Custom CRM System at NEST

Enhancing Sales Efficiency Through User-Centric Design

Year

2024~2025

NEST

Client
Product Design
Role

NEST

Project Overview

About  NEST

NEST, a leading provider of rental service agency in Hanoi and Hoi An metropolitan areas, specializes in serviced apartments and villas. As the company expanded, the existing CRM system, became inadequate for managing the increasing volume and complexity of sales operations.

Scope of Work

  • Develop a custom CRM system tailored to NEST’s specific business processes.
  • Enhance user engagement by simplifying the interface and workflows.
  • Improve lead tracking and sales pipeline management to boost conversion rates.

Responsibilities

As the Senior Designer and a member of the Sales team, I led the design and implementation of the new CRM system. Collaborating closely with internal partners, management, and the IT department, we ensured the system met user needs and aligned with business objectives.

Tool Set

  • Design Tools: Figma, Adobe XD
  • Development Framework: Django, React, GraphQL
  • Project Management: Agile methodology with Scrum
  • Collaboration Tools: Jira, Notion, Zalo

The Challenges

Problem Statement:

The inherited CRM system was cluttered with unnecessary functions, leading to a cumbersome user experience. This complexity resulted in low adoption rates among staff and inefficient sales processes, hindering the company’s growth potential.

Business Impact:

The inefficiencies in the CRM system led to increased time spent on administrative tasks, reduced sales performance, and the potential need to hire additional staff to manage the workload. This situation was unsustainable and called for an immediate solution.

Market Insights:

Competitor analysis revealed that leading firms in the industry utilized streamlined, user-friendly CRM systems that enhanced agent performance and client satisfaction. These insights underscored the necessity for NEST to adopt a more efficient CRM solution to remain competitive.

Stakeholder & User Interviews:

To design an effective apartment rental CRM for Hanoi’s real estate market, I needed to understand the unique challenges faced by stakeholders in this region. My goal was to identify inefficiencies in existing workflows, common frustrations, and expectations for a modern CRM system.

Hanoi’s rental market is unique due to its mix of long-term leases, short-term serviced apartments, and expatriate housing needs, so understanding these dynamics was crucial.

Key Findings and Insights

a. Listing Management is Inefficient

Many landlords and property managers in Hanoi still rely on Facebook groups and Zalo messaging as their primary channels for finding tenants. While these platforms provide access to a broad audience, they come with significant drawbacks:

  • Scattered Listings: Properties are often posted across multiple Facebook groups and real estate forums, making it difficult for landlords to track inquiries and update availability in real-time.
  • No Centralized System: Unlike professional listing platforms, landlords have no dashboard or database to monitor their active, pending, or rented properties. This often leads to duplicate or outdated listings, frustrating potential tenants.
  • Time-Consuming Communication: Responding to numerous individual messages from potential renters is inefficient, especially when answering the same questions repeatedly.

With no streamlined method to manage listings, track inquiries, or schedule viewings, landlords struggle to optimize occupancy rates and find quality tenants quickly.

b. Communication Barriers with Expats

Hanoi has a large expat community, particularly in areas like Tay Ho and Ba Dinh. Many landlords, however, speak limited English, leading to:

  • Miscommunication About Lease Terms: Expat tenants often misunderstand contract terms regarding deposits, maintenance, and rent increases due to language barriers.
  • Difficulty in Addressing Tenant Concerns: Expats might struggle to explain issues related to maintenance requests, lease modifications, or contract renewals, leading to frustration.
  • Dependence on Third Parties: Some landlords rely on leasing agents or bilingual property managers to communicate with foreign tenants, adding extra costs and complexity to the rental process.

