In simple terms, it involves making each step of your sales cycle — from lead generation to closing deals — faster, smoother, and more efficient. Optimizing these steps not only saves time and reduces friction, but also enhances the experience for both your sales team and your customers.

This guide will take you through practical ways to simplify and improve your sales process from beginning to end, helping your business close more deals and drive growth. 

Let’s get started.

What is a sales process?

A sales process serves as a roadmap, guiding your sales representatives through each step of the selling journey. It provides a clear, structured plan to help them move from the initial greeting to closing the deal.

Without a defined sales process, sales representatives may feel lost or uncertain about their next steps. They might overlook important actions, fail to address customer concerns, or struggle to close deals. A structured sales process ensures consistency, efficiency, and effectiveness in every interaction with customers.

Benefits of developing a sales process

Improved operational efficiency

Developing a well-defined sales approach simplifies your operations, making everything from prospecting to closing deals more efficient. It ensures that each step is clearly outlined, reducing wasted time and effort while helping teams stay focused on what truly drives results.

Increased consistency and confidence

Having a structured sales process enables each team member to understand their role at every stage. This consistency enhances their confidence by providing a proven roadmap to follow, resulting in more predictable outcomes.

Better efficiency in sales activities

A clear process helps sales reps prioritize their time and energy more effectively, reducing the guesswork. According to our research, because of all the admin work and repetitive tasks, the majority of salespeople can only spend two hours of their day actively making sales. When you streamline sales process operations, you cut out so much of that time spent on tasks like:

• Prospecting.
• Follow-up scheduling.
• Data entry.

Stronger training and onboarding

A properly documented sales process is an invaluable resource for new hires. By following a consistent framework, you can quickly bring them up to speed, making training and onboarding much more effective and less time-consuming.

Enhanced business intelligence

A streamlined sales process powered by a centralized database equips you with comprehensive insights into business performance. Tracking each step, you’ll:

• Uncover trends.
• Seize opportunities.
• Make data-driven decisions that propel growth.

Data-driven insights for decision-making

When your sales activities are systematically recorded, you have access to data that provides real insights into what’s working and what’s not. So, you can make decisions backed by your numbers, helping to optimize strategies and improve outcomes.

Improved lead qualification and customer lifetime value

With a solid sales process in place, you can track how leads move through your sales funnel and identify which ones are most likely to convert into long-term customers. By understanding this, you can better allocate resources to high-value leads and maximize the overall customer lifetime value.

Better organization

A well-developed sales process brings structure to the way your team works, helping you to:

• Prioritize tasks.
• Track progress.
• Stay on top of key activities.

Organizing each step of the sales journey makes it easier to manage both short-term goals and long-term strategies, keeping everyone on the same page.

Better communication between teams

With a clear process in place, communication between sales and marketing teams and customer support becomes easier. Everyone knows what’s happening at each stage of the customer journey, preventing silos and ensuring that no details fall through the cracks.

Cohesive customer experience across touchpoints

A structured sales process ensures that every customer interaction is consistent and aligned, no matter which team member is involved. This creates a smoother, more cohesive experience for customers, making them feel supported at every touchpoint and increasing their trust in your brand.

What are the stages of a complete sales process?

1. Prospecting

Prospecting is the starting point of your sales journey. This is where you identify and reach out to potential leads who may benefit from your product or service. Think of it like casting a wide net — you’re looking for the right people to bring into your sales pipeline.

At this stage, you’ll use methods to generate leads like:

• Cold calls.
• Social media outreach.
• Email campaigns.
• Networking events.

You may also rely on inbound marketing techniques, such as content marketing or SEO, to attract leads from your target audience. Be sure to focus on people who are likely to be interested, even if they’re not quite ready to buy yet.

2. Qualification

Once you’ve identified potential leads, it’s time to assess which ones are worth pursuing. Not every prospect will be a good fit for what you’re selling, so qualification is all about determining if the lead has the need, budget, and authority to make a purchasing decision.

This is where lead scoring comes into play — ranking prospects based on their likelihood to convert. You’ll ask questions like: 

• Do they have a pain point that my product solves?
• Are they in the right position to make a purchasing decision?

The goal here is to focus your energy on leads that are the most likely to become customers.

Image credit: Creatio

3. Proposal and presentation

Now that you’ve qualified your leads, it’s time to present your solution in a way that addresses their specific needs and pain points. This stage is crucial because it’s your opportunity to show the prospect how your product or service can solve their problem or improve their situation.

Whether you’re presenting in person, over a call, or through a formal proposal, this is where you highlight the value you can bring. It’s also when you handle objections and answer questions. If the prospect has concerns about price, timing, or how your solution works, you’ll address them confidently and reinforce why your product is the right fit.

4. Closing

This is the pivotal moment — where everything you’ve worked on leads up to a final decision. Closing is about asking for the sale and getting a commitment from the prospect.

It’s not just about signing the contract — it’s about guiding the prospect toward making that final “yes” decision. During this stage, you might need to:

• Offer incentives.
• Create a sense of urgency.
• Reassure the prospect that they’re making the right decision.

Some deals will close quickly, and others might take a bit longer, but this stage is all about finalizing the commitment and sealing the deal.

5. Follow-up and retention

The sales process doesn’t end once the contract is signed — it’s just the beginning of building a long-term relationship. After the sale, you need to follow up to ensure customer satisfaction and proper onboarding and address any post-sale concerns.

Good follow-up can also lead to repeat business, referrals, and testimonials. Keeping in touch and providing ongoing support demonstrate that you’re not just interested in making the sale but in creating value for the customer over the long term. Also, satisfied customers are more likely to recommend you to others, helping you grow your business organically.

How to build an effective sales pipeline

1. Analyze and plan

Building an effective sales pipeline starts with analyzing where you are right now. It’s all about understanding your current processes, what’s working, and what needs improvement. Plan with clear insights to set your pipeline up for success from the get-go.

Assess current strategies

Take a close look at your existing sales strategies to see what’s driving results and what’s falling short. Are you targeting the right leads? Are you converting enough prospects? This assessment will give you the baseline you need to refine and improve your approach.

Define clear stages and key activities

A well-organized pipeline needs clear stages that track prospects through the journey — from lead generation all the way to closing the deal. For each stage, identify the key activities that should happen, such as:

• Email, phone, and in-person interactions.
• Demos.
• Proposals.
• Estimating and invoicing.
• Payment.
• Follow-up.

This ensures nothing is overlooked, and everyone knows what to do next.

Set clear goals

Set clear, measurable objectives at each pipeline stage to ensure project success. Whether it’s a target number of meetings, conversions, or revenue, having specific goals keeps your team focused and motivated, helping to measure sales performance and adjust strategies as needed.

2. Implement and support

Now that you have concluded your analysis and developed a plan for your pipeline, the next step is to put it into action and ensure you have the right systems in place to support it. This involves:

• Using the right tools.
• Investing in your team’s growth.
• Ensuring everyone is aligned to execute the sales strategy effectively.

Leverage sales intelligence

Sales intelligence tools help you gather and analyze valuable data about your leads and prospects, making your pipeline smarter. An understanding of a prospect’s behavior, preferences, and buying signals helps you personalize your approach and make more informed decisions that push deals through the pipeline faster.

Embrace supporting tools and technologies

A good sales pipeline is only as strong as the tools that support it. By integrating the right CRM systems, automation tools, and analytics platforms, you’ll:

• Simplify processes.
• Track progress.
• Reduce manual work.

CRM technologies like Method help your team stay organized and focused, ensuring that nothing slips through the cracks.

Enhance training and development

Even the best tools are only as effective as the people using them. Continuous training ensures that your sales team knows how to make the most of your pipeline and the tools at their disposal. With regular coaching on skills like prospecting, negotiation, and closing, you can help boost confidence and performance across the board.

3. Monitor and innovate

Building a successful sales pipeline isn’t a one-time task — it’s an ongoing process of monitoring, optimizing, and innovating. Continuously track your pipeline’s performance, automating repetitive tasks and listening to customer feedback to keep your strategy fresh.

Track performance with analytics and reporting

The best way to know if your pipeline is working is by measuring it. To spot areas for improvement, use analytics and reporting to regularly track key metrics like:

• Conversion rates.
• Deal velocity.
• Response times.
• Sales cycle length.

This data-driven approach ensures you’re making informed decisions rather than relying on guesswork. Using dedicated analytics tools like GA4 helps you gather these metrics and organize them into easy-to-follow visualizations.

Automate time-consuming, repetitive workflows

Sales teams often spend too much time on administrative tasks like data entry, scheduling follow-ups, or sending routine emails. With technology, you can automate these repetitive tasks to free up your team’s time to focus on more strategic activities, like building relationships and closing deals. 

Solicit customer feedback

Your customers’ experiences are a goldmine of information. Regularly gathering feedback—whether through surveys, calls, or follow-up emails—can highlight where you’re excelling and where you need to improve. 

Utilize predictive analytics

Predictive analytics takes the guesswork out of forecasting by analyzing historical data and trends to predict future outcomes. This will help your team identify which leads are most likely to convert, allowing them to prioritize their sales efforts and focus on high-potential opportunities, ultimately speeding up the sales cycle. In fact, businesses that have implemented predictive lead scoring see an increase in conversions anywhere from 10% to over 50%.

4. Adapt and evolve

Building a successful sales pipeline isn’t something you do once and forget about — it requires constant adaptation and evolution. The market, customer needs, and sales trends are always changing, so it’s crucial to stay flexible and keep improving your processes to stay ahead of the curve.

Embrace flexibility and market changes

Your sales pipeline needs to be flexible enough to adapt to industry and market fluctuations. Whether it’s a shift in customer behavior, new technology, or changes in the competitive landscape, being open to change and quick to adjust will keep your pipeline relevant and effective in any environment.

Continuously improve processes

A well-functioning pipeline is never “finished.” Regularly review your processes to find inefficiencies or bottlenecks and make improvements. Small changes over time can have a big impact on overall performance.

Foster a culture of innovation

Encourage your team to think creatively and challenge the status quo. By fostering a culture of innovation, you create an environment where new ideas can flourish. This kind of mindset keeps the pipeline dynamic and responsive to change.

How should you organize your sales processes?

You can organize your sales processes by using any of the following options:

1. Sales process map

A sales process map is a visual representation of your entire sales journey, from lead generation all the way through to closing the deal (and even beyond into retention). Think of it as the “big picture” view of your sales process—it shows all the steps your team takes and how they flow together.

This approach helps you see each step in the context of the entire pipeline. It’s like a map that guides the sales team through every stage and helps you visualize how leads move from one phase to the next. Plus, it makes it easier to identify bottlenecks or stages that might need tweaking.

2. Sales process checklist

A sales process checklist is exactly what it sounds like — a detailed list of tasks or actions that need to be completed at each stage of the sales process. It’s a practical, step-by-step guide to ensure that nothing gets missed.

Each sales rep can check off tasks as they move through the pipeline, which keeps them on track and ensures consistency. It’s also useful for auditing the process, as you can easily spot where something might have been skipped or overlooked.

