Frequently Asked Questions.
The Problem with SaaS
Q1: What's wrong with traditional CRM software?
Traditional enterprise CRMs suffer from feature bloat, vendor lock-in, and escalating costs. They're built as monolithic platforms that force you to pay for features you don't use while making simple tasks complex. Most businesses end up spending more time fighting their CRM than using it effectively.
Q2: Why is "simplicity" better than more features?
”Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Teams using focused, lean tools are 3x more productive than those drowning in feature-heavy platforms. We follow the principle: if it's easy to add something, it must be just as easy to remove it.
What is Stood CRM?
Q3: What makes Stood CRM different?
Stood is a composable CRM built on open-source principles. Instead of a bloated all-in-one platform, we provide stackable tools that focus on core sales functions: deal tracking, team collaboration, and data ownership. You get enterprise-grade capabilities without the enterprise complexity.
Q4: What does "composable CRM" mean?
Think LEGO blocks for your client processes. Each team gets a dedicated workspace with customizable Business flows, while maintaining shared accounts and contacts across your organization. You can extend functionality through integrations rather than being locked into a vendor's vision.
Key Features & Benefits
Q5: What are Stood's core features?
Team workspaces: Dedicated spaces for pre-sales, sales, and after-sales teams
4-step deal flows: Simple drag-and-drop pipeline management
Global search & comments: Find anything, discuss everything in context
Custom labels & fields: Personalize terminology and data records for each team
Open data: Your database, your rules, your ownership
Q6: How does team collaboration work?
Each team operates in their own workspace with private deals and activities, while sharing organization-wide accounts and contacts. Switch between teams with one click, and track Business flow effectiveness across your entire organization.
Getting Started
Q7: How do I get started with Stood CRM?
We provide a free 14-day trial with a dedicated Google Cloud project that acts as your private container. You get full database access and ownership from day 1. After the trial, you can keep it running on your own cloud tenant with unlimited users.
Q8: Can I migrate from my existing CRM?
Absolutely. We start by auditing your current CRM's complexity, costs, and use cases. Stood focuses on core elements while letting extend for specifics. We offer pilot programs to demonstrate value before any migration commitment.
Target Audience
Q9: What size business does Stood support?
Any size. Startups typically run with 1 to 5 key workflows, leveraging our monthly 1:1 advisory sessions. Enterprise clients can have dozens of teams collaborating across the platform. The workflow remains simple regardless of scale - what changes is the number of teams, integrations with enterprise IT ecosystems, and the number of extensions we put in place.
Q10: Is Stood suitable for non-technical teams?
Yes. While Stood is built on powerful cloud infrastructure, no IT skills are required for daily use. Setup and onboarding are handled by our team, and the interface is designed for simplicity. Technical extensibility is available when you need it, invisible when you don't.
Customization & Configuration
Q11: How do I customize Stood for my team's workflow?
Each team can customize deal stage labels, create custom fields through simple configuration, and set up automated activity generation. The admin interface makes team management, user assignment, and workflow changes safe and reversible.
Q12: Can I integrate Stood with other tools?
Yes. Stood includes for example native BigQuery sync for analytics, SendGrid integration for marketing automation, and an MCP server for AI agents. The open architecture supports custom integrations, and we work with partners for specific needs.
Extension & Growth
Q13: How does pricing work without license fees?
The core software is free and open-source. We sustain this through service packs starting at €250/month (up to 3 team workflows) that include 24h support, automatic updates and 1:1 monthly advisory sessions. Then we offer integration services or scaled support adapted to larger organizations. You pay for services, not software licenses.
Q14: What about security and data ownership?
Your data runs on Google Cloud Platform's enterprise-grade security infrastructure, supporting millions of applications. You maintain full ownership and control of your database, you choose your datacenter location. We provide compliance, authentication standards, and backup capabilities without vendor lock-in.
Q15: How can I build custom add-ons on top of Stood?
Any specific application can run directly on top of Stood's core CRM infrastructure (deals, accounts, contacts, activities). Your custom apps get direct database access through Firebase/Firestore - no API layer needed in between. They automatically inherit the same authentication system, user management, and enterprise-grade security capabilities as the core CRM.
Q16: Can you give examples of complex business functions built as Stood extensions?
Absolutely. Field Service Management: Building a "work orders" system on top of Stood's customer data takes just a few days with a React web app for instance. You get instant access to all account history, contacts, and deal context. Configure-Price-Quote (CPQ): Instead of generic pricing rules and catalog complexity, you can build an AI agent that understands your historical quotes, identifies your most successful proposals, and generates new quotes by leveraging CRM data plus simple product catalogs. This approach is far more effective than traditional CPQ SaaS solutions because it's trained on your actual sales patterns.
AI & Future-Proofing
Q17: What about AI features?
We believe AI should be transversal, not proprietary. Instead of building AI features that create vendor lock-in, we provide an MCP server that connects your preferred AI agents and platforms to your CRM data. This gives you model optionality and prevents "AI landlords." We provide access and context to your AI agents, and it can get up-and-running in minutes. MCP is the new protocol that got standardized and makes the magic here, we simply enable that.
Q18: How does Stood prevent vendor lock-in?
Stood is open-source, runs on your cloud infrastructure, and uses open data formats. You can export your data anytime, modify the code, or even fork the project. This isn't just a promise - it's built into our architecture and legal framework. Any customer can stop our service packs at any time and go for “freemium”. Stood has an extensive documentation that makes you able to run on your own. In that case support is still offered via email (no guaranteed SLA), there is no more continuous advisory, but the app is exactly the same.