The As a brand or entrepreneur, managing customer relationships and driving sales can be a complex process. There is an abundance of CRM software solutions on the market today that can help you manage contacts, track interactions, automate workflows, optimize your customer service experience, generate leads and more.
In this guide, we’ll take a look at some of the top CRM software solutions available and discuss how they can be used to drive sales. Read on to discover the best CRM software for any brand or business looking to maximize their ROI based on over 50,000 reviews across G2, Capterra, Trust Radius and more.
As a digital marketing executive or sales executive, you understand the importance of having the right tools and resources for success. Have you considered how CRM software could help you manage customer data, streamline processes and ultimately enhance your digital marketing strategy?
With powerful features like automated workflows, customized dashboards, and real-time analytics, you can unlock the potential of data to drive better results for your business. Choose a CRM tool that is tailored to meet your specific needs as a digital marketing executive – one that offers a comprehensive platform and helps you maximize ROI.
In this post, we share 8 of the best CRM solutions on the market ranked based on total reviews on a blend of sites like Capterra, Trust Radius, G2 and more. In addition, we’ve analyzed the feedback from various users to get real life perspective and experience to apply to the table.
| CRM Software | Number of positive reviews on Capterra | Number of positive reviews on G2.com |
|---|---|---|
| Salesforce CRM | 18,000 | 11,000 |
| HubSpot CRM | 8,000 | 7,000 |
| Zoho CRM | 7,000 | 5,000 |
| Freshsales CRM | 4,000 | 3,000 |
| Pipedrive CRM | 3,000 | 2,000 |
| Agile CRM | 2,000 | 1,000 |
| Close.com CRM | 1,000 | 500 |
Let’s get to it:
CRM #1: Salesforce
Salesforce has over 12,000 reviews on Capterra. It’s one of the most trusted and powerful CRM software solutions available. With Salesforce, you can manage customer relationships, track sales performance, automate marketing processes and more. Your digital marketing team will love that Salesforce has customizable, AI-powered dashboards and reports, as well as customizable workflows
The Story Behind Salesforce
Salesforce is a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) platform that was founded in 1999 by Marc Benioff, Parker Harris, Dave Moellenhoff, and Frank Dominguez. The company was founded on the idea of using the internet to deliver software as a service, rather than selling traditional software licenses.
Before starting Salesforce, Marc Benioff worked at Oracle, where he helped develop the first customer relationship management (CRM) product. However, he saw that CRM software at the time was expensive and difficult to use, and he believed that there was an opportunity to create and become one of the best cloud service providers of a more user-friendly CRM product.
Benioff and his co-founders started Salesforce in a small apartment in San Francisco, and the company quickly gained traction by offering a more affordable and easier-to-use CRM solution. Today, Salesforce is a publicly traded company with a market value of over $300 billion.
Here’s a few key things to know about Salesforce CRM:
Salesforce Pricing: Prices for Salesforce CRM start at $25 per user per month for the Lightning Essentials plan, and can go up to $300 per user per month for the Unlimited plan.
Feature 1: Contact and lead management
This allows you to store and organize information about your customers, leads, and other contacts.
Feature 2: Sales forecasting
Salesforce CRM, like dedicated forecasting software, helps you make informed predictions
Feature 3: Lead tracking and nurturing
This helps you track the progress of leads through the sales pipeline and send automated follow-up emails or messages.
Benefit 1: Improved customer relationships
Salesforce CRM allows you to store and manage customer information in a central location, which can help you build better relationships with your customers.
Benefit 2: Increased sales and revenue
By using Salesforce CRM to track and manage leads and opportunities, you can increase your sales and revenue by closing more deals.
Benefit 3: Enhanced productivity
Salesforce CRM can help you streamline and automate various business processes, such as lead management and marketing campaigns, which can improve productivity and efficiency.
CRM #2: Hubspot CRM
HubSpot CRM has over 22,000 reviews on Capterra and an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. This shows that the CRM is highly rated among users and is a great choice for digital marketing executives looking for a powerful CRM software solution.
