Customer relationship management (CRM) software is an essential tool for businesses of all sizes looking to organize interactions with customers and prospects. With so many options on the market, it can be tricky to determine which CRM tools are best suited for your unique business needs. This comprehensive guide will overview the top 10 CRM software to consider in 2023 to grow your customer base and improve customer retention.
What is CRM Software?
CRM, or customer relationship management software, enables businesses to capture, store, manage, and analyze customer and prospect data in one centralized location. Core features of CRM software include contact management, opportunity tracking, task management, customer support ticketing, and analytics. Leading tools also offer marketing automation, email marketing, contract management, and more.
The goal of CRM software is to help companies gain greater insight into customer behaviors and needs in order to build stronger relationships and increase sales. With a powerful CRM solution, businesses can align sales, marketing, and support efforts to deliver consistent, personalized experiences across all customer touchpoints.
Below are some key benefits provided by CRM systems:
- Increased sales productivity: Sales reps gain access to prospect and customer profiles, interactions, deals in progress, and other data to work smarter.
- Enhanced marketing efforts: Send targeted campaigns, automate lead nurturing, and track campaign ROI with marketing tools.
- Improved customer service: Support agents have the customer data they need to resolve issues faster and more effectively.
- Better data-driven decisions: Robust reporting provides insights to guide strategic decisions.
- Stronger customer relationships: By coordinating all customer interactions, businesses build loyalty and trust.
Top 10 CRM Software Platforms for 2023
There are hundreds of CRM solutions on the market, ranging from enterprise-level suites to budget-friendly tools for small businesses. Here are the top 10 CRM software to consider to meet the needs of your sales, marketing, and customer service teams in 2023:
1. Salesforce
The market leader, Salesforce offers an extremely robust and customizable enterprise-level CRM platform.
Key features:
- Contact management
- Opportunity tracking
- Sales force automation
- Marketing automation
- Customer service capabilities
- Robust third-party app ecosystem
Ideal for: Large companies needing advanced and scalable CRM functionalities.
Pricing: From $25/month per user for basic Sales Cloud package. Custom quotes available.
2. HubSpot
An all-in-one inbound marketing and sales software, HubSpot provides powerful CRM alongside other tools.
Key features:
- Contact and company records
- Deal tracking
- Email integration
- Live chat
- Marketing automation
- Reporting
Ideal for: SMBs wanting marketing automation combined with CRM.
Pricing: Starts at $45/month per user for Starter CRM package.
3. Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM delivers excellent well-rounded CRM software with great flexibility.
Key features:
- Contact management
- Sales pipeline views
- Marketing automation
- Mobile access
- Custom fields and objects
- API integrations
Ideal for: Growing SMBs wanting an affordable but customizable cloud-based CRM.
Pricing: Starts at $12 per month per user, billed annually.
4. Freshsales
Freshsales combines CRM with modern visual design and collaboration tools.
Key features:
- Contact and deal management
- Built-in phone with call tracking
- Team email
- Activity capture tools
- Visual sales pipeline
- Lead scoring and routing
Ideal for: Small sales teams wanting an intuitive, visual CRM to coordinate outreach.
Pricing: Starts at $19/month per user billed annually for Blossom plan.
5. Insightly
Insightly delivers simple, affordable CRM for small businesses with helpful project management features.
Key features:
- Contact management
- Pipeline management
- Integrated projects
- Quotes and invoicing
- Email integration
- Reporting
Ideal for: Solo entrepreneurs and very small teams on a budget.
Pricing: Starts at $29 per month per user, billed annually.
6. Pipedrive
Pipedrive focuses solely on sales management with their CRM developed for sales teams.
Key features:
- Lead, deal, and activity tracking
- Visual sales pipeline
- Sales forecasting and reporting
- Email integration and activity sync
- Customizable workflows
Ideal for: Small sales teams wanting simple but workflow-driven CRM.
Pricing: Starts at $14.50/month per user billed annually for Essential plan.
7. Zendesk Sell
The sales arm of Zendesk Support, Zendesk Sell specializes in sales force automation.
Key features:
- Contact and opportunity tracking
- Built-in phone with call recording
- Email integration and tracking
- Sales analytics and reporting
- Lead scoring and routing
- Mobile access
Ideal for: Small to mid-sized sales teams wanting seamless sales workflow.
Pricing: Starts at $19 per month per user, billed annually.
8. Keap
Formerly Infusionsoft, Keap provides CRM focused on small business sales and marketing automation.
