Comparison
Spreadsheets, general-purpose CRMs and a purpose-built one
All three can be the right answer under the right conditions. The table below is not a sales exercise — it sets out what each option genuinely does on each criterion.
| Criterion | Excel & spreadsheets | General-purpose CRM | MoonCRM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patient record and history | One row per patient; no message history | Contact record exists; clinical fields need customising | Patient card, files and full interaction history built in |
| Permissions | File-level only; no field restrictions | Role-based permissions are usually strong | Role-based permissions plus status visibility by role |
| Audit logging | Limited version history, no audit trail | Available in most products, varies by plan | Field-level old and new values logged with timestamps |
| None; chats stay on personal phones | Possible through third-party apps or integration | Multi-session inbox, templates and chat built in | |
| Dental treatment chart | Written as a free-text note, no standard | Buildable with custom fields, designed by you | Treatment mapped tooth by tooth, ready to use |
| Post-treatment review and warranty tracking | A column is added, rarely kept up to date | Can be modelled as a task workflow | Trustpilot, Google Maps, survey and warranty fields built in |
| Hotel and transfer operations | Tracked by hand on a separate sheet | Not included; needs custom module development | Hotels, transfers and a daily ops list included |
| Doctor and supplier management | Kept as a list, not linked to records | Buildable with custom objects | Doctor, hotel, transfer and service records ready to use |
| Meta and TikTok lead integration | Download the CSV and paste manually | Often native or available as an add-on | Meta and TikTok lead forms connect directly |
| Consultant funnel report | Possible with pivot tables, fed by hand | Powerful reporting; the model is yours to design | Contact, service, sale and cancellation rates ready |
| Duplicate detection | None; the same patient is entered repeatedly | Usually available, needs rules defined | Duplicate records flagged and counted automatically |
| Mobile access | Files open but are painful to work with | A mobile app is usually provided | Mobile-friendly access through the browser |
| Backups | Left to the individual user | Handled regularly by the provider | Regular automated backups included in the plan |
| Data when staff leave | A copied file can walk out the door | Access revoked, records stay in the system | Access revoked; portfolio and chats handed over |
| Time to get running | Immediate — just open the file | Sector adaptation can take weeks to months | Days, including migration and training |
| Sector-specific fields | Add a column; no validation behind it | Possible via custom fields, designed by you | Companion, room type, flight code, dental chart ready |
| Partner and doctor access | No option beyond sharing the file | Limited users possible, licence cost rises | Partner role sees only their own cases |
| Cost structure | Free on paper; hidden cost in lost patients | User licences plus consultancy and customisation | Subscription including setup, migration and training |
So which one is right for you?
Giving everyone the same answer would not be honest. These three situations should help you decide realistically.
When a spreadsheet is enough
If you handle a handful of enquiries a month with one or two people, a spreadsheet genuinely is enough. It costs nothing, needs no training, and at low volume the room for error stays manageable. The threshold is the moment someone starts asking “who spoke to this patient?” Once that question comes up regularly, the spreadsheet is no longer carrying the process.
When a general-purpose CRM is the right call
If medical tourism is only one arm of your business, if you already have a company-wide CRM standard, or if you have an in-house technical team to model the system, a general-purpose CRM makes sense. You get a wide app ecosystem and mature reporting. In return you design hotels, transfers and companions yourself — which carries both a build cost and an ongoing maintenance burden.
When a purpose-built CRM is needed
If international patients are your main business, several consultants work the same pool, and you run the hotel and transfer operation yourself after the sale, a sector-specific CRM saves real time. Having dental charts, two-visit treatments, flight and pickup details and post-treatment follow-up ready on day one removes a months-long adaptation project from the agenda.
Frequently asked questions
Our team knows medical tourism operations inside out. Let’s review your process together in a 15-minute call.
All questions Is migrating from spreadsheets difficult?
Your existing files are imported as CSV or Excel and we handle the field mapping during onboarding. The hard part is rarely the data itself — it is standardising your stages and lost reasons, and we work through that with you.
We already use a CRM. Can we bring our data?
Yes. If you can export from your current system, patient records, notes and core history can be migrated. We agree in the transition plan which fields move across and what stays as archive.
Could we not just customise a general-purpose CRM?
Technically you can reach much of the same place. The difference shows in time and continuity: beyond the initial build cost, every platform update brings maintenance. In a purpose-built product, maintaining those concepts is the vendor’s job.
Does MoonCRM fully replace a general-purpose CRM?
For medical tourism operations, yes. What we do not offer is the very large third-party app marketplace generic platforms have, and we may not be the right tool for business lines outside this sector — we will say so plainly on the call.
Compare it against your own process
Rather than reading a table, see your own flow on screen. In the demo we discuss the difference against your current system in concrete terms.