Best Small Business CRM Software 2024: Top 10 Picks & Reviews
Reviewed by Randolph Vialva, MBA
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Customer Relationship Management software is integral to running a business because it helps build excellent customer experiences, which drives growth and increases sales. There are various CRM systems, and each has its strengths and weaknesses. However, they all provide the same primary function: to help close the best deals and ensure a smooth sales process.
Top 10 Best Small Business CRM Software 2024
- Zoho CRM: Best Overall
- Salesforce Essentials: Most Affordable
- Freshsales CRM: Top CRM for Sales
- Monday sales CRM: Best Project Management CRM
- Zendesk Sell: Top CRM for Customer Communication
- Pipedrive CRM: Best Lightweight CRM
- Insightly: Best Sales Tracking CRM
- Less Annoying CRM: Best for Startups
- HubSpot Sales Hub: Best Free CRM
- HoneyBook: Top CRM for Creatives
What Is CRM Software For Small Business?
A CRM for small business is a business software that handles all customer relationships; all interactions with present and prospective customers are handled by a CRM. It tracks sales and leads, automates email marketing campaigns, records useful data, and other functions to smoothen a business’ operation. The best CRM systems often have project management features, workflow automation, contact management, and provide reports and insights into your business process.
Why Does Your Small Business Need CRM Software?
- Customer Relationship Management: A CRM platform is an excellent addition to your business because it helps you develop a personal relationship with your client. A sales rep can interact with each customer on a personal level, which captures the customer’s attention. It is also helpful in identifying your customer’s habits, which can help to predict their actions and launch personalized campaigns.
- Automate Workflow: Running a business can be time-consuming, but with a CRM system, you can automate tedious and repetitive tasks like scheduling calls and data entry and email marketing via email templates. In addition, various sales and marketing processes can also be automated, leading to efficiency in running your business.
- Sales Analytics: A good CRM system will help you analyze your customer’s habits to predict what they will buy next. A basic CRM can take all data from your business and give you meaningful and insightful reports that will boost sales. If you find it hard to generate leads or generate enough revenue, you should consider getting a CRM for small businesses.
Top 10 Best Small Business CRM Software 2024
Zoho CRM
Zoho is a CRM solution that makes it easy to generate leads. Its interface is seamless and intuitive, a significant advantage over other business software. Running campaigns is easy and fast; Zoho takes the lead in sales forecast, automation, and lead generation. It is an all-encompassing CRM that offers business-specific solutions without hidden costs.
- Easy to use and intuitive interface
- Supports third-party integrations
- Fast and smooth processes via AI assistant
- A bit pricey for small businesses
The Zoho customer relationship management system is one of the best CRM systems that help enterprises and small businesses build solid customer relationships. It features a straightforward user interface and workflow automation, which allows lead management. It has an AI assistant that helps predict sales, automate tasks and monitor team activities. Other features include salesforce automation, lead and deal management, contact management, process management, and many more. In addition, Zoho has the fastest deployment rate and provides comprehensive analytics with customizable solutions and integration.
Salesforce Essentials
A key selling point of the Salesforce Essentials CRM is affordability. Small and growing businesses don’t need to spend a lot to get comprehensive CRM solutions. It makes it easy to reach customer service teams via web chat, email, mobile phone, and social media. If you are a small business looking for good marketing software with excellent pipeline management, you should consider Salesforce Essentials.
- Intuitive and customizable dashboard
- Supports integration with third-party marketing applications
- You can’t automate workflow
Salesforce Essentials is a CRM software targeted towards small businesses based on the Salesforce Lightning, an enterprise CRM system. It has email templates for easier and faster email marketing, contact, and leads management to help close deals with potential customers. Salesforce efficiently organizes customer data, tracks sales activities, and generates real-time reports. The CRM features marketing automation, interaction tracking, customization, third-party integration, and many more features. The Salesforce Essential is a powerful, lightweight CRM software that will smoothen the business operations of small businesses.
