Folk CRM (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Embrace Yet Another Database)

Finding the right CRM is like dating in your thirties - everyone seems the same on paper, they all promise to change your life, and most of them end up being glorified spreadsheets with commitment issues. But holy crap, I might have actually found something that doesn’t make me want to throw my MacBook out the window.

Last Saturday, while normal people were having brunch or living actual lives, I was tip-toeing through the aisles at the CRM Store. My homegrown system was working about as well as moving a pile of sand with tweezers - sure, it technically got data from one place to another, but the constant copy-paste ritual was slowly eroding my will to live.

Enter folk (yes, all lowercase, because apparently capital letters are so 2023).

The Pipeline Situation: Less Chaos, More Kanban

Here’s the beautiful thing about folk’s pipelines - they actually make sense. Create a group (Design Partners, Customers, Investors), and boom, instant Kanban board that doesn’t look like it was designed by someone who learned UX from a cereal box.

The kicker? Different pipelines for different groups. Because managing investors the same way you manage customers is like using the same playlist for both workouts and dinner parties - technically possible, but socially questionable.

Dashboards That Don’t Suck

Remember when dashboards were just walls of numbers that made you feel simultaneously informed and deeply confused? Folk said “eff that noise” and made them actually configurable. Different dashboards for different groups, each with their own goals and KPIs. Revolutionary? Maybe not. But refreshingly not terrible? Absolutely.

Data Capture: Where the Magic Actually Happens

Alright, this is where I got genuinely excited (and yes, I realize how sad that sounds). The data capture and enrichment features are like having a really competent assistant who doesn’t judge you for wearing the same hoodie three days in a row.

LinkedIn Integration That Doesn’t Make You Want to Scream

1. Install their Chrome extension (folkX, because everything needs an X apparently)
2. Visit any LinkedIn profile
3. Click the magical button that appears
4. Watch as it pulls in actual useful data

And here’s the beautiful part - it enriches profiles with email addresses and phone numbers. You get 500 per month, which is either plenty or pathetically insufficient depending on how aggressive your outreach game is. Company profiles work the same way. It’s almost suspiciously simple.

The Email Situation: A Mixed Bag of Joy and Rage

Folk plays nice with Gmail (because, of course it does), or you can use their SendGrid integration if you’re one of those weirdos who doesn’t use Gmail (hi, it’s me, I’m the weirdo).

If you’re not comfortable with DNS, setting up SendGrid is about as fun as assembling IKEA furniture with a hangover. Once you add some CNAME records, SPF and DKIM get configured automatically. DMARC? That’s your problem, friend.

Want drip campaigns? That’ll be $50/month for Premium. I’m sticking with Standard at $25 because my email game is basic and I’m okay with that. They offer 20% off annual plans, but committing to a CRM feels like getting a new tattoo - probably fine, but maybe wait a bit?

Integration Nation (Population: Mostly Zapier)

Folk claims 5,000 integrations. Reality check: about two dozen are native, the rest require Zapier to play middleman. It’s like saying you speak 5,000 languages when really you just have Google Translate bookmarked. But hey, there’s an API if you want to get your hands dirty.

The Desktop App Nobody Asked For (But I Love)

There’s a Mac app for those who think browser tabs are the enemy. It’s probably Electron or Tauri, which means it’s basically a browser pretending to be an app, but sometimes we all need to live our delusions.

The Bottom Line (And My Inevitable Rant)

Here’s the thing about CRMs – they’re all just databases wearing different outfits. Folk happens to be wearing something that doesn’t make me want to gouge my eyes out. The UX actually makes sense, which in the CRM world is like finding a unicorn that also does your taxes.

But can we talk about the Gmail monopoly for a hot second? These companies act like SMTP and IMAP are some arcane dark arts instead of STANDARD FUCKING PROTOCOLS. “Oh, we integrate with Gmail!” Cool, so does literally everyone else. You know what would be revolutionary? Supporting email standards that have existed since the dawn of the internet. But no, let’s just keep feeding the Google beast because thinking is hard.

Wrapping Up: Folk is good. Really good, actually. It does what it promises without making you feel like you need a PhD in Database Management. Is it perfect? Hell no. But it’s the first CRM that hasn’t made me question my life choices within the first few days of use.

If you’re still using spreadsheets or some Frankenstein’s monster of a homegrown system (no judgment, we’ve all been there), folk might be worth your Saturday afternoon. Just be prepared for the SendGrid setup if you’re a Gmail rebel like me.

A CRM system is just a tool. But sometimes, finding a tool that doesn’t actively hate you makes all the difference.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have 500 LinkedIn profiles to enrich this month, and they’re not going to stalk themselves.