How to Choose the Best CRM Software

Different CRM solutions focus on different aspects of customer relationship management. For instance, some products focus more on lead management, while others are more suitable for project management, customer outreach, or sales forecasting. Broadly, however, CRM solutions fall into three main categories: operational CRM, collaborative CRM, and analytical CRM. You can begin your search by considering which CRM tools fit your business needs. This means you need to know your area of focus or which business processes you want to automate with your CRM software. For instance, if you are trying to improve your customer interactions, a collaborative solution that lets you collate customer data and facilitate your contact management would be beneficial.

You will need analytical CRMs when you are more concerned about analyzing customer information collected through multiple channels. This type of CRM lets you identify customer behaviors, increase customer retention rates, and optimize the sales pipeline. On the other hand, operational CRMs are more suitable for companies that deal directly with customers. The key components of this type of CRM are sales force automation, marketing automation, and service automation. These products usually come with a centralized dashboard that provides an overview of all interactions your sales teams, marketing teams, and customer support departments have had with your existing and potential customers.

Businesses also need to consider a number of generic factors when choosing CRM software. These factors may include its ease of use, integration capabilities, customizability, data entry functions, management tools, and whether it’s cloud-based or on-premise.

One of the last things to consider when choosing the best CRM software for your business’s customer relationship management is the price. Many CRM solution providers use a subscription-based model which will charge you a monthly fee. However, some of these prices can be high, especially when there are advanced features and integrations included. These high prices are maintainable for larger businesses, but for small businesses, it may be better to opt for a solution with more basic CRM features. Many CRM software providers will offer a free trial for first-time users, which allows you to make sure the software enhances your business processes before you buy it. There is also a range of free CRM apps to choose from such as HubSpot CRM.

Types of CRM Software

There are many different types of customer relationship management platforms that can help organizations streamline their business processes, some of which include:

Sales CRM software

This type of CRM platform helps users manage their entire sales cycle. It offers automation tools that give sales teams the opportunity to automate many sales activities that would’ve previously been done manually, saving time. This sales management software has many CRM features that can help sales reps analyze customer data, build a sales pipeline, evaluate their sales outreach strategy, and improve their overall sales and lead management processes.

The range of functionalities that sales CRM software has makes it a great type of CRM system for salespeople. It’s also important to note that many sales CRM platforms allow third-party integrations, which makes it easy for a sales team to centralize pipeline management to simplify all sales processes.

Marketing CRM software

Marketing CRM software allows users to run marketing campaigns more efficiently, acquire more potential customers, and streamline email marketing processes. This type of CRM management tool is also well-known for workflow automation; these marketing automation features can send automated emails, send real-time notifications, and create help desks that appear on the customer’s screen. This can, in turn, improve overall customer service and help the sales process by closing more sales and converting new leads into paying customers.

Email marketing automation is a main feature of marketing CRM software. When a specific action is triggered the CRM system will send an email to the subscriber. This can help increase customer engagement and retention. Many marketing CRM vendors provide users with customizable email templates that they can use for their email marketing. With drag-and-drop functionalities for ease of use, it helps even small businesses automate their marketing campaigns effectively.

Cloud-based CRM software

Cloud-based CRM systems give users a more readily available way to operate their customer relationship management; they can also be referred to as software as a service (SaaS) and are known for having a lower price point than on-premise CRM solutions. Using a CRM app is an effective way to meet your business needs, as you can access the information from any device with an internet connection. Many cloud CRM providers tailor the apps for ease of use and have support teams that can help handle any issues you may run into.

Cloud-based software also offers mobile access, which gives users the option to use CRM tools on the go. Popular CRM vendors such as Zoho CRM provide a free CRM app that lets users access important metrics and store data from anywhere. Most of the mobile apps are available on both iOS and Android devices which makes them accessible to all team members.

eCommerce CRM software

This type of CRM solution helps eCommerce businesses keep track of customer information and interactions, which helps them easily monitor the customer journey. It also helps small businesses grow by helping them leverage customer data and carry out marketing automation, such as abandoned shopping cart notifications. With eCommerce CRM software, it’s also possible to add on your business’s preferred payment methods through payment processing integration. This makes it easy for customers to safely use their debit and credit cards to pay for products online.

The CRM software allows users to access customer data on a centralized platform and view it in a clear spreadsheet format. This simplifies contact management and gives users a straightforward way to retrieve customer information should they need to follow up on a product issue or provide extra customer support.

Benefits of CRM Software

Integrating CRM software into your business processes has many benefits and will undeniably improve your organization's relations with its customers. Here are some of the key benefits of CRM software:

Improved organization

CRM systems give you an efficient way to manage customer data and communications. It gives you a centralized database, which can not only help with contact management but also help your sales teams keep all customer information in one easy-to-manage location.

Workflow automation

CRM solutions with workflow automation can save your business a significant amount of time by completing tasks that would usually be done manually. For example, automating email marketing campaigns lets your marketing team easily manage communications. Streamlining key processes can also result in improved customer satisfaction and retention.

CRM automation can also be beneficial for sales management. CRM reports give sales reps key metrics that help them with their sales forecasting, which can in turn help them adjust their pipeline management by knowing real-time performance metrics.

Scalable software

CRM software is well known for its scalability. This software is designed to expand with your business, making it a great option for small businesses that are growing. Many departments, such as marketing, support teams, and more, can use the same CRM solution. They can all use the same customer information and tailor it to their specific needs, which can also encourage internal collaboration in the business.

Better customer relationships

CRM software makes it easier to see who's interacting with your products, services, or campaigns. Having this information makes it easy for you to monitor your customers and follow up on any potential customers. This information is also beneficial for helping you create marketing campaigns that your customers will engage with. By making them feel appreciated, it will improve their customer experience, and they’ll be more likely to return.

Common Features of CRM Software