Freshsales CRM
With Freshsales, you can quickly build a relationship with your customers and drive revenue growth by streamlining all sales processes. In addition, small businesses can use a free version for their pipeline management.
- AI-assisted CRM process
- It has a free plan
- You can’t generate reports in the free version
Freshsales is a powerful marketing automation CRM built for sales teams to help them generate revenue. Freshsales lets the sales team have personalized engagement with each customer, which shortens the sales process.
By leveraging AI, you can identify and close the best deals, collaborate effectively with teams and enhance revenue. It has a free version for new and smaller businesses trying out a CRM for the first time. In addition, there are Growth, Pro, and Enterprise plans for large businesses.
Monday Sales CRM
Monday Sales CRM allows you to build custom automation, which helps the sales team manage customer data while eliminating repetitive work. It features a template center, which boosts startups and offers excellent pipeline management. It is one of the most customizable small business CRM software.
- Centralized communication
- It has an extensive templates library
- Intuitive interface
- Producing reports can be difficult
Monday sales present small teams with a comprehensive, customizable CRM, which sits atop an easy-to-use and intuitive interface. With Monday sales, you can handle multiple lead generation seamlessly and manage multiple sales pipelines. You can automate repetitive tasks, save time and move quickly to closing deals and attending to customers.
You can easily manage all your sales pipelines and communicate with clients in one place, which makes it easy to keep track of interaction and speeds up conversion rate.
Zendesk Sell
If you are looking for the best CRM to handle customer communications, then Zendesk Sell is your best bet. Managing sales emails and calls is easy, coupled with real-time updates on client inquiries.
- Intuitive and customizable interface
- Comprehensive client support features
- It is a bit pricey at $49 monthly per user
Zendesk Sell is a CRM platform that helps improve productivity and build revenue. It features productivity tools such as email integration, sales engagement, and task player. It lets you communicate effectively with leads; all calls and texts are logged and kept safely. It is one of the top CRM solutions for customer support due to its superior tickets and helps desk; all client data is on a single dashboard, so information is easy to access.
Zendesk enables the building of targeted leads, predicting future sales, and carrying out advanced analytics. In addition, you can also integrate Zendesk with other apps to increase productivity.
Pipedrive CRM
Pipedrive focuses on simplicity and functionality, overloading up on too many features. You can manage prospective customers quickly and track and monitor pipelines without navigating through a cumbersome interface.
- Lightweight and intuitive interface
- Supports integration with third-party apps
- No free plan
Pipedrive is an agile and straightforward CRM specially designed for small businesses. It has an intuitive interface, which makes it easy to manage leads and quickly land deals.
The CRM features email and calendar sync, which helps schedule tasks. The sales assistant helps analyze sales trends, generate reports and give insights into performance. It supports integration with other apps like zoom to enhance productivity. Zendesk also has customization features, which you can tweak to suit your business needs.
Insightly
Insightly is a basic CRM solution for businesses that focus on executing and closing deals in a timely fashion. It helps you track leads, route them to the appropriate person, and deliver value to customers promptly.
- Superior time tracking feature
- Dashboard customization
- Automation is not available for low-tier plans
Insightly is a CRM that lets the sales reps of businesses streamline their pipeline. Due to its superior time tracking feature, your customers are reached right on schedule. You can also leverage its lead routing feature to convert and drive revenue quickly.
With Insightly, you can automate workflow, manage emails, and streamline your business processes. It allows you to customize your dashboards and deploy customized applications quickly. In addition, it provides integration with other apps that can enhance productivity.
Less Annoying CRM
Less Annoying CRM is software built for small businesses and startups who can’t afford to spend a lot on enterprise software. It features cheap pricing and features that will help your sales pipeline.
- It is affordable at $15 monthly per user
- Easy-to-use interface
- Customization features
- It lacks extensive reports features
Less Annoying CRM features an easy-to-navigate interface, which is made for new and small businesses unfamiliar with CRM tools. It has all the useful features, such as client management modules, updated pipeline leads, and an efficient collaboration module.