3. Sales process flowchart

A sales process flowchart is a visual tool that lays out the sales stages in a step-by-step format, but it focuses more on the decision points and paths that a lead might take. It’s like a diagram that shows you the “if/then” logic — if a lead qualifies, they move to stage two. If not, they might go back to nurturing or get removed from the pipeline.

Flowcharts are particularly helpful for mapping out complex processes that involve multiple options or outcomes. They make it easier to see the possible routes your leads can take as they move through the process.

Image credit: PhotoADKing

4. Buyer-aligned sales process

A buyer-aligned sales process means tailoring your sales process to match the way your buyer moves through their own journey. Instead of forcing prospects into a pre-defined sequence, you align your approach with how they make decisions. For example, you might emphasize educating the buyer and building trust in the early stages, then move into addressing objections and finalizing the deal later.

This process is more flexible and adaptive to different buyer behaviors, making it more customer-centric. It focuses on providing value at every stage of the sales cycle and ensuring that the experience feels personal and relevant.

How a CRM can streamline sales process steps for any business

Businesses that use customer relationship management software outperform those without, exceeding sales goals by 86%. A tool like Method CRM offers many features that help streamline sales process steps for businesses. These features include:

• Instant estimate, invoice, and payment sync with QuickBooks or Xero.
• Automated customer workflows, such as lead collection via web-to-lead forms.
• Comprehensive reporting and analytics tools for insightful data analysis. 
• Self-service customer portals that enable your customers to access invoices, e-sign documents, make payments, and more.
• Integrations with your favorite apps and payment gateways, including Shuttle, PayPal, and Stripe. 
• Extensive customization with help from experts to fit your workflows to specific business needs. 

Ready to try it out for yourself? Streamline your sales process with your free trial of Method CRM.

Streamline sales process FAQs

Why is a structured sales process important?

A structured sales process is important because it provides a clear roadmap for sales teams, improving efficiency, consistency, and effectiveness. Companies with a defined process are more likely to achieve higher performance, with research showing they can see up to a 28% increase in revenue and 70% forecast accuracy by simplifying operations and focusing on high-value activities

How can a CRM streamline your sales process?

A CRM streamlines and enhances your sales process by organizing, automating, and optimizing various tasks and workflows, making the entire sales cycle more efficient and effective. It centralizes customer data, automates repetitive tasks like follow-ups and lead assignments, and provides tools such as sales pipelines and analytics to track progress, predict outcomes, and identify high-priority opportunities.

What does a streamlined process mean in business?

In business, a streamlined process means simplifying and improving the process by eliminating unnecessary steps, reducing complexity, and increasing efficiency. The goal is to make every business process faster, smoother, and more effective.

The post How your business can streamline sales process steps from beginning to end  appeared first on Method.

But as popular as HubSpot is, it doesn’t tick all the boxes for many businesses for various reasons. Whether it is the price, complexity, or it’s simply not a fit for your business, there are a number of options that might work better for you.

Since you’re here, we wager you’re still looking for that perfect fit. In this article, you’ll uncover the eight best HubSpot alternatives that may be the ideal solution for you.

But first, let’s look at HubSpot itself.

HubSpot Overview

Image Credit: PCMag

HubSpot is a cloud-based CRM software used to handle the marketing, sales, and customer service of a business. 

It is primarily known for its all-in-one nature, from email campaigns to lead tracking and even content and contact management. Through your selection of “hubs,” you get a suite of key features that allow you to simplify operations and genuinely improve customer relationships. And the best part is, it’s user-friendly…  until it isn’t (but we’ll get into that shortly).

HubSpot: Why or why not?

HubSpot is a popular CRM for a reason — it has its perks. Here’s why some businesses love it:

• All-in-one solution: HubSpot covers inbound marketing, sales, customer service, and even website building.  
• Free plan: HubSpot’s free CRM offers quite a few basic features to small businesses without having them pay in the process. 
• User-friendly interface: Its clean, intuitive interface means your team can jump in with little training.
• Rich integrations: HubSpot works well with tons of other tools, making your life easier.
• Support and resources: The platform offers extensive tutorials and an academy to help you become a CRM pro.

That said, HubSpot also has its downsides:

• Costs escalation: You see that free plan? Once you outgrow it, expect prices to climb fast, especially for advanced features.
• Customization limitations: While you can tweak it, HubSpot’s customization is more rigid than you might like.
• Overkill for small teams: HubSpot can feel like too much if you only need the basics.
• Complex setup for larger teams: Managing a larger marketing team with this system can take more time. A dedicated admin might be necessary to keep everything running smoothly.
• User-friendliness drops off: Managing the platform can get tricky as your business grows. Adding extra tools like Sales Hub and Marketing Hub might make things feel a bit overwhelming.

Your 8 Best HubSpot Alternatives

1. Method CRM

Method CRM is the ideal CRM for small businesses using QuickBooks or Xero. It connects to your accounting data both ways, meaning any changes on one end instantly reflect on the other. Method also features a 24/7 self-service portal for customer payments and documentation, plus near-limitless customization to build a system that works around your business needs and goals.

Pros

• Seamless integration with QuickBooks and Xero.
• 24/7 customer self-service portal.
• Dedicated customization team.
• A complete view of customer interactions.
• Automated follow-ups and reminders.
• Fully customizable sales dashboards and workflows.

Cons

• Best suited for QuickBooks or Xero users.
• Available only in English.

Pricing

Method CRM has three pricing plans:

• Contact Management: $25 per user per month.
• CRM Pro: $44 per user per month.
• CRM Enterprise: $74 per user per month.

Method CRM offers a free trial with no credit card required.

2. Zoho CRM

Image credit: Discover CRM

Zoho CRM is among the best HubSpot alternatives for small-to-medium-sized businesses. Zoho CRM combines a user-friendly interface with extensive integration options, providing an all-in-one solution for businesses. Its custom sales dashboards and automation simplify even complex sales processes.

Pros

• Simple for non-tech users.
• AI assistant Zia offers predictive insights to boost productivity.
• Strong mobile access for remote teams.
• Strong dedication to user data privacy and security.

Cons

• Extra charges for certain integrations.
• Some advanced features come with a learning curve.
• Lower reporting capabilities compared to some competitors.
• Large datasets may slow down performance.

Pricing

Zoho CRM offers a limited free version for up to 3 users and four paid plans:

• Standard: $20 per user per month.
• Professional: $35 per user per month.
• Enterprise: $50 per user per month.
• Ultimate: $65 per user per month.

Depending on your plan, you will qualify for a 20-34% discount if you purchase an annual subscription.

3. Pipedrive

Image credit: Pipedrive

Next up on our list of the best HubSpot alternatives is Pipedrive. This platform is laser-focused on sales, making it a top choice for small and medium-sized businesses looking to grow their profits. Its visual pipelines make it easy for teams to manage leads and deals.

Pros

• Integration with over 500 third-party applications enhances functionality.
• Easy to navigate.
• Unlimited, customizable sales pipelines.
• AI Sales Assistant delivers actionable insights.

Cons

• Lower-tier plans offer fewer customization options.
• Basic features cannot support complex sales processes.
• Prices increase quickly with advanced features.
• Limited reporting customization.

Pricing

Pipedrive offers five pricing plans:

• Essential: $24 per seat per month.
• Advanced: $44 per seat per month.
• Professional: $64 per seat per month.
• Power: $79 per seat per month.
• Enterprise: $129 per seat per month.

Pipedrive offers an annual discount of 18-42% depending on your chosen plan, and a free 14-day trial.

4. ActiveCampaign

Image credit: ActiveCampaign

ActiveCampaign stands apart due to its marketing automation platform, which it combines with email marketing and a CRM platform. It is an ideal HubSpot alternative for small to medium-sized businesses, entrepreneurs, and marketing agencies. 

Pros

• Unlimited email sends, even at lower tiers.
• Advanced lead scoring and segmentation.
• Strong marketing automation tools.
• Free migration for seamless onboarding.

Cons

• Limited integrations on lower-tier pricing plans.
• Its free trial is quite limited to 100 contacts and 100 emails.
• Limited customization options for email templates.
• Steep learning curve for advanced features.

Pricing

ActiveCampaign offers a free 14-day trial and four pricing plans:

• Starter: $15 per month for a single user.
• Plus: $49 per month for a single user.
• Pro: $79 per month for three users.
• Enterprise: $145 per month for five users.

ActiveCampaign offers a 20% annual discount on all plans.

5. Zendesk

Image credit: Mopinion

Zendesk fuses CRM and customer service into one, providing multi-channel support via email, chat, and phone. Its user interface is friendly and makes customer interactions easier and more thorough.

Pros

• Easy to use, even with minimal training.
• Multi-channel customer support.
• Strong automation capabilities.
• Customer history tracking across mediums or departments.
• Integration with 1,500+ apps through the Zendesk Marketplace.

Cons

• Expensive for smaller businesses.
• User interface is not intuitive or customizable.
• Limited AI and automation features on lower-price tiers.
• Pricing jumps up quickly as you add more features and users.

Pricing

Zendesk offers several pricing plans:

• Build your own: Starts at $19 per month per agent.
• Suite Team: $69 per month per agent.
• Suite Growth: $115 per month per agent.
• Suite Professional: $149 per month per agent.
• Suite Enterprise: $219 per month per agent.

Zendesk also offers a 14-day free trial.

6. Insightly

Image credit: Capterra

Insightly is an all-in-one CRM and project management tool that helps businesses organize their sales, marketing, and customer service processes — cementing it as one of the best HubSpot alternatives. It can also track projects, contacts, and tasks to foster collaboration and productivity.

Pros

• Effective lead and contact management across all pricing plans.
• Supports mass emailing (with some limits on lower-tier plans).
• Project and task management tools are built directly into the CRM.
• Customizable fields and layouts for tailored data entry.
• Integrates with many third-party apps.

Cons

• Fewer customer support options.
• May slow down when handling large data sets.
• Lower-tier plans offer fewer customization options.
• Mobile app experiences can be inconsistent.
• Reporting features aren’t as advanced as competitors.

Pricing

Insightly CRM offers three pricing plans:

• Plus: $29 per user per month.
• Professional: $49 per user per month.
• Enterprise: $99 per user per month.

Insightly’s plans are all billed annually. For the Plus and Professional packages, a free 14-day trial is available.

7. Keap

Image credit: Keap

Formerly known as Infusionsoft, Keap is a comprehensive CRM and marketing automation platform. It’s designed for small-to-medium-sized businesses that need to capture leads, manage contacts, and automate sales and marketing processes.

Pros

• Intuitive interface.
• Advanced automation for everything from emails to workflows.
• Lead capture through forms, landing pages, and social media.
• Built-in payment processing tools.
• Integrated email and SMS marketing features.

Cons

• Higher price compared to competitors.
• Costs increase rapidly as your contact list grows.
• Fees for necessary integrations.
• Fewer third-party tool connections compared to other CRMs.

Pricing

Keap’s pricing is tiered based on the number of contacts and users you need. The minimum plan starts at 2 users and 1,500 contacts, with a monthly cost of $299. You can also save 17% by opting for annual payment.

