CRM Software

Relationships between people form the key to any business, whether a multi-million dollar multinational mega-corporation or a small mom-and-pop. Businesses grow as those relationships develop, and today, there are powerful software packages to help you do just that. Known as Customer Relationship Management Software, or CRM, these Software as a Service (SaaS) packages aim to streamline every aspect of client management. No matter how small, if your company is looking to grow and expand, you may find that CRM provides a path forward.

What is CRM software

Only in existence for the past few decades, CRM software allows a company to analyze and manage its approach with past, present, and future clients. With a goal of overall customer growth, CRM software supplies companies with a cohesive, understandable way forward. Today’s CRM can also be used in tandem with social media, providing the necessary data to underpin advertising efforts and outreach opportunities. What do I need in my CRM software?

What should a small business look for in any potential CRM? What should a CRM software for small businesses provide?

Sales Reporting

Sales reporting is more than just a glorified version of the month’s receipts. A good sales report lets you track sales vs. inventory, monitor and improve your product design, and plan promotions and advertising efforts. Some CRM packages even offer Point of Sale systems as well, integrating the CRM directly with your shops and giving you even more data on current and potential sales.

Contact Organization

Your customers are already giving you their business; while you do need to keep customer retention in mind, the way forward for most companies requires outreach. Both customer retention and attracting new customers relies heavily on communication and advertising and reaching out to individuals that you otherwise might have missed.

That’s why the contact organization provided by your CRM software for small businesses comes in. The earliest CRM software was essentially a giant Rolodex, tracking contact information and little else. Today’s CRM does that same task, but with vastly more information. From email addresses to phone numbers, websites, and social media profiles, CRM provides a one-stop location for customer contact information.

Customer Segmentation

Lastly, customer segmentation offers you as a business owner the opportunity to break down who your customers are and how to focus on them. By determining what your customers like, where they’re located, and other information, you can better cater to their needs and in return receive repeat and new clients which leads to better growth.

So whats the best CRM Software for Small Businesses

Now that you know what CRM software for small businesses are and what they do, here are some of the best crm software for small businesses packages out there on the market today:

Capsule CRM
One of the older CRMs out on the market, Capsule is popular because of it’s simple and easy to understand pipeline. Usable on both web and mobile with a five group interface, Capsule only lacks information in reporting and functionality of campaigns.

Pipeliner CRM
If you’re looking to customize your sales pipeline, Pipeliner CRM is here for you. An all-in-one program, it can be customized to Mailchimp and other helpful third party apps. It does offer a real-time visual on tracking sales and necessary integrations with social networks.

Sugar CRM
Best for small businesses, Sugar allows for customization and automation, making your job even easier. If your brand needs to improve from previous experience, Sugar helps you provide a consistent experience, so your customers will always be guaranteed consistency.

FreshSales
Recently revamped for a new era, FreshSales offers AI-intelligence, plenty of built-in and automated programs, and the ability to find sales leads easily. With a clean and simple interface, FreshSales emphasized online consumer engagement. If you’re looking to learn more about your customers, FreshSales is extremely helpful.

Salesflare
Created for people who want automated programs with minimal fuss, Salesflare is predominantly based on automation freeing you up for more sales. It also offers the ability to see who contacted which customer, which leads to a unified team mindset. Overall, SalesFlare is excellent for growth and those who want to spend more time interacting with the consumer, whether you’re a medium or small business.

Pipedrive
Lastly, offering a personalized experience along with organization, Pipedrive caters specifically to small businesses. With the ability to offer a consistent and helpful experience every time, Pipedrive really emphasises the personal touch, which is evident in their email campaigns, and email and text templates. Additionally, an organized pipeline helps keep everything in place and in turn pushes the business growth forward.

Many small business owners have discovered that crm software for small businesses are an absolute necessity to help them stay on track. CRM allows small businesses to harvest and track a vast amount of information, giving them a growth pipeline that otherwise would require a large team of employees to create and manage.

