Finest CRM software program for small enterprise

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Most of the small business owners I know want more, happier customers.

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software is designed to help companies achieve precisely this goal. Why don't you use it?

I suspect that's because CRM software has a reputation for being massive, expensive, and very difficult to use.

That was true, but it is no longer.

In fact, there are dozens of CRM software solutions that small businesses can get started with this afternoon. They're affordable, stylish, and ready to help teams connect with customers on their own terms.

Here is my list of the best CRM software options to take your small business to the next level.

The Top 4 Options for Small Business CRM Software

HubSpot – Best for scaling up quickly
In short – Best for B2B sales teams
Less disruptive CRM – cheapest solution for sales and marketing
Nimble – Best for teams using Microsoft 365

How to choose the best small business CRM software for you

A small business owner could spend an entire year trying every CRM software option, working through a quarter of the products currently available.

To find a product that works – without spending a lifetime on it – you need to focus on what's really adding value, saving time, and providing useful insights for your business.

Right outside the gate, you can eliminate some otherwise decent options by looking at how the nuts and bolts match your specific situation.

I called these those essential considerations. With small business CRM software, these points are even more important. Here's why:

user friendliness: Everyone who uses the CRMs must enter precise information, otherwise the platform will be unusable. Avoid a tedious onboarding process for each hire by finding something easy enough for non-techies to use and fix on their own.
Integrations: A CRM needs to be linked to the tools you are already using. Direct integrations are great as DIY and API integrations can easily break at scale. Centralizing the tools a small business uses is better than adding it to the stack.
channels: A CRM needs to collect customer information regardless of where it comes from – conversations, text, chat, social networks, etc. If only a limited number of the channels you use can be connected, the information is incomplete and the customer experience is fragmented.
price: If growth is the goal, the platform you choose should fit your budget in the future. The cost may vary based on the number of users, contacts, emails, etc. Budget this to avoid exceeding disruptive limits or changing CRMs. No small business wants to devote resources to migrating its customer data as it tries to grow.

There may be a CRM that you find very engaging until you find that the integrations and channels you need are not available. It is better to review the essential considerations before getting into the essentials.

Once you've found a shortlist of products that meet these requirements, it is time to examine how each product manages the three core tasks of CRM software in relation to your business: Contact management, Process automation, and Reporting & Business Intelligence.

Organize and track contacts

The main responsibility of CRM software is to help companies organize and keep track of every contact in their database. How they achieve this goal varies from platform to platform.

Small business owners must ask the following questions about each option:

Will it help teams? Expand your contact list? Find websites, landing pages, forms, and other touchpoints where interested customers can find the company and connect.
Will it help teams? Refine your contact list? Look for products with robust segmentation capabilities.
Will it help teams? manage their contact list? Look for tools to help users take notes, set appointments, and schedule calls right from the interface.
There will be teams with Real-time customer insights? Look for tools that make full customer histories available no matter where users work (inbox, chat, phone, etc.)
Will it help teams? achieve their goals? Look for options that provide a framework for achieving goals such as closing deals, solving customer problems, and maintaining long-term relationships.

When it comes to CRM software, small businesses need a tool that can help them achieve all of these bold goals.

For some, that means a sales pipeline and marketing automation capabilities. Others may focus more on equipping a responsive help desk. Some may need it all.

Some also come with outreach tools that you can use on social media to turn passers-by on Twitter and Facebook into your next customer.

Start with your customer-facing goals and work backwards from there to find out which CRM software will really help your teams keep track of each relationship.

Process automation

There are generally two different levels of automation that come with CRM software. Both of these can make a big difference to small businesses.

The first is Automate routine tasks like data entry.

These platforms automatically create contacts when an employee or agent starts a conversation with a customer who is not in the database. Instead of having to create a customer, the CRM software will automatically generate a new profile or allow a user to create it with a single click.

Some CRMs check the domain in the email, search public databases, and fill in as much information themselves as possible. Some automate list segmentation, essentially grouping customers based on criteria you set, such as age, gender, buying habits, or location.

A marketing team looking to send thousands of emails to interested customers can query the CRM based on relevant criteria (e.g. customers who have signed up in the last 90 days) and the list is ready to go.