8. Copper CRM

Keap’s pricing is tiered based on the number of contacts and users you need. The minimum plan starts at 2 users and 1,500 contacts, with a monthly cost of $299. You can also save 17% by opting for annual payment.

Image Credit: Salesdorado

Designed for businesses using Google Workspace, Copper CRM simplifies lead and deal tracking with robust collaboration and automation tools.

Pros

• Efficiently organizes leads and sales pipelines.
• Built-in tools for sales management.
• Automates repetitive tasks to focus on closing deals.
• Tools for teamwork and communication.
• Easy contact organization.

Cons

• Slow performance, especially with large datasets.
• Limited functionality compared to advanced CRMs.
• Constant email open alerts can get annoying.
• Some third-party app integrations can be tricky.

Pricing

Copper offers four pricing plans:

• Starter: $12 per seat per month.
• Basic: $29 per seat per month.
• Professional: $69 per seat per month.
• Business: $134 per seat per month.

Annual subscriptions come with discounts of up to 26%. Copper also offers a 14-day free trial.

Making your choice from the best HubSpot alternatives

It’s okay if you’re still wondering which of these best HubSpot alternatives to choose. Every business is unique, and your needs are radically different from those around you. 

Choose a CRM based on your business goals and requirements, but you’ll want to prioritize the following necessities: 

Administrative automation

Save time by choosing a CRM that includes workflow automation features for routine tasks like: 

• Lead generation and management.
• Everyday sales processes.
• Follow-up reminders.
• Task management and scheduling.

Email marketing

Your email marketing strategy is often the lifeblood of your business growth. Ensure your CRM supports bulk emails, campaigns, and integrations like A/B testing, landing page builders, and email templates.

Analytics and alerts

Strong custom report features and real-time alerts are key for: 

• Tracking performance.
• Improving your conversion rates.
• Making informed choices. 

These are crucial to the success of your sales team.

Invoicing and payments

The best HubSpot alternatives all have invoicing and payment tools integrated into them. With these tools, you can speed up your financial processes and enhance your customers’ experiences for increased sales. Not to mention, you get paid for your work faster and more reliably.

Integration with your existing tools

Purchasing a CRM tool shouldn’t translate into discarding the tools you know and love, such as QuickBooks, for example. Go for one that can integrate with your existing systems. That way, you won’t have to start fresh. 

Wrap-up: What’s the best HubSpot alternative for you?

At the end of the day, the right software choice for you is decided by your needs and goals as a business. If HubSpot isn’t the right call for your business, consider these alternatives:

1. Method CRM.
2. Zoho CRM.
3. Pipedrive.
4. ActiveCampaign.
5. Zendesk.
6. Insightly.
7. Keap.
8. Copper CRM.

With so many solid options, it’s beneficial to do the research and try before you buy. That said, if you’re already a QuickBooks or Xero user, your best bet is clear as day. Method connects with your accounting software data both ways to give you a complete view of your business, without impacting your sensitive financial information.

 Stop spending time on the same tasks every day. Ready to give Method a try?

Best HubSpot alternatives FAQs

Is HubSpot CRM free to use?

Yes, but the free version has limited functionality and customization options. Growing businesses usually upgrade for more features, which very quickly gets costly.

Do CRM costs increase over time?

Yes, CRM costs increase over time — especially as you add features or upgrade plans. This is typical for CRMs like HubSpot that charge individually for advanced tools.

Is HubSpot CRM difficult to implement?

Implementing HubSpot CRM is easy at first, but becomes more complex as you add on additional hubs. Users often find managing its pricing model tricky.

How do I switch CRMs?

Switching CRMs can be tedious as it requires careful planning, execution, and data management. However, some providers, like Method CRM, have dedicated teams to assist with the transition, making the switch smoother by helping with data migration and setup.

The post The 8 best HubSpot alternatives for every business in 2024  appeared first on Method.

If you’ve landed on this blog, you’re likely feeling that Salesforce isn’t quite the right fit — whether it’s the cost, complexity, or something else entirely. 

Don’t worry, you’ve got options. In fact, we’re about to walk you through the 12 best Salesforce alternatives for 2024.

What is a CRM?

Before we jump into the best Salesforce alternatives, let’s start with the basics: CRM stands for customer relationship management.

Think of it as the ultimate organizational tool for sales, customer support, and marketing teams. Key functions include:

• Lead and customer management.
• Integrations (email, calendar, accounting software).
• Reporting and analytics.
• Sales pipeline management.
• Administrative and marketing workflow automation.
• Customer service tools.
• Mobile access.

A CRM helps you keep track of everything in one place, automating tasks and freeing up your team to do what they do best.

Salesforce: Why or why not?

Image credit: PCMag

Salesforce is often seen as the giant in the CRM world. But it’s crucial to recognize that it primarily targets large businesses and enterprises, particularly those with over 1,000 employees. So while it’s packed with features, let’s be real: Salesforce is not for everyone — especially small-to-midsized businesses. 

Pros of Salesforce:

Salesforce users most appreciate the platform because of its:

• Rich feature set with tools for collaboration, automation, and business management.
• Strong integration potential.
• Diverse industries served, including professional services, manufacturing, and finance.
• Advanced insights through Einstein Analytics.
• Cloud-based for easy access.
• Robust security measures.

Cons of Salesforce:

While Salesforce is great for businesses with the resources to dedicate to its ongoing usage and maintenance, it comes with several downsides:

• High cost.
• Steep learning curve.
• Overcomplicated for smaller businesses.
• Time-consuming implementation.
• Potential feature overload.
• Requires dedicated maintenance team.
• Performance issues in complex setups.

The sheer number of tools can feel overwhelming, and unless you have a team dedicated to mastering the platform, you may end up paying for features you don’t need or know how to use. Plus, Salesforce comes with a hefty price tag, which makes it less appealing for smaller businesses or those just starting out.

Now, if you’re thinking, “That’s not really what I need,” you’re in the right place. Let’s get into the best alternatives to Salesforce.

Best Salesforce alternatives and competitors

1. Method CRM

Out of all the best Salesforce alternatives, Method is the #1 CRM for QuickBooks and Xero users. The platform is highly customizable, yet user-friendly, making it the perfect solution for your unique needs and workflows.

Method features

• Automated lead capture using web-to-lead forms.
• Seamless syncing of data to and from QuickBooks or Xero.
• 24/7 customer self-service portals for access to documentation and paying invoices.
• A complete view of each customer, including purchase history and interactions.
• Unlimited customization to mold the platform to your business.
• Drag-and-drop tools for workflow automation.
• Automated follow-ups and reminders to keep everything on track.

Method limitations

• Method works best if you are a QuickBooks or Xero user.
• The platform is currently only available in English.

Method pricing

Method CRM has three pricing plans:

• Contact Management: $25 per user per month.
• CRM Pro: $44 per user per month.
• CRM Enterprise: $74 per user per month.

Method CRM offers a free trial with no credit card required. Get started today!

2. Zendesk

Image credit: Mopinion

Primarily recognized for its customer service tools, Zendesk provides a user-friendly platform that focuses on improving support efficiency and customer satisfaction.

Zendesk features

• Powerful service tools like quick and easy support tickets.
• Multi-channel support across email, phone, chat, social media.
• Centralized hub for customer profiles and interaction history.
• Collaboration features between agents and across departments.
• Growing knowledge base for self-service.
• Provides advanced analytics and reporting.
• Integrates with 1,500+ apps through the Zendesk Marketplace.

Zendesk limitations

• Lacks advanced CRM functionalities compared to dedicated CRM platforms.
• Pricing jumps up quickly as you add more features and users.
• May be overkill for very small teams with basic support needs.
• Requires some setup and configuration to unlock full potential.
• AI and automation features are limited on lower-tier plans.

Zendesk pricing

Zendesk offers several pricing plans:

• Build your own: Starts at $19 per month per agent.
• Suite Team: $55 per month per agent.
• Suite Growth: $89 per month per agent.
• Suite Professional: $115 per month per agent.
• Suite Enterprise: Contact their sales team directly.

Zendesk also offers a 14-day free trial.

3. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

Image credit: ADMN

Next up on our list of the best Salesforce alternatives is Microsoft Dynamics 365. This comprehensive CRM and ERP solution provides businesses with sales, marketing, and customer service tools for an all-in-one system.

Microsoft Dynamics features

• Native integrations with other Microsoft products like Office 365 and Teams.
• AI-driven insights for smarter decision-making.
• Robust sales and marketing tools.
• Advanced reporting and analytics capabilities for performance tracking.
• Customizable app modules for a tailored business solution.
• Omnichannel engagement tools to support customer interactions via multiple channels.
• Mobile access enables on-the-go updates and management.

Microsoft Dynamics limitations

• Complex, time-consuming setup process.
• Requires a larger budget than other options on this list.
• Steep learning curve that may require training.
• Reported customization challenges and external integration issues.
• Limited out-of-the-box reporting and analytics.

Microsoft Dynamics pricing

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central offers two core pricing plans:

• Essentials: $70 per user per month.
• Premium: $100 per user per month.

You can also add team members to these packages at $8 per user per month, where they get limited access to read data, make approvals, and create or update select information. The platform also offers a 30-day free trial.

4. Zoho CRM

​​Image credit: Discover CRM

Zoho CRM is a cost-effective solution tailored for small to medium-sized businesses. Its flexibility positions it as one of the best Salesforce alternatives for businesses looking for an affordable CRM solution.

Zoho features

• Easy-to-use interface with several integrations.
• Customizable dashboards and reports.
• Automation tools to reduce manual admin tasks.
• An AI-driven assistant, Zia, for predictive analytics and lead scoring.
• Collaboration features for team coordination and project management.
• Mobile access for on-the-go management of customer relationships.

Zoho limitations

• Lacks depth in analytics, customization, and automation compared to some competitors.
• Customer support can be inconsistent, leading to varying user experiences.
• May require additional training for users to fully utilize its capabilities.
• Some integrations may incur additional costs or require separate licenses.
• Performance can be affected when handling large volumes of data.

Zoho pricing

Zoho CRM offers a limited free version for up to 3 users, and offers four paid plans:

• Standard: $20 per user per month.
• Professional: $35 per user per month.
• Enterprise: $50 per user per month.
• Ultimate: $65 per user per month.

If you decide to purchase an annual subscription, Zoho also offers a 20-30% discount depending on your plan.

5. HubSpot CRM

Image credit: PCMag

HubSpot CRM is a user-friendly powerful system with an integrated content management system. Users appreciate HubSpot for its various “hubs” that give them the flexibility to select only the hubs they need, ensuring they pay solely for the services they use.

HubSpot CRM features:

• Free plan to start that allows up to 1,000,000 contacts.
• Easy document uploading and access.
• Email tracking and alerts.
• Strong integration capabilities.
• Contact task management.
• ​​Performance metrics and reporting.

HubSpot CRM limitations:

• Free version has very limited features, especially for customization.
• Costs rise quickly as you add more features and “hubs.”
• The pricing model gets confusing for new users.
• Customer support response times can be lengthy.
• Pricing is based on the number of contacts, which is costly for businesses with large contact lists that only need basic features.