HubSpot Sales Hub
If you are a small business, you can utilize the free HubSpot CRM to generate leads, connect with prospects, and manage pipelines. As your business grows, you can upgrade your plan. Both the free and paid version of HubSpot help small business users gain value from CRM services.
- It has a free version
- Centralized sales process
- Large tool library
- Paid plans are expensive
Hubspot is known to be one of the best business software companies. The Hubspot Sales Hub is an all-in-one solution for small businesses to manage their sales pipeline, build relationships, and close deals. It features various tools you can use to generate reports and analytics and drive sales engagement, and it also supports integration with over 1250 tools from Hubspot.
In addition, all your tools and data are centralized, making it easier for sales teams to focus on customers without dealing with the clutter that comes with too many processes. The Hubspot CRM’s key features include workflow automation, centralization and quick access to customer records, and persona management.
HoneyBook
HoneyBook helps freelancers and creatives build customer relationships and manage sales pipelines effectively. It is a lightweight and functional business CRM that doesn’t weigh you down with too many features and complex interfaces.
- Easy-to-use and intuitive UI
- Designed for creatives and people, not business savvy
- It may take too long to set up
HoneyBook is a small business CRM software for creatives and freelancers. It acts as accounting software by providing invoices, managing online payments, etc. it helps with the conversion of potential customers and proper pipeline management. It features workflow and lead management, templates, customer contact management, and pipeline management.
Benefits Of Using A CRM Software
- CRMs support integration with third-party software, such as accounting software, making handling your finances more manageable.
- You can organize all customer information in central storage, which all authorized team members can retrieve. It is a powerful tool in email marketing and reaching out to prospective customers.
- The best CRM software helps with inventory management and improves sales pipeline performance.
- CRMs help you increase your productivity and maximize the output of your business. In addition, tasks can be streamlined to remove redundancy.
- Sales cycles are shorter, which translates to increased sales.
How To Find The Best CRM Software
There are several CRM solutions, and choosing one might be a tough decision. However, there are essential pointers that you need to keep an eye out for when choosing a small business CRM software:
- Cost: Cost is a primary factor when purchasing software, and CRMs may be costly. Most CRMs charge per user, so it is advisable to choose a CRM vendor that offers free or affordable solutions. In addition, CRMs for small businesses are often priced per user. Excluding members that don’t need to be on the CRM may be an excellent way to save cost.
- Examine the CRM functionality: The best platforms offer automation, contact management, and pipeline management and drive higher client engagement and satisfaction, which is enough for a small business. However, you can opt for CRMs with more features as you grow.
- Assess your business requirements: Write a list of features you need from your CRM and rate them from most important to least important. Each business is unique and has different needs, which define the features you need from your small business CRM. Defining your needs and requirements will help you find great small-business CRM software.
- Assess the types of CRMs: There are three main types of CRMs, which are Analytical, Collaborative, and Operational. Analytical CRM provides insights into your customer data; Collaborative CRM aids collaboration among staff, and it improves your client’s satisfaction; Operational CRM streamlines all your customer-related operations.
- Research the CRM provider: You should ascertain if your vendor delivers what they promise and if their services are top-notch.
Final Thoughts
A small business CRM software can handle your needs as a business, so you don’t need to spend too much on getting expensive software until you outgrow it. Your CRM capabilities increase as you go from free or trial to an enterprise plan. Most CRM software charges per user. However, you can reach out to your CRM vendor and ask if you can get a team discount. When looking for the best CRM software provider in the CRM space, make sure it ticks all your boxes.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
According to our review, Zoho is the top-ranked CRM for small businesses.
Small business CRMs will streamline your sales process, increase revenue and improve productivity.
Yes, every business should get a CRM. However, be sure it suits your business needs and the price per user fits your budget.
Yes, it makes the process easier. CRMs have other capabilities, including pipeline management. You can get more exciting features if you subscribe to an enterprise plan and are willing to pay more per user.