The Story Behind Hubspot
HubSpot is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform that was founded in 2006 by Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah. The company was founded with the goal of helping small businesses grow by providing them with a range of marketing, sales, and customer service tools.
Before starting HubSpot, Halligan and Shah had both worked in the tech industry and had experienced firsthand the challenges of using traditional CRM software. They saw an opportunity to create a more user-friendly, cloud-based CRM platform that would be accessible to small businesses.
The company was founded in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and initially focused on providing inbound marketing software. Today, HubSpot is a publicly traded company with a market value of over $10 billion, and its CRM platform has become a popular choice for small and medium-sized businesses.
Hubspot Pricing: Prices for HubSpot CRM start at $0 per month for the free CRM plan and can go up to $1,200 per month for the Enterprise plan.
Feature 1: Contact and lead management
This allows you to store, organize and manage information about your customers, leads and other contacts from a single dashboard.
Feature 2: Sales automation processes
This helps you streamline tasks such as lead follow-ups, email campaigns and contact segmentation for more efficient customer engagement.
Feature 3: Reporting and analytics
This gives you insights into your sales performance, allowing you to make informed decisions about how to improve it.
Benefit 1: Enhanced visibility of sales pipelines
Hubspot CRM enables you to easily track the progress of leads through your sales funnel, helping you identify trends and take appropriate action.
Benefit 2: Improved customer engagement
Using Hubspot CRM, you can send automated messages and emails to contacts in response to their activity on your website or app, helping you keep them engaged.
Benefit 3: Increased efficiency
Hubspot CRM enables you to automate repetitive tasks such as lead follow-ups and contact segmentation, resulting in improved efficiency and productivity.
In summary, Hubspot CRM, just like many HubSpot competitors provides an invaluable asset to digital marketing professionals. It empowers them to manage their customers and contacts with efficiency while tracking the progress of leads through the sales pipeline. Additionally, this tool allows users to automate tedious tasks such as lead follow-ups – ultimately optimizing operations for maximum growth potential!
CRM #3: Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM has over 8,000 reviews on Capterra and an average rating of 4.5 out of 5 stars. This shows that the CRM is highly rated among users and is a great choice for digital marketing executives looking for a powerful CRM software solution.
The Story Behind Of Zoho
Zoho is a cloud-based software company that was founded in 1996 by Sridhar Vembu and Tony Thomas. The company is headquartered in Chennai, India, and offers a range of business, productivity, and collaboration tools.
Before starting Zoho, Sridhar Vembu had worked at Qualcomm, where he gained experience in developing software for wireless communication systems. He saw an opportunity to create a range of software products that could be delivered over the internet, rather than requiring traditional software installations.
Vembu and Thomas founded Zoho with the goal of creating a suite of software tools that would be accessible and affordable for small and medium-sized businesses. Today, Zoho is a privately held company with a global user base and a range of products that includes a popular CRM platform.
Zoho Pricing: Prices for Zoho CRM start at $0 per user per month for the Free plan, and can go up to $45 per user per month for the Ultimate plan.
Feature 1: Contact and lead management
Every great CRM allows you to store, organize and manage information about your customers, leads and other contacts in one place. Zoho offers this in an experience that is easy to use and all in one place.
Feature 2: Follow up and workflow automation
The key to a successful CRM integration is one that makes it easy for your team to drive results. Zoho CRM helps you streamline tasks such as email campaigns and contact segmentation for more efficient customer engagement.
Feature 3: Reporting and analytics
You can’t impact what you don’t measure. Zoho offers a wide range of analytics and measurement features to increase the likelihood of success for your sales engine. This gives you insights into your sales performance, allowing you to make informed decisions about how to improve it.
Benefit 1: Improved customer relationships
Zoho CRM allows you to store and manage customer data in a centralized location, which can help you build better relationships with your customers.
Benefit 2: Increased sales and revenue
By using Zoho CRM to track and manage leads and opportunities, you can increase your sales and revenue by closing more deals.
Benefit 3: Enhanced productivity
Zoho CRM can help you streamline and automate various business processes, such as lead management and marketing campaigns, which can improve productivity and efficiency.
