For a growing technology consultancy, managing client relationships can become complicated surprisingly quickly.

New prospects, existing clients, contractors, opportunities, conversations, availability and follow-ups all need to be coordinated. When that information lives across spreadsheets and disconnected tools, it becomes increasingly difficult to see what is happening and what needs attention next.

That was the challenge faced by Hyperact, a UK-based product transformation consultancy founded in 2022.

Today, Hyperact helps organisations transform products and teams through expertise spanning product, design and engineering. But in its early growth phase, the company needed a better way to manage its expanding network of clients, prospects and contractors.

The solution was Capsule CRM.

And according to Hyperact co-founder and Director Dave Baines, the results have been significant: Hyperact recorded a 48% increase in conversion over 12 months.

From spreadsheets to a proper CRM

Hyperact initially relied on free tools such as Google Sheets to manage customer information and interactions.

That approach can work for a very small business, but as a consultancy grows, spreadsheets can quickly become difficult to manage. Information can become fragmented, important notes can be difficult to find, and there is no simple way to get a complete picture of the sales pipeline.

Hyperact realised it needed a central system where important information could be accessed quickly and consistently.

The company was also looking for more than basic contact management.

As a technology consultancy working with clients and a network of associates, Hyperact needed to keep track of opportunities, contractors, rates, availability and relationships.

“We were very keen to build the best employee value proposition that we could, and a big part of that is having the best cutting-edge tools with modern tech integrations.”

That requirement helped lead the company to Capsule.

Capsule became more than a sales CRM

Hyperact initially introduced Capsule to support prospecting and business development.

However, its use quickly expanded.

The team began using Capsule to help manage relationships between managers and contractors, giving them greater visibility into their wider business operations.

This meant they could quickly see:

• Which contractors were available
• Who was best suited to a particular job
• Contractor rates
• Relevant client and prospect information
• Opportunities within the sales pipeline
• Tasks and communications requiring attention

For a consultancy, having this information accessible from one central system can make a considerable difference.

Rather than searching through spreadsheets, emails and separate notes, the team had a clearer picture of the relationships and opportunities that mattered.

Choosing simplicity without compromising security

As a technology-focused company, Hyperact was not simply looking for the most basic CRM available.

Security was an important consideration, as was integration with the other tools Hyperact used.

At the same time, the team did not want a complicated platform that would be difficult to introduce across the business.

According to Baines, Capsule met the company’s security requirements while also being more affordable than many of the alternatives Hyperact considered.

The straightforward interface also helped with adoption.

That is an important consideration for growing businesses. A CRM only creates value if people actually use it consistently.

Integrations helped connect the workflow

Integration was one of Hyperact’s priorities when selecting a CRM.

The company used Capsule alongside other business tools, including Retool, and created integrations to support its business development processes.

These integrations helped provide notifications and updates around the sales pipeline, while also reducing some of the manual communication that had previously taken up valuable time.

As Baines explained:

“Capsule helped us automate and free up time for more important tasks.”

This is one of the more interesting aspects of Hyperact’s experience.

The benefit of CRM software was not simply having a database of contacts. Capsule became part of a wider system for managing business development and relationships.

A clearer view of business development

For a consultancy, sales and relationships are closely connected.

A potential client may begin as a conversation, develop into an opportunity and eventually become a project. At the same time, the consultancy needs to maintain relationships with existing clients and have access to the right people when new work arises.

Capsule gave Hyperact a more structured way to manage these relationships.

Baines says:

“Capsule provided clarity and gave our business a way forward.”

That clarity appears to have translated into measurable results.

After using Capsule for 18 months, Hyperact reported that its success rate had grown alongside its use of the CRM.

Most notably, the company reported a 48% increase in conversion over the previous 12 months.

It is worth stressing that this does not mean Capsule alone caused the increase. Hyperact is a growing consultancy, and many factors can influence conversion.

However, the company’s own experience suggests that having a more structured approach to prospecting, business development and relationship management played an important role.

Why this matters for technology consultants

Hyperact’s experience offers some useful lessons for other technology consultancies and professional services businesses.

1. Spreadsheets have their limits

Spreadsheets can be perfectly adequate when a business is starting out. But as the number of clients, prospects and contractors grows, managing relationships in spreadsheets becomes increasingly difficult.

A CRM provides a dedicated environment for organising that information.

2. A CRM should support the whole relationship

The value of a CRM is not simply recording someone’s name and email address.

For consultants, the important information can include conversations, opportunities, project requirements, follow-ups, relationships and previous interactions.

Keeping this information together makes it easier to understand the complete relationship.

3. Integration can save valuable time

Hyperact specifically valued the ability to connect Capsule with other tools.

For technology businesses in particular, a CRM does not necessarily have to operate in isolation. Connecting it with the tools a team already uses can reduce repetitive administrative work and improve visibility.

4. Simplicity encourages adoption

A CRM can have hundreds of features, but that does not necessarily make it a better choice for a small consultancy.

Hyperact wanted sophisticated integrations and appropriate security, but it also wanted something its team could adopt without unnecessary complexity.

That balance is important for growing businesses.

5. Measure whether the CRM is actually helping

One of the strongest elements of this case study is that Hyperact did not simply say Capsule “made things better.”

The company tracked its results and reported a 48% increase in conversion over 12 months.

That gives other businesses a useful benchmark: when introducing a CRM, identify the business metrics you want to improve and monitor them over time.

Capsule and Hyperact: A CRM that grew with the business

Hyperact’s use of Capsule also illustrates an important point about choosing CRM software.

The company did not necessarily need an enormous enterprise platform. It needed a system that could handle its growing relationships, provide visibility into opportunities, connect with other tools and remain straightforward enough for the team to use.

Capsule initially addressed a specific problem around prospecting and business development. Its role then expanded as Hyperact found additional ways to use the system.

That flexibility has allowed the consultancy to continue exploring additional applications, including potential integrations for areas such as timesheeting and client engagement.

Meanwhile, Hyperact itself has continued to develop. Its current positioning is broader than simply technology consulting, with the company now describing its work in terms of product transformation, product strategy, product discovery, product delivery and consulting.

The takeaway for small consulting businesses

Hyperact’s story is a useful reminder that CRM software does not have to be complicated to make a meaningful difference.

For a growing consultancy, the right CRM can provide a central place to manage relationships, opportunities and important business information. Integrations can reduce repetitive administration, while a clearer sales process can make it easier to see where opportunities stand.

In Hyperact’s case, the company reported a 48% increase in conversion after its use of Capsule matured.

For other technology consultants, the lesson is perhaps less about copying Hyperact’s exact CRM setup and more about recognising when spreadsheets and disconnected tools have stopped being sufficient.

When that happens, a well-chosen CRM can give a growing consultancy the structure and visibility it needs to build stronger relationships and pursue new opportunities with greater confidence.

Could Capsule CRM work for your consultancy?

If your consulting business has outgrown spreadsheets or is struggling to keep track of prospects, clients and opportunities, Capsule is worth investigating.

Its combination of contact management, sales pipeline management, tasks, integrations and automation makes it suitable for consultants who want more structure without taking on an unnecessarily complicated CRM.