Updated: November, 2018
Good Client Relation Management (CRM) is essential for cashing in on sale potential from a “customer” base which includes contacts with whom business has already been done as well as ones who have shown interest but have yet to make a purchase.
It is important to remember that for most businesses only a small percentage of sales are achieved quickly and without having to maintain some type of ongoing relationship with each potential client.
If we neglect to nurture ties with those who may be interested in buying a product or service from us in the future we will be missing out on a substantial number of sales. We must play our cards right and lead potential clients to a point where we can make a sales pitch they simply cannot turn down.
The need for maintaining contact with a customer base is self evident. A wide range of relevant information may be useful at one point or another. We should keep track of things such as what a client (or potential client) expressed interest in, what kind of offer we made, did they express any dissatisfaction, were they pleased with the purchase they made etc.
It is a good idea to gather information which may come in handy in an indirect way, things like birthday dates (for sending a personalized greeting), hobbies, marital status, fields of interest and other such tidbits. In fact, we should keep track of anything which we can pull out of our sleeve at the right moment to help us close the deal. CRM systems are designed to help us collect and use relevant information.
A good CRM system provides a clear image of where things stand with each and every potential customer. Such a system enables us to use the data gathered in a way which enables us to provide our customers with better service as well as try and interest them in buying from us again by offering them, at the most opportune moments, deals on other products or services.
In this post we’ve gathered for you brief reviews of 13 CRM systems generally considered to be the best ones available. We describe each system’s relative advantages and disadvantages so that you may asses which of them is most likely to serve you best.
It is important to realize that times have changed. In the past, small and medium size businesses were forced to handle CRM without using a CRM system. This is no longer true thanks to the fact that cloud computing has bred efficient, user friendly CRM systems which businesses of any size can profit from using.
Salesflare
Salesflare is a simple yet powerful CRM for small businesses selling B2B. It automates all your customer data so you can stop inputting data. That means you can instead build better relationships and make more sales.
If you’re looking for a practical, visual and easy-to-use sales machine, Salesflare is probably what you’re looking for. It’s set up in no time and is very easy to keep up to date due to all its built-in automation. Pricing is at 30/user/month for full functionality, which includes everything, even the ability to send out merge email campaigns. A no brainer for small businesses.
Salesforce
An easy to use, smart CRM system which offers access to all data gathered regarding each client from anywhere and via any end device (in this way sales representatives can use their Smartphone when “in the field”). The system is fed with information such as contact details, the products a customer has purchased in the past, products or services they had expressed interest in, offers we had made them, things known about competing offers they may have got etc.
Salesforce is considered to be one of the best CRM systems available, it has artificial intelligence features so that the system automatically proposes, at ideal times, possible actions which may help you finalize deals.
There are several possible user packages to choose from. The most basic one, at 25 Euro a month, allows access to 5 users at the most. The most expensive package costs 300 Euro a month. There’s a 30 day free trial period for any package you may be interested in.
Zoho
A CRM system which collects all communication between you and a customer whether it was made by Email, SMS, on a social network, a chat, on a forum, a contact form on your website etc.
Zoho can be used at any time and from anywhere, there’s a user friendly app which can be downloaded to a sale representative’s Smartphone. This system has a wide variety of features which make interaction with potential customers easy and effective (including navigating to a client’s location as well as sending text and voice messages directly from the system). A standard package costs 12$ a month and the most advanced package 100$ a month. There’s a 15 day free trial period.
Infusionsoft
A platform which combines an effective CRM system with a good Email marketing tool. Infusionsoft is a popular system with over 125,000 users worldwide (true to the end of 2016). It is designed to meet the needs of small and medium size businesses (of up to 25 employees) but the price of a basic package is rather high (compared to other CRM systems)- 199$ a month. The most expensive package will cost you 599$ a month. There is no free trial period but you can view an extensive demo.
