You may not require specialized tools to manage your operations as a start-up business. However, as the business grows, it becomes essential to have adequate tools to evaluate its overall performance. Simply relying on spreadsheets may not suffice for complex businesses. To effectively measure your business’s performance, it is advisable to utilize a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool. By leveraging a CRM tool, you can streamline various aspects of your business and appreciate how seamlessly it enhances your operations.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a software system used to help businesses follow all communications and nurture relationships with their clients and other leads. The system replaces several spreadsheets, apps, and databases businesses would otherwise use to track client data. CRM results in better time management, client impression, and organization.  

Among the most popular CRM tools include: 

CRM rating review image
HubSpot Logo: top 7 most popular CRM software options available.

1. HubSpot CRM 

HubSpot, is rated among the best CRM software ideal for businesses. The system helps growing businesses optimize their relationships with leads and clients. HubSpot harnesses the power of carefully crafted sales, content management, marketing, operation tools, and customer services to make it easy to connect with more than 875 integration apps, APIs, and solution collaborators to create an adaptable user experience that aligns with the way teams work.

HubSpot Key Features 

  • It has an effective CRM sales process 
  • Keeps a log of sales activities automatically, with the ability to automatically track clients’ interactions  
  • The system has pipeline management tools 
  • Ability to send personalized sequences such as a series of emails and send them to the intended recipient on a set schedule  
  • Ability to create and measure email templates that you can send in seconds  
  • With the system, you will get real-time notifications 
  • HubSpot populates contact records automatically 
  • The system can set your availability and book more meetings for you 
  • Ability to manage your pipeline with absolute visibility 
  • With HubSpot, you can see all details about a lead in one place 
  • HubSpot CRM is cloud-based. 

Pricing Plan

HubSpot has a free version priced at $0 monthly. However, the price can go up to $1,200 monthly for the Enterprise plan

HubSpot CRM users 

HubSpot CRM has a user base of approximately 100,000 customers in over 120 countries who rely on its solution to effectively “attract, engage, and satisfy” their customers. As reported by Capterra.

Salesforce logo: : top 7 most popular CRM software options available.

2. Salesforce 

The second popular CRM is Salesforce, it is among the top cloud-based CRM software in the market and its designed for marketing, service, and sales. One do not need technical skills to set up and manage Salesforce because of its user-friendliness. Overall, the platform connects and establishes meaningful relationships between businesses and their customers.

Salesforce Key Features

  • Contact management  
  • Quote management  
  • Opportunity management  
  • Einstein Analytics  
  • Quote to cash translation  
  • Availability for small businesses  
  • Lead management  
  • Dynamic dashboards and custom reports  
  • Watches marketing activities from all channels  
  • A mobile Salesforce app  
  • Comprehensive sales prediction  
  • Sales collaboration  
  • Territory management  

Pricing Plan

The four tiers of Salesforce plan varies as following 

  • Sales essentials – $25 monthly per user  
  • Lighting professional – $75 monthly per user  
  • Lighting enterprise – $150 monthly per user  
  • Lighting unlimited – $300 monthly per user

 Salesforce users 

Salesforce is used by over 150,000 companies, both large and small to run their businesses.

 

pipedrive logo: top 7 most popular CRM software options available.

3. Pipedrive

Pipedrive is CRM software developed by salespeople for salespeople, and the system helps global businesses to grow and scale their businesses.

Key Features

  • Visual sales pipeline  
  • Customizable pipeline 
  • Team collaboration  
  • Activities reminders  
  • Contact history 
  • Segment leads 
  • Web forms  
  • Dashboards and reporting  
  • Revenue forecasting  

Pricing Plan 

  • Essential – $9.90 monthly per user  
  • Advanced – $19.90 monthly per user  
  • Professional – $39.90 monthly per user  
  • Enterprise – $59.90 monthly per user  

Pipedrive users

More than 100,000 companies are already using the software across 179 countries; accounting for over $85B of closed deals

freshesales logo: top 7 most popular CRM software options available.

4. Freshsales

Next is Freshsales, a cloud-based sales automation CRM. This software enables businesses to manage leads, customer relationships, engagements, and more through a unified platform.

