Item: Quickbase
Rating: 10
Author: Ben Tiggelaar

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

QuickBase is very flexible and can be used in a variety of business use cases. We started off using the system as a typical CRM but then started to add other modules and workflow components. The customization Is really what makes this product special. Every business is unique and if you want to spend the time to model out your own workflows, automate tasks, and have data stored in one place, then QuickBase might be a good solution.

Pros and Cons

Support response is phenomenal
Create your own workflows
Reasonably priced HIPAA compliant solution
Continuously adding functionality and features (automations are one of their main objectives this year)

More integrations and ones that out of the box solve immediate business needs (ex: Mailchimp, keep a list of newsletter audience bidirectionally up-to-date)
Mobile view/app is still terrible as the system has been built for desktop (lots of data rows)
More examples of truly complex (best practices) applications for easier planning of development

Ease of Building Custom Applications

It’s been a fit for us and we have found value in it. We do set aside time to create features within the system that will ultimately reduce cost or save time in some way. We have gone through a few consultants who have worked on an hourly basis who have been helpful in achieving our vision.

Alternatives Considered

Zoho CRM

I was comparing QuickBase to standard CRMs. QuickBase has customization creatures that I was seeking to store all my business data in one place and also hopefully build automations to help me run my business better. I am not entirely there yet but it is continually a work in progress.

Goals with Quickbase

Building and deploying business applications faster
Improving our ability to drive insights from our data
Improving collaboration across one or more teams
Solving a specific business challenge
Building and deploying an application (or multiple applications) that meets our exact needs

We have not achieved our desired outcomes yet. They lack features to truly connect and automate different systems that are required to function our business outside of QuickBase. We are going to be investing time in mapping our desired functionality and building it out internally. This takes time and money but we think there is value and a good chance of positive outcome.

Ease of Updating Applications

It’s a nightmare for someone without 50+ hours of experience in using QuickBase to make any structural or basic changes to the application. The system allows users to change and edit certain things but is user friendly, but anything past that requires someone who truly understands the platform otherwise the results could be catastrophic.

Likelihood to Recommend

It can be used in a variety of business types and sizes. I’ve seen larger organizations use QuickBase and also as a small healthcare business we have found its benefits as well. You need someone with some form of technical skill, or you simply won’t get that extra value that is inherent in customizing workflows. You may have to budget a consultant if you don’t have anyone in-house, which can be expensive. Routine maintenance, feature adds, etc. are a necessary part of QuickBase to ensure it’s being used at its full potential. These costs might even be greater than the subscription itself, but it’s where you will drive most of the value and opportunity.

QuickBase for a growing small healthcare company

Overall Satisfaction with Quick Base