Pipedrive
An easy to integrate and simple to operate CRM system. This system features an extremely friendly, intuitive, user interface. This ensures that as many members of staff as possible may benefit from using it. The mobile app for use in the field is also exceptionally user friendly ensuring all relevant data is available at any time and from anywhere. This system excels at gathering and filing data but offers less features than many other CRM systems. The most basic package costs 10$ a month for each user and the most expensive one 63$ a month per user.
Hubspot
Hubspot is a software company specializing in online marketing. This company’s motto is moving from “outbound marketing” (approaching potential clients, participating in conventions etc.) to “inbound marketing” (collecting leads, new and ones generated from past interactions, and acting to convert them into sales). It is only natural that a good CRM system makes up a major part in the marketing platform Hubspot offers, they allow use of their CRM system for free.
For anyone taking their first steps with CRM systems Hubspot is a great place to start. It may even turn out that this free CRM system caters to all your requirements.
SugarCRM
One of the most popular CRM systems. An open source system easily integrated with other marketing tools. It is ideal for small and medium size businesses but is also used by giant corporations such as IBM, Mitsubishi, Agfa, HTC and others. A basic package costs 40$ a month per user, the most extensive package 150$ a month per user. The free trial period is 7 days only.
Bitrix24 CRM
Over a million businesses worldwide choose Bitrix24 as their CRM system. This system allows not only for better customer relation management but also for better handling of ties with business associates, suppliers, subcontractors etc. The free version allows storage of up to 5GB only, expansion mandates purchase of a user package, the most basic costs 29$ a month (allows up to 24GB), a 100$ a month package awards you unlimited storage.
Insightly CRM
Over 400,000 small and medium size businesses use Insightly CRM. A free version allows access to two users. User packages cost from 12$ a month per user and up to 99$ a month per user. There’s a 14 day free trial. Insightly CRM is an easy to use platform enabling effective lead management, storing and accessing customer details, filing data relevant to a specific project, managing a common event calendar, following up on business opportunities, formatting reports, mass sending of Emails and much more. There’s a user friendly app which may be downloaded onto iOS as well as android operated devices.
Nimble
This CRM system claims to be unique thanks to integration features with social networks. The emphasis is placed on keeping close, personal contact with customers, cultivating a person to person relationship.
Nimble boasts turning each contact from lines of data into an entity on which plenty of relevant material is gathered. There’s a 14 day free trial, a 25$ a month version (limited to 2GB of storage per user). Friendly iOS and android apps are available for mobile use.
ProsperWorks CRM
This CRM system is great for anyone who makes wide scale use of Google tools such as Google Drive, Gmail, and other Google Apps. There’s a 14 day free trial, packages from 19$ a month per user (up to five users), through 49$ a month per user and up to 119$ a month per user for large organizations.
Nutshell
This CRM system is designed especially for small businesses. It features different user interfaces for sale managers and sale representatives. There are user friendly apps for iOS and android and excellent support . You can enjoy a 14 day free trial, a basic package costs 20$ a month per user, and the most advanced package costs 70$ a month per user.
Workbooks.com
A CRM system which is easy to integrate with other marketing tools and cloud based services such as Google Docs, HubSpot, Campainmaster, Creditsafe, Mailchimp etc. There’s a 30 day free trial.
AmoCRM
A CRM system which fits the bill for many small businesses. It is cloud based and so does not require much in way of computing resources (it will not slow down website pages’ loading times for instance). This system allows for easy management of contact details, leads, processing data regarding sale funnels and more. AmoCRM provide dedicated support and offer packages from only 5$ a month per user (and up to 199$ a month per user).
As is evident from the number of systems reviewed, there is no shortage of CRM systems which are suitable for small and medium size businesses, there are even some systems designed especially with such organizations in mind. There are differences in features, user friendliness and cost. One system may do more for you than another. If you’re only starting out with CRM systems we recommend choosing a basic, easy to use, relatively cheap one (maybe even a free version), working to gain some experience, getting to know your needs and only then digging deeper and choosing a system which best addresses them.
