WhatsApp as the primary interface
The temptation was to build a web portal with WhatsApp as a notification channel. We rejected this. The product had to live inside WhatsApp itself — because that is where the salesperson's attention already is. Every feature was evaluated against one question: does this require leaving WhatsApp?
Rationale: UAE sales teams do not switch tools mid-conversation. If the CRM requires a context switch, it will not be used. The product had to live where the work happens.
Trade-off accepted: WhatsApp API limitations constrain some UI patterns — accepted in exchange for zero context-switching for the end user.
AI-triggered follow-up
Silence detection with configurable threshold. When a deal has been inactive for N days, the system sends a personalised follow-up — not a template blast. The AI generates context-aware messages based on the last conversation thread.
Rationale: Generic follow-up templates have low response rates. A message that references the specific conversation context performs significantly better. The AI generates this from the conversation history rather than from a static template.
Trade-off accepted: Slightly higher per-message cost from AI generation in exchange for meaningfully higher response rates.
Session memory across conversations
Conversation context preserved across sessions. The salesperson can pick up a conversation after two weeks and the system knows the deal stage, the last touchpoint, and the next suggested action.
Rationale: Deals in UAE often span weeks or months. A CRM that loses context between sessions forces the salesperson to re-read entire conversation histories. Session memory eliminates this.
Trade-off accepted: Higher storage requirements for conversation state in exchange for seamless continuity across sessions.