It’s November, and the panic is setting in. Your teeth aren’t chattering because it’s getting frosty out there; it’s because Q4 is looming, your holiday campaigns need to launch, and your CRM manager has just handed in their notice. Or worse, you’ve realised your current team simply doesn’t have the capacity to handle peak season demands. Not very Christmassy or full of joy, is it? The elves are overworked.
So you do what every business does… you post a job advert. Then you wait. Applications flood in. CVs promise the world. And somewhere between 200 applications and a handful of promising interviews, you’re already behind schedule, your campaigns are delayed, and Christmas and the New Year are getting closer by the day.
CRM isn’t getting easier. With AI, automation, and customer data, it’s reshaping how teams work. The global CRM market (worth anywhere between $73 and $101 billion in 2024) is on track to hit $163 billion by 2030. That’s a lot of growth and a lot of pressure.
The CRM industry is becoming too big for one person to handle alone. The challenge now isn’t just finding talent, it’s building the right team to handle an increasingly complex, strategy, tech and data world we now live in.
The Hiring Trap That’s Costing You More Than Money
Here’s what we’re seeing right now across the CRM industry. Businesses are desperately hiring for CRM support to handle Boxing Day sales, New Year campaigns, and the general chaos of peak season marketing. They’re spending thousands on job adverts, recruitment fees, and interview time. The applications roll in, and while there’s talent out there, CRM has grown too complex for just one person to handle it all.
A single “CRM Executive” or “CRM Manager” can’t realistically do everything anymore. Today, a strong CRM strategy needs a mix of skills:
- HTML/CSS specialists to code responsive emails
- CRM strategists for segmentation, automation, and lifecycle planning
- Copywriters to craft emails that convert
- Data analysts to track performance and optimise campaigns
- Deliverability experts to keep emails landing in inboxes
- Automation specialists for triggered journeys
- Designers to create visually engaging campaigns
That’s not one person. That’s a team, and it’s something you can’t find out from a CV, Portfolio or interview.
The CV Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story
Anyone can write “proficient in Klaviyo, Mailchimp, and HubSpot” on their CV. They can claim “5 years CRM experience” and list impressive-sounding achievements. But the truth reveals itself when they’re thrown into the deep end.
You hire your “CRM expert” with relief and optimism. Two weeks in, you discover:
| What They Can Do | What They Struggle With |
| Use the CRM platform’s basic drag-and-drop builder | Cannot code custom HTML for branded templates |
| Understand the email marketing conceptually | Have never managed a database of 100,000+ contacts or handled deliverability issues |
| Build simple automations | Struggle with complex multi-step journeys based on behavioural triggers |
| Send campaigns | Have never strategised a full peak-season calendar across multiple channels |
Now you’re in a worse position than when you started. You’ve invested time in recruitment and onboarding, you’re paying a salary, and you still don’t have the capability you need.
The cycle begins again.
The Hidden Costs of “Just One Person”
When businesses try to fix their CRM challenges by hiring just one person, it often sounds like the easiest option, but it can end up costing more than expected. Hiring takes time and money: job ads, agency fees, interviews, and the campaigns that stall while you wait to fill the role. Even once someone starts, it takes weeks for them to really learn your business, systems, and customers.
Then there’s the skills gap, one person might be great at strategy but not design, or strong on automation, but not copywriting. Before long, you’re paying for one skill set when you actually need five. And what happens when that person’s off sick, on holiday, or moves on? The cycle begins. Again.
Why Insourcing WeDoCRM Solves the Urgent Problem
This is where the traditional thinking needs to flip. Instead of desperately trying to hire someone (anyone!) to fill the gap urgently, smart businesses are turning to us and our specialists as the immediate solution.
The smartest brands we work with aren’t choosing between hiring or using an agency – they’re doing both, but in a strategic way.
👉 Agencies step in for busy seasons, complex technical work, or when a campaign needs quick turnaround and multiple specialist skills at once.
👉 In-house teams handle the everyday work – managing campaigns, keeping the brand voice consistent, looking after customer relationships, and running the CRM platform smoothly.
This hybrid setup means your in-house person isn’t overwhelmed during peak times and isn’t left with too little to do when things quiet down. They stay focused on long-term strategy and customer relationships, while the agency supports them with extra expertise whenever it’s needed.
The CRM Team You Need Already Exists
The CRM team you need already exists (hello!) just not all under one roof. Peak season doesn’t wait. Deadlines are tight, customers expect great experiences, and we can help ease the burden while you find someone in-house who is perfect.
The CRM and email marketing world is too technical and fast-moving for one person to do it all. The idea of a “CRM unicorn” who can write, design, code, and strategise perfectly? That’s just not realistic anymore (if it ever was!). It’s like general marketeers, jack of all trades, master of none.
At WeDoCRM, we like to flip that – we’re masters of one, and that’s CRM, through and through.
If you’re in between hires or need specialist support right now, our Insourced CRM Consultants can step in to bridge the gap. We’ve built our agency around this exact idea, ensuring that when you work with us, you’re getting the right expert for each challenge. We look forward to hearing from you!
