Helping our clients innovate
develop
grow

Services

Bespoke Cloud Software
CRM and ERP

We build cloud-based bespoke CRM and ERP software, tailored specifically to your business and its processes.

Enterprise-Grade Salesforce
Platform Development

We develop our software using the world's leading cloud software platform. The Force.com platform is used by some of the world's largest organisations.

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Process Design, Automation
and Management

We develop best-practice business processes and measure their success in the software we build for you.

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GIS and Lead Acquisition
Services

We use geographical information systems (GIS), immense data-sets and a scientific yet enterprising approach to generate reliable and relevant leads and business information.

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Sectors

We work across many industries, both for-profit and charity

Every system we build is bespoke and based on your organisation’s processes. As such, we do not limit ourselves to any particular industry or sector. Our systems leverage your expertise and your best practices. We delight in the amazement of our clients as their existing and most-wished-for processes materialise in a powerful yet intuitive system. Your website is tailored specifically to your business, so why not the applications you use to run your business?

The team at Darlston have a broad experience of business having been responsible for profit and loss at companies ranging from large multinationals to small startups. We incorporate our experience of best-practice into the applications we build for our customers. We have a wide portfolio of completed projects and are happy to work with you on developing robust and efficient processes. Our clients are always impressed with our input and our thirst for adopting their business’ challenges as our own.

Find out more about the industries we’re currently serving by reading our industry sections and learn about some of our clients’ experiences by reading our case studies.

Darlston also has a lot of ❤️ and time for non-profits and charities – learn more here.

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Case Studies

Scotty’s Little Soldiers Read Case Study

Scotty's Little Soldiers

Fundraising | Event Management | Beneficiary Management | Marketing

Terravesta Read Case Study

Terravesta

Sales | Marketing | Agricultural Surveying | Logistics and Partner Community

Features

One system, not several

Too often, businesses store all of their information and processes in separate systems or separate spreadsheets, none of which talk to each other. At Darlston, we believe that data and information is at its most useful when it can be placed within the context of the wider business. We build one system which manages your whole organisation: sales, marketing, service, assets, operations, warehouse, contracts, HR, health and safety, etc.

One system, not several
We build one system which manages your whole organisation

Bespoke, not off-the-shelf

All of our systems are tailor made and bespoke to our clients' requirements. We work with you to develop robust business systems based on your existing processes and the best-practice you have developed in your business. This is an alternative to off-the-shelf software which usually forces a business to operate in a way that is inconsistent with the best-practice processes that have developed within an organisation over time.

Bespoke, not off-the-shelf
Everything we build is tailor-made to your organisation's processes

Cloud-based

Darlston's systems require no expensive servers taking up space in the corner of the office. Our systems are securely and reliably hosted in the cloud using Salesforce - the world's leading enterprise cloud and used by some of the world's largest companies and charities. As such, they can be accessed from any location and any device that has an internet connection. There is nothing to install, and no hardware to maintain.

Cloud-based
Darlston's systems require no expensive hardware

Easy to add records

All of our systems are built to be as intuitive as possible. Adding simple records can be achieved as quickly and easily as adding rows to a table. More complicated records can be added via a guided interface that breaks the job down into multiple controlled steps.

Easy to add records
Add records without page refreshes and loading screens

Easy to edit records

As everything is based in the cloud, multiple people can do their work on the same job at the same time without any conflicts, duplicates, etc. Editing is easy and changes are reflected across all departments and employees and offices instantly.

Easy to edit records
Easy editing by simultaneously by multiple employees

Dashboards

Being able to visualise all your organisation's data across multiple departments and locations in one place can give business owners a fantastic means to assess employee, department and business performance. Decisions are that much easier to make where relevant data is presented to decision-makers in an intuitive and informative way. Will the business hit its monthly targets? How is the new sales team getting on? How productive is the customer service department? Dashboards provide instant feedback on all of this and more.

