CRM Outsourcing: Beyond the Unicorn Myth
- Ryan Redmond
- Jan 2
- 7 min read
Updated: Jan 6
Summary
CRM outsourcing helps small and mid-sized businesses stop chasing the “IT unicorn” and move away from fragile, single-resource models. Instead of hiring and managing a costly in-house team, outsourcing Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Platform support provides access to a full range of skills through a predictable, scalable model. When done right, CRM outsourcing reduces operational burden, improves system reliability, and allows growing organizations to focus on innovation and business growth rather than day-to-day technical firefighting.
Imagine deciding to build your dream mansion from scratch. Pretty exciting, right?
You’re ready to dive in headfirst, confident you can figure it out as you go. But reality sets in quickly. Suddenly, you need to be an architect, a carpenter, an electrician, a plumber, and maybe even a psychic to anticipate all the problems waiting around the corner.
That’s a lot like trying to manage your company’s technology on your own. You may be comfortable with technology, but it doesn’t take long to realize you also need a system architect, developer, business analyst, data specialist, project manager, and quality assurance expert to do it right.
Even Bob the Builder had his limits.
The smart move isn’t trying to build the mansion single-handedly.
In the same way, outsourcing the configuration, development, and optimization of your Microsoft Dynamics 365 or Power Platform business applications can help you avoid the IT equivalent of crooked chimneys and flooded basements. Many small and mid-sized businesses search for an “IT unicorn,” the elusive all-in-one expert who can do it all. In reality, what they need is a trusted partner with a full team and a proven blueprint.
In this blog, we’ll explore CRM outsourcing as a practical alternative to hiring and managing multiple full-time resources, and why it’s often a smarter, more scalable path forward for growing organizations.
The Challenge for SMBs
Small and mid-sized businesses face a wide range of technology needs, from cybersecurity and network maintenance to software development, system configuration, data management, and business process optimization.
The challenge is finding a single individual who can handle all of these responsibilities effectively.
In practice, that person rarely exists. As a result, many organizations attempt to build an in-house IT and development team, only to discover that this approach is expensive and difficult to sustain.
The financial impact is straightforward.
Full-time staff come with high salaries, benefits, and ongoing investments in tools and equipment, costs that quickly exceed the budgets of many SMBs.
The operational impact is often less obvious, but just as significant. An in-house team introduces additional layers of management and pulls focus away from core business priorities. Over time, this added complexity can slow decision-making, strain resources, and limit an organization’s ability to scale.
CRM Outsourcing as a Strategic Approach
For small and mid-sized businesses, managing finances and operations efficiently is just as important as delivering great products or services. When it comes to configuring, developing, and optimizing business applications, the decision to outsource can be transformational.
Maintaining in-house technical resources means absorbing significant costs, including competitive salaries, benefits, and ongoing investments in tools and technology. For many SMBs, these expenses quickly stretch budgets and limit flexibility.
There is also an operational cost. Managing a full-time technical team involves far more than overseeing day-to-day tasks. It requires ongoing leadership attention, coordination, and prioritization, often pulling focus away from core business areas like product development, customer engagement, and growth initiatives. Over time, this added complexity can slow progress and restrict scalability.
Working with an external, strategic partner offers a more streamlined and scalable alternative as part of a broader smarter systems, better sales approach. CRM outsourcing allows organizations to access the skills they need without the financial and managerial burden of building an internal team.
Instead of relying on a single generalist, outsourcing provides access to a team of specialists with a broader range of expertise. It’s less like owning one screwdriver and more like having a full multi-tool available when the situation demands it. Even if every capability isn’t needed at once, having the right skills available at the right time makes a meaningful difference.
Ultimately, CRM outsourcing gives SMBs the flexibility to scale support up or down as needs change. With fewer operational distractions and access to specialized expertise, organizations can stay focused on growth while ensuring their business applications are well supported and continuously optimized.
Microsoft Dynamics 365: Internal vs External Staffing
Deciding between internal and external resources for supporting and developing Microsoft Dynamics 365 or Power Platform applications can be challenging, especially for small and mid-sized businesses navigating ongoing digital transformation.
Internal technical teams make sense for organizations with larger budgets that require full-time oversight, deep integration with daily operations, and direct control over every initiative. Businesses with highly specialized, constantly evolving technology needs that demand close, ongoing management are often good candidates for an in-house team.
For most SMBs, however, external resources are the more practical choice.
Think of it as tapping into a gourmet buffet of technical expertise without the overhead of running a full kitchen. CRM outsourcing provides the flexibility to scale services up or down as needs change, while offering access to a broader range of skills than most organizations can afford internally.
