So far, 2020 has been pretty much like any other sales year… just kidding!  I think we can all agree that our sales funnels have been a bit wonky these last few months, thanks in part to the pandemic.  Many businesses being made to work from home have had to find a Customer Relationship Manager (CRM) tool to help them stay organized and efficient while allowing employees to work remotely.  While many businesses have using a CRM before the pandemic; the pandemic has greatly amplified the need for it. 

As operations begin to return to normal and companies are looking to ramp up their lead generation strategies to drive more sales, having an efficient CRM process can help you stay organized. 

For those that haven’t made the commitment to a CRM platform yet, we’ve compiled a list of the Top 5 CRM Platforms in 2020.

What is CRM?

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is defined as an approach to managing a company’s interaction with clients - both current and potential.  CRM software can help companies stay organized as well as provide analytical information relating to the customer’s history to help improve relationships with customers with a heavy dose of attention to customer retention and sales growth.

Top 5 CRM Platforms

There are a lot of options out there to choose from, these are some of the most popular options out there that businesses frequently use, in no particular order:

1.       Hubspot - The Hubspot CRM is hard to beat and is free to use.  The catch here is that for adding in automation features or getting serious about lead nurturing, you could be looking at up to thousands of dollars per month.  This is a great CRM platform for new users to get their feet wet with and for those who aren’t concerned with automated features.

2.       AgileCRM - This platform is free for up to 10 users and 1,000 contacts, which is perfect for test driving or smaller companies looking to grow.  They do offer some paid versions to users for expanded options that are both competitive and cost-effective.  One con to this platform is that no matter which plan you have; you can’t remove their branding.

3.       Zoho - Another super cost-effective, fan favorite CRM platform is Zoho.  They, like the others, offer both a free version and paid versions at reasonable rates.  Some pros to this platform include user tracking, email marketing, customer feedback and social media options.  However, one thing to be mindful of is the lack of automation unless you upgrade to a paid version.

4.       Salesforce - The name is becoming increasingly synonymous with CRM, setting industry standards at affordable prices.  Along with normal CRM features, Salesforce also offers users add-on options that include B2B marketing tools.  Unfortunately, Salesforce does not have a free version, but they do offer some competitively priced paid versions.

5.       Pipedrive - This is a dedicated sales management tool.  The downside is that there are no optional add-on features for marketing, project management, etc.  Some of the features this platform offers include email tracking - great for ensuring there is no single point of failure - as well as workflow automation and custom permissions (because not every employee needs access to every file).  Pipedrive does not offer a free version but does have some competitively priced paid versions available for budget-minded business owners.

Companies across the nation are ramping up their lead generation efforts, a fact that is becoming increasingly apparent within the SalesGig network.  Businesses need to provide their sales team with qualified leads, such as those found on SalesGig, and the sales team is hustling hard to convert those qualified leads to a sale.  An effective CRM platform can help your company stay organized through these efforts.

Each CRM platform offers its own benefits, so we recommend you shop around to find one that is best suited to your needs.  Many of those platforms offer free versions or trial periods that provide the perfect opportunity for you to test drive the software without a monetary commitment. 

SalesGig creates seamless lead generation with limitless opportunities by connecting companies with referral partners. Sign-up today and Get Connected.