Chapter 1 · Choosing Zoho
Do I need a Zoho consultant?
You can do it yourself. Here’s when it pays not to.
Maybe you don’t know what you don’t know. Maybe you’re tired of doing it yourself and want expert advice. Or maybe you know exactly what you need and just don’t have the time to implement it. We’re here for all three.
We are Zoho consultants — Zoho ONE certified and a Zoho Advanced Solutions Provider — which means we know almost all of the Zoho apps. We can work as your expert to sort through your options, act as project manager and simply take it over, or work collaboratively: you handle some things and we handle the others. We start with a discovery meeting, then plan the project from there (our five-step process).
Some clients like to look over our shoulders while we customize, so they can see how it’s done and understand the logic of the design. And if training is what you’re after, we’ve been training end users since 1987 and wrote the guides. Our goal is for clients to become their own administrators: self-sufficient.
What does it cost?
We recommend talking with a consultant before jumping right into services, unless you have an emergent tech support issue.
- Retainers$825 – $7,000+Depends on the number of hours you’d like to purchase and the consultant assigned to you based on your needs. Ask us for details.
- Trainingusually around $550For the company, regardless of the number of attendees. Adoption is part keystrokes and part knowing which elements matter to your company.
- Projects$2,500 – $20,000+Depends on your needs. Project clients get a free gift: a copy of Susan’s Zoho CRM QuickStudy Guide and other helpful guides for your team.
- Support contractsfrom $5k / 6 monthsFor existing clients who have had several retainers with us or completed at least one project.
- Bonus$25 Amazon gift cardFor paid Zoho users who tag us as their partner. Tag Cornerstone as your Zoho partner ↗
Free resources for getting started
- Zoho CRM’s own free help: upper-right corner, under Tools, Contact Support, Chat with us. Their team usually answers live chat within a minute or two. Be as clear as you can, and use Zoho’s terms.
- How-to videos on YouTube — or straight to our channel.
- Our blog, and the Zoho Tips emails.
- A couple of free cheat sheets to learn the product faster.
- If you’re just getting started, free customizations for your Zoho CRM account. Really, free.
WHY
Your time is the expensive part.
Who should set up your Zoho?
 |
Zoho’s own onboarding | A generalist IT agency | Doing it yourself (YouTube + help docs) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Explains why, not just which click | The reason behind each option | Feature walk-throughs | Depends on the person | Whatever the video covers |
| Works only in Zoho | Zoho-only since 2011 | It’s their product | Many platforms | — |
| Wrote the Zoho CRM and Zoho ONE QuickStudy Guides | Yes | No | No | No |
| Lowest out-of-pocket cost | Retainers from $825 | Varies by plan | Hourly rates | Doing it yourself wins this one |
| Your hours spent learning | Ours | Some | Some | All of them |
We could use some expert help
Susan ClarkFounder & CEO
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Ask us why.
Tell us what you’re trying to get Zoho to do, and we’ll tell you which app, which setting, and why. The form goes straight into our own Zoho CRM, and a person answers it.
Ziggy answers in the chat bubble, any hour.
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