WhatsApp CRM Starting with Research
When I decided to create a CRM for WhatsApp, I chose to investigate the best development approach first.
Rather than just sitting down to write code and imagining this CRM—which is the most comfortable thing a software engineer can do, locking themselves in their bubble and spending months or years building something nobody will use or pay for—I took a different path.
I decided to learn even more about startups and modern techniques in this field, as my first interaction with entrepreneurship was back in 2010 when I attended an event for entrepreneurs.
Back then, the proposal was to create an MVP (Minimum Viable Product) and test it with customers interactively. While it sounds good in theory, based on my experience, I realized this might no longer apply.
Developing applications isn't as difficult as it used to be because technology keeps advancing—things like artificial intelligence and now these new "vibe coders"... who claim they can make apps (I'll talk about this topic in another post and explain why I think now more than ever we need engineers who know how to develop software).
So I decided to explore the topic further and found Rob Walling's channel [MicroConf](https://youtube.com/@microconf?si=9hAF-1phA-macfVv).
I watched all the videos from this content creator, and honestly, it changed my thinking about startups and the ideas I had about them since 2010.
Key Insights
Some phrases that stuck with me after watching his videos:
"There are problems not worth solving."
"Instead of telling me your idea, tell me the problem you want to solve."
After analyzing and studying entrepreneurship again, I realized several things.
Code and its quality, although important, ultimately don't matter because customers only focus on whether it solves their problem, is stable, and provides a good user experience.
This last point short-circuited my way of thinking because, having been a software architect for many years, I always focused on the technical aspects of the product but had never focused on what the customer wants from their perspective and is willing to pay for.
Getting My Hands Dirty with Research
So I took on the task of contacting different companies and startups that use WhatsApp as their main point of access to customers and businesses. I spent time taking notes, even from many who were already using solutions like LeadSales and Kommo.
The list of problems was significant, and within this list, common issues emerged. These are where I concentrated to start planning the main features that together would solve my potential customers' problems.
Real Problems I Identified
Here are some of the problems I managed to identify:
Many existing applications don't offer a UX designed with the user in mind, requiring people to take courses to understand how they work.
Lack of preview for incoming messages, which means users have to open the chat to see them.
Very basic chat organization model; even though LeadSales offers funnels, the features are very basic.
Lack of metrics that actually serve the business; it's not valuable for many to just indicate how many messages have been received.
The bots offered by some platforms are very basic.
And I could continue with many more problems that were mentioned to me.
What's Next?
In the next article, I'll broadly explain what features the CRM will provide in its first version and how this has been validated interactively with a feedback loop.
My Takeaway
Look, I've been in this game a while, and the biggest shift in my thinking has been moving from "what cool tech can I build?" to "what problems can I actually solve?"
Talking to real businesses using WhatsApp has been eye-opening. These folks are struggling with clunky interfaces, spending way too much time managing conversations, and missing opportunities because their tools just aren't cutting it.
The irony is that while I was obsessing over architecture decisions and code quality (which I still love, don't get me wrong), most users couldn't care less about my beautiful microservices or elegant code patterns. They just want something that makes their work easier and helps them close more deals.
This research phase has completely transformed how I'm approaching this CRM. Instead of building what I think is cool, I'm building what I know solves real headaches for real businesses. And honestly? That's way more satisfying than showing off some fancy tech stack that nobody appreciates.
Stay tuned for the next post where I'll break down exactly what this WhatsApp CRM will do and how each feature directly addresses the pain points I discovered during my conversations with potential users.
