Alistair Russell is the Director of Laing Russell, a management consultancy that supports Tech industry leaders. Founded in 2019, the consultancy supports high-level executives and their C-level colleagues through strategic and operational change.
After he and some of his colleagues sold their previous business, Alistair wanted a way to continue doing the type of work he enjoyed.
"It’s a way for me and a few long-time colleagues to keep doing interesting things together. After we exited my previous company, as part of that sale agreement, I took on the management consulting business."
Focusing on the essentials
Like many small business owners, Alistair quickly realized he needed a system to keep his team aligned without burdening them with complex, unnecessary features. Other platforms had been too bulky for their day-to-day needs. The team needed a straightforward CRM solution.
“Tools like Salesforce were just too complicated. We didn’t need all the extra tools it offered; we needed the simple core of a CRM - one client record, in one place, that everyone on the team could easily access.”
Despite starting his business in 2019, Alistair first became a Capsule CRM customer 10 years ago after it was recommended to him by his former sales team.
“They did the original research and went looking for something clean, simple, and inexpensive. They presented Capsule CRM as their favorite option.”
Up and running in minutes
Capsule CRM was easy for the whole team to get to grips with. Its intuitive interface made it easy to understand, and new hires could be onboarded quickly, without a steep learning curve or extensive setup..
Alistair explains: “Essentially, we just give them the login and away they go. We just walk them through where things are and set down terms for data quality and data management.”
By setting a strong foundation for data quality, the team can ensure that their customer communications are always accurate. By prioritizing simplicity and consistency, teams can start immediately, no fuss, just clean, usable data from day one.
Building seamless workflows
Email is a crucial part of the team's operations, so they needed a CRM that integrated with the tools they already used. Even after ten years of use, he still relies on some of the older integrations that simplify daily operations.
“Even the simple tools like blind-copying Capsule CRM into an email to a client so that it immediately finds its way to the client record makes life so much easier. I mean, that's very old now, but it was lovely when I first found it.”
For Laing Russell, Capsule CRM has boosted productivity, helping Alistair and his team stay focused on client work rather than admin tasks.
“Manual processes can’t be scaled, and I’m constantly looking to improve productivity. The less time I spend manually raising invoices the more I can spend doing what I love doing, which is being a management consultant and working with clients.”
Future-proof processes
For Alistair, one of the most valuable aspects of Capsule CRM is its commitment to continuous improvement. Unlike many platforms that stagnate after initial success, Capsule CRM consistently evolves to meet the changing needs of its users.
“Capsule CRM hasn’t rested on its laurels. It hasn’t said, ‘Okay, we’re a database with some overlay of functionality and that’s what we’re going to do,’” Alistair explains. “The continued roadmap of developments is an impressive thing for me. And getting the right scale to be doing that and delivering quality is fantastic.”
Capsule’s CRM user engagement efforts, like our webinars and platform, have made a lasting impression. These events give customers space to explore the full potential of the platform and inspire new ways of working.
“The thing I’ve really been impressed with in the last few years is the investment in providing seminar user groups,” Alistair adds. “I’ve used that. It’s been really useful—both to make me think about what we could use, how we could use this, and generally, educating your user community and prospective user community.”
Adapting to new challenges
While Alistair looks to reduce his day-to-day involvement with Laing Russell, Capsule will likely remain central to the business’s operations.
“My goal is to scale things down to a more manageable level and keep getting value from the tools we already use,” he says. “I’m not planning to add more complexity, but who knows? If someone wanted to buy Laing Russell, I’d be able to say, ‘Here’s a well-organized, valuable database of clients.’”
The strength and completeness of their CRM data means the business remains agile and attractive, whether continuing operations or considering future transitions.
Passing knowledge on
As a mentor to early-stage companies and tech startups, Alistair often recommends Capsule as a go-to CRM for small teams ready to grow. For him, the value proposition is clear: affordability, ease of use, and robust performance.
“I mentor several small businesses and startups, and I always recommend Capsule. It's affordable, easy to get started with, and it scales brilliantly as you grow”.
Conclusion
For the team at Laing Russellsi, Capsule helps enable streamlined workflows by reducing admin and boosting productivity. Its simplicity, ease of use, and commitment to continuous improvement have made it an essential part of how they manage client relationships, streamline workflows, and stay focused on the work they love.
Whether supporting high-level tech leaders or mentoring the next generation of startups, Alistair trusts Capsule to deliver a CRM experience that’s intuitive, scalable, and truly built for the needs of small but ambitious teams.
Looking for an intuitive, scalable, and cost-effective CRM? Try Capsule free for 14 days and discover how you can reduce manual tasks and focus on growing your business.
