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Case Study
From Co-Working Chaos to Scalable Sales System: True North Space's CRM Story
How ZoFlowX transformed a growing co-working space from spreadsheet chaos to a scalable, inventory-driven CRM system
Overview
True North Space is a fast growing co-working space provider in Tamil Nadu, with flexible seating options, dedicated desks, private cabins and long term office leases for Startups, SMEs and Freelancers.
Their challenge wasn't finding customers - it was how to control growth and not lose control. Demand was high but their systems couldn't cope.
The Challenge
Before Zoho CRM, operations at True North Space looked chaotic:
- No single source of truth - Leads were coming from calls, whatsapp, walk-ins and ads but there was no central place to track them all
- Spreadsheet inventory management - Seat and cabin availability was tracked manually in spreadsheets which were constantly out of date
- Zero accountability - Sales executives could view and edit all leads, which made it impossible to know who was responsible for what
- Missed follow-ups - Without being reminded, follow ups relied entirely on individual memory
- No renewal tracking - They had no visibility of lease durations or upcoming renewals and future availability
Growth was occurring but the control was slipping away quickly.
The Objective
Our objective was to transform chaos to control. We needed to centralize all our inquiries and sales activity in one place, seats, cabin & offices tracking like inventory, and eliminate manual tracking, which was the reason for lost follow-ups.
The system needed to provide clarity of accountability across the sales team and build to scale as True North grew into new locations. This was not just about implementing a CRM - this was about building a system that could handle real estate operations, not just sales conversations.
The Solution
We did not implement Zoho CRM as a simple sales tool. Instead we designed it as a real estate and inventory management system tailored for co-working spaces. Here's what we did:
Custom CRM Structure for Co-Working Operations
We developed customized modules for Seats, Cabins, and Offices in Zoho CRM - we were not thinking of them as sales opportunities, but as inventory. Each type of asset was tracked by a separate module that was linked to Leads and Deals via relationships. This provided True North with real-time visibility into what's available, what's occupied and what's coming up for renewal.
Blueprint-Controlled Sales Process
We developed a step-by-step Blueprint that the sales teams need to follow. There are to be no shortcuts, no skipping steps. The flow: Inquiry > Site Visit > Negotiation > Lease Signed > Active Tenant. At each stage, the system adopts the enforcement of required fields, actions needed before proceeding, and clear follow through steps.
Lease and Renewal Tracking System
We built automatic tracking on lease start and end dates, number of seats and pricing details, automated reminders sent before a lease expires, and follow-up tasks assigned to sales and operations teams. Now True North knows exactly when leases are up for renewal and can proactively reach out.
Role-Based Access and Visibility Rules
We put into strict permissions to provide accountability: Sales executives see nothing but their own leads, managers get complete visibility across the team, and standardized Junk and Spam Lead Dispositions. This removed the issue of everybody accessing everything and ownership of each lead was clear.
Implementation Screenshots
A visual walkthrough of the CRM system we built for True North Space
True North Co Zoho CRM leads list view showing centralized lead management, sources and owners
True North Co Zoho CRM deal record displaying payment pending stage with contact and closing details
True North Co CRM lead requirement details capturing company type, seats, city and visit availability
True North Co partner spaces module in Zoho CRM listing coworking locations and partner inventory records
True North Co Zoho CRM sales blueprint workflow mapping enquiry to quotation, agreement and onboarding
True North Co Zoho CRM lead visit scheduling stage with space visit actions and follow up tracking
True North Co Zoho CRM deal module showing space requirements, pricing and agreement information
True North Co lead management lifecycle flow from enquiry and qualification to site visit and conversion
What Made This Different
We didn't just set up a CRM. We created a system that was designed around the availability of physical space and not just contact management.
Key differentiators:
- CRM based on Actual Inventory (Seats, cabins, offices)
- Spreadsheets eliminated completely
- Process adoption forced through Blueprints - not optional
- System developed to be usable without intensive training
The end result is a CRM that operates the way co-working businesses are actually operated.
The Results and Impact
Before Implementation
- Manual tracking in several spreadsheets
- Follow-ups that are entirely reliant on individual memory
- No visibility to upcoming renewals
- High operational friction and constant fire fighting
- Sales team having all leads, no clear ownership
- Growth taking place but control slipping away
After Implementation
- One centralised system for both sales and operations
- Zero follow-ups missed - system takes care of reminders automatically
- Predictable Renewal Pipeline and Advance Visibility
- Observability of accountability with role-based access
- Ready to scale to multiple locations without making changes to the system
- Sales team focused on closing deals, not dealing with data
True North went from just barely keeping up with growth to being able to confidently and easily scale across new locations.
Conclusion
True North Space has shown that growing fast doesn't have to mean chaos in the way the business operates. With the right system that is based on the way your business actually works, you can scale without losing control. If your business is growing but your systems are holding you back, then it's time to fix that.