Small Business Management – CRM Free Implementation Guide

Product: Small Business CRM / Small Business Management – CRM
Version covered: 1.0.19

This administrator guide covers the latest CRM Free/Core package, including grouped navigation, contact ownership, basic forms, Accounting sync, imports, roles and suite handoff points.

Purpose and scope

CRM Free/Core is the customer source-of-truth module for the Nomad Small Business Management Suite. It owns contacts, companies, deals, tasks, lists, tags, contactability, Customer 360, basic CRM lead forms and the Accounting customer import layer. Pro and Enterprise add-ons extend this foundation without replacing its data model.

Area	Responsibility
Contacts and companies	Customer and organisation records, relationship context, ownership and history.
Deals and tasks	Basic opportunity tracking, assigned work and follow-up discipline.
CRM lead forms	Lightweight CRM-owned forms for lead enquiries, newsletter sign-ups, call-back requests and quote interest.
Accounting sync	One-way customer/contact import from the Accounting customer table when the Accounting module is present.
Suite handoff	Forms, Bulk Email, Transactional Email and Service Desk can use CRM as the shared customer record when installed.

Installation and activation

1. Upload and activate the CRM Free ZIP.
2. Open the CRM dashboard and complete the setup checks.
3. Review the grouped CRM menu and confirm the dashboard, contacts, companies, deals and tasks screens load correctly.
4. Create at least one CRM Salesperson and one Sales Manager test user before adding real staff.
5. If Accounting is installed, open Accounting Sync and run a small test sync before importing all customers.

Roles and permissions setup

Use CRM roles to avoid giving sales staff broad WordPress admin access.

Role	Recommended responsibility
CRM Salesperson	Works assigned contacts, deals and tasks only. Should not configure automation, forms, scoring, imports, settings or other users.
CRM Sales Manager	Can view and manage the sales team, all CRM records, reports, CRM forms and CRM-related Forms/Transactional Email visibility.
CRM Admin	Configures CRM settings, imports, lists, tags, forms, integrations and operational controls.
CRM Viewer	Read-only CRM access for oversight or training.

Accounting sync

CRM can import Accounting customers into CRM contacts and companies. Before using it in production, confirm the Accounting customer table exists, test duplicate matching by email/accounting ID, and verify that synced contacts are marked with the Accounting source, list or tag used by your workflow.

Built-in CRM forms

CRM Free includes basic lead-capture forms for CRM-specific use. Use the standalone Forms plugin when the form needs custom fields, advanced templates, broader suite actions, HubSpot, file uploads, conditional logic or deeper Elementor styling.

• Configure list and tag actions per form.
• Use the CRM shortcode or CRM Elementor form widget.
• Use Transactional Email for confirmation and admin email delivery when that plugin is active.
• Keep form ownership and submissions limited to managers/admins, not salespeople.

Import, export and data hygiene

• Clean duplicate email addresses before import.
• Import in batches and validate field mapping.
• Assign a source, list and/or tag during import so records are traceable.
• Restrict exports to trusted CRM admins or data managers.
• Search before creating new contacts to avoid duplicates.

Go-live checklist

• Take a full file and database backup before installing on a production site.
• Install on a staging site first when replacing an older build or changing roles.
• Confirm the required parent plugin is active before activating a Pro or Enterprise add-on.
• Use a non-admin test user to confirm menu access and permissions.
• Create one test record, run through the full workflow, and only then import or enable real customer data.