Comparison
All-in-one or point solutions?
Both routes have their reasons. Specialist tools can do more in their own area. One system knows the handovers between the areas. Which side weighs more heavily for your team is what the criteria below show.
The comparison by criteria
No brand names. The criteria apply to any combination on your shortlist.
| Criterion | Several specialist tools | One system like 5sDesk |
|---|---|---|
| Depth of individual features | Usually greater. A dedicated project tool offers more views, a dedicated CRM more reporting. | Built for what grows out of customer communication: tickets, tasks, deals, appointments, time. The right depth for small teams. |
| Handovers between areas | By hand or through integrations that need looking after. Every handover can be forgotten. | Built in. Card from email, deal from ticket, project card from deal, time on all of them. The link is kept. |
| Customer record | Spread across CRM, helpdesk and calendar. The full picture takes three programs. | One company record with tickets, deals, appointments, time and notes. |
| Upkeep | Several user directories, several subscriptions, several data protection checks. The CRM goes unmaintained because it means retyping. | One provider, one user directory, one DPA. The CRM fills itself from your email traffic. |
| Cost | The sum of the individual subscriptions, often with features only in the most expensive package. Plus the invisible time spent transferring data. | One plan from €29 per agent per month with every module. AI at no extra cost. |
| Cover during holiday | Part of the case sits in a personal mailbox or in someone's head. | The complete ticket with notes and customer history is in the system. |
| Reporting | Pulling hours and figures together from several sources. | Time per customer company and support figures from the same data, with export. |
| Switching and leaving | Cancel and export each tool separately. | Export of settings, customers, users and canned responses; self-service deletion. |
Evidence
One sales enquiry, without a system boundary
Step 1: An enquiry in the sales mailbox
One click creates the person and the company, pre-filled by AI from the signature. Domain recognition shows the company is already a customer.
Step 2: A deal from the ticket
Stage Lead, estimated value, contact and company come along with it. The deal shows the ticket, and the ticket shows the deal.
Step 3: Appointment and quote
The prospect books the slot themselves. The deal moves on, and the next action sits on "My day" with its owner and as a block in the calendar.
Step 4: Go-ahead and project card
One click creates the card on the project board, with customer, company and description. From here the work runs with a timer on the card.
Step 5: Service requests stay connected
The customer's later requests are tickets in the same company record. No team asks anything twice.
When one system is the better choice
Not for every team. These signs point towards it.
- Customer communication runs mostly by email and through website forms
- Requests regularly turn into tasks, appointments or deals
- Time should be tracked and billed per customer
- Several teams look after the same customers
- The number of tools and subscriptions should come down
- Data protection questions should be settled with one provider
Features
The features behind it
Frequently asked questions
What are the drawbacks of point solutions?
When are specialist tools the better choice?
Can I switch step by step?
One system, strong at the handovers
Try every module for 30 days and check the handovers yourself.