Best CRM Software for Small Businesses

CRM (customer relationship management) software helps businesses store, manage, and understand customer data. It keeps track of things like their contact information, interactions, purchases, preferences, and feedback. It can also help simplify the sales process, track performance, generate reports, and connect with other business tools like email, social media, accounting, and e-commerce platforms.

Despite what most small business owners believe, CRM software is not just for large enterprises and isn’t expensive. The best CRM software for small businesses, regardless of industry, size, or budget, can do a lot of things to help them provide excellent customer service and grow their business.

10 Best CRM Software for Small Businesses

Here are the top picks for the best CRM software for small businesses, listed in no particular order.

Zoho CRM

The popular Zoho CRM offers an easy and affordable way to generate leads, automate sales, and provide customer service. It also connects to over 300 third-party apps and comes with a mobile app, a tool to manage social media, and an AI assistant.

Zoho CRM is best for small businesses that want a flexible and affordable CRM solution that can keep up as they grow. It has a free plan and paid plans start at $18 monthly per user for the standard plan. The professional plan costs $30 monthly per user, the enterprise $45, and the ultimate plan $55.

Pros of Zoho CRM

• Offers free plan and affordable paid plans
• Has a user-friendly interface and a drag-and-drop workflow builder
• Works with multiple tools and apps

Cons of Zoho CRM

• Some features require additional add-ons or integrations
• Some users report bugs and glitches
• Customer support can be slow or unresponsive

Monday.com

Monday.com is a cloud-based CRM software that helps small businesses manage their sales, projects, tasks, and workflows in a way that is easy to see and work on together. It allows you to create and customize boards, columns, and views to suit your business needs and preferences. 

Monday.com is ideal for teams looking for simple and intuitive CRM software that also handles project management. It offers four paid plans with a minimum of three users: Basic ($12 monthly per user), Standard ($17 monthly per user), Pro ($28 monthly per user), and Enterprise (custom pricing)

Pros of Monday.com

• Modern interface with drag-and-drop functionality
• Offers a high level of customization and flexibility
• Has a responsive and helpful customer support

Cons of Monday.com

• Three-user minimum for paid plans
• Can be overwhelming or confusing for some users
• Lacks a few features, such as email marketing and reporting

Freshsales

With Freshsales, you can easily collect information from people who are interested in your business on the Internet. You can then follow up and guide them through a buying journey.

Freshsales is ideal for small businesses that want a straightforward CRM focussing on lead generation. It has a free plan for up to 3 users and also offers three paid plans: Growth ($15 monthly per user), Pro ($39 monthly per user) and Enterprise ($69 monthly per user).

Pros of Freshsales

• Clean, user-friendly interface and a dashboard
• Offers a free plan and a 21-day free trial for paid plans
• Provides a built-in telephone and email system

Cons of Freshsales

• Limited customization and automation options
• The free plan doesn’t offer reports
• Reports of limited customer support 

Hubspot CRM

HubSpot CRM shines as a powerful tool for small businesses to manage contacts, leads, deals, and marketing campaigns all in one place. It allows you to import and organize contacts, track leads, monitor and close deals, and measure and improve your marketing.

HubSpot CRM is perfect for small businesses looking for robust CRM software that supports growth. It has a free plan that allows unlimited users and paid plans start at $30 per user per month. The professional plan costs $1,781 monthly per user and the Enterprise plan costs $5,000 monthly per user.

Pros of Hubspot

• Offers a free plan with unlimited users and contacts
• User-friendly design with an easy-to-use dashboard
• Works well with other apps and tools you might need to use

Cons of Hubspot

• Can be expensive for advanced features or larger teams
• Confusing or tough to use for some users
• The free plan has limitations

Salesforce

Salesforce Essentials helps you keep track of sales and customer service simply and effectively. You can easily manage sales, communicate with customers, and support them via live chats, tickets, and self-service portals.

Salesforce is great for small businesses that want to manage customer relationships using an all-in-one tool. It comes with a free trial period of 30 days and several paid plans starting at $25 monthly per user) and going up to $500 monthly per user.

Pros of Salesforce

• Many ways to customize it to fit your needs.
• Provides detailed insights and statistics for decision-making.
• Free 30-day trial.

Cons of Salesforce

• No free plans are available. 
• The interface is complex and takes time to learn. 
• Expensive compared to similar software.

Pipedrive

Pipedrive keeps track of your leads and deals so you can follow up on them on time. It offers a clean, easy-to-use layout and you can adapt it to your needs and preferences

Pipedrive is a good choice for small businesses that want a simple and user-friendly tool to manage their sales pipeline. It has a free trial of 14 days and paid plans start from $11.90 monthly per user for the Essential plan. Other packages include Advanced ($24.90 monthly per user), Professional ($49.90 monthly per user), and Power ($59.90 monthly per user).

Pros of Pipedrive

• Simple, easy-to-use layout and dashboard
• Offers a high level of customization and flexibility
• Affordable plans starting at $11.90

Cons of Pipedrive

• No free plan
• Security rules and alerts require the Enterprise plan
• Limited customer support on lower plans

Insightly

Insightly allows you to keep all your customer information in one place and interact with them easily through email and social media. It also provides a way to organize projects and collaborate with your team. 