Every minute saved is more time to generate leads, close deals, and solve problems. Plus, all customer data is always right there without having to spend extra time searching. This is just one example, but good CRM software works all the time behind the scenes to eliminate many routine tasks while saving minutes on every interaction.

It does too Automate workflows a very powerful ability. The marketing team that just created a list of thousands of subscribers can immediately launch an automated email campaign.

When contacts are added to the sales pipeline, tasks can be automatically assigned to the correct employee. If a customer has a problem, they can be automatically routed to the right agent.

From streamlining customer onboarding processes to closing more deals quickly, CRM software can help small businesses do more with less.

Reporting and Business Intelligence

CRM software is loaded with information that can help small businesses make decisions about where to focus their energy and resources.

This goes way beyond simple metrics like conversion rates. For example, let's say you want to increase the number of customer service interactions that are resolved on the first call. CRM software can provide the information teams need to see which tactics are working and pan accordingly.

With segmentation capabilities and a comprehensive picture of each relationship, you can examine exactly why some leads convert and others don't.

Some of the more robust CRM platforms have extensive analytics capabilities that turn overwhelming amounts of customer data into clear visualizations. In many cases, you can customize dashboards to keep track of key metrics and turn your database into actionable insights.

The Different Types of CRM Software for Small Businesses

For many SMBs, the really fancy CRM software is not a viable option.

With the prohibitively expensive and clunky products off the table, there are two types of CRM software that are great for small businesses. This keeps costs reasonable without compromising the critical features businesses need.

Free CRM software

I've blogged about the best free CRM software that can be an amazing, affordable solution for small businesses.

You can take on the most important CRM tasks such as contact organization and tracking, as well as other functions that vary depending on the platform. Some have sales pipelines, others have help desk functions that are geared towards customer service.

Of course there are limits. The reporting isn't as detailed and the platform is definitely less customizable. Depending on a company's needs, these free products can work forever for months, if not years.

And even if they don't work as a long-term solution, these options give people a chance to really understand the tools. Instead of testing the product for a two- to four-week trial period, companies can see how it performs over a few business cycles.

Specialized CRM software

Marketing teams need to build relationships with customers they don't already know. The toolkit they need is different from customer service even if they do many of the same things, such as: B. organize contacts, reply to emails and share content.

To this end, one of the most useful small business CRM software has been designed to cater to the specific needs of different departments. These are:

Sales CRM software
Marketing CRM software
CRM software for customer service

Specialized CRM software can be delivered as a standalone solution like Nutshell or as a modular part of a larger system that can be purchased individually.

For example, Hubspot offers CRM software for marketing, sales and customer service. Users can select one, two, or all three of these modules.

# 1 – HubSpot – Best for scaling up quickly

HubSpotCRM is the option for small businesses who are unsure about whether or not they need dedicated CRM software.

First of all, their freemium plan is bananas in terms of how much they give you. You get chatbots, sales pipelines, and literally dozen of other features that you would normally have to pay for.

Plus, you get unlimited users that are free forever. So, you don't have to worry about how many contacts you make as you try to grow.

When you're ready, you can upgrade individual “hubs” to include more advanced sales, marketing, customer service, and content management tools. Pay only for what you need.

Okay, let's take a look at how the free HubSpotCRM can work on day one.

For example, in a HubSpot-enabled inbox, users can view each contact's history in a sidebar. This includes previous interactions (across each channel), but also current activities from the social channels of the contact.

It provides up-to-date customer information to every HubSpot user, regardless of where they work. Whether they're chatting with a confused customer or making a proposal, agents and reps can easily provide personalized, relevant information.

HubSpot can do this because everything is centralized in a customer record in CRM. Every ticket, every conversation and every email is recorded and organized without great effort.

By reducing the data entry, the employees are relieved and have more time to devote themselves to each customer.

In addition to phenomenal contact management, the free plan comes with a ton more features, including:

Ticketing
Live chat and conversation bots
Report dashboards
Integration of Gmail and Outlook
Email tracking and notification
VoIP calls

Beyond that there is more, believe me.

It will take time for users to become familiar with all of the information it contains. First, because there is so much, and second, because HubSpot has its own jargon and approach called inbound marketing.

This isn't a disadvantage at all, considering how many companies have used inbound marketing to grow their customer base.