CRM lets small businesses punch above their weight when it comes to data and client relations. Look around and decide which CRM is best for your small business.

Sales are undoubtedly the most important part of any business, and customer relationships are the key to unlocking more sales. The relationship between a business and customers goes beyond the moment someone walks into a store; it starts with the very basics - names, addresses, etc. - and builds over time.

Managing customer relationships correctly, from beginning to end, leads to better marketing, increased sales, better customer loyalty, and a host of other benefits. It’s not a small task, however. It involves tracking lots of basic data as well as monitoring communications and purchase history.

The task of managing customer relationships used to be far too big for any one person; it involved teams of people from secretaries to sales managers. Today, the entire process has been streamlined and simplified by using dedicated Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software.

What is CRM?

CRM is a modern solution to an age-old sales problem: how to manage all of the information that comes with recurring customers. In today’s digital world, companies can use CRM software to track and store all of that information, from emails to address info, in a single source.

Think of the simple Rolodex - a physical index of business cards. The staple of many a businessman’s desk in the second half of the 20th century, the Rolodex give marketers an early database of people who might be interested in their products. It also let them keep track of key individuals on the supply chain for their businesses. Nothing was digital, of course, but the Rolodex was still a hugely helpful tool.

It was also an early form of CRM. The cards in the Rolodex represented people who were current or potential customers. Each one had a relationship with that particular business, a relationship that grew over time. Today’s CRM packages use the same principles; they provide a digital method for keeping track of potential customers, with the added benefits of also tracking communications, sales, and other pertinent information.

The earliest attempts at a digital CRM approach began in the 1970s and 1980s, and amounted to little more than a digital rolodex of contact information. Nevertheless, the idea of database marketing was born from those earliest efforts; the idea that customer information could be collected, tracked, and used to improve marketing efforts.

What does CRM do?

Today’s CRM aims not only to track and store customer contact information, but also to help manage current marketing efforts as well as to inform future efforts. In other words, CRM tries to be a one-stop shop: a database of current and future clients as well as a program that helps facilitate current marketing and sales efforts.

Modern CRM software packages track client communications, sales, and invoices, among other options. They allow the business owner to see, at a glance, the status of the company’s relationship to a particular client.

CRM software is just one part of a broader CRM approach. Those approaches emphasize the need for a strong relationship between business and client, and CRM software makes maintaining that relationship easier.

Current delivery models

Today, most CRM software packages come in the form of Software As A Service (SaaS). These are typically cloud-based applications, often billed monthly rather than as a one-time fee. The cloud-based solution allows SaaS CRM software to be updated frequently and easily, without a cumbersome installation process on-site.

Good CRM software solutions also provide a high degree of automation; automatic responses can be sent to certain communications and certain actions triggered under the right conditions. Because of the automation factor, many CRM software packages specialize in certain industries. You’ll find CRM for restaurants and restaurant managers and CRM for real estate agents, and of course you will find more generalized CRM packages that aim to provide everything with excellent options to better manage their customers.

While businesses of every size use different CRM packages, this article focuses primarily on small to medium sized businesses. Businesses at that size can see a vast improvement even from a basic CRM subscription.

Best CRM Software for Solopreneurs

Even one-person businesses can benefit from CRM software. Since a CRM suite performs the work of several individuals, from secretaries to sales managers, small and one-man businesses gain the advantage of several additional workers in one suite of software.

With that said, what’s the best CRM for the smallest businesses out there? If you’re a freelancer or solopreneur, consider these choices. Most of them offer some project management features as well as customer relationship management.

Close
A CRM aimed to help you streamline your leads and sales processes. Close lets you automate communications and marketing campaigns, integrating multiple channels with each other - emails, calls, video conferencing, the entire works.

NetHunt
NetHunt keeps things simple; essentially, it works as a CRM suite add-on for G-Suite’s tools. Most importantly, it integrates seamlessly with Gmail, which most small businesses are already using as their default email client. The basic subscription plan starts at $24 - perfect for an entrepreneur just starting out.