This language barrier slows down leasing, increases tenant dissatisfaction, and sometimes results in misunderstandings that escalate into disputes.

c.  Manual Rent Tracking

Unlike Western markets with automated rent collection platforms, most landlords in Hanoi still manage payments manually via bank transfers, cash, or in-person transactions. The issues with this system include:

  • Delayed or Missed Payments: Since there are no automated reminders or due date notifications, tenants sometimes forget rent deadlines, leading to delays.
  • Tracking Issues: Landlords must manually check their bank statements or keep handwritten records to confirm who has paid and who hasn’t. This can cause errors and unnecessary disputes.
  • Lack of Payment History Transparency: Without a structured system to track payments, tenants don’t receive digital receipts, making it difficult for them to verify payments if a dispute arises.

A digital CRM with automated rent reminders, payment tracking, and online receipts would greatly simplify this process, ensuring timely payments and reducing miscommunication.

d. Deposit Disputes

Security deposit conflicts are one of the most common sources of tension between landlords and tenants in Hanoi. Issues include:

  • Unclear Deposit Policies: Some landlords do not provide written agreements specifying deposit refund terms, leading to misunderstandings when tenants move out.
  • No Structured Damage Assessment: Landlords often deduct repair costs without clear documentation, leaving tenants feeling unfairly charged.
  • Lack of Digital Records: Without a system to track deposits, disputes become harder to resolve because both parties may have different recollections of agreements.

a. Lead Management is Chaotic

Most leasing agents and brokers in Hanoi rely on Google Sheets as their primary CRM to track property listings and tenant inquiries. While this method is cost-effective and familiar, it comes with significant limitations:

  • Lack of Real-Time Tracking: Google Sheets doesn’t offer real-time notifications when new inquiries are received. Agents have to manually update statuses and monitor changes, leading to missed opportunities.
  • No Lead Scoring or Prioritization: Sheets don’t provide tools to rate or track the quality of leads. Agents have no way of knowing which properties are generating the most interest or which tenants are the most likely to convert.
  • Scattered Communication: While Sheets store lead details, agents still manage conversations through Zalo, Facebook, and phone calls. Without a centralized system to log communication, follow-ups are often inconsistent.
  • Data Overload: As the number of properties grows, spreadsheets become harder to navigate. Agents waste time sifting through rows of data instead of focusing on closing deals.
Impact:
  • Hot properties with high demand can’t be easily identified, resulting in slower response times and lost leads.
  • Low visibility on lead progress makes it difficult for teams to collaborate or assess which listings need extra promotion.
  • Lack of automation means agents spend hours on manual data entry instead of focusing on sales.

b. Slow Application Process

With Google Sheets, the application process remains manual and inefficient, causing delays in converting leads into tenants.

Challenges with Current Process:
  • No Integrated Application Form: Agents must create or share external forms and manually enter data into Sheets. This process increases the risk of errors and missing information.
  • Limited Status Tracking: Sheets lack status automation, so agents must manually mark application progress. There’s no way to receive notifications when landlord approvals or additional documents are needed.
  • Delayed Approvals: Since landlords also rely on Sheets, they have to constantly check for updates instead of receiving real-time alerts. This results in slow decision-making.
Impact:
  • Deals are delayed as agents spend extra time chasing documents and approvals.
  • Tenants lose interest in properties due to a lack of timely responses.
  • Landlords get frustrated with the manual back-and-forth process.

c. Unclear Rental Pricing

Agents using Google Sheets struggle to maintain accurate and up-to-date rental pricing. Rental rates in Hanoi fluctuate frequently based on market demand, yet Sheets lack the functionality to track real-time pricing trends.

Common Issues:
  • No Dynamic Pricing Updates: Agents have to manually check with landlords or rely on outdated listings. This leads to situations where tenants are quoted incorrect prices.
  • No Pricing Insights: Google Sheets provide no analytics or visual reports, making it hard for agents to analyze historical pricing data and predict trends.
  • Difficulty Managing Discounts & Promotions: Some landlords offer temporary discounts to fill vacancies, but tracking and applying these promotions is cumbersome without a structured system.
Impact:
  • Inconsistent pricing causes confusion and loss of trust from tenants.
  • Missed negotiation opportunities as agents lack visibility into comparable property prices.
  • Longer negotiation cycles as agents take additional time to confirm updated rates.

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