Ultimately, Zoho CRM is a formidable tool for digital marketing executives. It enables them to manage their customers and contacts more productively while tracking leads through the sales cycle. Furthermore, it facilitates automated processes like email campaigns and contact segmentation that advance customer engagement.
#4 CRM: Freshsales CRM
Freshsales CRM has over 2,000 reviews on Capterra and an average rating of 4.4 out of 5 stars. This shows that the CRM is highly rated among users and is a great choice for digital marketing executives looking for a powerful CRM software solution.
The Story Behind Freshsales
Freshsales is a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) platform that was founded in 2010 by Girish Mathrubootham and Shan Krishnasamy. The company is headquartered in Chennai, India, and offers a range of sales, marketing, and customer service tools for small and medium-sized businesses.
Before starting Freshsales, Girish Mathrubootham had worked at Zoho, where he helped develop the company’s CRM platform. He saw an opportunity to create a CRM product that would be specifically tailored to the needs of small and medium-sized businesses.
Mathrubootham and Krishnasamy founded Freshsales with the goal of providing an affordable and easy-to-use CRM platform for businesses of all sizes. Today, Freshsales is a growing company with a global user base.
Freshsales Pricing: Prices for Freshsales CRM start at $12 per user per month for the Sprout plan, and can go up to $79 per user per month for the Bliss plan.
Feature 1: Multi-channel tracking: This allows you to track your customer interactions from any channel, helping you gain insights into the customer journey.
Feature 2: Automation engine: This helps you streamline tasks such as lead follow-ups and personalized campaigns for improved customer engagement.
Feature 3: Reporting and analytics: This gives you insights into your sales performance, allowing you to make informed decisions about how to optimize it.
Benefit 1: Enhanced customer segmentation: Freshsales CRM enables you to easily segment customers based on their user activity and interactions, allowing for more targeted campaigns.
Benefit 2: Improved team collaboration: With Freshsales CRM, you can easily collaborate with other members of your team on customer accounts, helping to ensure a unified customer experience.
Benefit 3: Optimized sales pipelines: Through the reporting and analytics features of Freshsales CRM, you can get detailed insights into your sales performance and identify areas for improvement.
Freshsales CRM is considered by many to be an indispensable tool for both small businesses and digital marketing execs alike. It helps them better manage leads and contacts while also providing detailed insights into their customers’ behaviors. From any channel they can track customer interactions, as well as automate tasks like lead follow-ups in order to heighten engagement with clients. With its assistance, executives are much more likely to maximize their ROI across all channels due to the smart data it collects!
#5 CRM: Pipedrive CRM
Pipedrive CRM has over 2,264 reviews on Capterra. It’s a powerful yet simple sales pipeline software designed to help digital marketing professionals and entrepreneurs manage customer relationships, streamline their sales process and execute their digital marketing strategy. With Pipedrive, you can track leads, create customized pipelines, use automated follow-ups, generate reports and more.
Pipedrive Pricing: Prices for Pipedrive CRM start at $12.50 per user per month for the Silver plan, and can go up to $99 per user per month for the Platinum plan.
Feature 1: Visual pipeline management
Humans are visual creatures by nature. If you’re in sales, it can be very valuable to have a visual chart showing your pipeline at a glance. Nothing is more powerful than seeing a strong or weak pipeline. This CRM feature allows you to track your customer interactions from any channel, helping you gain insights into the customer journey.
Feature 2: Automation engine
Marketing and sales automation is one of the greatest opportunities of this generation. The automation engine within Pipedrive helps you streamline tasks such as lead follow-ups and personalized campaigns for improved customer engagement.
Feature 3: Real-time insights and analytics
Sales is a time based activity. You need to know how things are going with every single contact in real time and Pipedrive arms you with that opportunity. Pipedrive CRM gives you real-time insights into your sales performance, allowing you to make informed decisions about how to optimize it.
Benefit 1: Improved customer segmentation
It’s important to understand where your leads came from and how they got into your pipeline. Pipedrive CRM enables you to easily segment customers based on their activity and interactions, allowing for more targeted campaigns.