HubSpot CRM pricing:

Hubspot offers a free, limited plan for up to 2 users and three core paid plans:

• Starter Customer Platform: $20 per user per month. There is a 25% discount for annual subscriptions.
• Professional Customer Platform: $1,300 per month for up to 5 users. Additional seats start at $45 per month each. There is a slight discount for annual subscriptions.
• Enterprise Customer Platform: Starts at $4,300 per month for up to 7 users. Additional seats start at $75 per month each.

6. Pipedrive

Image credit: Pipedrive

Known for its intuitive interface, Pipedrive offers a sales-focused CRM that helps teams manage leads and deals effectively, cementing its place among the best Salesforce alternatives for smaller businesses.

Pipedrive features

• Visual dashboards for tracking progress.
• Customizable sales pipelines tailored to unique processes.
• Activity-based selling approach to drive deals towards completion.
• Integrations with over 500 applications for enhanced functionality.
• Smart Contact Data for your leads.
• Lead generation tools, including the LeadBooster add-on.
• Mobile app.

Pipedrive limitations:

• Limited customer support tools.
• Basic features may not meet the needs of complex sales processes.
• Pricing escalates quickly with advanced features.
• Some users report that Pipedrive’s customer service is lacking.
• Limited customization options in lower-tier plans.
• Performance issues when handling large volumes of data.

Pipedrive pricing:

Pipedrive offers five pricing plans:

• Essential: $24 per seat per month.
• Advanced: $44 per seat per month.
• Professional: $64 per seat per month.
• Power: $79 per seat per month.
• Enterprise: $129 per seat per month.

Pipedrive offers an annual discount of 18-42% depending on your chosen plan. There is also a free 14-day trial available.

7. SugarCRM

Image credit: Medium

SugarCRM is known for being a flexible platform with extensive customization and integration options. As one of the best Salesforce alternatives, it helps users manage customer relationships while adapting to their specific processes.

SugarCRM features:

• High level of customization.
• Strong focus on sales and marketing automation.
• AI-driven analytics and insights with extensive reports and dashboards.
• Mobile CRM app for on-the-go access.
• Multilingual and multicurrency support.
• Integration with popular third-party applications.
• Some project management features for team collaboration.

SugarCRM limitations:

• User interface and basic functionality can feel outdated.
• High cost and steep learning curve compared to competitors.
• Limited out-of-the-box customer support tools.
• Occasional performance issues with large datasets.
• Inconsistent customer support experiences reported.
• Customization is complex and time-consuming.

SugarCRM pricing:

SugarCRM offers four pricing models:

• Essentials: $19 per user per month, billed annually, with a 3-user minimum and 9-user maximum.
• Standard: $59 per user per month, billed annually, with a 10-user minimum.
• Advanced: $85 per user per month, billed annually, with a 10-user minimum.
• Premier: $135 per user per month, billed annually, with a 10-user minimum.

SugarCRM also offers a 7-day free trial.

8. Insightly CRM

Image credit: Insightly

Combining project management with CRM capabilities, Insightly is ideal for small-to-midsized businesses that need both customer relationship management and project tracking in one central, user-friendly platform.

Insightly features:

• Project and task management tools built directly into the CRM.
• Customizable fields and layouts for tailored data entry.
• Smooth integration with popular third-party applications.
• Email tracking and communication history for contacts.
• Reporting and analytics tools for performance insights.
• Mobile app for managing projects and contacts on the go.
• Workflow automation for repetitive tasks.

Insightly limitations:

• Lacks more advanced features for complex project management needs.
• Limited customer support options.
• Performance issues when handling extensive data sets.
• Customization options are limited in lower-tier plans.
• Inconsistent user experiences with the mobile app.
• Reporting capabilities are not as robust as those in other CRMs.

Insightly pricing:

Insightly CRM offers three pricing plans:

• Plus: $29 per user per month.
• Professional: $49 per user per month.
• Enterprise: $99 per user per month.

Insightly’s plans are all billed annually. For the Plus and Professional packages, a free 14-day trial is available.

9. Bitrix24

Image credit: Bitrix24

Bitrix24 offers a free or low-cost solution that integrates CRM with collaboration tools. Its affordability and versatility make it one of the best Salesforce alternatives for small businesses looking to drive team productivity.

Bitrix24 features:

• Free version with solid features.
• Built-in collaboration tools like chats and file sharing.
• Strong project and task management capabilities.
• Document management system for storing and sharing files.
• Mobile app.
• Email marketing tools for reaching customers.
• Customizable workflows to automate processes.

Bitrix24 limitations:

• User interface and customization options can be overwhelming.
• Limited integrations with third-party apps.
• Performance issues reported with large teams or data sets.
• Customer support can be slow or inconsistent.
• Limited reporting capabilities.
• Basic functionality may not address your unique business processes.
• Customization options can be complex and time-consuming.

Bitrix24 pricing:

Bitrix24 offers a free basic plan with unlimited users and 5GB of storage. There are four paid plans available:

• Basic: $61 per organization per month, which includes 24GB of storage and 5 users.
• Standard: $124 per organization per month, which includes 100GB of storage and 50 users.
• Professional: $249 per organization per month, which includes 1,024GB of storage and 100 users.
• Enterprise: $499 per organization per month, which includes 3TB of storage and 250 users.

Bitrix24 also offers an annual subscription discount of up to 20%, depending on your chosen plan. A 15-day free trial is available.

10. Oracle NetSuite CRM

Image credit: NetSuite

Part of the comprehensive NetSuite cloud suite, this CRM solution provides a 360-degree view of customers with integrated ERP functionalities, making it one of the best Salesforce alternatives for larger organizations seeking robust financial and operational management.

Oracle NetSuite features:

• Deep reporting and analytics capabilities.
• Fully integrated with Oracle’s ERP.
• Sales force and marketing automation.
• Customer service management tools for handling support requests.
• Partner relationship management for managing partner interactions.
• Customizable dashboards for personalized insights.

Oracle NetSuite limitations:

• Expensive and complex.
• Requires a dedicated IT team for management.
• Steep learning curve for new users.
• Limited flexibility in lower-tier plans.
• Some features may require additional licensing costs.
• Integration challenges with certain third-party applications.
• User interface can feel cluttered or overwhelming at times.

Oracle NetSuite pricing:

Oracle NetSuite CRM does not have pricing information available on their website. You must contact their sales team to get a quote for your business.

11. Copper

Image credit: Salesdorado

Built specifically for Google Workspace users, Copper is an easy-to-use Salesforce alternative that integrates with Gmail and other Google apps for teams to be able to manage customer relationships directly within their existing workflows.

Copper features:

• Natively integrated with Google Workspace.
• Email tracking for monitoring communications with leads.
• Customizable reporting for tailored insights.
• Mobile app to manage tasks and communications.
• Automatic data capture to reduce manual entry efforts.
• Collaboration and communication tools.

Copper limitations:

• Fewer features compared to larger CRMs.
• Customer support isn’t always responsive.
• Copper is best for Gmail users.
• Learning curve with the user interface and advanced functionalities.
• Limited customization options in lower-tier plans.
• Integration challenges with some non-Google applications.
• Pricing can escalate quickly with additional features or users.

Copper pricing:

Copper offers four pricing plans:

• Starter: $12 per seat per month.
• Basic: $29 per seat per month.
• Professional: $69 per seat per month.
• Business: $134 per seat per month.

If you pay for an annual subscription, you can also get up to 26% off depending on your chosen plan. Copper also offers a 14-day free trial.

12. Keap

Image credit: Keap

Formerly known as Infusionsoft, Keap combines CRM with marketing automation features tailored for small businesses, helping them manage their sales processes while nurturing leads through targeted campaigns.

Keap features:

• Simple, drag-and-drop workflows.
• Sales pipeline management for tracking deals.
• Automated follow-ups to nurture leads.
• Integration with popular third-party applications.
• Reporting tools for analyzing business performance.
• Mobile app for managing tasks and communications on the go.
• E-commerce capabilities for managing online sales.

Keap limitations:

• Limited customization options.
• Costly if you have many required contacts or users.
• Customer support can be inconsistent or slow to respond.
• Performance issues reported with larger data sets.
• Fewer automation features compared to larger CRMs.
• Integration challenges with certain specialized tools.

Keap pricing:

Keap charges based on your number of required contacts and users. Plans have a minimum of 2 users and 1,500 contacts — pricing starts at $299 per month with a 17% discount if you pay annually.

How to choose the right CRM for you

Out of all these best Salesforce alternatives, here’s how to find the perfect CRM solution for your unique business needs:

1. Assess your goals and software requirements.
2. Compare features, functionality, and pricing.
3. Review customer feedback and case studies.
4. Test with free trials or demos.
5. Plan for implementation and training.

Wrap-up: Best Salesforce alternatives

No matter your business size or needs, there’s a CRM out there that can work for you. The key is finding one that aligns with your goals, is easy to use, and doesn’t break the bank. Overall, your twelve best Salesforce alternatives are:

1. Method CRM.
2. Zendesk.
3. Microsoft Dynamics 365.
4. Zoho CRM.
5. HubSpot CRM.
6. Pipedrive.
7. SugarCRM.
8. Insightly.
9. Bitrix24.
10. Oracle NetSuite CRM.
11. Copper.
12. Keap.

If you use QuickBooks or Xero, your choice is a no-brainer. Method syncs with your accounting software both ways to keep your financial data secure and your lead and customer data available to everyone who needs it.

Try Method free for 14 days.

Best Salesforce alternatives FAQs

Is CRM software only for large businesses?

No, businesses of all sizes can benefit from a CRM. Many options cater directly to small businesses to help them grow while staying organized.

Is there a better CRM than Salesforce?

“Better” depends on your needs. For some businesses, Method CRM’s customizability or HubSpot’s free plan may be a better fit than Salesforce.

Can small businesses use CRM?

Yes, small businesses benefit greatly from a CRM, especially as they begin to scale. CRM software helps even the smallest organizations manage customer relationships efficiently.

What are the benefits of a CRM?

A CRM system provides several benefits, including better customer service, increased sales, greater customer retention, detailed analytics, and enhanced team productivity and efficiency.

The post 12 best Salesforce alternatives for 2024 appeared first on Method.

However, as manufacturers reach certain growth milestones, they start requiring more specialized software to manage key aspects of their operations, including: 

• Inventory management.
• Sales.
• Customer support.
• Human resources — and more.

At the same time, leveraging QuickBooks data to drive other business functions — while feeding information back — helps keep your finances aligned with growth. This reduces the risk of: 

• Information gaps.
• Manual data entry errors.
• Inefficient bottlenecks.

That’s why it’s beneficial to explore how you can extend QuickBooks for other parts of your manufacturing business through add-ons and apps. Read on for more details.

Can you use QuickBooks for manufacturing?

While QuickBooks offers some inventory management tools like tracking raw materials, managing customer communications, and pricing inventory, it has limitations for manufacturers. It’s primarily designed to manage the financial side of your business.

