10 best crm software to increase productivity in 2024 (Reviewed and Ranked))
Choosing the best CRM software for customer management is a decision that is very pivotal to the growth and success of your business. Every process that leads to lead conversion requires that businesses strategically keep a close watch on leads or potential customers. In this guide, I reviewed 10 top CRM software that can help boost your business’s productivity at any stage. I also highlighted my 5 top choices so you can choose the one that best fits your need.
Salesforce CRM
You want a scalable platform that personalizes your experience, connects sales, and integrates seamlessly with other platforms. Considering every feature a CRM can offer, Salesforce is my number one recommendation.
Salesforce has been a familiar name in the CRM space for years. It’s not just because they’re so easy to use but also due to an intuitive interface that makes it possible even if you don’t have much technical aptitude!
The account management tools allow small teams and solo business owners to value what Salesforce offers – from lead tracking through closing deals with built-in email integration capabilities between Gmail/Outlook accounts connected directly to this powerful platform. It doesn’t matter how big your team is either; options are available no matter where you might stand within the decision-making ranks at any given moment.
Key Features
As a cloud-based platform, Salesforce can help you grow your account faster, find leads faster, and close deals faster, all done from anywhere in the world. Salesforce, the benchmark for CRM in the business world, offers loads of features, but I will mention a few in this review.
Contact Management
Salesforce gives you a detailed overview of your customer, including activity history, key contacts, customer communications, and internal account discussions. Right on the same platform, it also integrates well with popular social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Youtube, enabling excellent customer relationship service delivery.
Opportunity Management
This module on Salesforce grants you access to all the deals your team is working on – stage products, competition, quotes, and more, giving you the right information needed to close every sale.
Sales Collaboration
This feature enables you to tap into the knowledge base of everyone in the company with a social collaboration network specifically designed to give businesses an edge in closing deals faster.
Lead management
Enables you to track your lead and optimize your campaigns across every marketing channel. You will easily see what’s working and what’s not so that you can maximize your marketing budget.
Marketing Automation
Automation always sounds good, doesn’t it? You and your team can shorten the sales cycle by creating, deploying, and managing online campaigns with Pardot Marketing Automation via Salesforce.
User Experience
Salesforce combines excellence in CRM sophistication with a user-friendly interface. Salesforce is very easy to navigate and easy to interact with. It has a clean layout can be assessed via multiple devices, including smartwatches, tabs, and smartphones.
salesforce CRM Pricing
Salesforce is very flexible in its pricing as it varies with business sizes and products the user needs. The monthly plan costs $25 per user, and you can register up to 10 users, which is perfect for SMBs. Other add-ons can increase your cost, and I advise that you include the add-ons as your business needs increase.
Likes and Dislikes (Pros and Cons)
Likes
As you can already tell, there are too many features I like on Salesforce, and they include
- Salesforce is cloud-hosted
- 24/7 support via phone and email
- Compatibility with multiple devices
- Pardot Marketing Automation
- Highly Customizable
- 30-day free trial period
- Integrates well with other platforms (Zendesk, Slack, Ambassador, Zuora etc.)
- Einstein Lead Scoring functionality
- It is an all-in-one-platform
Dislike
It is almost impossible not to like Salesforce but here is one.
- Using Salesforce efficiently might require a long learning curve
Pipedrive
Pipedrive is my second pick in this guide. It is a powerful tool designated to handle, track and drive every sales process using AI technology. It is a well-rounded sales tool used by more than 100 000 businesses in more than 179 countries.
Pipedrive is a sales tool that is capable of scaling your business. Even if you are a startup now, you won’t always be a startup. Pipedrive automates repetitive tasks and generates business intelligence to provide you and your insight into the sales process. It is very intuitive and helps you get more done in less time.
Key Features
Lead Management
Pipedrive has integrations to help you generate new sales opportunities into your pipeline from sources like websites, social media platforms, and events.
Sales Automation
Pipedrive helps you work smarter than harder using AI technology to eliminate busywork – one-click contact data collection, AI data sales assistant.
Sales Intelligence and Customization
Pipedrive helps you make sense of the data in your possession, generate reports, forecast your revenue and tailor your process to your business needs.
