Stage SLA — time limits for CRM stages

Besides custom development, we build our own apps for Bitrix24. The first is Stage SLA. The app is in development now, and in this post we describe the problem it solves and how it will work for the user.

The problem: deals that get stuck

Every pipeline has stages where deals stay longer than they should. A lead waits three days for a first call, a deal sits for a week at “Contract approval”, nobody issues the invoice. The head of sales finds out when the client has already gone.

This is usually handled with Bitrix24 robots: a delayed robot is placed on every stage of every pipeline to remind the person responsible. That works while there are few pipelines and stages. Later there are dozens of robots, they are hard to maintain, they ignore weekends and vacations, and there is no overall picture of where exactly time is lost.

What Stage SLA does

Stage SLA lets you set a time norm for every stage of any CRM pipeline. For example: “a deal must not stay at the ‘Negotiation’ stage for more than two business days.” The app then watches every item the rule applies to.

• Stage limits. A norm is set for leads, deals and smart process items, separately for each stage and pipeline.
• Work calendars. Time is counted in working hours and days, not calendar ones, taking weekends and holidays into account.
• Warnings. The person responsible is notified in advance, while the limit has not yet expired and the deal can still be moved.
• Escalation. If a limit is breached, the app notifies the responsible person’s manager according to the company structure.
• Justified pauses. When a delay is legitimate — for example, the client asked to be called back in a week — the timer can be paused with a reason.
• Analytics. Reports show at which stages and with which employees deals are delayed most often.

All rules are configured in one control panel. Instead of a set of robots across all pipelines, there is one screen showing which norms apply and what is happening with them.

What it looks like inside Bitrix24

The app is embedded in the portal interface. In the lead, deal or smart process item card a tab appears with the state of the timer for the current stage. Separate sections of the app are for configuring rules and calendars, tracking current overdue items and analytics.

Stage SLA is designed for cloud Bitrix24 and will be distributed through the Marketplace.

Status

The app is in development. We will announce the release date separately, once it has passed testing and Marketplace moderation.

If your company runs into stuck deals — or you are an integrator whose clients do — write to us and we will tell you more about what the app can do. And if you need similar logic for a specific process, it can also be built as custom development.