Benefit 2: Streamlined team collaboration
It takes a team effort to drive success in sales. With Pipedrive CRM, you can easily collaborate with other members of your team on customer accounts, helping to ensure a unified customer experience.
Benefit 3: Enhanced sales pipelines
Through the real-time insights and analytics features of Pipedrive CRM, you can quickly identify areas for improvement and take action to optimize your sales performance.
Pipedrive CRM is a comprehensive tool that can aid digital marketing strategists in streamlining their customer relationship management. It allows for tracking of customers from various platforms and automates tedious tasks such as follow-ups to promote better engagement with clients.
With real-time insights and analytics into your sales performance, it’s straightforward identifying where improvements are needed so you can take immediate action – resulting in an optimized process guaranteed to increase ROI!
CRM #6: Agile CRM
Agile CRM is a powerful and potent customer relationship management tool that can help digital marketing professionals supercharge their sales process. It features an array of innovative tools that enable you to easily track customer interactions, automate tasks such as lead follow-ups, and gain real-time insights into your sales performance.
Agile CRM has over 3,900 reviews on Capterra. It is a comprehensive CRM software solution that helps digital marketing executives manage customer relationships, automate workflows, and optimize their campaigns. With AgileCRM, you can create custom dashboards to monitor key performance indicators, track leads through the sales pipeline, and send automated
Feature 1: Comprehensive Contact Management
Every single person you connect with is a contact. Every single person you connect with that has intent to buy is an opportunity. Agile CRM provides an easy-to-use platform for managing all of your opportunities and contacts from a single dashboard with ease. You can track the dates emails were sent, calls were held and so much more.
Feature 2: Automated Workflows
This helps you streamline tasks such as lead follow-ups and personalized campaigns for improved customer engagement. You can’t waste time as a sales professional trying to keep track of all of your tasks and todos. The best CRM tools (Agile CRM included) make it easy by streamlinig processes with automation.
Feature 3: Advanced Analytics & Reporting
Understanding the ins and outs of your output and sales engine is key. Through the reporting and analytics features of Agile CRM, you can get detailed insights into your sales performance and identify areas for improvement.
Benefit 1: Improved customer segmentation
One of the best parts about Agile CRM is that it enables you to easily segment customers based on their activity and interactions, allowing for more targeted campaigns.
Benefit 2: Streamlined team collaboration
With Agile CRM, you can easily collaborate with other members of your team on customer accounts, helping to ensure a unified customer experience.
Benefit 3: Increased sales efficiency
Through the analytics and reporting features of Agile CRM, you can quickly identify areas for improvement and take action to maximize your efficiency and optimize your results.
All in all, Agile CRM is a powerful and effective tool for digital marketing professionals that can help them manage their customers, leads and contacts more efficiently. It arms them with the tools they need to track customer interactions from multiple channels, as well as automate tasks such as lead follow-ups for improved customer engagement.
CRM #7: Apptivo CRM
Apptivo CRM is an innovative customer relationship management tool that can help digital marketers maximize their efficiency and transform the way they interact with customers. Its comprehensive suite of features coupled with an easy-to-use platform makes it a great choice for anyone looking to take control of their customer relationships.
Apptivo CRM has over 900 reviews on Capterra. It is designed to help small and medium businesses manage customers, sales leads, projects, cases and more. Apptivo’s all-in-one platform includes features such as contact management, customer relationship management (CRM), invoicing and employee productivity tracking. With Apptivo, you can create custom dashboards and reports to gain insight into key performance metrics. You can also utilize the mobile app for on-the-go access to customer data.
Feature 1: Advanced Contact Management
Apptivo CRM provides an easy-to-use platform for managing all of your customer contacts from a single dashboard. With this feature, you can track interactions across multiple channels and segment your customers based on their activity for improved targeting.
Feature 2: Automated Workflows
This helps you streamline processes such as lead follow-ups and personalized campaigns for maximum engagement. Apptivo also offers integrations with popular third-party tools such as Slack and Zapier, allowing you to take advantage of their powerful automation capabilities.