However, QuickBooks isn’t an optimal solution on its own when it comes to more product-oriented tasks like: 

• Work-in-process (WIP) inventory tracking.
• Bills of materials.
• Production planning and scheduling.
• Managing complex operations.

QuickBooks Online’s manufacturing capabilities

QuickBooks Online provides a solid foundation for financial management, but its manufacturing-specific features are limited. While it offers basic inventory management capabilities like tracking raw materials and finished goods, growing businesses with complex processes may find QuickBooks Online insufficient.

For example, QuickBooks Online can track individual component items but can’t convert these into finished items automatically. This requires manual reconciliation of component stock reductions and finished product stock increases. Additionally, QuickBooks Online may experience performance issues when handling large volumes of data as operations scale.

QuickBooks Enterprise’s manufacturing capabilities

QuickBooks Enterprise offers more industry-specific features for manufacturers compared to QuickBooks Online. These include:

• Deeper inventory management.
• Bill of materials cost tracking.
• Job costing.
• Multi-location support.
• Custom price levels for different customers.

QuickBooks Enterprise also provides pre-loaded reporting templates for better production line visibility, such as:

• Inventory Valuation Summary Report.
• Inventory Stock Status by Item Report.
• Assembly Shortage by Item Report.

While QuickBooks Enterprise offers more manufacturing-specific capabilities than QuickBooks Online, it still has limitations and a steeper learning curve. Its core strength remains in accounting and financial management rather than optimizing manufacturing processes.

How to get more out of QuickBooks for manufacturers

To maximize the value of QuickBooks for manufacturing businesses, consider integrating compatible third-party apps that support wider business processes. Two key areas to focus on are to:

Use a QuickBooks MRP

A QuickBooks material requirements planning (MRP) suite lets you oversee your entire manufacturing process, from inventory management to production management and warehousing. Unlike QuickBooks alone, an MRP is purpose-built for manufacturing tasks and can account for specific challenges you’ll face as you scale.

Add a QuickBooks CRM

A customer relationship management (CRM) system houses information on current and potential customers, supporting front office teams in driving sales and growth. The right CRM will integrate with your QuickBooks account, connecting financial data to help make informed decisions on pricing, market targeting, and sales process optimization.

Top QuickBooks add-ons for manufacturing

Katana MRP

Image credit: Katana

Katana is a popular manufacturing and inventory management software that integrates seamlessly with QuickBooks. It offers features like:

• Real-time inventory management.
• Production planning and scheduling.
• Purchasing and supplier management.
• Integrations with e-commerce platforms.

Pricing

Katana MRP offers three subscription options: 

• Starter: $179 per month billed annually. 
• Standard: $359 per month billed annually. 
• Professional: $799 per month billed annually. 

Method CRM

Method is a highly customizable CRM that works perfectly with QuickBooks for manufacturing businesses. Key features include:

• A two-way instant QuickBooks sync.
• 100% customizable workflows and automation.
• Out-of-the-box customer portal.
• Advanced reporting and analytics tools.

Pricing

Method CRM offers three subscription plans:

• Contact Management: $25 per user per month.
• CRM Pro: $44 per user per month.
• CRM Enterprise: $74 per user per month.

Each plan offers varying functionalities and capabilities, depending on the stage your business is in and its unique needs. Method also offers a free trial with no credit card required.

Wrap-up: QuickBooks add-ons for manufacturing

For manufacturers requiring advanced functionalities that fall outside the scope of finance — such as production scheduling, detailed bills of materials, and comprehensive reporting — QuickBooks may not be enough.

To bridge these gaps, manufacturers can benefit significantly from integrating specialized add-ons like Katana MRP and Method CRM. Katana MRP enhances inventory tracking and production planning, while Method CRM facilitates customer relationship management and saves time with features like its two-way QuickBooks sync and customizable workflows. 

As you explore your options, it’s essential to evaluate the specific needs of your manufacturing operations and consider how these add-ons can enhance them. When you leverage the right tools, you can build a software system that both saves time and cuts costs.

Extend the limits of QuickBooks. Try Method for free.

The post QuickBooks add-ons for manufacturing: What to know appeared first on Method.

The focus is on solutions that: 

• Support comprehensive customer relationship management.
• Integrate seamlessly with existing systems.
• Feature advanced analytics tools.

Creatio is a popular option for meeting these requirements, but there are substitutes out there that:

• Support more comprehensive CRM functionalities.
• Allow for greater scalability and flexibility.
• Deliver better customer support services.

With that in mind, this blog contains your top five Creatio competitors/alternatives to grow your business — instead of just running it.

What’s Creatio?

Image credit: Creatio

Creatio is a powerful CRM software that stands out for its low-code platform, enabling businesses to automate workflows and processes efficiently. It offers a comprehensive suite of applications for sales, marketing, and service, making it a versatile solution for organizations looking to simplify their operations and enhance customer interactions. 

The core functionalities of Creatio include: 

• Robust automation tools.
• Customization flexibility with several options.
• Seamless integration capabilities.

Why consider alternatives to Creatio?

Possible reasons to consider Creatio competitors/alternatives include:

• Other contenders require lower overall investment costs.
• Scalability issues for rapidly growing companies.
• Limited advanced analytics and reporting tools.
• If you need a platform to offer enhanced customization options.
• Better third-party integration range with specific ERP systems.

For your unique business needs, you need a platform that can deliver higher performance and reliability — one that:

1. Scales as the business grows.
2. Offers deep insights into the behaviors of your customers.
3. Promises superior project and process management tools.
4. Can boast a wider range of third-party integrations.

Top 5 Creatio competitors 2024

You’ve probably heard of the big SaaS CRM apps out there, like Salesforce Sales Cloud. But, you must research, compare, and evaluate all the competition — even the lesser-known counterparts — in order to best meet your business needs. 

With that in mind, these top five Creatio competitors/alternatives were selected based on: 

• Market performance.
• User reviews.
• Features and functionalities.

Method

Method is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses across various industries, especially those that use QuickBooks for their financial operations. Transform estimates to invoices in seconds, then send them off to get paid online immediately through personalized customer portals.

The platform:

• Offers seamless QuickBooks integration.
• Features customizable workflows and task automation.
• Provides a user-friendly interface and intuitive design.
• Supports extensive customer support and service management.
• Lets you automate tasks to save time and money.

Workbooks

Image credit: Workbooks 

Workbooks CRM is well-suited for medium-sized enterprises and organizations in sectors like financial services and professional services, where data security and customization are paramount.

Workbooks is popular for its:

• Competitive pricing model.
• High degree of customizability.
• Excellent data security measures.

Pipedrive

Image credit: Pipedrive

Pipedrive focuses on delivering an exceptional user experience with a clean and simple interface, making it an excellent choice for sales teams looking to streamline their sales processes.

It offers:

• Highly intuitive sales pipeline management.
• Advanced email marketing tools.
• Comprehensive sales force automation.

ProcessMaker

Image credit: ProcessMaker

ProcessMaker is ideal for businesses and departments that need robust process management and workflow automation tools, such as finance, HR, and operations.

Users appreciate ProcessMaker for its:

• Superior workflow automation.
• Advanced process management capabilities.
• Flexible integration with various FSM, ERP, and CRM systems.

Zoho CRM

Image credit: Discover CRM

Zoho CRM’s extensive ecosystem and integrations make it a valuable solution for businesses looking for a holistic approach to customer relationship management.

Zoho is a popular option for its:

• Extensive CRM functionality.
• Wide range of third-party integrations.
• Comprehensive analytics and reporting tools.

Things to consider while choosing Creatio alternatives

When considering Creatio competitors/alternatives, make sure you consider:

• Overall investment cost.
• Scalability to accommodate business growth.
• Flexibility and customization capabilities.
• Range of integration options.
• Ease of workflow automation.
• Robustness of data security measures.
• High user satisfaction levels.

What makes Method a great alternative to Creatio?

Particularly for QuickBooks and Xero users, Method is the ideal CRM solution because of its:

• Features that provide superior integration capabilities with your accounting software.
• Enhanced workflow automation features.
• More competitive pricing model.
• Easier customization and user interface design.

Key takeaways

In a nutshell, here are your top five Creatio competitors/alternatives:

• Method: Best for QuickBooks integration and small to medium-sized businesses.
• Workbooks: Ideal for high customizability and data security.
• Pipedrive: Excels in sales pipeline management and user experience.
• ProcessMaker: Best for workflow automation and process management.
• Zoho CRM: Offers comprehensive CRM functionalities and integrations.

Creation competitors/alternatives FAQs

Which Creatio alternative offers ease of use in creating business applications?

Method is particularly user-friendly when it comes to creating business applications. Its low-code platform allows businesses to easily customize workflows and processes without extensive technical knowledge. Its intuitive design and seamless QuickBooks integration make it an ideal choice for businesses seeking straightforward application development.

Are there Creatio alternatives that focus on project and process management?

Workbooks CRM, while primarily a customer relationship management platform, does offer some capabilities that support project management tasks. These are geared towards managing customer-related projects and integrating them with other sales, marketing, and service activities. 

What alternatives to Creatio offer comprehensive CRM capabilities?

Method offers extensive CRM functionalities, including: 

• Advanced workflow automation.
• Flexible customization options.
• Seamless integrations. 

Its focus on enhancing customer relationship management through user-friendly design and powerful automation tools makes it an excellent choice for businesses looking for a comprehensive CRM solution.

Ready to try the #1 Creatio alternative for QuickBooks and Xero users?

The post Top Creatio competitors and alternatives in 2024 appeared first on Method.

Implementing a CRM and accounting integration lets you go beyond what simple spreadsheets can do, as it: 

• Connects your platforms. 
• Automates repetitive tasks.
• Combines your data to give you a 360-view of your company. 

Continue reading this blog to understand how a CRM and accounting integration:

• Centralizes data from both accounting and other platforms for data-driven decision-making.
• Automates repetitive tasks to save time and reduce the risk of error.
• Enhances the functionality of your accounting software.
• Manages the combined data from multiple platforms to optimize your cash flow.

What is CRM software?

CRM (customer relationship management) software is a powerful tool that organizes contact information and interactions with potential and existing customers. The best CRM software streamlines business processes with automated workflows. It also provides a user-friendly dashboard to: 

• Consolidate your data.
• Unify information between teams. 
• Give you a complete view of your operations.

CRM software lets you pass information along automatically to improve internal communication. With these tools at your fingertips, you can make informed decisions on marketing strategies and reduce the time spent on everyday tasks.

What is accounting software?

The role of accounting software is to manage your financial operations and transactions. This can include things like: 

• Invoicing.
• Billing.
• Reporting.
• inventory management. 

Reliable accounting products give you a detailed analysis of your financial data. Examples of popular accounting systems used by accounting professionals are QuickBooks and Xero.

Why integrate your CRM with accounting tools

Saving time on administrative tasks

A CRM and accounting software integration helps automate routine tasks. You save time on manual data entry by syncing sales information in your CRM with your accounting software. An accounting CRM system facilitates a seamless integration process where relevant customer information updates in real time across your platforms.