Market Integrations
Pipedrive can integrate with finance management, communication, email marketing, chatboxes, accounting and invoicing, etc.
User experience
Pipedrive has been rated the most user-friendly CRM platform, even ahead of other highly rated popular CRMs. It earned a whopping 4.8/5 rating on Trustpilot.
Pipedrive’s most interesting user feature is its simplicity in providing information tailored to users’ needs at any business scale. Lots of businesses migrate to Pipedrive mainly because of its user-friendliness feature-richness
pipedrive CRM Pricing
Pipedrive pricing plan ranges from $14.90 per user per month to $119 per user per month. It offers 4 paid plans across this price range. The available pacakeges include
Essential – $14.90 per user per month when billed annually and $19.90 per user per month when billed monthly
Advanced – $24.90 per user per month when billed annually and $39.90 per user per month when billed monthly
Professional – $49.90 per user per month when billed annually and $59.90 per user per month when billed monthly
Enterprise – $99 per user per month when billed annually and $119 per user per month when billed monthly
Before settling for a paid plan, Pipedrive offers 14 days free trial period to testrun the software for your business
Likes & Dislikes
I like Pipedrive a lot. Its intuitiveness, user-friendliness, and pricing make it one of my top picks. However, the following still stands out for me.
Likes
- Ability to make calls directly from the app and still track calls on Pipedrive
- Privacy – assurance that business is kept private and secured
- Multiple Platforms – Pipedrive works any multiple devices allowing users to work anywhere, anytime
- Scheduling activities on-the-go while online or offline with daily Focus View
Dislikes
- The search functionality is sometimes challenging
- Integration with other platforms may have to be handled by more technical personnel.
zoho CRM
Zoho CRM is a cloud-based customer relationship management platform. It adds modern, visual features to its main product suite of CRM software and provides an easy way for organizations of all sizes to manage their databases easily.
Zoho CRM also comes with complementary features like email marketing and project management tools, making it an invaluable tool for your business.
Key Features
Sales Force Automation
This feature includes lead management, deal management, account management, and workflow automation, enabling you to save time for less repetitive tasks.
Blueprint Process management
Enables the building of a scalable and repeatable sales process that ensures that the right level of attention is given to the right customers and leads
Predictive Sales
Enables lead and deal prediction, competitor alert, Zia for Email and workflow, voice assistant, and suggestions on the best time to contact lead
Performance management
This feature includes sales forecasting, AI-assisted predictions, and territory management. Zoho CRM can easily segment sales strategy organized based on geography or product lines.
User experience
Zoho CRM’s simple and optimally functional mobile and desktop interface makes for a layout you can easily interact with. Its many features are well laid out, and you can channel your daily set goals to the desired segmented leads in a few clicks.
zoho CRM Pricing
Zoho CRM offers a flexible free trial plan that lets you switch to a paid plan anytime. The paid plans offered include
- Standard – $20 per user per month billed monthly ($14 per user per month billed annually)
- Professional – $35 per user per month billed monthly ($23 per user per month billed annually)
- Enterprise – $50 per user per month billed monthly ($40 per user per month billed annually)
- Ultimate – $65 per user per month billed monthly ($52 per user per month billed annually)
- Bigin – $7 per user per month billed annually (Customized for small businesses)
You can save up to 34% if you settle for an annual plan.
likes & dislikes
Likes
- Amazing for small businesses
- Flexible free plan
- Bigin – Special plan for small businesses to experience CRM
- Ability to work remotely on any device
- Collaborate easily through notes, feeds, chats, and tags
- Rest API lets you integrate with more than 100 third-party applications
Dislikes
- I will appreciate an improvement in customer service
Monday.com CRM
If you want a CRM that defines and simplifies your overall workflow, bank on Monday.com, and you will see your business soaring to unimaginable heights. Monday.com helps you shape your workflow by giving you every assistance you need at every step.
Monday.com takes the guesswork out of your workflows by allowing you to customize them for every aspect of a customer’s journey, from lead generation to post-sale Support!
With Monday.com, you can maintain a strong presence even with sales prospects yet to be converted.
