Overview
Summerfield Resources Corp, a real estate developer specializing in horizontal residential communities across Metro Manila, faced operational inefficiencies due to heavily manual, paper-based processes. As projects scaled, lost documents, slow approvals, and limited visibility between on-site teams and headquarters became major bottlenecks. Devtac implemented a fully customized Zoho CRM solution to centralize project data, streamline procurement and billing, and provide real-time project visibility. As a result, Summerfield significantly improved efficiency, cost control, and overall project management.
Executive Summary
Summerfield Resources Corp is a Philippine-based real estate development company focused on building horizontal residential communities in various locations across Metro Manila. As their portfolio of projects expanded, the company needed a more reliable and scalable system to manage construction activities, procurement, and billing while maintaining visibility across teams working both on-site and in the head office.
Operating with growing volumes of project data and documentation, Summerfield recognized the need to move away from manual processes toward a centralized, cloud-based platform that could support collaboration, transparency, and operational efficiency—especially during the height of the pandemic.
Problem Statement and Key Challenges
Prior to implementing Zoho CRM, Summerfield relied on a legacy, manual system where project records, purchase requests, and approvals were documented on paper. As the number of active projects increased, this approach became increasingly inefficient and risky.
A major challenge was the frequent loss of documents during physical transfers between construction sites and the head office. This resulted in missing records, delayed approvals, and difficulty tracking requests and materials. Misalignment between on-site engineers and the project management team also became common, often leading to fault-finding and disputes over missing or unverified information.
Without a centralized system, monitoring project progress, procurement status, and bills of materials was time-consuming and prone to error, directly affecting productivity and decision-making.
Evaluation of the Problem
Devtac conducted a detailed assessment of Summerfield’s existing workflows, focusing on construction tracking, procurement, inventory, and billing processes. Our team identified key process gaps caused by manual documentation, lack of real-time visibility, and disconnected communication between on-site and HQ teams.
Based on this evaluation, Devtac determined that a customized Zoho CRM implementation—with tailored modules and automated workflows—would best address Summerfield’s need for centralized data management, real-time monitoring, and scalable project controls.
Proposed Solution
Devtac designed and implemented a customized Zoho CRM system tailored specifically to Summerfield’s real estate development operations. The solution provided a complete, bird’s-eye view of projects—from unit construction to readiness for occupancy.
Key solution components included:
- Custom CRM modules to manage projects, units, procurement, warehouse, and inventory
- Specialized procurement workflows allowing on-site engineers to submit purchase requests directly through the CRM
- Automated approval routing to purchasing teams and management
- Real-time project progress updates linked to individual unit records
- Budget tracking based on unit type, with material and labor costs monitored per milestone
- Native Zoho CRM Product and Purchase Order modules for standardized purchasing
- Custom Warehouse and Inventory modules with automated stock updates based on delivery receipts and withdrawal slips
By customizing the CRM to match Summerfield’s exact requirements, all construction, procurement, and post-construction data became centralized, searchable, and report-ready.
“Devtac is flexible in price. They do not have the ‘fly-by-night’ feel and they respond quickly to our queries. Everything is well stated in the contract. Walter is a big help in assisting us with all our needs. Just to let you know we are so happy with Zoho and your team’s service to us! Big help to the company. Can’t believe we made this during the height of the pandemic and online too! Looking back, the CRM has helped us so much in efficiency.” — Desiree Ho, Project Director
Implementation
The Zoho CRM solution was implemented entirely online during the height of the pandemic, demonstrating both Devtac’s efficiency and adaptability. Despite the complexity of real estate construction workflows, the implementation was completed smoothly through close collaboration with Summerfield’s team.
Devtac ensured that data migration, module customization, workflow automation, and user onboarding were handled with minimal disruption to ongoing operations. Any process adjustments required during implementation were promptly addressed to align the system with real-world construction practices.
“Looking back, the CRM has helped us so much in efficiency.” — Desiree Ho, Project Director
Results
Following the implementation of Zoho CRM, Summerfield experienced significant improvements in operational efficiency, cost control, and project visibility.
- Project Management
- The Project Director and HQ team can now oversee all projects online, with every process meticulously tracked in real time through Zoho CRM.
- Bill of Materials Control
- Each unit now has a clearly defined bill of materials within the system, preventing over-purchasing and ensuring tighter cost management.
- Reporting and Visibility
- Zoho CRM’s reporting capabilities allow the team to track purchase orders, project statuses, billing milestones, and overall company activities with ease, enabling faster and more informed decision-making.
Overall, the shift from manual processes to a customized Zoho CRM empowered Summerfield to manage growing projects more effectively, improve accountability across teams, and maintain operational continuity even during challenging conditions.
