How to get started with Bitrix24 CRM: initial set-up

Getting started with Bitrix: first steps

Nowadays, it is virtually impossible to imagine effective business process management without a CRM. This platform has become the central hub for many companies, combining CRM, internal communications, tasks and analytics. It frees teams from chaos, automates routine tasks and helps you monitor every step — from the first contact with a customer to a successful deal.

Key CRM features
• Collection of enquiries from all channels — messages from the website, email, instant messaging apps and social media are automatically fed into a single database.
• Centralised customer database — contacts, correspondence history, documents and invoices are stored in one place and are not lost when a manager leaves or is replaced.
• Automating routine tasks — bots and triggers set tasks, send emails, remind you of calls and move deals through the sales funnel.
• Analytics and reports — built-in tools show sales figures, conversion rates and staff performance.
In this article, we’ll walk you through, step by step, how to log into your CRM and set up the system before you start actively working with clients.

Select a CRM operating mode

There are two CRM operating modes available: classic and simple.

Classic CRM with leads is a tool that helps organise the flow of new enquiries and ongoing deals so that managers don’t miss a thing.
How this works in practice for your company:
All new enquiries are routed to a separate area (‘inbox’). Managers first qualify them there, and only targeted leads are moved to ‘deal’ status.
Who needs this: businesses with a high volume of incoming enquiries. This protects your key sales staff from chaos and routine tasks, allowing them to focus on customers who are already ready to pay.
A simple CRM system (without leads) is a tool for quick and direct sales, where every enquiry immediately becomes a deal, bypassing the preliminary screening stage.

How this works in practice for your company:
There is no intermediate ‘lead’ stage here. As soon as a customer calls, sends an email or submits an enquiry, the system instantly creates a transaction, contact or company record.
The manager immediately sees the full picture in a single window: customer details, communication history, selected products, the total amount and the current stage of the purchase. You have complete control over the entire cycle — from the first click to payment.

Who needs this? Small businesses with a low or medium volume of enquiries, where speed is key. If you have a long sales cycle, high-value one-off orders, or can tell straight away that a customer is a target prospect, this format will save time and spare your staff from unnecessary clicks.

Adding customers to the CRM

Feedback forms and corporate forms collect key information about customers: contact details, enquiry history and purchase history.
Customers can be added to the CRM using various methods:

• manual creation,
• import from a file,
• transfer from another CRM system,
• submitted via a CRM form.

Set up forms for managing clients and deals

Customising CRM cards is a tool that adapts the system’s interface to your company’s specific business logic, eliminating confusion and employee errors. Properly configured forms allow managers to spend less time on routine tasks and ensure high accuracy in data collection, which has a direct impact on conversion rates and profit.

Create and configure sales funnels

A sales funnel is a step-by-step process through which a manager guides a customer from the initial contact to successful payment. Each stage of the funnel represents a specific action (for example: agreeing terms, dispatching goods), enabling the business owner to see the actual status of each transaction.

For large or diverse businesses, CRM enables the creation of several parallel funnels to effectively separate:

• Areas of activity: For example, wholesale purchases and retail sales will not be lumped together, as they have different transaction cycles.
• Customer service scenarios: You will be able to distinguish between bulk sales (standard package holidays) and complex bespoke orders (VIP tours) that require special attention.

Each funnel is customized individually: you can set your own unique stages, customize the appearance of the cards, and strictly define access rights so that employees see only the deals for which they are responsible.

Add Your Products and Services to the CRM

In the CRM system, you can maintain a comprehensive catalog of products and services by adding names, descriptions, prices, and photos. Once the catalog is populated, these items can be quickly added to invoices, quotes, and your online store’s website.

There are two ways to populate the catalog:

Manually. This is suitable for companies with a small product range that rarely changes.

Import from a file. This feature allows you to upload a list of products to Bitrix24 in bulk. It’s the perfect solution for companies with large warehouses.

Set Up Communication Channels with Customers

Omnichannel capabilities in CRM help you automatically collect all customer inquiries from any source into a single system, which prevents requests from being lost and preserves a complete communication history.

Connect key communication channels to your CRM system to automate sales:

• Telephony. Answer calls directly within the CRM interface. The system will automatically identify a regular customer, connect them to the appropriate manager, and save an audio recording of the conversation in the deal card.
• Messaging Apps and Social Media. Integrate Telegram, WhatsApp, social media platforms, and online chat on your website. Customers can message you through the apps they’re used to, and your managers can respond to them from a single CRM window without having to switch tabs.
  Email. Connect employees’ corporate and personal email accounts. All incoming and outgoing correspondence is automatically linked to the communication history with a specific customer.
• CRM Forms on the Website. Place ready-made widgets and contact collection forms on your website. The data that a customer enters when placing an order or subscribing is instantly converted into new deal cards.

Use quotes and invoices

Once a deal is closed, you can use it to prepare:

• A commercial quote listing the goods and services that are suitable for the customer.
• An invoice listing the goods approved for payment. The ‘Invoicing’ app will also help to simplify the invoicing process.

Automatic Document Population

All data—products, prices, amounts, and your company’s and customers’ contact information—is automatically imported from the CRM. This saves employees time and completely eliminates the risk of human error.

Quick Sending Using Templates

You can create pre-made documents (contracts, invoices, quotes) based on templates directly from the deal card and send them to clients instantly.

Planning Events and Meetings

You can schedule calls, meetings, tasks, and other actions directly from the CRM form. All information is saved on a timeline, and smart reminders alert you to important events. This helps you stay on top of things and close deals faster.

Automate Customer Interaction Workflows

CRM automation frees the sales department from routine tasks, speeds up customer interactions, and eliminates human error. The system automatically moves deals through the stages and performs routine tasks using two tools: triggers and bots (automation rules).
Here’s how this logic works:

• Triggers (which track customer actions) detect when a customer has paid an invoice, opened an email, clicked a link, or filled out a form. As soon as this happens, the trigger automatically moves the transaction to the next stage of the funnel.
• Bots / Rules (perform actions on behalf of the manager) — automated commands linked to funnel stages. As soon as a deal reaches the appropriate stage, the bot automatically sends an SMS or email to the customer, assigns a task to an employee, or generates a report and a contract.

Use built-in reports to analyze metrics

Use built-in reports and integrate BI Builder to analyze sales, employee performance, return on advertising investment, and other metrics. This will help you make informed decisions.

Customize the CRM to fit your business processes

Go to CRM > Settings > CRM Settings.

• Add your company information—it will be automatically inserted into documents such as invoices, quotes, and more.
• Set up access permissions—specify which employees and departments will use the CRM.
• Add and configure currencies when working with clients from different countries.
• Set up units of measure to track your products and services.
• Set up stages for processing leads and deals, lead sources, and customer types.

Use pre-built templates to get started with CRM, complete with pre-configured settings.

Use a mobile CRM system

Collaborate with clients from anywhere, without needing a computer. The Bitrix24 mobile app, available for iOS and Android, lets you create deals, communicate with clients, track tasks, and much more.