You will get complete visibility on what’s happening with customers and sales data so that any potential bottlenecks are spotted quickly–and there isn’t anything more important than knowing how well things are going ahead regarding potential sales.
Key Features
Intuitive Dashboards
Wouldn’t you like a personal assistant that knows the right amount of sugar and cream you want in your coffee? Well, Monday.com thinks ahead of you and gives you insight into every process in your sales workflow.
Process Automation
Monday.com helps you automate repetitive tasks while you pay more attention to save time for other tasks.
Gantt
Doubling as a project management software, Monday.com can’t overlook this feature. Gantt helps you visualize project milestones, deliverables, and factors needed to achieve your goals.
Kanban for Sales
Place priority on certain tasks based on the resources available per time
Integrations
Integrates well with other third-party applications useful for managing your relationship with your customers and/or leads.
Check out full review of CRM by Monday.com
User experience
Who doesn’t like a done-for-you visual representation of data? No complications at all. Read bar charts, tables, and pie charts displayed in the easiest way possible. With Monday.com CRM, there is no blindspot in your sales process.
It is easy to find anything you want with a layout that puts everything before your eyes.
monday.com CRM Pricing
Monday.com has 4 different plans with a 14 days trial period. Within this period, you can decide which plan to choose based on your business needs. The plans offered include
- Individual: $0 free forever
- Basic: $8 / seat / month
- Standard: $10 seat / month
- Pro: $16 seat / month
- Enterprise: Contact them for a custom plan
Likes & Dislikes
Likes
- Enhances Productivity – As a project management software, it enhances productivity. You can set up a dashboard for each sale, assign a salesperson to each project/client, and display charts.
- You can work with different teams remotely and schedule meetings and activities promptly.
- You can connect new and existing data when you migrate from other platforms.
Dislikes
- It may require an extensive setup time for large teams.
HubSpot CRM
HubSpot has been around since 2006 and continues to provide a wide range of services for sales funnel management, social media campaigns, content creation/sharing etc.
It also provides solutions suitable for other traditional marketing processes like print advertising or direct mail material production – making them a one-stop shop if you’re looking at expanding your business beyond digital channels!
Hubspot offers a 100% free version to businesses with an option to upgrade for access to even more powerful sales and marketing tools.
Key Features
Business Insights
Hubspot gives you access to your contact details from its database of 20 million businesses. You view, filter, and contact your leads in one user-friendly interface.
Pipeline management
Hubspot helps you add your deals, assign tasks to team members, and track your team’s most lucrative prospects.
Prospect Tracking
Hubspot offers sales and lead prospecting software that can track sales lead visits to your website and offers the best follow-up measures for successful lead conversion.
Email Tracking
Hubspot email tracker will give you an edge in notifying you when your recipient opens a sent email, giving you the opportunity for a perfectly timed follow-up to close deals faster.
User experience
Hubspot CRM platform is enriched with easily accessible tools. In one click, you can populate your dashboard with a broad range of useful insights for converting your leads into buying customers.
With Hubspot’s interface, you can easily track how your lead interacts with your messages, read notifications and monitor your pipeline closely.
hubspot CRM Pricing
Hubspot CRM offers a free plan with good marketing tools for startups. However, its paid plan offers an array of amazing sales and marketing tools that will surely boost business growth. The free plan tools include Ad management, form automation, email marketing, email health reporting, SEO suggestions, live chat, mobile app, and so on.
The paid plans are
Starter Plan: starts at $45 per month ($540 when billed annually). This plan includes all features of the free plan with Hubspot branding removed. This plan allows up to 1000 contacts management, and you can pay an additional $45 per month per 1000 contact increment.
Professional Plan: starts at $800 per month ($9600 when billed annually). This plan includes all features in that starter plan with options to automate and personalize engagement across channels and orchestrate efficient campaigns. It offers phone support, insight on campaign ads performance, A/B testing, Salesforce integration, and video hosting. This plan allows up to 2000 contact management, and you can pay an additional $225 per month per 5000 contact increment.