If you're already into inbound marketing, HubSpot is by far the obvious choice for CRM software. And even if you don't, the platform is flexible enough to work for any strategy and easy enough to get people on board.

The Premium Hubs let you automate processes by creating workflows for customer service, sales automation, marketing automation, email automation, and more.

In terms of pricing for the paid plans, the Starter Growth Suite is a great option for small businesses that are taking advantage of Hubspot's premium features. It starts at $ 50 a month and offers additional sales, marketing, and customer service features.

For companies already using HubSpot's marketing and sales tools, adding their CRM software is a breeze.

For teams new to CRM, HubSpot's Freemium plan is really generous. A small business can get an idea of whether they like the HubSpot method or not.

And if they like HubSpot, nothing else will. Try it for free today.

# 2 – In short – Best for B2B sales teams

In short, it offers a good balance between ease of use and sophistication that works very well for B2B sales teams.

Employees get the information, support, and collaboration tools they need to sell smarter, even over a long sales cycle.

B2B deals require time and commitment with various stakeholders throughout the process. It's difficult to keep track of all the deals.

In short, prevents important people and conversations from falling through the cracks. Your CRM interface is very inviting (your reps will actually want to use it) and your mobile app is just as good.

Edit contacts, log meeting notes, receive notifications, and scan business cards to create new leads – all right in the iOS or Android app.

Many CRM software options come with mobile apps, but not all have good reputations. HubSpot, for example, has a lot to do in this area, while Nutshell offers top notch service.

Sales reps need to be able to create a quote without having to call the office back. With the mobile Nutshell app, they can access customer information and product catalogs on site and prepare an offer.

The iron doesn't stay hot forever, especially in a crowded room full of competitors reaching out to your customers on every channel.

In short, there are also tools that B2B sales teams can use to coordinate. Never miss another lead, book an appointment twice or forget to touch the base with the following functions:

Customizable sales pipelines
Leaderboards
Communication stories
Activity reminders
Team @mentions and warnings
Click-to-call and telephone recordings

The reporting and performance tracking functions make sales management more efficient and productive in the long run.

Sales managers get both real-time information through customizable dashboards and the ability to get reports on new leads, losses, win rate, pipeline growth, sales cycle size and more.

The pricing for Nutshell is really simple:

Starter: $ 19 / month per user
professional: $ 35 / month per user

With Starter, you get a sleek, no-frills CRM software solution that works wonders for your sales team. With Pro, you get many more tools for sales automation, including:

Guided Sales Process Builder
Automated lead assignment, advancement and pipeline distribution
Post-sale lead management

In short, syncing with G Suite, Microsoft 365, Outlook and Exchange. They also offer one-click integrations with the best of email marketing services like MailChimp and Constant Contact, as well as other major business tools like Slack and Quickbooks.

No other small business CRM software is instantly designed for the challenges that smaller B2B sales teams face. It comes down to the fully functional mobile app, collaboration tools, and extensive sales reporting.

In short, you get the best parts from Salesforce for a fraction of the price. It won't work across the company, but it's all right for a B2B-focused sales team. The only difference is that Nutshell is much easier to use and doesn't require a developer to set it up.

Nutshell customer support is always available by phone, email, or chat. A comprehensive self-service knowledge base is available online. They also offer free assistance with importing data when you sign up to make the transition as smooth as possible.

Empower your sales team and start your 14-day free trial of Nutshell today.

# 3 – Less annoying CRM – most cost-effective solution for sales and marketing

Less annoying CRM has a goal and I bet you can guess what it is.

It's a simple platform with transparent, affordable prices. They know small businesses need a CRM solution, but they can't spend all of their money or time on software.

Enter Less Annoying CRM or LACRM for short.

This is an inexpensive and powerful tool for managing and organizing all of a company's contacts on a single platform. Users log into their LACRM workspace and are immediately informed of all important customer relationships.

There is an agenda of your events for that day, a prioritized task list, a pipeline report, and an activity report. Individuals can view the status of all of their activities, and executives can also view the activity status of everyone they manage.

Say goodbye to sticky notes and forgotten conversations.

Every task, every appointment and every document can be linked to a single contact or company. Since each member has all the information they need, there is no longer any need to send e-mails back and forth to find a course of action.

