Configuring Bitrix24 CRM
After activating Bitrix24 CRM works in "default" mode — with standard pipelines, pre-configured fields, and generic statuses. For most businesses this doesn't fit: sales stages are different, fields are unnecessary, needed ones are missing, responsibilities aren't assigned.
CRM configuration is aligning the system with your company's actual sales process.
CRM Operating Mode: With Leads or Without
The first decision — enable or disable leads. Bitrix24 has two modes:
- With leads: incoming requests go into leads, are qualified, then converted into contact + company + deal.
- Without leads (simple mode): each request becomes a contact and deal directly.
The mode is selected in CRM → Settings → Other Settings → CRM Mode. Switching doesn't delete existing data but changes the interface and processing logic.
Recommendation: leads are needed if incoming volume is large and requires initial qualification. For B2B with a small flow — often simpler without leads.
Pipelines and Stages
A pipeline is a sequence of statuses (stages) that a deal goes through. Configured in CRM → Settings → Stages and Pipelines.
Common mistakes when setting up a pipeline:
- Too many stages (15+) — managers stop moving them.
- Ambiguous names: "In Progress", "Under Discussion" — unclear what needs to be done at this stage.
- No terminal statuses for failed deals — no understanding of where customers are lost.
A good pipeline: 5–8 stages, each representing an action or decision. For example: "Contact Established" → "Proposal Sent" → "Proposal Agreed" → "Contract Signed" → "Payment Received".
Create separate pipelines for different sales directions — new sales and repeat sales have different stages.
CRM Fields
A deal, contact, or lead by default has dozens of fields. Most are unnecessary. The task: keep needed ones, hide unnecessary ones, add business-specific ones.
Field configuration: CRM → Settings → Fields. Each entity type (lead, deal, contact, company) is configured separately.
Custom fields are created with types: text, number, dropdown (enum), date, linkage to CRM items, file. A "user link" field is convenient for designating a curator or secondary responsible person.
CRM Card — a separate configuration section. Determines which fields and in what order the manager sees. You can create multiple cards for different roles.
Access Rights
In Bitrix24 CRM, rights are configured through roles: CRM → Settings → Access Rights.
Basic roles: manager sees only their clients, supervisor — all in their department, director — all. Configured in detail: you can allow viewing but prohibit editing or deletion.
For advanced scenarios — rights configuration through departments: each department sees only its own clients.
Required Fields and Validation
To ensure managers fill in needed information — fields are made required. You can't change a stage or save the card without filling them.
Configured through "Required Fields on Stage Change" — you can set different required fields for different transitions. For example, moving to "Proposal Sent" requires email; moving to "Contract" requires company tax ID.
Sources and Channels
In CRM → Settings → Sources you configure lead sources: website, call, advertisement, referral. When integrating with forms, ad accounts, or telephony, the source is set automatically.
Configuring basic CRM for a company up to 20 people takes 1–2 working days: process audit, pipeline setup, fields, rights, robots, and testing.