Introduction
When it comes to Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems, small businesses have different needs compared to large companies. Not only are their budgets smaller, but they also typically do not have a dedicated IT team or may not have one at all, which means they require solutions that they can start using with minimal effort and without extensive training. Very small startups in particular need a system that just works, providing the basic capabilities of CRM systems that can scale to meet the needs of larger businesses.
Best Sales Pipeline Software
Zoho offers a comprehensive CRM package, but its sub-product Bigin is aimed at small businesses. It is designed so that anyone can start managing contacts and sales pipelines immediately, regardless of their prior experience with CRM systems. It also provides a powerful mobile app, so sales professionals can easily access their tools while on the go.
Best Software for Small Sales Teams
Capsule CRM focuses on saving users time, especially in small to medium business environments. It has a simple and clutter-free interface and can integrate with accounting systems like Freshbooks, Quickbooks, and Xero, making it easy to start working with your organization’s existing contacts. Although it lacks some of the features available in the competition, we appreciate its more straightforward approach. Capsule CRM also has an excellent self-support website.
Best Software for Basic CRM Needs
Freshsales CRM is ideal as a CRM system for early-stage startups, but it also offers a relatively deep feature set for those with some experience in CRM systems. It provides an AI-powered assistant, integration with other business applications, and customization options for those with specific work contexts in mind.
Best Software for Budget-Conscious Startups
Less Annoying CRM prides itself on not bothering its customers – or at least not as much as the competition – but its standout feature may be its price, which is among the lowest of all the products we tested. While “lower cost” can sometimes mean “low value,” Less Annoying CRM offers a rich feature set that deserves consideration.
Best Affordable CRM Software for Small Businesses
For your small to medium-sized company, Vtiger may be the most suitable CRM system. It combines contact management, calendar, email marketing, internal chat integration, and marketing automation into one platform. Once you get used to its unique interface, you will be able to move quickly and efficiently between multiple tasks.
Best CRM and Pipeline Management Software
Although CRM is not the primary focus of Monday.com, it advertises a number of CRM features, all within the context of a broader online collaboration platform. You can consider it a general “work management” tool designed to help teams stay on task and keep workflows smooth, which intersects with core CRM functionalities.
Best Pipeline Organization Software
Pipedrive may not be the most powerful CRM system in terms of features, but it stands out for its ease of use. It is deal-oriented and allows you to visualize the entire sales process from start to finish, helping to eliminate hesitation among teams. It has an attractive interface, is easy to set up and use, making it a good choice for small teams. It also includes a customizable chat robot that you can add to websites to generate leads.
BestPrograms for Solo Entrepreneurs and Freelancers
HoneyBook stands out from other CRM solutions with its unique and almost innovative interface. Instead of being a standalone customer relationship management product, it aims to be a comprehensive system for small business management. As a result, it combines lead and project tracking with invoice issuing, proposal and contract creation, scheduling, online payments, and other useful features.
Best CRM Software for Beginners
Onpipeline is simple and user-friendly, and it is priced accordingly. Its feature set is relatively limited compared to the competition. However, its straightforward interface is easy enough to allow you to leverage it quickly, even if you have no prior experience with CRM systems.
What is Customer Relationship Management Software for Small Businesses?
If you are an entrepreneur or a small business with over 50 customers, trying to manage your customer contacts using a large spreadsheet, you may have already realized that this is an inflexible task. Customer relationship management (CRM) systems are designed to make this important task easier.
What Can Customer Relationship Management Software Do for Your Business?
Think of CRM software as a sponge that can absorb all the information your company has about a specific customer. Then you can wring it out so that the data flows everywhere you need it. When fully utilized, a CRM can gather all of your company’s interactions with each customer and merge them with relevant data from other sources like accounting, inventory, marketing, and purchasing. This can help you maintain a sales pipeline that is not only accurate but also able to quickly react to new opportunities.
How Do Customer Relationship Management Programs Handle Customer Data?
In addition to gathering data, the fundamental role of any CRM program should be to integrate the data. Whether from documents, phone calls, social media chats, or anything else, you are looking for a solution that can collect data from all the main channels you use to interact with customers. But collecting data is only half the job. Analyzing and directing the data is the other half, and that can be challenging.
Is Customer Relationship Management Software Worth It for Small Businesses?
Small businesses represent a significant portion of the market, which is why some major players in the CRM market are scaling down their flagship products to meet the needs of smaller enterprises. Generally, they only highlight what they see as the best small business features in their current products and the developmental work is usually focused on making those capabilities easier to use.
Leverage Integrations with Third Parties
CRM software for small businesses may not come with all the luxurious features of large enterprise CRM platforms, but that doesn’t mean you can’t create a unified system for your sales representatives. Check your CRM’s integration and partner lists to see what options you have to integrate your solution with third-party vendor software. Tasks like social media listening and selling, email marketing, business analytics, marketing automation, and even lead management can be handled by specialized vendors, and choosing to integrate with a low-cost partner might be cheaper than paying for a larger CRM platform to get those capabilities.
Take Advantage of Mobile CRM Applications
One of the most significant developments in CRM for small businesses and entrepreneurs is the availability of easy and effective mobile applications. These days, small businesses are on the move. They are also increasingly distributed – even globally – and the devices used by sales staff can vary widely. Therefore, it’s essential that your CRM software supports not just desktop computers but also tablets and smartphones.
The Players
The Key Players in the CRM Market for Small Businesses
We were pleasantly surprised by the many options available to small businesses when it comes to attractive and versatile customer relationship management software. In this summary, we have included leading companies that explicitly target products or plans for small businesses, as well as covering the best new products designed from the ground up for use by entrepreneurs and small shops. As a result, the solutions we tested include reliable standalone systems that focus exclusively on contact and sales management, as well as applications that add core CRM functionality to general business management tools.
There’s No One-Size-Fits-All CRM System
While other companies we tested may not have all the features
Source: https://me.pcmag.com/en/crm-software/14759/the-best-small-business-crm-software-for-2023
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