I really recommend LACRM for companies that want to make the life of their sales and marketing teams easier but don't want to pay over the top. It's not the most visually pleasing platform out there, and email integration can be tricky at times.

There is also no customer service module. You should keep this in mind if you want to have a unified CRM in the future, as LACRM does not come with any pre-built integrations for other CRM or help desk software.

For sales and marketing, however, LACRM offers numerous features to increase reach and increase sales, including:

Built-in calendar
Customizable pipelines
Role-based access control
Customizable fields for contacts
Email integration
Integration with MailChimp

LACRM is definitely a pipeline product that is great for sale. But it's really flexible. Teams can use the platform to develop referral and loyalty programs, as well as track customer feedback and marketing costs.

LACRM is priced at $ 15 / month per user. End of the story. There are no contracts, price tiers, usage restrictions or upsells.

This doesn't work as well for larger organizations with complex reporting and automation needs. For smaller businesses and teams, however, LACRM is convincing users every day.

It's exactly the tool they're looking for, at a price that makes sense.

Her focus on being less annoying extends to customer service as well. When you sign up, they try to make the process as easy as possible. They reach out and help wherever you need help.

Updates are seamless and free. Your data is always backed up on multiple Amazon Web Services servers.

If this sounds less annoying, you can try the platform for free for 30 days without providing your credit card information. After that, it's a predictable monthly payment with no surprise fees.

# 4 – Nimble – Best for teams with Microsoft 365

Nimble is a great CRM for small businesses that don't want to change the way they do business. It's integrated with more than 160 business applications that bring all your contacts, conversations, appointments, inboxes and social media connections together in a single interface.

For teams using the Microsoft 365 productivity suite (formerly Office 365), Nimble is simply the best CRM.

Tools like Microsoft Outlook are set up to meet basic contact management needs. However, users constantly find that they need google info or have multiple tabs open to keep track of everything they need.

With Nimble enabled, Outlook is smarter. The nimble sidebar contains extensive information on each contact as well as all linked appointments, offers, events, etc.

Instead of the basic information, Nimble provides a complete digital dossier of the contact that is always up to date in your Microsoft environment. Regardless of whether you work in Teams, SharePoint or Dynamics, all the information you need is in the user interface.

Think of that as the missing CRM piece for Microsoft 365. Your teams can still work like they always have, but now they're given features like:

Distribution pipelines
Intelligent email tracking
Activity reminders, alerts and notifications
List segmentation functions
Sales and customer dashboard
Sales forecast and analysis
Group email marketing

Nimble doesn't have a dedicated customer service module so I recommend it in terms of sales and marketing. If you really need customer service, HubSpot has you covered and offers a similar feel, although Microsoft 365 integration isn't that tight.

Nimble Business pricing starts at $ 19 / month per user. It should be noted that each user receives 2 GB of storage space. After that, it's $ 10 a month for every 10 GB of additional space.

Nimble works with G Suite too, but the Microsoft 365 integration is more complete, making it a better choice for companies that have already invested time and energy in the Microsoft ecosystem.

Try Nimble free for 14 days to see if your teams can take advantage of a streamlined experience.

Microsoft may one day release CRM software, although it probably costs a lot more than Nimble and comes with features no small business will ask for.

Summary

I started blogging more than 10 years ago. Just me and a screen.

My business now has a lot of moving parts. While it's still "small" by the industry standard of fewer than 50 people, we communicate with thousands of customers every hour through our content, emails, newsletters and podcasts.

Small teams need powerful tools for managing customer relationships. All of these CRM options provide the features needed to keep teams organized as they grow.

For teams looking to expand their reach, Less Annoying CRM offers the task at a really competitive price. As they benefit from the opportunity to connect with more customers, they can attract new team members for the same low price.

Teams working in a Microsoft environment should shortlist Nimble. It's designed to be used across the Microsoft environment, so teams don't have to change their processes to get on board.

For B2B sales teams, Nutshell is specially designed for the long, unpredictable sales cycle. The collaboration tools and powerful mobile app allow every employee to be ready to strike when the iron is hot.

If you are looking for a full stack CRM solution, HubSpot is the first choice for small businesses. The Freemium plan is unmatched in terms of depth and is the only option on this list that has a dedicated customer service module.