Accurate recording of revenue sources

A CRM app does research for you based on your customer data. It reports valuable insights for your marketing campaigns to align your sales and finances. This information gives you a clear view of where your revenue is coming from to maximize your profits. CRM software merges data between the accounting software it connects with for unified data management.

For example, by integrating with all the sources of contact with your customers, you can manage valuable insights for marketing campaigns to align your sales and finances. These reports can be used to send targeted email marketing campaigns, fewer missed opportunities, and better client relationships for your business.

Eliminating chances for error: Enhancing data accuracy

Entering data manually between systems increases the risk of human error. A CRM and accounting software integration synchronizes real-time financial data automatically, so nothing gets missed. This reduces the time spent entering data and enhances the accuracy of your records for a better bottom line.

Your CRM and accounting software integration can work in conjunction with other platforms you’re using, which complements the features of these tools or automates their processes. CRM software supports synchronization with everyday platforms such as QuickBooks and Microsoft Outlook to automate time-consuming tasks and centralize data. The less time spent entering data yourself, the fewer errors you’ll encounter and the more time you’ll have for other priorities in your business.

Benefits of process efficiency and audit trail accountability

Streamlining processes for increased productivity

Companies use CRM and accounting software integration to streamline workflows. With a defined automated system in place, your team can efficiently convert leads to paying clients.

CRM software also shares crucial business information with your clients so everyone is on the same page. The best part is that an automated system facilitates real-time data sharing with your team to coordinate information instantly. This improves productivity across the whole company.

Ensuring accountability with a robust audit trail

A CRM app offers a traceable audit trail of all your actions and transactions. It centralizes data from your different platforms to give you full visibility and control over your operations. For teams with several users, you can track each point of the sales process at an individual level to promote accountability. The ability to oversee interdepartmental workflows helps you make informed business decisions.

Top best CRM accounting integrations

Method CRM

If you’re using QuickBooks or Xero for your accounting, then Method is your top CRM choice. Method is integrated with your accounting software for seamless real-time synchronization, so you don’t need to wait or worry about data loss. 

Best of all, the platform has no-code customization options, so you don’t need to hire a developer to personalize it to your needs. And you get a free hour of customization with Method’s professional services team with your subscription, so you can work with an expert right from the start. 

This software alsoscales with business growth, making it a reliable choice for most companies. 

See if Method is the right fit for your business with your 14-day free trial.

Pros

• Two-way instant data sync with QuickBooks and Xero.
• Drag-and-drop no-code customization.
• Online portals with 24/7 customer self-service options.
• Integrates with third-party integrations like Zapier, Outlook, and Google Workspace.
• Reusable templates where you can add branding like your company logo.
• Mobile app for on-the-go access from your phone.

Cons

• Only available in English.
• Limited to QuickBooks and Xero users.

Pricing

• Contact Management: $25 per user a month.
• CRM Pro: $44 per user a month.
• CRM Enterprise: $74 per user a month.

Salesforce

Image credit: Salesforce

As one of the first cloud-based CRMs to hit the market, Salesforce has carved out a name for itself as a leading product. It has numerous benefits that make it popular among businesses of all sizes and industries. 

However, it does lack some key features such as a two-way sync with your accounting software. While it’s designed for companies of every size, smaller businesses may not use the wide range of advanced features included in their plan and may find it difficult to get a hold of Salesforce’s customer support.

Pros

• Powerful automated lead generation and tracking tools.
• Big global community with online support forums.
• Customizable apps.
• Range of benefits for business reporting.

Cons

• A Salesforce consultant is needed for customization.
• No self-service, online portals for customers.
• Difficult to get in touch with a real customer service rep.

Pricing

• Starter: $25 per user a month.
• Professional: $80 per user a month.
• Enterprise: $165 per user a month.
• Unlimited: $330 per user a month.

HubSpot

Image credit: HubSpot

HubSpot is another popular CRM that unifies operations of cross-functional departments. Their team inbox feature reduces meeting scheduling, and the platform has a large third-party marketplace for additional third-party tools. Plus, their education program, HubSpot Academy, offers further education for its users. 

That said, some businesses find limitations in HubSpot’s analytics and reporting and the restrictions on custom fields. It boasts a huge range of key benefits that some companies appreciate, while others find it overwhelming.

Pros

• Intuitive dashboard for a better customer experience.
• Selective pricing plan that lets you pay only for key features that you’ll use.
• Courses available through HubSpot Academy.
• AI chatbots for automated, 24/7 customer support.

Cons

• Strict limit of 1,000 custom fields.
• Limited customization for different industries.
• Analytics reports could use more detail.
• Costly compared to competing CRM apps.

Pricing

• Free: No cost, but limited features for these accounts.
• Starter: Starts at $18 per user a month.
• Professional: Starts at $800 per user a month.
• Enterprise: Starts at $3,600 per user a month.

Insightly

Image credit: Capterra

This user-friendly CRM is designed to scale with your business as it grows. It has strong lead management abilities and visualizes your data with graphs for clarity. 

While users love its adaptability, Insightly’s reports are not as detailed as other CRMs. 

Insightly offers a 14-day free trial and a low-pressure, free-forever option where users can test the waters.

Pros

• Provides a streamlined interface for easy usability.
• Advanced lead management features.
• Good support for email integration options.

Cons

• No-code integration locked behind higher-priced plans.
• More expensive than CRMs with similar features.
• Live support costs extra.

Pricing

• Free: No cost, but only allows two users and has limited features.
• Plus: $29 per user a month.
• Professional: $49 per user a month.
• Enterprise: $99 per user a month.

Pipedrive

Image credit: Pipedrive

This cost-effective CRM is designed for entrepreneurs and small businesses. With its easy-to-navigate interface and small suite of essential features, this no-fuss solution is a great choice for many business owners starting with their first CRM. 

With that in mind, Pipedrive has a limited capacity to grow with your business. This means that you may need to transfer your customer data to a different CRM app down the road.

Pros

• Easy to pick up and use daily.
• Low-cost plans.
• Customizable, drag-and-drop interface.
• Chatbots that automate customer service for web users.
• Mobile app for anywhere access.

Cons

• Limited capacity to handle rapid business growth.
• Customization options are not comparable to other CRMs at a similar price point.
• Doesn’t separate leads from contacts, making it difficult to tell the difference between potential and qualified customers.

Pricing

• Essential: $14.90 per user a month.
• Advanced: $27.90 per user a month.
• Professional: $64.90 per user a month.
• Enterprise: $99 per user a month.

Key considerations when integrating CRM and accounting coftware

The significance of employee training for software integration

Merely implementing a CRM and accounting software integration is not enough to improve your business. You also need to train your team to use the software. Like any tool, everyone needs to know how to use it for your business to benefit. Training your employees is a necessary part of CRM and accounting software integration.

This is why finding a CRM app with strong support services is crucial. Good customer support ensures your CRM meetw your unique business needs and help you troubleshoot issues quickly. The less downtime, the more your business can stay productive.

Understanding the importance of data security in integration

A CRM and accounting software integration improves data security by keeping your data in the cloud and letting you monitor individual user actions. 

While anyone with access to your computer can open an Excel spreadsheet, CRM software requires a password with the option to add two-factor authentication.

Key takeaways

Our research indicates that 92% of respondents deploy or plan to deploy business intelligence at their organization. Adopting it as part of your daily workflow ensures you can stay ahead of the competition.

A CRM and accounting software integration has many advantages for businesses of all sizes and industries. First and foremost, an integrated CRM helps in coordinating tasks between the accounting platform it is implemented alongside. 

CRM software:

• Optimizes data flow between the platforms it connects with for unified data management.
• Facilitates real-time data sharing with different applications.
• Improves business operations with streamlined workflows.

Are you ready to make the jump into CRM and accounting software integration? Your next step is to start a free trial to see if CRM can work for your small business.

FAQs

What are the challenges in integrating CRM and accounting software?

The three main challenges you might face when integrating with CRM software are:

1. Adequately training your staff to use the new tools.

Remember that a person who doesn’t know how to use a tool won’t be able to use it effectively. CRM and accounting software integration is an investment into your business. So, you should spend a little extra time to ensure it’s working the way you need it to . If you have a small team that you want to train quickly, look for a CRM app with a user-friendly interface and shallow learning curve.

2. Choosing a CRM that meets all your needs.

Some CRM apps will not be able to handle all your workflows, while others are bloated with features you’ll never use (but still pay for). Consider the flexibility of a CRM with customization options to avoid this problem.

3. Data migration and compatibility issues.

It’s important when shopping for a CRM to choose one that works seamlessly with your current platforms. This is a real concern, as vital pieces of information can go missing without you noticing.

How does CRM integration impact the workflow of an accounting department?

By centralizing your company’s data from every source, your accounting team maintains access to a more comprehensive collection of expenses and financial statements. CRMs make it easy to view your:

• Invoices. 
• Payments.
• List of costs and expenses. 

Best of all, this information is more accurate and up-to-date than with a manual process. 

A CRM and accounting software integration is beneficial for the whole company — not just your marketing department or sales team.

What should businesses prioritize when choosing CRM and accounting software for integration?

When choosing CRM and accounting software for integration, ask yourself the following questions:

• Is your company growing? Choose a scalable CRM to match your future growth.
• Do you have a small team that you don’t want to spend too much time onboarding? Choose a CRM that is user-friendly, like one that targets small businesses. Review what people say about the CRM’s customer support in case you need to troubleshoot.
• Are you planning to access this information when you’re not at the office? Find a CRM that offers a cloud service and mobile app so you can connect from anywhere.
• How much downtime are you willing to accept? A CRM with excellent customer service will get back to your questions in a timely manner. 
• How many features will you be using? More features generally means a higher price point. Choose a CRM that isn’t bloated with features you’ll never use, and consider one that offers customization for flexibility.

Get your hands on a top CRM system with your free trial of Method!

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The post Top reasons to integrate CRM and accounting software appeared first on Method.

Every organization has different needs and workflows, and some CRM systems are better equipped to handle those differences than others. That being said, it’s in this adaptability that the question of a best CRM system becomes a bit clearer.

Even the best CRM systems have their downsides, but finding the one that’s right for you is all about weighing the good against the bad. With that in mind, this blog covers the top 8 best CRM systems for 2024.

What is a CRM system?

But first – let’s review what a CRM system is all about.

A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system is software that lets you:

• Track interactions with customers.
• Create invoices, quotes, and mailing lists.
• Manage sales pipelines.

CRM systems are all about maintaining and growing customer relationships. This boosts sales performance, and accelerates growth and profitability.

Looking for how to choose the best CRM for your business? Check out our video below.

Benefits of CRM systems

As your business grows, it’s difficult to keep track of its moving parts. More growth also means more invoicing, billing, and sending communications. So, how do you keep up? 

This is where the benefits of using a CRM system come in. It helps you:

• Stay organized.
• Automate business workflows.
• Improve sales performance.
• Minimize human error.

The best CRM system is the one that will grow your business and relieve you of its daily stresses.

What are the components of an ideal CRM system?

