A CRM, or customer relationship management system, compiles all the juicy details of your customers. Like how Lawrence, the design engineer based in Italy just emailed about the issue with his new purchase, and that Anita, the procurement manager based in Croatia, recently updated her email address.
Not every CRM is equal, though. The best CRM for small businesses is not necessarily the best CRM for startups, for instance. While some are built thinking on freelancers and solopreneurs, others are optimized for large enterprises with several clients.
Instead of piles of crinkled up sticky notes with client social media accounts and mailing addresses floating around your desk, an efficient CRM can work wonders for your business.
Not only can you use it as one space to store all your client information, it also helps to support customer relationships and sales interactions.
So, you might already know you’re ready for a CRM but… which one should you pick?
Back in the day CRM’s were for large corporations that could spare that extra pocket change. But now there are hundreds of options and it could be difficult to pick which one suits you.
With that said we’ve broken this list down into 3 parts:
This way you can quickly analyze the information you need to make a better decision. Let’s get started with the best CRM software for small businesses and startups!
Best CRM Software for Small Businesses and Startups
If you’re a small to medium business or startup on a steep growth trajectory, these CRMs would be aligned with your needs. Check below our suggestions of the best CRM for small businesses
Zoho
Zoho is perfect for growing businesses that need robust sales insights and have multiple customer communication channels. It handles your email marketing and social media presence, houses your documents, and creates personalized customer journeys. Zoho offers an array of other features, too, like process management and predictive sales and intelligence.
Zoho’s pricing starts at €14/mo.
HubSpot
HubSpot is an easy CRM to use and offers various tools to manage the customer journey. They provide email templates, email tracking, conversation intelligence, and call tracking/recording for an impeccable experience. The best part is that HubSpot integrates with more than 300 apps and services like WordPress, email marketing companies, and lead generation software.
Pricing starts at €41/mo for Hubspot CRM.
Best CRM Software for Consultants and Freelancers
Here are CRMs for individuals looking to refine business processes and keep their spending slim. The best CRM for consultants and freelancers should be simple while providing the value you need.
Let’s kick it off with Dubsado!
Dubsado
Ran by a small business, Dubsado helps small businesses and solopreneurs cruise through the client onboarding process, streamline client communications, and even keep tabs on bookkeeping.
They have features for contact and project management, invoicing and payment processing, and automated workflows. Growth-focused entrepreneurs will also appreciate Dubsado’s sales goal tracking features!
Here’s the rundown⇨ it’s free for up to 3 clients for an unlimited time.
Bonsai
Bonsai is an all-in-one tool that helps freelancers efficiently deal with client management, accounting, and project management. It’s built for freelancers to easily land clients, seamlessly send contracts, implement invoicing systems, and it even includes a time-tracker.
Pricing for Bonsai starts at €13/mo.
Best CRM Software for Enterprises
These options are for large organizations looking for an all-in-one ecosystem for all customer data. The best CRM for enterprises should offer stellar support to manage several clients at the same time. Let’s begin with Salesforce.
Salesforce
Salesforce is one of the world’s leading CRMs. You can carry out almost all customer relations activities within the platform. They have almost anything you can think of to fit your needs, including Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Data Cloud, and much more! They’re a customer-centric model that offers convenient pay-as-you-go options. Their in-depth training is another beneficial add-on, so if you have a large organization, your employees can be trained to maximize the CRM’s capabilities.
Enterprise pricing starts at €150/user/mo.
Pipedrive
Pipedrive is an easy-to-use sales-focused CRM that offers plenty of flexibility. Its singular goal is to help salespeople sell through customer management. You won’t find other apps such as marketing or service features.
Ultimately it’s the go-to CRM for any business looking to nail down sales systems and interactions.
Enterprise Prices start at €100/user/mo.
This list is a quick overview of which option should fit your business’ needs. However, you should be able to make an informed decision by yourself.
Hence, so we sorted the 4 key factors to consider in CRM software, whether you have a small business, startup, large enterprise, or freelancer.
Check it out!
4 Key Factors To Consider in a CRM Software for Your Business
Use these guidelines to help you choose the most convenient CRM for your needs.
And, no, there might not be a CRM that fits you like Cinderella’s slipper but these factors will help you decide the most critical elements your company needs in this season to flourish. Let’s get to it!
1. Budget
Let’s be real here, the majority of startups and small businesses don’t have a lot of change lying around, so budget is a large factor to consider. Assess where you’re at financially right now and determine how much you can spend on a CRM. There are certainly options that don’t break the bank but can get the job done.
2. Features
47% of polled CRM users said that their CRM had a “significant impact” on customer satisfaction (source Capterra). This means that at the end of the day, you’re most likely seeking a CRM to enhance the customer experience.
But, what part of the customer experience? Different CRM’s focus on unique aspects of customer relationships so keep that in mind while shopping.
3. Ease of system integration
Does the CRM integrate with existing tools and systems in place? If not, it may not be appropriate for your business.
Consider how your team will interact with the CRM too. Will it be simple for them to navigate? Will you have to hire someone to set it up for you? A good CRM should fit your business, not the other way around.
4. Learning curve
This part goes hand in hand with ease of integration.
How difficult will it be to learn? How much time do you have to carve out to learn the new system?
Large corporations might have the bandwidth to learn new complex systems but small businesses might not. CRMs should be a collaborative interface for your team, so if it’s not functional for everyone, it won’t be efficient.
When assessing CRMs for our business and our clients, we always like to check out their customer service. Having a highly supportive customer service crew really helps to work out all those kinks.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What are the benefits of a CRM software?
A CRM can help you take your business to the next level, whichever stage you’re in. It keeps track of client details and automates customer messages and even onboarding processes so you can focus on your zone of genius.
CRMs also deliver personalized experiences to improve customer loyalty. Last but not least, they reduce the cost and resources by integrating several tools and systems into one software.
Is CRM software worth it if I have a small customer base?
Yes, the right CRM software can help streamline processes, give insights and make sure you stay on track with your customers no matter how few or many customers you have. To add, they can help you narrow down the efficient methods that are working and what isn’t working so you can quickly improve your setup.
How do I know if my small business needs CRM?
Here are some signs it might be time to go CRM shopping:
- You’re struggling to stay on top of new leads and are losing business.
- You have a patchwork of tools and systems that could save you time and money if you simplified them with the right software.
- Your customer service is lacking and losing your customers.
Final Thoughts
Now that you understand the different CRMs available on the market and what factors to consider when choosing the best CRM for your business, it’s time to make a decision. Evaluate your budget, features, ease of integration, and learning curve to see which CRM is right for you.
We hope this article has helped make the decision process a little bit easier. If you have any questions about which CRM is right for you, don’t hesitate to reach out to us for help.