Insightly is best for small businesses looking for a CRM tool that also handles project management and collaboration. Paid plans start at $29 monthly per user for the Plus plan, but you can use it free for up to two users. Professional and Enterprise plans cost $49 and $99 monthly per user, respectively.

Pros of Insightly

• Simple and easy-to-use interface
• Offers a free plan and a 14-day free trial
• Combined with project management tools. 

Cons of Insightly

• Can be expensive for larger teams or more advanced features
• Extra cost to access built-in phone feature
• There are some limitations and restrictions on the free plan

Nimble

Nimble CRM software helps small businesses keep track of their customers, leads, and interactions with them on social media. It allows you to import and update customer information, send messages through email and social media networks, and create reports.

Nimble is ideal for small businesses using social media and AI to build better relationships and grow their business. You can try it for free for 14 days. If you decide to continue, the paid plan costs $24.90 per user per month. 

Pros of Nimble

• Updates and improves customer contact information automatically
• User-friendly interface and dashboard
• Built-in email and social media tools

Cons of Nimble

• Limited contacts (25,000) and emails (300) per plan
• Customer support may not always be available
• Only 2GB of storage available per user

Bitrix24

Bitrix24 CRM tool helps businesses generate leads and manage customer relationships. It has many features like tasks, CRM, Drive, an online store, and a website builder. Bitrix24 is best for medium to large teams that need a powerful solution for managing customer relationships and have the time and resources to learn how to use it. 

Besides the free plan, Bitrix24 offers 4 paid plans: Basic ($61 monthly per 5 users), Standard ($124 monthly per 50 users), Professional ($249 monthly per 100 users), and Enterprise ($499 monthly per 250 users).

Pros of Bitrix24

• Offers Kanban user interface
• Robust range of lead management tools
• Alerts for tasks, opportunities, and activities

Cons of Bitrix24

• Challenging to use due to its complex user interface
• Relatively more expensive than competitors
• Limited social media integration

Apptivo

Apptivo is a highly customizable CRM platform that offers a variety of features and tools for small businesses. It is best for businesses that need a comprehensive and customizable CRM solution that can integrate with other popular applications. 

Apptivo’s pricing starts at $10 per user per month for the Lite plan. Other plans include Premium ($15 monthly per user), Ultimate ($25 monthly per user), and Enterprise (custom pricing).

Pros of Apptivo

• Users can create custom fields, workflows, and more to suit their needs
• Works with over 40 third-party apps
• Provides solutions specific to each industry

Cons of Apptivo

• Extensive features might be confusing for some users
• Free plan for only 3 users with limited features
• Lower-level plans lack SMS

What Is CRM Software?

CRM software is a tool that helps businesses manage relationships with their customers. From when they make their first inquiry to when they make a purchase and even after that, the software helps companies keep track of all the information related to their customers. 

For example, the software can keep track of a customer’s name, contact information, what they’ve purchased, what they like, and what they’ve said about the business. 

Why Do Small Businesses Need CRM Software?

CRM software helps businesses work smarter and quicker. It can automatically send emails, make phone calls, and many other things to keep customers happy and the company running smoothly. Businesses also use CRM Software to find new customers, increase sales, and make more money.

Features to Look for in CRM Software for Small Businesses

When choosing CRM software, it’s essential to keep in mind the following features and factors that will work best for your business needs.

Customization Options

Seek out a CRM software that offers extensive customization options for your data, fields, views, workflows, and reports. Look for a platform that easily adapts and expands alongside your business as it grows and undergoes changes.

Contact Management

It should help you store and organize names, email addresses, phone numbers, home or work addresses, and social media accounts. It should also sort your contacts into groups based on where they live, job types, interest in your products or services, and how they’ve interacted with you.

Lead Management

As a business, you need to keep track of potential customers interested in your products or services. An ideal CRM software should capture information about people who visit your website, fill out forms, get referred to you, or attend events you host. It should help you stay in touch with these potential customers by sending them emails, making calls, and scheduling appointments. 

Sales Pipeline Tracking

A good CRM can help you make deals, complete tasks and move sales along. It can also help you monitor how well you’re doing by setting goals, measuring results, and finding problems that need fixing.

Integration With Other Business Tools

Look out for CRM software that can work with other tools you use, like email, calendars, social media, accounting, and e-commerce sites. This integration will make things easier for you by combining all your important information in one place and preventing mistakes and confusion.

Reporting and Analytics Capabilities

You can generate reports and analyze data with good CRM software. This feature allows you to understand how your business is doing, how your customers are behaving, and what opportunities are there in the market. 

Optimize Customer Relations With Your Ideal CRM & Boost Efficiency with doola

CRM software is a valuable tool for managing your customers’ information, keeping track of your sales, and providing reports and analytics to grow your business. If you want to streamline your business processes further, consider simplifying your tax management and financial tracking with doola Taxes. 

doola Taxes can integrate with your existing CRM software and help you keep track of your taxes and finances in one place. With its user-friendly interface and tailored solutions, doola Taxes can help you manage your business more efficiently.

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