Feature 3: Robust Reporting & Analytics
You need to know the ins and outs of a prospect to close a prospect. With Apptivo CRM, you can get detailed insights into your sales performance and identify areas for improvement. This helps you make the necessary adjustments to optimize your workflow and maximize your ROI.
Benefit 1: Increased lead conversion
Apptivo CRM makes it easy for digital marketers to quickly respond to customer inquiries and convert them into sales. With automated workflows, personalized campaigns, and real-time insights, you can ensure that each lead is properly nurtured and converted into a customer.
Benefit 2: Improved customer retention:
Apptivo CRM helps you track customer interactions across multiple channels, allowing for more effective follow-up and improved retention rates. Furthermore, its reporting and analytics features provide real-time insights that can help you identify areas for improvement and take action for improved customer satisfaction.
Apptivo CRM is a must-have for digital marketing experts who desire to maximize efficiency and gain better results. Its impressive set of features combined with its user-friendly design will empower you to manage customers more proficiently and take the reins in your sales process. Unlock Apptivo CRM’s full potential – try it today!
CRM #8: Close.com
Close CRM is a powerful customer relationship management tool that can help digital marketers maximize their efficiency and streamline their customer relations. With its intuitive platform and comprehensive suite of features, it provides an easy-to-use solution for managing contacts, tracking interactions, automating workflows and more.
Close.com currently has over 800 reviews on Capterra with an overall rating of 4.6 stars out of 5.0. Reviewers have praised Close.com for its intuitive interface, powerful automation capabilities and comprehensive reporting suite, highlighting the tool as a great choice for any digital marketer looking to manage customer relationships more effectively.
Feature 1: Automated Lead Nurturing
This enables digital marketers to quickly and efficiently nurture leads, ensuring that each one is properly nurtured and converted into a customer. Close.com also makes it easy to stay organized by segmenting contacts based on their activity, creating personalized campaigns for maximum engagement, and more.
Feature 2: Robust Analytics & Reporting
Close.com helps you gain deeper insights into your sales performance and customer engagement, allowing you to identify areas for improvement and better manage your workflow. With its comprehensive reporting and analytics capabilities, you can make sure that each lead is properly nurtured and converted into a customer.
Benefit 1: Improved Efficiency
Close.com enables digital marketers to quickly and efficiently respond to customer inquiries and convert them into sales, while its automated workflows streamline processes such as lead follow-ups and personalized campaigns. This helps you stay organized and maximize efficiency for improved results.
Benefit 2: Increased Customer Retention
With its advanced tracking capabilities and real-time analytics, Close.com helps you better understand customer interactions and identify areas for improvement. This allows you to provide a more personalized experience that leads to increased customer satisfaction and improved retention rates.
To sum up, Close.com is a great CRM tool for sales teams seeking to streamline their workflows and capitalize on customer relations. With its comprehensive capabilities and user-friendly platform, you will have access to a hassle-free solution that allows you to manage contacts effectively while tracking interactions seamlessly.
CRM software is an invaluable asset for digital marketing executives. It allows them to manage customer relationships more effectively by providing a range of features that can streamline communication and data analysis.
With a CRM system in place, digital marketers are better equipped to identify trends and make informed decisions which will help them achieve their goals faster and more efficiently.
As you make your decision on what the right CRM is for your business keep these things in mind:
The Most Important Things to Consider When Picking Your CRM:
1. Features: Ensure that the CRM software you select can be customized and adjusted as your business needs change, and consider seeking out custom software development services to tailor solutions perfectly to your unique requirements.
2. Platform Compatibility: Make sure that the software you select is compatible with other platforms and can integrate with existing systems.
3. Usability: Choose a platform that is user-friendly and easy to navigate.
4. Flexibility: Ensure that the CRM software you select can be customized and adjusted as your business needs change.
5. Support: Pick a CRM system with reliable customer service and technical support in case of any issues or queries.
6. Security: Ensure that the platform offers secure data storage and access control to protect customer information.
The Next Steps For Selecting The Right CRM For Your Business
1. Assess Your Needs: Determine the features and capabilities that your business requires in order to meet its customer relationship management goals.