Dashboards
View all your data in beautiful and dynamic charts

Security

All of our systems use Salesforce as the underlying platform. Salesforce is an enterprise-grade cloud-based system used by some of the world's largest organisations such as Coca-Cola, UK Local Councils, O2, Phillips, GE, American Red Cross, Honda, etc. Any system we build for you will be built on the same secure, robust and reliable platform as these companies. Find out more at Salesforce Trust.

Security
Securely based on the world's leading enterprise CRM

Offline field sales and service

Many of our clients require access to their systems in offline environments such as in rural communities where there is no 3G signal. We can build a system which also works offline on the iPad. Data is synced to the iPad before going offline and any new or edited data, photos, mapping and documents are then synced back once the device returns to a connected area.

Offline field sales and service
Need mobile access without relying on 3G? No problem

Document Generation

Complicated mailshots? Contracts? Proposals and quotes? Bespoke charts and tables? Individually tailored documents filled with customer data? We can generate all documents with the click of a button. We have not yet found a document too complicated to automate and mail-merge. Challenge us!

Document Generation
We can generate individually customised documentation with the click of a button

Marketing

At Darlston, we believe that intelligent marketing can improve engagement and reduce costs. Our systems allow our clients to take advantage of a wealth of customer information and demographics when sending emails or mailshots. Combining personalisation with relevant messages based on a customer's behaviour can transform a business' ability to convert marketing investment into sales. Furthermore, our system can measure the success and ROI of each campaign allowing your business to make the best decisions when developing future marketing.

Marketing
Market intelligently with targeted and tailored email, SMS, event and mailshot campaigns

Sales Pipeline

The cofounders of Darlston have been responsible for sales at companies ranging from multi-national manufacturers to start-ups in the high-tech industry. We understand the challenges facing sales teams and our systems take the best-practice your business has developed and combines it with our deep understanding of how to use systems to manage, measure and drive sales processes. KPI driven targets, instant forecasting and pipeline reporting, automation of communications, instant feedback on the status of an opportunity - we can transform the effectiveness of your sales teams.

Sales Pipeline
Give your sales teams a complete understanding of their performance

Task management

All of our systems include a task management feature. Tasks can be created, delegated and completed. When your employees sign into the system, the first thing they see is all the tasks and meetings they need to complete today. Use reports and dashboards to highlight those who have a lot of tasks outstanding, or those who do not have enough to do.

Task management
Make sure your employees always know what to do now and next

Reporting

Easily create simple or advanced reports that can give you high or low level detail on everything being recorded in the system. Use this data to track company performance, segment customers, present information to the board, export and share data with an external partner, and lots more. Reporting is quick and easy to do using drag-and-drop tools. Reports can also be saved for future use.

Reporting
Create reports using simple drag-and-drop tools

Integrate with legacy systems

We have a lot of experience with integrating our systems with older databases that, whilst not ideal, cannot yet be dispensed with. This might include, a legacy finance system, EPOS system or any database stored on a server on your network. We can give life to this data by integrating it with our systems and allowing your new cloud-based applications to work alongside your legacy data.

Integrate with legacy systems
We use big-data techniques to integrate the new with the old

Mapping

At Darlston, we love using geography to aid decision making and to better organise any data that can be tied to an address. We implement into our systems maps that update live as you sort, filter and edit your data. Users can also use the maps to locate and open data such as that of your customers, suppliers, service agents and assets.

Mapping
Map all of your data on satellite or roadmap imagery

Journey planning

Be it for a series of field-sales visits, planning the route of a service vehicle, or estimating the journey time of a delivery lorry, our systems can plot routes and calculate the arrival-time, departure-time, and journey-time of each leg of the journey. This feature can increase the efficiency of remote employees and can be used to notify customers of the likely arrival time of a travelling agent.

Journey planning
Easily plot multi-location journeys

SMS Messages

Many of our customers, particularly charities, choose to keep in touch with their supporters or beneficiaries via text-message. For example, let's say you emailed your key supporters a survey to fill out, one week later you can select those who have not responded and send them all a text message reminding them to respond.

