An Airtable CRM alternative for lifestyle concierge firms
Airtable lets a capable operator build almost any system, and many boutique concierge firms have built their CRM in it. The question is whether you want to keep building and maintaining that CRM yourself.
The short version
Airtable is a no-code app builder. Its own site describes automations, interfaces, portals for outside guests, role-based permissions and audit logs. In the right hands it becomes a tidy CRM: a members table linked to requests, a vendors table with rates, a few automations that post reminders.
The catch is that you own every part of it. Someone designed the fields, wrote the commission formula and set up the automation that copies emails into a table. When that person leaves or gets busy, the base drifts. Fields get added for one member and never used again, the commission rollup breaks quietly, and passport scans end up as attachments that nobody tracks for expiry. Conversations with members still happen in inboxes and on phones, outside the base.
MyRolodex is the version you don’t have to build. Member profiles, requests with owners and status, vendor rates and commission, billing and an encrypted document vault are part of the product, and email and texts sync onto the right member on their own. You give up Airtable’s open-ended flexibility, and in return nobody on your team has to be the CRM’s maintainer.
Side by side, for concierge work
| What you need | Airtable | MyRolodex |
|---|---|---|
| What you start with | A blank base or a template you shape yourself | Members, requests, vendors and billing, ready to use |
| Member preferences, family and loyalty numbers | Fields you design and keep consistent | Part of every member profile |
| Emails and texts with members | Possible through integrations or automations you build | Synced from staff’s own Gmail, Outlook, iPhone and Android |
| Commission per booking | A formula or rollup you build and maintain | Logged on each booking and reported by vendor |
| Billing and payments | Usually handled in a separate tool | Dues by tier, cards on file, auto-pay and export to QuickBooks or Xero |
| Passports and cards | Attachments in a base; expiry reminders are yours to build | Encrypted vault with every view logged and expiry dates tracked |
| Something for members to use | Interfaces and portals you design | White-label member app on iPhone, Android and the web |
| Flexibility for unusual workflows | Very high; you can model almost anything | Focused on concierge and lifestyle management |
| Who keeps it working | Whoever built the base | We do |
When Airtable is the better choice
If you have an operations person who enjoys building systems and has the time to maintain one, Airtable can serve a concierge firm well. It is especially strong when your workflows are unusual, such as a firm that also runs property projects or event production with their own tracking needs.
It also makes sense to stay if your base is mature, your team trusts it, and the gaps are small. Airtable is a capable platform, and a well-run base beats a new system nobody adopts. MyRolodex is the better fit when the base has become something one person understands and everyone else works around.
Moving from Airtable to MyRolodex
- 1
Export each table
Download your members, vendors and recent requests tables as CSV files. Linked records export as names, which is enough for us to reconnect members, families and vendors.
- 2
Map your fields
We map your fields onto MyRolodex with you. Most custom fields, such as dietary notes, seating preferences or loyalty numbers, already have a home on the member profile.
- 3
Connect email and phones
Each person on the team connects their Gmail or Outlook and their phone. Incoming emails and texts are routed to the right member and request without an automation to maintain.
- 4
Archive the base
Keep the base read-only for reference while new requests run in MyRolodex. Move attachments like passport scans into the vault, then remove them from Airtable.
MyRolodex vs Airtable: common questions
Anything else, write to hello@myrolodexcrm.com.
Can we import our Airtable base?
Yes. Export each table as a CSV and we help you map the fields onto member, request and vendor records. Linked records come across by name, so families and vendor relationships can be reconnected during import.
Isn’t Airtable already a CRM?
Airtable can be shaped into one, and many small firms do exactly that. The difference is that you design and maintain it. MyRolodex starts with concierge concepts like member preferences, request ownership, vendor commission and document expiry already in place.
Will we lose our automations?
The ones that exist to keep a homemade CRM in sync usually aren’t needed. Incoming emails and texts are routed to the right member and request automatically, and commission is logged on each booking. Automations for other parts of your business can stay in Airtable.
Can we keep using Airtable for other work?
Yes. Plenty of teams keep Airtable for projects outside member service. MyRolodex only needs to be where members, requests, vendors and billing live.
How does pricing compare?
Airtable has its own plans, and a homemade CRM also costs the time of whoever maintains it. MyRolodex pricing is custom to your team and how you work. Book a walkthrough and we’ll put together a quote.
Ready to see how MyRolodex compares with Airtable for your team?
Or write to hello@myrolodexcrm.com