But what  is it about some business CRM systems that make them a cut above the competition? Many CRM software systems excel in one specific area, while they lack in others. 

So, consider what different types of businesses value the most when choosing between the best CRM systems. Ideally, a CRM system offers:

• Sales and marketing automation features.
• Lead management to track and nurture prospects.
• Marketing capabilities.
• Cloud functionality.
• Business reporting and analytics.
• Customer service features.
• Integrations with Google apps and other third-party plug-ins.

A CRM system might have tons of bells and whistles, but only those that possess most, if not all, these qualities deserve to make this list.

How we chose the best CRM systems

So, what criteria went into this list? There are three main considerations:

• Key features.
• Pros and cons.
• Pricing.

There is no objectively best CRM system. But with this list of the top options, you’re sure to find the best CRM system for you.

The 8 best CRM systems for 2024

Here are the best CRM systems and why:

1. Method CRM

Method CRM is the top CRM system for QuickBooks and Xero users. It provides you with a totally customizable experience to improve efficiency and productivity. 

With Method CRM, you can track leads with ease. And its automatic two-way sync with QuickBooks and Xero means that once those leads become customers, they won’t be entered into your database more than once.

It also allows for advanced automation that rivals other sales and marketing automation platforms.

Key features

Method CRM has a wide range of advanced features available to you. Here are some of the most significant:

• Drag-and-drop automation of your business workflows.
• Estimates, invoices, and payments instantly sync with QuickBooks or Xero.
• Online portals for your customers to serve themselves at their convenience.
• Automated lead collection via web-to-lead forms.
• Vast contact management capabilities, including a 360-degree view of contact details and contact history.
• Mobile app for those on the go.

Pros

• Powerful, two-way QuickBooks and Xero integrations.
• Tailor the solution to your needs with unlimited customization.
• Reusable report, transaction, and email templates.
• Many advanced automation features that strengthen sales performance.
• Easy to convert estimates into invoices.
• Several third-party integrations, such as the Google apps, Zapier, and Outlook.

Cons

• Only available in English. 
• Limited to QuickBooks and Xero users. 

Pricing

Method CRM offers three pricing plans:

• Contact Management: $25 per user per month.
• CRM Pro: $44 per user per month.
• CRM Enterprise: $74 per user per month.

Method CRM offers a free trial with no credit card required. Give it a try today!

2. Monday Sales CRM

Image credit: monday.com

Next up is monday sales CRM, a software solution that emphasizes sales growth. This is a solid option for smaller types of businesses that value simplicity and organization.

Key features

• Import leads through integrations with multiple platforms.
• Send quotes and invoices to clients.
• Custom Kanban boards and Gantt charts.
• Email marketing features like automation and templates.
• Centralized communication and interaction tracking for customers and leads.

Pros

• Intuitive user interface.
• Great for sales team collaboration.
• Simple time-saving automation features are easy to configure.
• All plans come with 24/7 support.
• Offers a student program.
• All plans include unlimited boards to organize projects, clients, and tasks.

Cons

• Recurrent performance issues.
• Limited customization.
• Lacks integrations with popular email and social accounts.
• Needs stronger reporting.
• All plans have a three-seat minimum.
• Automation features are limited to a set number of actions per month, which can impede sales growth.

Pricing

monday sales CRM has five pricing plans available:

• Individual: Free — 2 users max.
• Basic: $14 per user per month.
• Standard: $17 per user per month.
• Pro: $27 per user per month.
• Enterprise: Contact the company.

You can try the first four plans with a free 14-day trial, and there is often an 18% discount for those who opt for annual billing plans.

3. Pipedrive

Image credit: Pipedrive

Another top CRM system is Pipedrive. It’s a basic, client-friendly software solution perfect for small business owners seeking their first CRM. It is sales-focused, improving how you monitor each step in the sales funnel and serve your customers.

Key features

• Advanced lead capture capabilities, with chatbots that automate communication with web visitors.
• Email segmentation to tailor messages to specific customers, even with bulk emails or email campaigns.
• Drag-and-drop automated sales pipelines.
• Bulk editing to change multiple fields at the same time.
• Live dashboards with metrics for a real-time look at your business processes, including lead management.
• Has a mobile app for Android and iOS.
• Third-party integration with the Google apps, Slack, social media accounts, and more.

Pros

• Very simple to learn and use on a daily basis without requiring much time.
• Affordable paid plans.
• Improved sales performance with custom sales pipelines that use an easy drag-and-drop interface.
• Option to add LeadBooster for custom chatbots, which eases the load on customer service teams while still offering a personalized customer experience.

Cons

• Limited capacity to handle rapid growth.
• Customization options don’t measure up to other CRMs at a similar price point.
• Phone support is only available at the highest tier.
• Most plans have limited custom fields and sales reports.
• Doesn’t separate leads from contacts – making it difficult to distinguish between new and qualified leads in your sales funnel.

Pricing

Pipedrive has four pricing plans available:

• Essential: $14.90 per user per month.
• Advanced: $24.90 per user per month.
• Professional: $49.90 per user per month.
• Enterprise: $99.00 per user per month.

It also offers a 14-day free trial.

4. Zendesk Sell

Image credit: Zendesk

Zendesk Sell is a part of the larger Zendesk Suite. It’s a CRM designed to improve sales management and sales performance.

Key features

Some of Zendesk Sell’s features include:

• Sales reports and analytics metrics on a pre-built dashboard.
• A call and text log.
• Email marketing features like sync, alerts, templates, and automatic email tracking key for bulk emails and email campaigns.
• Help center page builder to create self-service knowledge bases.
• Custom sales pipelines to help sales reps.

Pros

• Great ticketing system.
• Easy onboarding and sales team creation in the CRM.
• Extensive time tracking options.
• Ability to set conditional triggers.
• Useful sales reports.
• Smart list generation through filtered data when reviewing client info.

Cons

• Has a steep learning curve.
• Expensive for small to midsize businesses.
• Some have reported a lack of customization and limitations with the pipeline feature.
• Recurrent performance issues.
• Customer engagement is slow and at times unreliable.
• Lacks training resources for its customers.
• Can be time-consuming to use, especially when customizing.

Pricing

Zendesk Sell has three pricing plans:

• Team: $19 per user per month.
• Growth: $49 per user per month.
• Professional: $99 per user per month.

It also offers a free 14-day trial.

5. Oracle NetSuite CRM

Image credit: Oracle NetSuite

The next best CRM system is Oracle’s NetSuite CRM, a great choice for wholesalers. It automates core manual tasks and gives real-time visibility into your operational and sales performance.

However, NetSuite is really an ERP solution vs. a CRM. So keep that in mind if this software is on your radar.  

Key features

• Management of quotes, commissions, sales forecasting, and partner relationships.
• Marketing and sales process automation features.
• Customer service management.
• Has a mobile app.
• Reporting and analytics options.
• Many third-party integrations (i.e. Google apps, mail, calendars, etc.).

Pros

• Very customizable.
• 360-degree view of customer data, including contact info and contact history.
• Tight integration with several accounting software.
• Ability to automate repetitive tasks and edit multiple records at a time.

Cons

• Complex and not client-friendly – there’s a steep learning curve.
• Unreliable company support on bug and crash reports.
• Third-party integration setup can be a challenge without a specialized support team.
• Help resources are often inconsistent and incomplete.
• Quickly becomes costly.

Pricing

There is no exact pricing information available on the NetSuite website. It works through an annual license fee, with a one-time implementation fee for initial setup.

The cost of the license depends on three main factors: core platform, optional modules and the number of users on the account. Based on that information, NetSuite will send you a quote.

6. Keap

Image credit: Keap

Keap is our next best CRM system. It’s a solid, well-rounded choice for a CRM for a small business. It’s a jack-of-all-trades software solution, offering basic yet robust CRM business tools.

Key features

• Custom reports specific to your business.
• Triggers that automate marketing workflows through client action.
• Individualized follow-ups to hot leads.
• Third-party integration like with the Google apps, Outlook, Zapier, and more.
• Real-time contact updates as you submit new actions and client info.
• Sales management and marketing workflow automation features.
• Customer segmentation through tags for contact types and actions.
• Automatic payment collection using apps like PayPal, WePay, or Stripe.

Pros

• Plenty of instructional resources.
• Built-in email templates and capabilities for email tracking.
• Reliable customer service, including live chat and premium consulting.
• Efficient customer segmentation features.
• Good automation features like with long-term lead nurturing.
• SMS messaging for your customers (only available in the U.S.)

Cons

• Prospect nurturing and auto-marketing tools are difficult to use.
• Very contact-centric, making it harder to handle business-to-business relationships.
• Steep learning curve which is often time-consuming.
• Lacks advanced search capabilities.
• No autosave functionality.
• Inflexible appointment setting feature.
• Firefox does not support Keap’s Campaign Builder.

Pricing

Keap offers the following pricing plans:

• Pro: $169 for 2 users per month.
• Max: $249 for 3 users per month.
• Max Classic: Contact the company.

Plus, you get 20% off if you opt to pay annually. The Pro and Max plans cost an additional $29 monthly for every new user on your account.

Keap also offers a 14-day free trial.

7. Freshsales

Image credit: Freshsales

Freshsales (formerly known as Freshworks) is another top all-in-one platform that emphasizes sales growth. It focuses on helping your sales team close deals and generate revenue through workflow automation features.

Key features

• Unique sales funnel mapping with contact lifecycle stages.
• Automate sales and marketing processes.
• 360-degree view of all your customer data, including contact info and contact history.
• Solid third-party app integration with the Google apps and more.
• In-depth analytics and AI.
• Has a mobile app.

Pros

• Clean and user-friendly interface.
• Advanced analytics and reporting options for sales activity and sales performance.
• Supports multiple languages and currencies.
• Attractive price point.

Cons

• Weak customization options relative to its competitors.
• Few social media integrations.
• Hard limit of 1000 contacts for any marketing actions.
• Lacks meaningful customer engagement.
• You cannot create multiple pipelines.

Pricing

Freshsales offers four pricing options:

• Free: $0 per user per month.
• Growth: $18 per user per month.
• Pro: $47 per user per month.
• Enterprise: $83 per user per month.

There is a 21-day free trial available for Freshsales.

8. HubSpot CRM

Image credit: HubSpot

HubSpot is one of the best CRM software systems for those who like contact segmentation. The software is broken down into different hubs which include marketing, sales, service, and more. 

You can choose how many of these hubs to purchase. Each works well on its own, but they work better when used together.

Key features

• Centralized view of client info.
• Contact deal and task management.
• Email marketing features like tracking and scheduling, as well as pre-made email templates.
• AI-powered sales assistant and chatbots for customer support.
• Capturing and segmenting leads.

Pros

• Courses and certifications available through HubSpot Academy.
• Clean, simple dashboard.
• Has a large third-party app marketplace  (integrates with the Google apps, mail, calendars, etc.).
• Team inboxes for easy collaboration.
• You can purchase a hub without committing to the full suite of products.
• Nearly unlimited contacts.

