A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system can help to streamline interactions with your contacts. Fortunately, many modern CRM solutions are tailored for small businesses, offering a range of features at an affordable price. This makes it easier for small enterprises to upgrade their software as their needs change.
With so many CRMs out there, it may be difficult to choose one that works well with your company’s processes and budget.
Five of the best customer relationship management (CRM) tools are compared here to help you make an informed decision.
But first, you need to brush up on your CRM fundamentals.
So, let’s just go right in.
Can you explain customer relationship management programmes?
CRM software, or Customer Relationship Management software, is designed to provide the same benefits of a traditional management system. Your newly hired sales staff will be responsible for implementing this system. Through the use of a CRM system, organizations can effectively respond to customer needs in a timely manner. Moreover, many CRM systems come with automated features which help to streamline administrative and customer service tasks.
How Much Does Customer Relationship Management Software Typically Cost?
Some of the most basic Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software packages are available from as little as £7 per user per month. More comprehensive, feature-rich subscription plans can cost between £40 and £150 per user per month.
The good news is that most CRM providers provide different plans, so you can begin with the most basic version and increase as your needs change.
When do you realise you need a customer relationship management system?
- If your customer data is spread across multiple digital channels, it can be difficult to know which ones to priorities. A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system can help to consolidate this data and provide insight into the most effective ways of communicating with both staff and customers.
- If our customers have been expressing dissatisfaction with our company’s customer service, it is time to consider investing in a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to better cater to their needs. Additionally, a CRM system would enable us to respond to customers in a much more efficient manner.
- There is no unified system in place for the distribution of information, so teams are exchanging data and files using a range of software. If you find discrepancies between team members regarding sales and customer service, a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system could be considered to standardize the data and make it accessible to everyone in the organization.
- It is essential to ensure scalability of your business’s software design by avoiding reliance on manual reporting. To keep track of sales, marketing, and customer service data, a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system should be implemented.
- It can be difficult to accurately identify the clients that offer the most benefit to your business. Without proper guidance, this process can result in lost opportunities for potential profits. A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform can help to quickly and easily identify the clients that offer the most value, allowing your business to focus resources in the right areas.
- It is becoming increasingly difficult to keep track of lead flow, which makes it difficult to identify areas where performance could be improved to increase sales. An effective customer service system can assist in tracking the progress of leads and help to prioritise efforts based on the stage of the customer lifecycle.
Tips on picking the best customer relationship management system for your company.
Determine your requirements before looking elsewhere.
Prior to selecting a CRM solution, it is important to identify precisely what your business needs. A company’s primary objective may be to grow its customer base, while another may be focused on increasing brand awareness. Consider what you are aiming to achieve and select a CRM that can support your goals.
Collaboration with other enterprise software
Our ultimate goal should be to ensure that all of our company applications are integrated and working together. For example, if email and social media are the main channels for promoting the brand and driving sales, it is important to find a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system that is compatible with these communication methods. It should also be remembered that a CRM system was acquired to effectively manage customer interactions.
The extent to which personalization is possible
When selecting a customer relationship management system, it is important to ensure that it is able to be adapted to your specific requirements. You should choose a platform that permits the necessary level of customization for your company. Essential features such as access permissions, reports, and dashboards should all be adjustable in a suitable CRM.
Attempt it out
Evaluating a software programme is the optimal way to ascertain whether it is suitable for your business. We recommend selecting a customer relationship management platform that offers a free trial period of at least a few days prior to requiring payment. Fortunately, customers have the option to try out any of the tools we suggest here at no cost. Furthermore, some platforms offer free lifetime subscriptions.
Supplemental Vendor-Offered Business Applications
As your business expands, you may require a range of applications, such as email and social media marketing tools, accounting, project management and HR management. To benefit from greater convenience in the future, you may wish to opt for a provider that offers more than a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system alone. You could potentially save money by selecting a developer that offers multiple applications.
Pricing Structures
It is important to consider cost when selecting a CRM programme, as it may have excellent functionality and user experience, but be unaffordable. It is therefore recommended that you examine the price plans to ensure you are aware of the anticipated costs of any future updates and expansions of features and capabilities.
The suppliers we’re going to recommend often provide three or more different price tiers with varying feature sets.
Consistency of service in customer support
When selecting a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) service provider, it is important to consider their response time should any issues or anomalies arise. As issues are a common occurrence with digital platforms, it is important to select a provider that is able to quickly resolve any difficulties.
Now that we’ve covered why a CRM system is necessary and what to look for in a good one, we can move on to a rundown of the top possibilities.
Top 5 CRM Tools for Startups
ZOHO’s Bigin Customer Relationship Management
Bigin is among the top customer relationship management systems designed for sole proprietors and small organisations.
With a low starting price of just $7 per month, this customer relationship management solution is an ideal consideration for startups with limited marketing budgets. Its user interface is kept uncluttered, simple and easy to use, however, it is lacking in the sophistication of more advanced CRM systems.
This system was created from the outset to be a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system focused on the sales process, with the ability to configure each pipeline step to meet the specific requirements of individual businesses.
Basic characteristics of Bigin
- Email and phone capabilities pre-installed
- Automating Workflows
- Your customer service metrics, shown in a variety of ways on easily customizable dashboards
- Command and control of actions
- ZOHO’s other business apps, as well as Google Workspace and Microsoft 365, Zapier, and MailChimp, are all compatible with it.
Drawbacks
Zoho‘s Bigin has a limitation with regards to the number of custom fields that can be created, and it is not compatible with other essential programmes such as Zoho Books.
Pricing
Bigin offers one free package and two premium packages. Express is the cheaper of the two paid plans, costing $7 per month, while Premier is an additional $12 per month.