Enterprise Plan: starts at $3200 per month ($38,400 when billed annually). This plan includes all the features in professional at top tier level: manage up to 300+ teams, up to 1 million products, up to 250 video hosting, 100 inboxes, and extensive third-party integrations. This plan allows up to 10000 contacts management and can pay an additional $100 per month per 10000 contacts increment.
Likes & Dislikes
Likes
- A continually free plan that gives you the freedom to upgrade at any time you want
- Campaign insights on any social media platform that helps to optimize ad campaign budget
- Hubspot CRM offers tools like forms, email marketing, and lead page builders. You don’t have to pay for them again
- Multi-language and multi-currency functionality
- Ability to partition and manage different teams
Dislikes
- Staff training may be required to use some of the advanced tools
- Prioritizing tasks may be a sometimes challenging
Insightly CRM
Insightly is a great choice for businesses that want to build lasting customer relationships. It eagles you to define the team’s sales and marketing goals, deliver quality experiences and drive growth.
Key Features
On-target segmentation
Insightly helps you take advantage of its marketing and CRM features to drive growth.
Intelligent Campaigns
With Insightly, you will have a dashboard that reveals everything you need to know about your advertisement, allowing you to make fast decisions.
Workflow automation
Insightly offers the advantage of creating multi-step business processes and automation such that you can have time to focus on tasks that require your attention the most.
Lead routing and tracking
Insightly tracks the most relevant leads using insights from marketing campaigns and automatically provides insight on these leads so that your sales team can strike while the iron is hot.
Extensive Integrations
Enjoy over 500 app integrations that bring all your frequently used digital tools into one platform.
User Experience
Insightly has a left-hand side menu where you can click on any functionality you want to use. The features are well arranged so that you can easily find anything you want. Insightly’s grey and orange theme make the interface its users can easily navigate and interact with.
insightly CRM Pricing
Insightly offers a free plan for 2 users where you and a business partner can manage contacts and sales. Its paid plans are in 3 tiers.
- Plus – $29 per user per month billed annually
- Professional – $49 per user per month billed annually
- Enterprise – $99 per user per month, billed annually
Likes
- I like the grey and orangey theme of the platform
- Ability to work from any device
- Integrates well with Google G-suite login, Calendar, and Docs
Dislikes
- The paid plans are cheap but do not offer as many features as competitors
- Workflow automation is limited to the Enterprise plan.
Freshworks (Freshsales)
Freshsales is the CRM that can do the job of 5 other tools. If you want to achieve 80% more efficiency with your lead generation and follow-ups, you should check this out. Through Freshsales, you can build a solid relationship with your contact and drive deals to closure using the smart solutions on these platforms.
Key Features
A unified view of contact
Access all your contact details in one place, including their social profiles and recent activities giving you insight into what sales marketing strategy is best for each customer
ai-powered assistant
Freshsales uses artificial intelligence for predictive contact scoring, prediction of future sales, and making suggestions on marketing decisions.
Personalized email features
Freshsales can help you have the best idea of what to write in your email. It personalizes the message to meet your contact’s preferences.
User Experience
Freshbook (Freshsales) is built for simplicity and productivity. No myriad of popups and complicated features that you don’t need will disturb you. The interface is easy to relate to, so you can squarely focus on your objectives and achieve your milestones faster.
freshworks CRM Pricing
Freshworks plans include
- Free Plan – Complete free
- Growth plan – $15 per user per month
- Pro Plan – $39 per user per month
- Enterprise Plan – $69 per user per month
Likes & Dislikes
Likes
- Ability to create custom reports
- Identify and prioritize leads
- The mobile app enables you to work on-the-go
- Chat widget can enable you to receive messages sent through Whatsapp business
- 24/5 support
- Sales segmentation is defined across geography, service, and/or product category
Dislikes
- Faster loading times will be very helpful
Act! CRM
Act! is a leading CRM that helps businesses build marketing automation, work smarter and close more sales. As a matter of fact, 75% of Act! users were able to grow their businesses. It empowers small and medium-scale businesses to market their products and services better, sell more, and create lifelong customers.
Key Features
Marketing Automation
Automates the sales conversion process and closes more deals faster.
Sales Pipeline Management
From onboarding a prospect to turning them into buying customers, Act! drives the sales pipeline
Customer Management
Locate customer information in an instance and enjoy customized customer data.
