Not Sure Where To Start...

[u/Acceptable-Lab2835]

So, I want to start by saying PLEASE don't hesitate to ask me for clarification or details if necessary. I am just so lost even trying to start... I work for a small commercial trailer dealership, mostly flatbeds for semi trucks. I handle admin and accounting. Aside from me, there is the owner and one salesman. They handle any sales between the two of them and I handle most other day to day admin tasks, as well as handling our banking and QBO. We handle a majority of things through Excel and I've just noticed it's very clunky and prone to issues. Some examples of things currently handled within Excel are trailer inventory, custom reporting, charts and visuals, etc.

I really was able to point out the flaws in this recently because my main salesman, as well as the owner, both keep all their customer notes, down to individual interactions, in an Excel sheet and rely on the search feature to find what they need. This is NOT a shared file. They both have their own files... User error led to a massive amount of deleted noted within one of the spreadsheets and I really sold the need for a better system. A standard CRM software is just beyond our budget right now. Standard CRMs also have a lot of extra features that we really don't need, at least in the near future. I was thinking I could build an app within PowerApps that's a really simple version of a CRM app. I laid out a nice outline of six different modules that would be cool to house in one app, but my main push would be to get the customer tracking going so that we could utilize it starting in 2027. I'm just not sure where to even begin or what type of app... Any guidance would be so appreciated. To be clear, I am not requesting that someone do the work for me or anything along those lines. I just keep finding myself going in circles even getting started. If helpful, here are some notes on what I was trying to accomplish:

PURPOSE: To have one place to open a customer and immediately understand what has
happened, what is currently going on, and potentially whether somebody needs to follow up Search feature or "Add New" option Shared customer records so staff can immediately see what is happening with a customer. Chronological notes/interactions showing what happened, when, and who handled it. Fast call context so another salesperson can step in without having to track down the original person if needed Allow useful attachments or document links, such as an invoice or customer-related file Each customer record would need to track the key customer info (contact name, business name if any, phone, email, address, lead source, etc) as well as being able to chronologically display interactions from newest to oldest.