building on or moving pays off best. Read also about modernising Notes applications, and how to choose the right Notes partner.

We are happy to help

We are HCL Notes consultants and have built and run Notes systems for many years. We can review your CRM, make it modern with Notes development or help you safely onto a new platform with migration to Microsoft 365. We work with companies across Europe, on site or remote. Contact us, and we will find the right path for you.