2. Research Solutions: Conduct research on available CRM software solutions to find a platform that meets your needs.
3. Consider Cost: Consider the cost of the software and whether it is within your budget.
4. Test Before Purchasing: Take advantage of any free trial periods or demos that are available to test the software’s features before making a purchase decision.
5. Analyze Your Data: Make sure that the CRM system can integrate with existing data sources and analyze customer information in meaningful ways.
Sales teams, founders and brands should consider taking advantage of CRM software to help them manage customer relationships more effectively. With the right system in place, they can improve communication with their customers, automate processes and track data conveniently. Questions about how CRM software can help to boost digital marketing efforts?
Here are some frequently asked questions that may provide you with helpful answers:
• How can CRM software help digital marketing executives better understand their customers?
CRM software allows digital marketing executives to store and analyze customer data, giving them a deeper insight into their target audience’s needs and preferences. With this information, they can develop more effective strategies that are tailored to meet the specific needs of their customers.
• What type of automation features does CRM software offer?
CRM software provides automation features to help digital marketing executives save time and resources. This includes features such as automated emails, lead scoring and customer segmentation, which allow them to send the right message to the right person at the right time and get better results from their campaigns.
• What features are included in a good CRM system?
A good CRM system should include features such as contact management, lead tracking, customer segmentation, follow-up reminders and analytics. It should also offer customization options to allow digital marketing executives to tailor the software according to their unique needs. Furthermore, scalability is important for businesses that are expanding quickly in order to ensure the CRM can meet your needs.
• What advantages does CRM software provide over manual customer relationship management methods?
CRM software provides digital marketing executives with faster and more efficient ways for managing customer relationships. By automating manual processes, it eliminates much of the time-consuming work associated with traditional methods. In addition, CRM software allows for easy analysis of data which helps to identify trends and inform decision making more quickly. This allows digital marketers to focus on developing strategies that will help them achieve their goals faster and more effectively.
• Is CRM software expensive?
CRM software can vary in cost depending on the features and customization options you choose. However, it is typically an affordable solution for businesses of any size. Investing in CRM software can also be beneficial in the long run, as it will help digital marketers save time and resources while improving customer relationships.
• How do I choose the right CRM system for my business?
When choosing a CRM system for your business, you should consider factors such as the features it offers, its scalability, and the cost. Additionally, you should look for a system that is user-friendly and can be easily integrated with other software solutions you may use. Taking all these factors into account will help ensure that you choose the right CRM system for your digital marketing needs.
• Is there any way to integrate existing customer data into the new CRM system?
Yes, many CRM systems have the ability to integrate existing customer data from other programs. This makes it easier for digital marketing executives to transfer and access customer information without having to manually input the data into the new system. Additionally, some CRM software also offers tools that allow you to easily import and export customer data, making the transition process even smoother.
• Is CRM software secure?
Yes, most CRM systems are designed with security in mind and include multiple layers of protection to ensure customer data is kept safe from unauthorized access. Additionally, some CRM solutions also offer data encryption to further protect sensitive information.
• How much time and effort is required to set up a CRM system?
The amount of time and effort needed to set up a CRM system depends on the complexity of the software and your business needs. Generally speaking, setting up a basic CRM system can take anywhere from a few hours to several days. If you’re looking for more advanced features or customization options, it could take longer. It is recommended to consult with a digital marketing professional who can provide assistance to help you set up the system quickly and efficiently.
• What level of support is available for using CRM software?
Many CRM software providers offer an array of support services, such as training and technical assistance. This can include resources such as user manuals, video tutorials, and online FAQs that can help you quickly understand how to use the system. Additionally, some providers also offer dedicated customer service teams who are available to address any issues or questions you may have. This can help make sure that your digital marketing team is able to use the CRM software effectively and efficiently.
• Are there any security measures in place to protect customer data?
Yes, most CRM systems are designed with security in mind and include multiple layers of protection to ensure customer data is kept safe from unauthorized access. Additionally, some CRM solutions also offer data encryption to further protect sensitive information. For added peace of mind, you should make sure that the CRM provider you are considering is compliant with the latest industry standards and regulations.