Cost and time
What does a Pipedrive implementation cost?
Implementation projects typically run from 3,000 to 25,000 euro, depending on team size, data and integrations. Hourly consultants charge 90 to 150 euro. Licences are separate, per user per month.
How long does it take?
Two to three weeks for a team of five with clean data. Six to ten weeks for a team of twenty coming from another CRM. Data cleaning and internal decisions set the pace, not configuration.
How much of our own time does it need?
Plan twenty hours for a small project and considerably more for a migration. Someone must answer questions, make decisions and clean data. That work cannot be outsourced fully.
Are licences included in an implementation quote?
No. You buy licences from Pipedrive directly or through a partner. Implementation is a separate one off cost.
Scope and process
How many pipelines do we need?
Usually one. A second is justified when the sales steps genuinely differ, for example new business and renewals. Product, country and segment belong in fields, not in separate pipelines.
How many custom fields should we start with?
Eight to twelve on deals is a healthy start. Add a field only when a planned report needs it. Review after thirty days and delete what stayed empty.
Do we need automations from day one?
Only the safe ones. Follow up activities, idle deal reminders and defaults on creation. Wait a month before automating anything that emails a customer or changes ownership.
What reporting can we expect?
Pipeline value by stage, conversion per stage, won revenue by source, activity per user and average sales cycle. Define these before configuration, because they determine which fields you need.
Data and migration
Can we keep our history?
Most of it. Organisations, people, deals, notes and many activities move. Marketing email history and workflow logs usually stay in the old system. Set a cut off date rather than moving everything.
Will we get duplicates?
Only if you import without cleaning. Deduplicate people on email and organisations on domain in the export file, before the import. Fixing duplicates afterwards is far slower.
In what order should data be imported?
Users, then organisations, then people, then deals, then activities and notes. That order lets relations attach automatically.
Can we run both systems in parallel?
We advise against it. Two live systems create two versions of the truth and reps use the one they know. Freeze the old system and cut over in one moment.
Working with a partner
Can we implement Pipedrive ourselves?
Yes, when the process is simple, the data is clean and one person owns the project with time reserved. Pipedrive is designed to be configured without code.
What should a proposal contain?
A written process description, the pipelines and stages, a field list, a migration plan, the automations, named integrations, training hours and an aftercare period with a response time.
Can we maintain the setup after handover?
You should be able to. Ask for an administrator handover session and written documentation of every automation. If you cannot add a field yourself, you bought a dependency.
Do you work with teams outside the Netherlands?
Yes. This site serves teams across the European Union and the United Kingdom. Delivery is remote, in English, with a processing agreement in place under the GDPR.
Still unanswered
If your question is about your own situation rather than the general case, the Readiness Assessment is the fastest route. Ten questions, a score on screen, and written advice by email.
If you prefer to read first, start with implementation in 6 steps and what it costs.