Zoho CRM
Automation and analytics - that’s Zoho in a nutshell. The automation features for marketing outreach and communications alone make the software worth it, but Zoho adds an entire suite of analytics tools. Zoho offers over 40 built-in reports that can be generated, allowing you to see the effectiveness of every step of your process. Zoho has features enough for larger businesses, but can be incredibly useful for businesses of any size.

Best CRM for Medium Size Businesses

From non-profits to restaurants, the “mid-sized business” category encompasses a wide range of businesses, each of which can benefit from CRM software. Here are some of our favorites.

Funraise
Funraise is a CRM that focuses on non-profits, uses a simple overview to let you track every aspect of your donor relations, from payment methods to donation frequency. You can also view basic contact information and assign members of your team to specific donors. Funraise also provides the normal range of CRM functions, including communications and subscriptions. Funraise subscriptions begin at $350 per month.

Salesforce
Mention CRM, and you have to talk about Salesforce. One of the first and best CRM solutions out there, Salesforce comes loaded with features. In fact, one of the few drawbacks to Salesforce is that it arguably has too many features, making for a fairly steep learning curve. The company has also expanded beyond a simple CRM package, with software packages for customer service more specifically, as well as ones for building app and service platforms. Salesforce remains an in-depth CRM solution with built-in chat, contact management, and AI analytics options. Subscriptions begin at $25 per month.

LionDesk
A CRM designed for smaller teams, LionDesk is an excellent CRM for real estate agents, nonprofit organizations, or small businesses. The software features an AI assistant to automate communications and responses. Indeed, the LionDesk CRM is built around communications - you can design and automate a text or email marketing campaign and see all the responses in one location, with dozens of options regarding how and when to send out your campaign. LionDesk is also one of the cheapest specialized CRMs out there, with a free trial and then prices starting at $25 a month.

Copper
Copper provides one huge advantage for anyone who uses it; it integrates almost seamlessly with G-Suite, Google’s huge array of tools. That means that you can use Excel to track inventory and your accounts, and Google Docs to share memos and policy updates. Copper is marketed at individuals, not businesses, which means it’s billed per user; plans start at $19 per month.

Best CRM for Enterprise

Most CRM suites will provide similar tools regardless of how big your company is or what market you focus on. Here are some of the best CRM suites available, packed with features and loaded with options. If you’ve got a busy schedule and lots of clients, trying to balance the customers you have while trying to add new ones, consider one of these to take your enterprise to the next level.

Pipeliner CRM
Customer relationship management aims to develop connections and relationships with potential clients, with the end goal of generating leads and sales. Pipeliner makes that idea explicit in its very name. With an impressive app and a simple design, Pipeliner provides an easy-to-use suite that can be adopted quickly by new users.

HubSpot
An incredibly popular CRM solution that warrants further attention, HubSpot has gained a huge following for at least one major reason - its most basic plan is free. HubSpot offers premium subscriptions, of course, but is loaded with many features - such as custom deals for your clients and contact management - that are free without a paid subscription.

Commence CRM
Commence is another CRM giant; the software suite includes help-desk features to boost your customer service, as well as integrated email systems and project management software. Like Salesforce, Commence is far more than “simply” a CRM suite. You’ll find a nearly-endless array of tools, allowing you to customize your approach as needed.

Choosing the right CRM software

How do you choose the right CRM software for you and your business? Here are a few things to keep in mind.

Size
The size of the CRM package doesn’t matter; the size of your business does. Are you managing yourself? Your own restaurant? Or an international non-profit organization with donors from all over the world? Each one will demand a slightly different approach to your CRM software.

Features <br Does your ideal CRM incorporate social media channels? Will you need integration with accounting or tax software? After you consider the size of your business, you’ll be better able to assess the features you’ll need. Both of those together factor into the third consideration, which is:

Cost
A good CRM can easily pay for itself. Even a CRM that costs hundreds of dollars a month might only need to gain you a single new client to pay for itself for a year. Large organizations may find the cost of even the most expensive and feature-rich CRM packages to be a mere drop in the bucket. Of course, if you’re just starting out for yourself, a free CRM software package might be ideal. Just make sure that it meets your needs and provides the features your organization requires in order to thrive.