SMS Messages
Send text messages individually and in bulk

Mailchimp

We love Mailchimp for its ease-of-use, template design tools and effective email delivery engine. We can sync our system's contacts with your Mailchimp list allowing you to continue to use Mailchimp, or alternatively, we can send emails using Mailchimp's engine and their template tools but from within our system so that you can keep everything in one place.

Mailchimp
Use Mailchimp for emails and/or templates

Web Forms

Use web forms to enable visitors to your website to subscribe to emails, request product information, submit an application to fundraise, submit an application to become a volunteer, apply for a job, request a call-back - anything you can think of! Any submissions are instantly inserted into our CRM or ERP systems allowing your business to act on them quickly and effectively.

Web Forms
Forms on your website submit data directly to our systems

Internal Communication

Our systems can implement Salesforce's 'Chatter' feature which acts as an internal communications tool for all of your employees. Users can discuss opportunities, customer service issues, product changes, forecasts and any other subject using a secure tool that won't clutter up your email and will sit alongside the records and data being discussed.

Internal Communication
Internal chat, forums, files and intranet

Complex calculations

We can take all the logic you currently have implemented in Excel or elsewhere, and implement it in our systems automating what could otherwise be an insecure, error-prone and conflict producing system of managing multiple spreadsheets, versions, user copies, and all the other pain and hassle that comes from managing a business using Excel.

Complex calculations
All the calculations you are doing in Excel - without Excel!

No Spreadsheets!

Today, you may have tens or even hundreds of spreadsheets littered across many folders. Some of these files may be in folders on your computer or those of your employees. Some might be on a network computer and some might be in your company’s Dropbox account or even the personal Dropbox accounts of your employees. Often these files are named “Contacts List - version 2” or “Service Contracts - MASTER” or “Deals List - Sarah’s Copy”. We take all your spreadsheets, all your processes, and we turn them into an app for everyone in your business.

No Spreadsheets!
Manage your business using Excel? We can transform your business

Surveys

Darlston systems are regularly used to send out thousands of emails linking to surveys. Our clients want to survey their fundraisers, their customers, their suppliers - any contact in the system. Responses are stored directly in the system against the contact being surveyed so that you have their thoughts, opinions and data to hand when making decisions on an individual contact or in aggregate across all responses.

Surveys
Send surveys to your contacts and supporters

News

Darlston Wins UI Design Award

We're delighted to have won a UI design award from the lovely people over at Skuid who provide UI tools that work on top of Salesforce.

Remote Data Acquisition and Mapping

Darlston can implement mobile GIS tools which will allow for advanced geographical mapping and data acquisition, with all the data instantly available for further manipulation by office teams.

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Twitter

Tweets by @darlston

Helping our clients innovatedevelopgrow

Services

Bespoke Cloud Software CRM and ERP

Enterprise-Grade Salesforce Platform Development

Process Design, Automation and Management

GIS and Lead Acquisition Services

Sectors

We work across many industries, both for-profit and charity

Case Studies

Scotty's Little Soldiers

Terravesta

Features

One system, not several

Bespoke, not off-the-shelf

Cloud-based

Easy to add records

Easy to edit records

Dashboards

Security

Offline field sales and service

Document Generation

Marketing

Sales Pipeline

Task management

Reporting

Integrate with legacy systems

Mapping

Journey planning

SMS Messages

Mailchimp

Web Forms

Internal Communication

Complex calculations

No Spreadsheets!

Surveys

News

Darlston Wins UI Design Award

Remote Data Acquisition and Mapping

Twitter

Contact

Information

Services

Sectors

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Helping our clients innovate
develop
grow

Bespoke Cloud Software
CRM and ERP

Enterprise-Grade Salesforce
Platform Development

Process Design, Automation
and Management

GIS and Lead Acquisition
Services