Key features:
- Contact management
- Built-in ecommerce
- Landing page and form builder
- Email marketing
- Appointment scheduling
- CRM mobile app
Ideal for: Small businesses with marketing and sales teams.
Pricing: Starts at $99/month billed annually.
9. Base CRM
A simple sales-focused CRM, Base CRM makes it easy to manage contacts and deals.
Key features:
- Contact profiles and activity tracking
- Sales pipeline visualization
- Email integration
- File sharing capabilities
- Light marketing automation
- Mobile CRM app
Ideal for: Startups and SMBs wanting an easy-to-use sales CRM.
Pricing: Starts at $15 per month per user, billed annually.
10. Contractually
Contractually provides uncomplicated CRM with contract management.
Key features:
- Centralized contract drafting
- Contact and company profiles
- Task assignment and tracking
- File management
- Reporting and analytics
- Email integration
Ideal for: Small legal, sales, and service teams managing contracts.
Pricing: Starts at $25 per month per user, billed annually.
Choosing the most appropriate CRM software for your business
With so many great CRM platforms available today, it can be challenging to determine which solution is the best fit. Here are key factors businesses should consider when evaluating CRM software:
| Factor | Description |
|---|---|
| Features | Make a list of must-have capabilities based on your sales, marketing, and customer service needs. Prioritize functions that will maximize productivity. |
| Budget | Calculate the total cost for each CRM tool based on user licenses required. Opt for software that provides the most value within budget. |
| Ease of use | The CRM should be intuitive for staff to learn and use efficiently on a daily basis. Test free trials for usability. |
| Scalability | Consider long-term growth plans. The platform must be able to support more users and data over time. |
| Integration | CRM software should sync contacts, emails, and events from other business systems you use. |
| Mobility | Sales and field teams need CRM access from any device, anywhere. Evaluate mobile apps. |
| Support | Look for responsive customer support via phone, email, live chat, and knowledge base. |
By evaluating CRM tools against these key factors, you can zero in on the top option that aligns with your business objectives, budgets, and needs.
CRM Implementation Best Practices
Once you’ve selected the right CRM software, follow these best practices to ensure successful implementation:
- Involve key stakeholders in the setup, testing, and launch of the CRM system. Get their buy-in early.
- Clean up your data before importing contacts and interactions into the new CRM solution.
- Personalize configurations to match how your teams work, such as with custom fields, objects, and workflows.
- Develop a user adoption strategy with training resources to facilitate getting up to speed quickly.
- Integrate with other software like email, calendar, and accounting to streamline workflows.
- Perform regular data maintenance to maintain clean and up-to-date information within the CRM.
- Review insights regularly and set up dashboard views that provide the reports each role needs.
Following best practices for CRM implementation and ongoing use will help your teams utilize the platform effectively to enhance customer relationships over the long haul.
Conclusion
An effective CRM software solution allows businesses to gain a competitive advantage by managing customer interactions seamlessly across departments. With insights into customer data and behaviors, companies can provide targeted, contextual experiences that drive loyalty and sales.
This overview of the top 10 CRM software for 2023 provides a starting point to evaluate options aligned to your specific business requirements. Taking time to properly implement your chosen CRM will ensure widespread adoption and maximum benefit.
With the right CRM software and strategy in place, you’ll be well equipped to foster strong relationships, expand your customer base, and take your business to the next level. The effort invested to find and leverage the best CRM tools will pay dividends for years to come.
FAQs
What are the primary advantages of a CRM software?
CRM software centralizes all prospect and customer information to provide sales, marketing and service teams with a 360-degree view. This results in increased sales productivity, more effective marketing, improved service, and data-driven strategic insights.
What types of businesses use CRM software?
CRM software is valuable for businesses of any industry and size, from solopreneurs to large enterprises. It helps manage interactions across any customer lifecycle. Common users include sales teams, marketing professionals, customer support agents, and executive teams.
How much does CRM software cost?
Pricing varies greatly. Small business CRM tools cost $15 to $30 per user monthly. Mid-market solutions range from $30 to $75 per user monthly. Enterprise-level CRM suites cost over $100 per user monthly. Many offer free trials to test.
How can I get employees to adopt a new CRM?
Get stakeholder buy-in during selection. Customize it to match existing workflows. Offer thorough training. Set up dashboards specific to each role. Gamify usage with contests. Require consistent daily usage. Celebrate wins enabled by the CRM.
How long does it take to implement a CRM software?
The typical CRM implementation timeline is 2 to 12 weeks. Quick deployments may take 2 to 4 weeks. Full enterprise integrations can take 12 weeks. Much depends on your configuration, customization, and integration needs.