Customer relationships are ultimately at the core of any business. The traditional methods of face-to-face networking aren’t gone, replaced by faceless, AI-driven CRM software. Instead, good CRM software works with you to enhance your opportunities for those face-to-face relationships. Choose a CRM package that provides you with the best tools for your favorite methods of building a relationship.

Customer Relationship Management software (CRM) promises a lot - improved communication, better customer retention, even new potential clients. But is a CRM worth it? Can it really deliver? Perhaps you’re a small business wondering whether the monthly expense of CRM is going to pay off in the long run. Maybe you’re using a CRM program and not seeing any improvement in your business and you’re concerned that it’s not worth the money.

Whether you’re a small business that’s floundering and looking to make a change, a large business needing inspiration, or a brand new business trying to pick out the best way forward, here are the success stories you need to hear about the value of CRM.

Many of these CRM success stories are from big, worldwide companies, since these companies learned quickly just how much CRM was needed for their business. Because CRM benefited them, they became household names. If CRM could work for them, it too can work for you!

McDonalds
McDonalds is a world-wide legend. From humble beginnings as a hamburger stand in San Bernardino, California to millions of burgers eaten every day across the globe, this is the ultimate success story.

Nearly a decade ago, McDonalds began using a CRM to track and hopefully improve customer satisfaction ratings on both the national and franchise level. The CRM helped them improve real time reporting, both in the restaurants and in their call centers, all to better track specific customer information from their American restaurants.

Has it worked? Indeed. Since choosing their all-inclusive CRM over seven years ago, McDonalds has grown even more. Better information flow, facilitated through their CRM, allowed the company to deal with customer relationship issues early and prevent small problems from becoming big ones. As McDonald’s Head of Customer Satisfaction has stated, “CRM [is a] critically important function for any large company.” Take it from the guys who sell over 69 million meals to people worldwide everyday; they know the importance of an inclusive CRM for their restaurant brand.

Boise Office Solutions
Boise Office Solutions sells office products directly to businesses, and while the B2B model isn’t one that always succeeds with a CRM program, they are an exception. They have succeeded because their CRM program focuses on an IT strategy to complete their customer’s needs. They believe that by having IT know the ins and outs of each product, they can more effectively take out what does fit, leaving only products that customers will want and need.

They state, “Don't lose sight of your customers when implementing technology strategies. Boise's CRM initiative would not be a success if we had inconvenienced our customers. Because we applied new technology to our two largest customer channels, phone and Web, it was paramount that both remain fully functional.”

While every business can’t always spend $25,000 on a CRM, Boise’s CRM experience does go to show that customer retention is definitely worth the value, making theirs a valuable crm success story.

Asana
This popular management website is easy to use and easy to understand. But to get there, Asana hired a CRM to better communicate with their customers through email and social media. Rather than using several different programs, Asana opted for one specific package to help handle customer queries and responses, and thus to provide the info they needed to improve their product.

What have they noticed? They use their CRM to “ to read and track every piece of customer feedback, which makes the support team instrumental in building a product road map that delivers what customers really want.” As a result, Asana has a consistent, supportive team that helps its customers and delivers exactly what they need every time. During a time when more and more people are working online, Asana has seen growth and thrived when many other companies would have failed without a suitable CRM.

CRM Success Stories for You

In each of the above cases, Customer Relationship Management software (CRM) didn’t let companies reinvent the wheel. Introducing a CRM package didn’t transform basic processes; instead, CRM software let each company manage those processes far more smoothly and efficiently. By so doing, CRM gave each company increased room to grow and expand, reaching new clients and refining existing processes.

Every business will have different needs when it comes to the best CRM software, but there is almost certainly one out there that will suit your needs. Since each company is so different, finding what is best for yours may take some experimenting, but as these CRM) success stories show, the upside is almost limitless.