Outsourcing also simplifies budgeting through predictable costs and removes the burden of recruiting, managing, and retaining a full technical staff. For SMBs focused on growth, this approach delivers continuous improvement and strategic enhancements without the complexity of building and managing a team from scratch.
The Optrua Care Plan: A Practical CRM Outsourcing Model
The Optrua Care Plan is a Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Platform support, development, and optimization offering designed specifically for small and mid-sized businesses.
Rather than relying on a single role or a patchwork of vendors, the Care Plan provides access to a full team of technology specialists through a predictable, flat monthly model. This approach simplifies IT operations, improves planning, and removes much of the uncertainty that comes with staffing and budgeting.
Key Services Included in the Optrua Care Plan
The Optrua Care Plan is designed to support the full lifecycle of your Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Platform environment. Rather than focusing on a single task or role, it combines strategic guidance, hands-on execution, and ongoing support to ensure your business applications continue to evolve as your needs change.
Vision, Strategy, and Planning: Optrua works with businesses to align technology decisions with broader business goals, ensuring systems are effective today and scalable for the future.
Rapid Development: Custom development and enhancements are delivered with quick turnaround times, allowing organizations to adapt to changing needs without lengthy delays.
Support and Maintenance Services: Ongoing support and proactive maintenance help keep systems reliable, secure, and up to date, reducing risk and operational disruption.
Key Benefits of the Optrua Care Plan
Beyond the services themselves, the real value of the Optrua Care Plan lies in how it simplifies operations and reduces risk for growing organizations. By providing consistent access to expertise without the overhead of building an internal team, the Care Plan helps businesses stay focused, flexible, and prepared for what’s next.
Cost-effectiveness: Access to a full team of specialists for less than the cost of a single full-time resource.
Expertise: Specialized knowledge across multiple technical domains without the burden of hiring and retaining individual roles.
Resources: Relief from the time-consuming and expensive process of recruiting, training, and managing technical staff.
Flexibility: The ability to scale services up or down as business needs change.
Focus: Freedom for teams to concentrate on growth, customers, and strategy instead of day-to-day IT management.
When you step back, the pattern becomes clear. Trying to cover strategy, development, support, and optimization with a single role or a small internal team creates more pressure than progress. What growing organizations actually need is not a mythical all-in-one expert, but a dependable model that provides the right skills at the right time, without adding unnecessary complexity.
Stop Chasing the IT Unicorn
Chasing an elusive IT unicorn often creates more problems than it solves. DIY approaches can quickly turn into late nights spent troubleshooting issues that distract from running the business and moving it forward.
The Optrua Care Plan offers a more practical alternative. It provides ongoing support, development, and optimization for your Microsoft Dynamics 365 and Power Platform applications, helping improve operational efficiency while keeping your focus on growth instead of day-to-day technical challenges.
If you’re ready to stop juggling roles and start working with a dedicated team, the Optrua Care Plan delivers peace of mind through a predictable, flat monthly model that gives you access to the skills you need without the overhead of building an internal team.
FAQ
What is CRM outsourcing?
CRM outsourcing is the practice of working with an external partner to manage, support, develop, and optimize your CRM platform. Instead of relying on a single internal resource or building a full team, businesses gain access to specialized expertise across strategy, development, and ongoing support.
When should a business outsource CRM support?
CRM outsourcing is a good fit when internal teams are stretched thin, budgets cannot support multiple full-time roles, or when specialized skills are needed on demand. It is especially effective for SMBs that want flexibility without sacrificing quality or continuity.
Is CRM outsourcing cost-effective for SMBs?
Yes. For many SMBs, outsourcing is more cost-effective than hiring and maintaining an in-house team. Outsourcing reduces expenses related to salaries, benefits, training, and turnover while providing access to a broader range of skills through a predictable cost model.
CRM outsourcing vs in-house team: which is better?
An in-house team works well for organizations with large budgets and highly specialized, full-time needs. CRM outsourcing is often better for SMBs that need scalable support, diverse expertise, and predictable costs without the operational burden of managing a technical staff.
What services are typically included in CRM outsourcing?
CRM outsourcing commonly includes strategic planning, system configuration, custom development, ongoing support, maintenance, and optimization. Many providers also support related platforms like Microsoft Power Platform to ensure systems continue to evolve with business needs.
About the Author
Ryan Redmond is the founder of Optrua, where he helps small and mid-sized businesses modernize CRM, simplify technology operations, and scale without unnecessary overhead.
Drawing on leadership experience shaped by his time in the U.S. Navy, Ryan brings a practical, disciplined approach to CRM strategy, outsourcing, and business process optimization. His work focuses on helping organizations move away from fragile, single-resource models and toward sustainable systems that support growth.
Ryan is passionate about helping business leaders stop chasing “IT unicorns” and instead build smarter, more resilient technology environments that actually work.
Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn.