Simple Mobile CRM - FAQ
1. Start Here: The "Magic" Setup
What is Simple Mobile CRM? Simple Mobile CRM is a small CRM built around your email. Instead of a heavy, complex database, think of it as a cross-platform note tool. You can write a note in Chrome (using Simple Gmail Notes), see it on your phone (using the Mobile App), and access it in your Gmail side panel (using the Gmail Add-on).
There are four pieces to this ecosystem, and you don't need all of them. Pick whichever match how you work. All four share the same account and the same data — meaning a note you write in the SGN extension shows up in the mobile app and on the Gmail add-on's side panel, and vice versa.
The Core Ecosystem
| Piece | What it is | Where you use it | Plan needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile app | iOS / Android app for notes + emails (and a few extras like contacts/todos that most users don't touch). | Your phone | Free or paid |
| CRM Website | Web version of the same CRM. | Any browser | Free or paid |
| SGN Chrome extension | "Simple Gmail Notes" - adds a note field below every email and shows team-note labels right in your Gmail inbox list. | Chrome on desktop | Free or paid |
| Gmail add-on | A side panel inside Gmail (web + mobile) where you read and write notes for the email you're currently viewing. | Gmail web + Gmail mobile | Paid only (basic CRM subscription or higher) |
💡 The most common setup: Install the SGN Chrome extension on your laptop, plus the mobile app on your phone. About 90% of users land here. The SGN extension is free, runs right inside Gmail, and (uniquely) shows note labels directly in the inbox list view, which is the deciding factor for most people.
Why are there two Gmail integrations? (SGN extension vs. Gmail add-on)
Both integrations can read AND write notes. The difference is where you can see them and what they cost:
| Feature | SGN Chrome extensionSGN Chrome extension | Gmail add-onGmail add-on |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Chrome on desktop | Gmail web + Gmail mobile |
| Notes visible in the inbox list? | Yes, you see a label next to every email that has a note. | No, you have to open the email first. |
| Plan needed | Free or paid | Paid only |
| Install difficulty | Easy | Tricky (Chrome profile pitfall, see below) |
That inbox-list visibility is the deciding factor for most people, which is why about 90% of users use the SGN extension as their main Gmail touchpoint. Many would prefer the add-on (because it lives inside the official Gmail app on mobile, which feels more native), but the list-view gap pushes them back to SGN or to the CRM mobile app, which also shows notes in its list views.
2. Daily Workflows: Capture & Recall
How do I capture and write notes across devices? You can capture a note wherever you are reading your email:
- On your laptop: Use the Simple Gmail Notes (SGN) Chrome extension.
- On your phone: Open the Mobile App to add a note directly to any synced email.
- Inside official Gmail: Use the Gmail Add-on side panel (requires paid subscription) to read or write notes while viewing an email.
How do I find my notes when I need them? Finding context right before a call or email reply is easy. You can use the search bar in the Mobile App or CRM Website, view the unified timeline of your notes, or simply open the email in Gmail (with the SGN extension or Add-on installed) to see the note attached directly to the thread.
How does email sync work? Our system uses a background sync to fetch the emails you need. For most users, syncing is automatic and frequent, ensuring your mobile app and web dashboard match your Gmail inbox.
3. Working with a Team (Premium)
Team collaboration is one of the main reasons people upgrade to a paid plan. If you're using the product solo, you can skip this section.
How do I invite a teammate? You can invite teammates from your account settings. Once they accept the invitation and sign in, they will be linked to your team workspace.
How does Team Note sharing work? When you write a "Team Note," it becomes visible to your colleagues. Note on matching logic: To ensure everyone sees the note on the correct email, we use "fuzzy match" logic across team accounts, linking notes based on the email subject and internal date. Occasionally, automated emails with the exact same subject might group together.
How do I share a single note with a teammate? If you don't want to share an entire contact's history, you can write a specific note on a single email and choose the team visibility option.
How do I @mention a teammate? Simply type @ followed by your teammate's name in a team note. This pushes a notification directly to their phone, deep-linking them exactly to the email and note that requires their attention.
4. Advanced CRM Features (Optional Power-Ups)
These features exist for users who want to level up from simple notes to relationship tracking, but most users never touch them.
Tracking Contacts & Automatic Sync If you choose to "follow" a contact in the CRM, all future emails with that person are automatically tracked and pushed to your mobile device via background sync, keeping a complete historical record. (Note: This automatic background sync requires the Mobile App to be installed and properly configured on your device; it cannot be done via the backend or website alone).
Setting Up To-Dos & Reminders You can create actionable To-Dos directly from an email. These can include reminders that sync to your phone's calendar with alarms, so you never miss a follow-up. Once you finish the task, you can mark the To-Do as "Done" to complete it and cancel the alarm.
Delegated Email Access for Assistants This is a subscriber-only feature. A delegated user (like an executive assistant) can log in with their own email address, yet still view, manage, and write notes on behalf of the delegator (requires team setup).
Zapier Integrations Want to push your notes into Google Sheets, Slack, or another tool? You can use our Zapier integration with specific triggers for your notes to automate workflows outside of the CRM.
5. Privacy & Under the Hood
Why we don't read your emails Unlike traditional CRMs, our backend database never calls the Gmail Read API. Your servers only receive push notifications that an email arrived. The mobile app pulls the actual email body content directly from Google to your device. While our servers do store basic metadata (like subjects, senders, and snippets for the timeline), we never fetch or bulk-copy your full email bodies to our backend.
What permissions are required? The Mobile App requires full OAuth access to sync your email history directly to your phone, while our backend requires minimal permissions just to manage the push notifications and note synchronization.
6. Billing & Troubleshooting
What's free and what's paid?
- Mobile CRM App & Website (Free): Solo users can use the mobile app and CRM website to write unlimited personal notes.
- SGN Chrome Extension: The SGN Chrome extension has a free tier with a monthly note cap. Paid Mobile CRM users automatically unlock SGN Premium, which removes this limit and provides unlimited notes in the extension.
- Premium Features: Team collaboration, @mentions, the Gmail Add-on, delegated access, and Zapier integrations require a paid subscription.
My emails aren't syncing / How do I force a re-sync? If your inbox isn't updating, you can pull down on the email list in the Mobile App to force a manual refresh. Ensure you haven't revoked OAuth access in your Google Security settings.
The Gmail Add-on says "permissions missing" or sign-in fails. This is our most common install issue, known as the Chrome Profile Pitfall. If you have multiple Google accounts logged into Chrome simultaneously, the Workspace Add-on authentication can get confused. Fix: Create and open a fresh, dedicated Chrome profile. Ensure you are only logged into your primary Gmail account within tahis profile, and authorize the integration from there.
I switched phones — how do I move my CRM over? Just download the Mobile App on your new phone and sign in with the exact same Google account. Because your notes are synced to the cloud, everything will instantly populate on your new device.
I have years of old notes in the original Simple Gmail Notes extension. How do I move them here? You can easily migrate your old Drive-stored notes into the CRM so they sync across your phone and team. There is no manual exporting required. Check out our step-by-step guide on Importing Notes from Legacy SGN to run the sync.