Activity Management
Awesome calendar and email integration to prioritize task lists and enrich your customer interaction
User Experience
In a few clicks, you can find and filter contact lists down to the minutest detail. Act! presents an interface where you can use charts and moderately colorful portrayals. You will interact seamlessly and be happy to hit your milestone.
ACT! CRM Pricing
Act! has both desktop and cloud-based versions.
- Act! Premium Desktop – $37.50 per user per month (billed annually)
- Act! Premium Cloud-based – $30 per user per month (billed annually)
LIkes
- Access to sales KPI that gives a quick look into performance metrics
- API – integrations to third-party platforms
- Mobile applications that enable you to work on any device
- Powerful search and filter options
- Ability to send personalized information to segmented or customized contact list
- You can interact with Microsoft Office directly from Act!
Agile CRM
Agile CRM has more than 170 thousand global users and more than 15 thousand startups globally, helping to drive all round marketing and sales solutions.
Agile CRM is the best sales automation software for entrepreneurs, CEOs, and other business owners. It automates tasks for your team with all the follow-ups, email templates, contact lists, form letters, and appointment calendars online – at a fraction of the cost of traditional CRMs.
Unlike other systems that are difficult to learn and use and that become outdated quickly, Agile CRM is a flexible system designed to adapt to the needs of any company.
Key Features
Sales Enablement
Agile CRM sales automation software creates new tasks automatically for your team. Put your appointment calendar online and automate everything from telephony to follow-up emails.
Telephony
Next-level customer communication with leading industry telephone capabilities and third-party integrations
Web Engagement
Collect leads using intuitive form builders and landing pages.
Social Media Engagement
Engage with contacts through one simple dashboard that displays the lead’s social media engagement
Help Desk Solutions
Provide 24/7 help desk service to your clients
agile CRM Pricing
Agile CRM has a free plan that allows up to 10 users. The paid plans include Starter, Regular, and Enterprise plans ranging from $8.99 to $47.99 per month per user.
Likes and Dislike
Likes
- 50,000 Contacts & Companies
- Custom Data Fields
- Lead Scoring
- Unlimited Deals, Tasks & Documents
- Appointment Scheduling
- Custom Deal Milestones
- Email Tracking
- 2-Way Email Integration
- Custom Deal Tracks
- 2-Way Telephony
- 50+ Plugins/Integrations
- Email & Phone Support
- Google/Shopify/Stripe Sync
- Chrome Extension
- Basic & Email Reports
Dislikes
- There are no explainer videos to guide platform setup
- Lacks integrations for some useful API
- The customer care service can be better
Apptivo CRM
Apptivo CRM is an enterprise-class sales automation tool that allows you to efficiently manage your contacts, teams, leads, and appointments.
By creating new tasks automatically for your team, Apptivo CRM helps put your appointment calendar online and automate everything from telephony to follow-up emails.
Simple to use and entirely in line with your business objectives, Apptivo CRM is the ideal partner for growing your business.
Key Features
Lead Capture
This includes functionalities such as a web-to-lead form that enables you to collect contacts from ad campaigns, import contacts in CSV format, and/or manually register into the database
Custom View
Create searches that help you sieve through your contact list till you can find the exact information you want
G-Suite Integrations
Save time by automatically sharing and syncing your business contact information, such as phone, email, etc., between Apptivo and Google accounts.
apptivo CRM Pricing
Apptivo CRM offers a free plan for just 1 user but is perpetually free till you have to upgrade to a paid plan. The paid plans include Lite, Premium, Ultimate, and Enterprise, ranging from $8 per month per user to $20 per user (billed annually). The Enterprise plan requires that the sales team be called to customize a plan that fits your business.
Likes and Dislikes
Likes
- You can easily use Apptivo’s email marketing, project management, and invoicing functionality
- Enjoy more than 150 Workflows
- 50 Custom Dashboards for ease of navigation
- 3rd Party Service Integration that brings everything to one platform
- 24×7 Support (very helpful)
Dislikes
- Setup may require a learning curve
Karma CRM
Karma CRM is one of the market’s most advanced, easy-to-use, and affordable sales automation software packages.