Key Features  

  • Contact and account management  
  • Territory and quota management  
  • Customer contract management  
  • Opportunity and pipeline management  
  • Product and price list management  
  • Quote and order management  
  • Task/activity management  
  • Customer support  
  • Reporting and analytics  

Pricing Plan 

  • Growth – from $15 monthly per user  
  • Pro – from $39 monthly per user  
  • Enterprise – from $69 monthly per user   

Freshsales users 

Enlyft  reported an estimated 4,206 companies that use Freshsales, most of which are US-based.

Microsoft Dynamics logo

5. Microsoft Dynamics 365

Microsoft Dynamics 3651 is a cloud-based applications system that consolidates enterprise resource planning and customer relationship management components with artificial intelligence tools and productivity applications. The system is a portfolio of business apps that gives operational efficiency and breakthrough customer experience. Microsoft Dynamics 3651 enables businesses to be more agile and simple with constant costs.

Key Features 

  • Customer insights  
  • Customer service  
  • Field service  
  • Finance and operations report and analytics  
  • Project service automation  

Pricing Plan 

  • Business edition – $40 monthly per user or $5 if you need fewer apps 
  • Enterprise edition – from $210 monthly per user for all applications and $40 if you need fewer apps 

Microsoft Dynamics user

The number of users is unknown, although it is most certainly in the millions. Individuals and households can use it. 

Mailchimp logo: top 7 most popular CRM software options available.

6. Mailchimp

Mailchimp is a cloud-based email marketing solution and Automation brands for businesses. The system is cost friendly and ranked top of CRM solutions. Small and medium businesses have found the platform effective with its ability to handle large campaigns.

Key Feature

  • Activity dashboard  
  • Alerts and notifications  
  • Activity tracking  
  • API 
  • Campaign management  
  • Contact management  
  • Customizable reports  
  • Data import/export  
  • Email marketing  
  • Drag and drop function  
  • Contact database  
  • Customizable templates  
  • Lead generation  
  • Email management  
  • Interaction tracking  
  • Lead capture  
  • Marketing automation  
  • Lead management  
  • Reporting and statistics  
  • Referral tracking  
  • Workflow management  
  • Social media integration  
  • Sales pipeline management  

Pricing Plan

  • Free version – $0 monthly  
  • Essentials – $13 monthly  
  • Standard – $20 monthly  
  • Premium – $350 monthly  

 Mailchimp Users 

Mailchimp allows over 12 million businesses of all sizes to sell and grow their customer base through multichannel marketing campaigns from a single platform, According to Capterra.

Zoho logo: top 7 most popular CRM software options available.

7. Zoho CRM  

Zoho CRM is a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) solution designed to assist businesses in streamlining their sales processes, automating marketing campaigns, and improving customer care.

Key Features

  • According Capterra, in a single business system, you can  
  •  manage contact management  
  • sales funnels 
  • pipeline management  
  •  workflow automation  
  •  AI-powered conversational assistant
  •  task management  
  • managing marketing campaigns  
  • sales forecasting  
  •  customer support & service  
  • inventory management  
  • reporting & analytics  

And integrate with 500+ popular business apps. Customization possibilities are one of Zoho CRM’s distinguishing features. Businesses may customize the platform by establishing new fields, automating actions, and customizing notifications to match their specific needs and workflows.

Pricing plan

  • Standard US$14 monthly  
  • Professional US$ 23 monthly  
  • Enterprise US$ 40 monthly  
  • Ultimate US$52 monthly  
  • There is free trial for all the listed plans 

Zoho CRM users

As at 2023, Zoho reported that over 250,000 businesses in 180 countries are currently empowered by Zoho CRM, to “convert more leads, engage with customers, and grow revenue”.

In conclusion

If you resolve using CRM for your business, you will easily consolidate your data. With CRM, finding great insights and analysing patterns leading to greater profitability is possible. You will effectively evaluate common characteristics in your ideal customers with the largest lifetime value. The evaluation will streamline your budget and prevent you from pursuing leads that will not have value in your product or service.