If you pay annually for either service, you can take advantage of Zoho’s 20% discount. You can get started with the platform and explore some of its basic features with their free bundle.
Reference: Zoho.com
Freshsales
Freshsales is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform specifically tailored to optimise the sales process. It is a comprehensive automation solution to help streamline the daily tasks associated with sales teams.
Our sales personnel will be able to gain access to high-quality prospects, engage in conversations in a relevant setting, and make use of AI-powered insights to identify which prospects require further attention, thanks to this technology.
If you own a small company and want to improve your productivity and efficiency by automating your sales process, Freshsales is the software for you.
Functions crucial to Freshsales
- The platform should have telephone, email, and other forms of contact integrated. In addition to WhatsApp Business, iMessage for Business, and SMS, it also has its own customised chat software.
- Artificial intelligence-generated understanding of various leads, including the likelihood of their conversion to paying clients
- Automatic distribution of assignments to the appropriate sales representatives and control of workflow processes
- The ability to collaborate in context, made possible by integrating Slack
- Decision-making can be supported by the various beneficial features of FREDDY AI, such as its lead generating bot, automatic profile enhancement, and out-of-office detection.
Drawbacks
Freshsales’ more complex features are only available in the most expensive plans, such as time-based process automation, chatbot capabilities and comprehensive metric reporting.
Pricing
Freshsales offers a free plan, as well as three premium plans which can be upgraded to on a monthly basis. The Pro and Enterprise tiers cost $39 and $69 per user respectively, for every 1,000 marketing contacts. Detailed information about the cost and included features for each plan can be found below.
According to freshworks.com.
Pipedrive
Small businesses worldwide utilise Pipedrive, a renowned Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system, to assist their sales operations and maintain customer relationships throughout the client lifecycle. This CRM tool was designed with a straightforward and visually appealing user interface, making it simple to use.
This system is efficient for lead generation, pipeline management, contact management and deal tracking. It is a customer relationship management system that is primarily focused on sales.
Pipedrive’s fundamental capabilities
- A system for managing leads that makes it easy to zero in on the most promising ones using a rating system.
- Administrative tasks, such as sending follow-up emails, can be automated with the help of Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered automation technologies. Through the use of Pipedrive, its machine learning capabilities can suggest which processes would benefit most from automation.
- Customizable metrics for evaluating progress toward objectives
- Calls, emails, and other forms of contact information are all logged.
Drawbacks
Pipedrive does not feature its own in-built email system, therefore integrating MailChimp is necessary to enable communication via email within the app. Additionally, it does not offer the complimentary tier that is typically available with rival CRM software.
Pricing
Pipedrive offers four premium tiers: Essential ($12.50 per user per month), Advanced ($24.90 per user per month), Professional ($49.90 per user per month) and Enterprise ($99.90 per user per month). Please find a detailed list of features and costs for each plan below.
Data Mining at Pipedrive.com
Keap
Keap is a customer relationship management (CRM) system designed to enhance the productivity of small businesses. It helps to optimise sales pipelines and contact management, enabling users to build and manage their sales leads database with ease. Contacts can be imported from a variety of sources, including other CRMs, spreadsheets, and business card scanning.
Keap’s primary objective is to help you discover new leads and identify the most promising ones, so you can increase your closing rate. Not only does this application assist with conversion, it also enables quick follow-up on prior interactions, which is essential for maintaining a positive relationship with customers post-conversion.
The fundamentals of Keap
- Tools for automating sales and marketing with built-in customer behaviour triggers
- Connecting Online Stores with Retailers
- Powerful analytics and reporting tools for assessing the results of your efforts and planning for the future.
- Emailing tasks, such as sending follow-up messages, can be streamlined with the utilisation of email marketing tools, like email templates and automation software.
- Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Zapier, QuickBooks, WordPress, and many more can be integrated among the hundreds of applications available.
Drawbacks
New users may find the large range of options daunting. Keap also offers a free package, allowing you to test the service before committing financially.
Pricing
Keap’s Lite package is charged at a rate of $40 per month per user, while Pro and Max packages are respectively priced at $85 and $100 per month. The maximum number of contacts per user across all plans is capped at 500.
Input: keap.com
Snov.io
Snov.io is an all-in-one platform for sales and marketing outreach automation, offering unparalleled opportunities for collaboration. With its comprehensive customer relationship management system, users can quickly build, manage and nurture lists of prospective customers, enabling them to get in touch at the right time. In addition, the platform provides powerful capabilities for lead generation, email verification, sending and tracking.
What makes Snov.io special are its core features:
- There are many pipelines.
- Stages of a Deal
- Infinite collaboration
- Contract and lead notes
- Automatic deal tracking with captured data
- Tag-based sales-lead tracking
- Consistency in email access
Snov.io, a cloud-based CRM, enables you to effectively monitor the progress of your sales team, providing a clear pipeline view and ensuring everyone is kept up to date, thus increasing the chances of completing more transactions.
Drawbacks
Since this CRM is still quite new to the market, the rollout of promised exciting features is going gradually.
Pricing:
Discover the full range of services available with Snov.io’s permanently free plan. If you’re looking for more features, the paid plan starts at $33 per month (or $39 per user per month) and provides unlimited user access.
Concluding Ideas
By reading this article, you should now have the knowledge needed to make an informed decision when selecting a customer relationship management system for your business. It is important to find and hire knowledgeable app developers to ensure the task is completed to the highest standard. Make sure to choose a system that meets the needs of your business and budget.
It is not necessary to opt for the more costly premium plans just because they offer services that you may occasionally use. If you are looking to purchase a customer relationship management system for the first time, it is recommended that you start with the basic plans and upgrade to the more expensive options as your requirements expand. The core features included in most CRM software systems are sufficient for the majority of common use cases.
