In our earlier articles, we covered topics that dealt with CRMs in general, when it’s the right time to invest in CRM software and why companies decide to implement such complex systems. In this piece, we will explain what to look for in a CRM and how to choose the best CRM for a small business or a startup.
You may think that a little bit of Internet research can do the job and help you choose the ideal CRM for your company. However, that’s a misconception that is common among small business owners and managers.
The reality is that there are more CRMs than you can imagine. The market has grown astonishingly fast in recent years and CRMs now cover an enormous spectre of online businesses and organizations.
With so many options available, it’s harder than ever to find the optimal solution that fits a specific business. This may cause you to look into general CRMs that can handle a wide variety of companies, but that is rarely a good decision.
While most CRMs should be able to do the job for a small business or a startup, general CRMs will require much more time and effort to run smoothly. For example, you will probably need to create lots of custom modules, features and records, if you decide to choose a CRM such as HubSpot or Microsoft Dynamics.
Needless to say, no business can afford to lose precious time like that.
Conversely, if you choose a CRM solution specifically designed for your niche, you will have most of the necessary features pre-installed and ready for use.This alone can save you days and weeks of work on your new platform.
So, let’s delve into the matter and explain how you can choose the best CRM software for your company as well as what you should look into before making the decision to buy a CRM.
What to know before you buy a CRM
Before you buy or even start looking for a CRM, you should outline your company’s goals and objectives, in both the short and the long term.
Consider how a CRM can help your business achieve its goals and don’t hesitate to consult your sales department before you make any decision.
Your sales representatives will spend the majority of their time working with the CRM software you choose. It’s important that they’re on board with the specific solution that you have in mind.
The next step is to specify your budget.
Be realistic. Evaluate how much you can invest and calculate whether or not the investment can help you achieve the goals that you outlined. This is arguably the hardest step for most business owners, because they often expect instant returns on the investment.
Keep in mind that it may take some time for your employees to fully adopt the CRM and your company to start reaping the benefits.
What to look for in a CRM
When you start researching CRMs, you’ll want to pay attention to what features and functions each solution offers. You should be looking for a solution that supports the widest array of options, which includes:
- A customer database that allows you to save all the communication history with every client
- Sales management tools that allow you to streamline the sales process and monitor your sales progression
- Access control that will help you assign viewing rights and run multiple teams within your CRM
- Task management overview of completed, ongoing and planned tasks and activities
- Automated workflows that send out emails, updates, reminders, etc.
- Powerful analytics that will let you assess your marketing efforts and adjust your advertising campaigns and strategies
- Mobile support for smartphones and tablets
- Integration with the most popular online services, including billing solutions, social media, marketing programs, etc.
- GDPR compatibility
- Free demo or trial version that will allow you to test the product for yourself.
- Exceptional customer support and training program
Once you’ve covered all these features and functions, you may want to look for additional options, such as:
- Niche-specific modules for your business
- Mobile apps for Android and iOS devices
- Integration with other CRMs (in case you need to switch CRMs in the future)
When you identify a few potential CRMs that could help your business, it’s time to read up on reviews. Check what others are saying about the CRM solution that you found interesting. Look into both expert and user reviews, but keep in mind that expert reviews may be sponsored and unreliable.
Similarly, don’t forget that large companies can easily buy fake user reviews.
This means that you should look up reviews on at least a few different tech review websites. If you’re unsure where to start, visit the following pages:
While you’re there, make sure to compare the different CRM solutions.
Many CRMs now offer countless features and it’s easy to get lost in the long lists of the available functions. That’s why it’s best to compare CRMs side to side and check what each of them offers to your business.
In the end, don’t forget that CRMs are a long-term solution. Always look to find a flexible CRM that can naturally scale with your company. Keep in mind that you may need to customize the system as your operations grow and your business increases in scope.
Lastly, never hesitate to contact the team behind the CRM and their customer service. This will help you in more ways than one.
Additionally, the support team should be able to tell you how your business in particular could utilize their software to achieve the optimal results with minimum effort. This is why the importance of a free consultation cannot be overestimated.
Without expert help, most business owners that have never used CRMs will struggle with the system. In fact, research shows that the adoption rate of CRMs is just 26%, primarily due to the lack of support in the installation phase.
Moreover, if you configure the CRM on your own, you will likely do a poor job of it, unless you have prior experience with it. At best, a poorly configured CRM will give only modest returns.
Recommended CRM systems
Now, in case you don’t have the time to do the necessary research and outline the best CRMs for your specific business, we will present you with three top-rated systems recommended by industry experts.
However, before we proceed, keep in mind that these CRMs may not be a good fit for your organization. There is no doubt that each of these systems is good on its own, but the harsh truth is that you can’t really find the optimal CRM for you without trying it out.
Simply CRM
Simply CRM is the first CRM that we would recommend for small businesses and startups. It comes with an intuitive user interface that contains all the essential features and it’s available at a fairly affordable price.
Moreover, it offers all of its functions within its single pricing plan, rather than lock away the most useful features behind multiple payment levels. This makes it more accessible than most CRMs.
Notable features:
- Free phone and email support
- Sales Force Automation
- Access control
- Mobile functionality
HubSpot
HubSpot is another powerful CRM system that is suited for small to medium-sized companies. This CRM is packed full of useful features, but it’s not the most affordable software on the market, as it will set you back at least $800 per month if you opt for the premium plan.
Although this sizeable investment will likely pay off, it simply prices out a large number of small businesses that can’t really afford it.
Notable features:
- Pipeline management
- Numerous integrations
- Social media
- Ad analytics
Microsoft Dynamics
Similar to most Microsoft products, Dynamics is a well-known CRM platform that has been around for decades. It comes with many features and integrations, but it’s interface is terribly outdated and incredibly hard to navigate.
This means it’s definitely not suited for beginners and people who have no experience working with CRM platforms. However, thanks to Microsoft’s unlimited resources, Dynamics is available in more than 30 languages, which makes it the most accessible CRM on the market.
Notable features:
- Outdated interface
- Microsoft flow
- All-inclusive Microsoft platform
- Available in more than 30 languages
There you have it! The best CRM systems that you can use for a startup company or a small business. If you need any additional help choosing the best solution, feel free to contact us.
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