Good Client Relation Management (CRM) is essential for cashing in on sale potential from a “customer” base, which includes contacts with whom the business has already been done and those who have shown interest but have yet to make a purchase.
It is important to remember that for most businesses, only a tiny 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 helpful 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, whether they were pleased with the purchase they made, etc.
It is a good idea to gather the information that may come in handy indirectly, such as birthday dates (for sending a personalized greeting), hobbies, marital status, fields of interest, and other tidbits.
We should keep track of anything we can pull out of our sleeves at the right moment to help us close the deal. CRM systems are designed to help us collect and use relevant information.
A sound CRM system provides a clear image of where things stand with every potential customer. Such a system enables us to use the data gathered in a way that 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.
This post has gathered brief reviews of 13 CRM systems generally considered the best ones available. We describe each system’s relative advantages and disadvantages so that you may assess which of them is most likely to serve you best.
It is essential to realize that times have changed. In the past, small and medium-sized 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 software development which businesses of any size can profit from.
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 35/user/month for full functionality, which includes everything, even the ability to send out merge email campaigns—a no-brainer for small businesses.
Pipedrive
An easy-to-integrate and simple-to-operate CRM system. This system features an amicable, intuitive user interface. This ensures that as many staff members 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 anytime and anywhere.
This system excels at gathering and filing data but offers fewer features than many other CRM systems. The most basic package costs 12.50$ a month for each user, and the most expensive one 63$ a month per user.
Salesforce
An easy-to-use, intelligent CRM system that offers access to all data gathered regarding each client from anywhere and via any end device (in this way, sales representatives can use their Smartphones 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, offer we had made them, things known about competing for offers they may have gotten, 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 collects all communication between you and a customer, whether made by Email, SMS, social network, chat, forum, contact form on your website, etc.
Zoho can be used anytime and anywhere; there’s a user-friendly app that can be downloaded to a sale representative’s Smartphone. This system has various features that make interaction with potential customers easy and effective (including navigating to a client’s location and 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 by Keap
A platform that combines an effective CRM system with a good Email marketing tool. Infusionsoft by Keap 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-sized businesses (of up to 25 employees), but the basic package price is relatively 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.
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 ones generated from past interactions, and acting to convert them into sales). It is only natural that a sound CRM system makes up a significant part of the marketing platform Hubspot offers; they allow the use of their CRM system for free.
For anyone taking their first steps with CRM systems, Hubspot CRM 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-sized 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, and the most extensive package 150$ a month per user. The free trial period is only seven days.
Bitrix24 CRM
Over a million businesses worldwide choose Bitrix24 as their CRM system. This system allows not only for better customer relationship 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 the purchase of a user package, the most basic costs 29$ a month (allows up to 24GB), and a 100$ a month package awards 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 12$ a month per user 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 standard event calendar, following up on business opportunities, formatting reports, mass sending of Emails, and much more. There’s a user-friendly app that 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 on keeping close, personal contact with customers and cultivating a person-to-person relationship.
Nimble boasts of 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 and a 25$ a month version (limited to 2GB of storage per user). Friendly iOS and android apps are available for mobile use.
ProsperWorks CRM (now Copper)
This CRM system is great for anyone who uses 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), 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 sales managers and sales 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 that 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 that fits the bill for many small businesses. It is cloud-based and does not require many computing resources (it will not slow down website pages’ loading times, for instance).
This system allows for easy management of contact details, leads, sales funnel processing data, and more. AmoCRM provides dedicated support and offers packages from only 5$ a month per user (up to 199$ a month per user).
As is evident from the number of systems reviewed, there is no shortage of CRM systems suitable for small and medium-sized 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. Suppose you’re only starting with CRM systems. In that case, 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 that best addresses them.