Think about your typical workday: how much time do you spend ensuring tasks are assigned in advance? How much mental energy goes into remembering what must be done next? How many days have passed since you last checked your email inbox?
Karma CRM can take care of all these things automatically. Gone are the days of manual tasks, forgotten phone calls, and meetings.
Key Features
Sales Process Automation
Automate your sales processes with templates and reminders
Sales Efficiency
Boost sales efficiency and close more deals in less time
Leads Prioritization
Identify and prioritize important sales leads
Marketing simplicity and efficiency
Manage sales emails, tasks, and contacts with ease
karma CRM Pricing
Karma CRM plans include
Basic – $28 per user per month (billed annually). Offers unlimited contacts, companies and deals, task and event coordination, integrations with Google and MailChimp, 2-way email sync with email templates
Pro – $39 per user per month (billed annually). Offers everything in the Basic plus automated email campaign, 20 business card scans per month, embedded lead capture forms
Premium – $55 per user per month (billed annually). Offers Everything in the Pro plus personalized onboarding, 50 business card scans per month, dedicated success rep
Likes and Dislikes
Likes
- Simple and easy to navigate and it perfectly fits the needs of small and medium-scale businesses.
Dislikes
- I really can’t find any cons to nailing Karma CRM at the moment
1. What is customer relationship management software, and what are its benefits for businesses of all sizes?
Customer relationship management software is a tool that businesses use to manage and analyze customer interactions. It can help businesses keep track of customer contact information, sales data, and Support requests. CRM software can also help businesses automate tasks like marketing and follow-up calls.
Benefits of using a CRM includes increased sales, improved customer retention, and higher customer satisfaction. Depending on the number of paying customers and leads, you don’t want to leave any details in the sales pipeline that help your business convert leads to paying customers.
You may want to settle for a cheaper CRM or free versions of paid CRMs while your customer base is still very low. As your business grows, you can scale your business with the paid plan of a CRM that has the features you need, as reviewed in this post.
There are many different CRM software programs available on the market, so choosing one that fits your business needs is important. If you’re unsure which CRM to choose, this guide will help you. I have compiled a list of CRMs suitable for small, medium, and large businesses.
2. How does CRM software help manage customer interactions more effectively and efficiently?
CRM software helps businesses manage customer interactions by providing a central database for storing customer information. This information can include contact information, sales data, support requests, and more.
CRM software also provides tools for managing customer relationships, such as marketing automation, follow-up calls, and task management. Businesses can close more sales and improve their bottom line by using a CRM.
Some CRMs are loaded with email templates suitable for the stage you are in your sales pipeline. CRMs go as far as giving you an insight into the open rate of your email, the best time to send a follow-up mail, and the best part – you can automate all these activities while you focus on less repetitive tasks.
Therefore, running your business with a good CRM gives you an edge in making helpful decisions, scaling, and increasing revenue.
3. What factors should you consider when choosing a CRM system for your company, and how do you implement it successfully once you’ve made a decision?
When choosing a CRM system for your company, there are many factors to consider. You should consider the size of your company, your budget, your needs, and the features that are important to you.
Once you’ve considered all of these factors, you can start looking at different market CRMs and comparing them. Once you’ve found the right CRM for your business, you must implement it successfully.
Successful implementation involves training employees on how to use it and setting up processes for using it effectively.
Gracefully, the CRMs I reviewed in this post are either very easy to use or provide training resources to help your sales and marketing team.
4. How do you get the most out of your CRM system and maximize its benefits for your business?
Here are some tips on getting the most out of your CRM system:
- Train your employees on how to use it
- Set up processes for using it effectively
- Use it regularly and consistently
- Monitor your results and adjust as needed
By following these tips, you can maximize the benefits.
Conclusion
If you have come this far, you are probably very keen on integrating a CRM into your business. I hope the information shared in this post has been helpful in your decision-making journey.
Do well to make your choice, drop a comment, and share the post with your contacts that might find it helpful. I respond to comments gracefully.
Lastly, if there is a CRM software you want me to review and add to the list, also let me know in the comment session.
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