Cons

• Costly compared to other CRM systems.
• Limited specialization for different industries.
• Its many tools can be overwhelming to new users.
• Limited templates means starting from scratch anyway.
• Reporting features only give vague insights.
• Strict limit of 1,000 custom fields.

Pricing

HubSpot sells its software by hub or in bundles. Pricing is dependent on how many hubs you require. You can buy one of the premade bundles or create your own.

There’s no real trial, but HubSpot offers a free version of its CRM software. The idea is that you upgrade your plan as your company grows.

The Starter CRM Suite costs $50 per month or a discounted $540 annually. This plan includes their marketing, sales, and service hubs with two paid users.

Which CRM system should you use?

There is not one best CRM system for every person. Every organization is different, and all CRM business companies have a different product strategy. 

That being said, we recommend Method CRM for most growing businesses.

Its two-way, cloud based sync with QuickBooks or Xero means that only those who need access to your accounting data will have it. And double entry will never be a problem again.

Plus, Method CRM has unlimited customization potential, meaning your CRM will be uniquely yours, catered perfectly to what your business needs.

Key takeaways

There is not one single “best CRM system” out there — only one that’s best for you.

All customer relationship management software solutions work to:

• Streamline your business workflows.
• Build strong relationships.
• Improve sales performance
• Keep you better organized.

Implementing a top CRM system (like Method CRM) into your business is a no-brainer, because it will:

• Automate manual tasks in sales and marketing.
• Visualize your customer interactions and activity.
• Integrate the apps you use daily into one interface.

Best CRM system FAQs

What is the most popular CRM?

HubSpot is the most popular CRM due to its freemium model, which attracts tons of new users who just want to give CRMs a try. However, if you’re a QuickBooks or Xero user, Method CRM is your best bet. 

Who is the global leader in CRM?

As one of the first cloud CRMs on the market, Salesforce is often thought of as the global leader for CRM system companies. However, if your business uses QuickBooks or Xero, Method CRM is the tool you need. 

Why is Salesforce so popular?

It has plenty of great features, but Salesforce is so popular largely through word of mouth.

As an older software company, Salesforce managed to get their name out there as CRMs began gaining traction across different industries.

Most people opt for Salesforce simply because it’s a CRM they’ve heard of. See how it compares to Method CRM here.

Get your hands on a top CRM system with a free trial of Method CRM!

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The post Top 8 best CRM systems for 2024 appeared first on Method.

Investing in a CRM system is essential for managing your business more effectively.

But with so many construction CRM systems on the market, how do you choose the best one?

First ensure it suits your needs and is user-friendly. But that’s not all.

Read this blog to compare the best construction CRM systems.

What is a CRM system for construction?

A construction CRM system is a software that manages customer relationships and your business processes.

Using a CRM system for construction, businesses can automate the following:

• Lead generation.
• Project management.
• Customer service.

Benefits of CRM systems for construction

Every person, from the estimator to the project manager, must access data on contracts, customer relationships, costs, and transactions. 

Here are some benefits of having a construction CRM system:

• Centralizes all available data on clients and projects. 
• Accelerates productivity by reducing paperwork.
• Offers better solutions to track leads and close deals. 
• Fosters better client relationships to increase profitability.
• Automate routine tasks such as follow ups. 
• You can build a custom CRM system to meet your business needs.

What are the components of an ideal CRM system for construction?

To select the best software, you’ll need to make sure your construction CRM system has the following components: 

• Complements your existing project management software to track bids.
• The ability to view a customer’s entire history in one location. 
• Customizable workflows to automate your business. 
• Syncs with your existing software, such as QuickBooks or Xero. 
• Simplifies payment processes to allow faster payments. 
• Integrates with existing email services.

How we chose the best CRM systems for construction

Below is a list of the top 10 construction CRM systems. Each of the best CRM systems were chosen based on:

• Features.
• Pros and cons. 
• Price.

What’s important when evaluating a CRM system depends on you and your business needs, but the top ones are listed below to guide you!

The 10 best CRM systems for construction

Here are the best CRM systems for construction:

1. Method CRM

From tracking bids to managing documents, Method CRM simplifies every part of the building process. 

Here’s how.

Manage your leads in Method CRM, then automatically sync them to QuickBooks or Xero once they become paying customers to eliminate double data entry. 

This keeps your accounting data clean and secure while empowering your sales team to drive deals forward without QuickBooks or Xero access.

What’s more, Method’s deep integration with Gmail and Outlook allows you to take care of customers and leads with ease. Check it out below! 

Key features

• Automated lead collection. 
• 360-degree view of past interactions and transactions.
• Payments and invoices sync to QuickBooks or Xero in real-time.
• Mobile project management app to stay connected on the go. 
• Add custom forms to your website to get project information.

Pros

• Powerful, two-way QuickBooks and Xero integrations.
• Unlimited customization.
• Reusable email, report, and transaction templates.
• Convert estimates into invoices in a few clicks.
• Several third-party integrations, such as Gmail, Zapier, and Outlook.

Cons

• Only available in English. 
• Limited to QuickBooks and Xero users. 

Pricing

Method CRM offers the following pricing plans:

• Contact Management: $25 per user per month.
• CRM Pro: $44 per user per month.
• CRM Enterprise: $74 per user per month.

Method CRM offers a free trial with no credit card required. Get started today!

2. ConstructionOnline

ConstructionOnline is a top construction CRM system for growing contractors. Let’s dive deeper into why!

Key features

• Fully-customizable lead tracking to monitor your sales pipeline. 
• Lead calendar to schedule activities like site visits. 
• Detailed filters to quickly find leads. 
• Easy Microsoft Excel exports.
• Create professional proposals from your estimates. 

Pros

• Wide range of features. 
• Project logging application effectively replaces spreadsheets.
• Great customer support. 

Cons

• Steep learning curve
• Doesn’t generate cash flow reports.
• Two separate programs are needed to use the software.

Pricing

ConstructionOnline has various different pricing options based on the type of construction business, including Residential, Specialty + subs, Commercial, Multi-family and Industrial. Each option includes various pricing tiers.

You can find out more about pricing information on their website. 

3. Unanet by Cosential

Unanet CRM by Cosential is a cloud-based CRM used by construction businesses to drive growth.

It understands the complex system your industry requires with features such as the following.

Key features

• Create contacts on the go with a quick business scan.
• Easy drag-and-drop to edit Opportunity data. 
• Proposal automation. 

Pros

• Visual charts and dashboard widgets.
• Great customization ability.
• Straightforward system.

Cons

• Lacks technical support. 
• Some features aren’t usable. 
• Mobile app and email marketing need improvement.

Pricing

• Base edition: $55 per user per month. 
• Sales leader edition: $75 per user per month.

4. Buildertrend

Buildertrend’s CRM system for construction connects teams and improves project efficiency with these features.

Key features

• Seamless integration with other tools. 
• The contact form captures lead information.
• Lead scoring to prioritize the best leads.
• Large storage space.

Pros

• User-friendly. 
• The filter feature is practical. 
• Scheduling is easy.

Cons

• Weak user interface.
• GANTT chart and financial features are difficult to use.

Pricing

• Essential: $99 per month ($399 after 2 months).
• Advanced: $399/mo ($699 after 2 months).
• Complete: $899/mo ($1,299 after 2 months).

5. BuilderConsole

BuilderConsole is a construction CRM system best suited for residential builders and master-planned communities.

Key features

• Automated contract approvals.
• Seamless integration with Brix accounting software.
• Automated communication with leads and customers.

Pros

• Client portal access from start to finish.
• A great option for growing your leads.
• Specialized for residential builders.

Cons

• Weak user interface.
• Lacks equipment tracking.
• No mobile app.

Pricing

The pricing information is not available on their website, but you can contact them for more details.

6. InTouch (Builders CRM)

InTouch’s CRM system for construction helps you close more deals and grow your business.

Key features

• Generate leads with integrated web forms.
• Create custom fields to gain client information.
• Pre-built automated marketing campaigns.

Pros

• Speedy customer support.
• Easy to use.
• Customer trends are determined easily. 

Cons

• Templates are challenging to use.
• UI is overwhelming.
• Steep learning curve. 

Pricing

Basic: $23.15 per user per month.

Intermediate: $30.46 per user per month.

Advanced: $42.65 per user per month.

Bespoke: Price available upon request.

7. TopBuilder

The TopBuilder CRM system for construction makes it easy to manage your sales and preconstruction process with the following features.

Key features

• Forecast and schedule job resources.
• Manage, monitor, and send quotes in one place.
• E-signature capabilities. 
• Include photos, project notes, and more with quotes.

Pros

• User-friendly.
• Effortless training for using the tool. 
• ‘Manage Leads’ and ‘Accounts’ feature is impactful.

Cons

• Tracking inputs in a project is difficult due to the number of fields. 
• Limited customization for email marketing. 
• Unable to assign a non-user to allocate bids. 

Pricing

The following pricing options are available: 

• Essentials: $35 per user per month.
• Professional: $50 per user per month.
• Enterprise: $90 per user per month.

8. JobNimbus

JobNimbus is a construction CRM system built for contractors and takes businesses to the next level with the features below.

Key features

• Automated updates and emails.
• Sync everything to the mobile app while you’re on site.
• Virtual whiteboard to gain visibility.
• Create estimates on the go.

Pros

• User-friendly.
• Learning to use the software is simple.
• Good customer support.

Cons

• Mobile app needs to be fixed. 
• Custom template building is limited.
• Dashboards and reminders are overwhelming.
• Issues with QuickBooks sync. 

Pricing

JobNimbus does not display their pricing information on its website, but you can request the details by contacting them. 

9. JobProgress CRM

JobProgress is known as a must-have platform for home improvement contractors. You can see why below. 

Key features

• Fully-customizable job and workflow manager.
• Track multiple jobs per customer. 
• Automated estimates and proposals.
• Contract template builder. 

Pros

• User-friendly. 
• Highly customizable. 
• Great customer support.

Cons

• Issues with email templates. 
• Inability to delete jobs. 
• Potential for more features and integrations. 

Pricing

JobProgress prices its CRM at $65 per user per month. There is also a $500 one-time set up fee. 

10. Kommo CRM

Kommo (previously known as amoCRM) makes it easy to crush your goals with its powerful features.

Key features

• Messenger-based sales.
• Automatic lead grabbing from all sources. 
• Flexible sales chatbot. 

Pros

• Intuitive and easy to use.
• A large amount of valuable features. 
• Excellent capabilities for collaboration. 

Cons

• Customer support is slow. 
• The platform is unusable during updates. 

Pricing

Kommo CRM offers the following pricing plans:

• Base: $15 per user per month. 
• Advanced: $25 per user per month. 
• Enterprise: $45 per user per month. 

Which CRM system for construction should you use?

Now that you’ve looked at the top construction CRM systems, you may wonder which one is right for you. 

Your choice depends on factors such as:

• Your individual priorities. 
• Budget constraints. 
• Your business needs.

Method CRM is a popular construction CRM system because it effectively captures and organizes your leads. Better yet, you can tailor the software to your exact needs whether that’s equipment management or bid tracking.

Rather than passing disconnected spreadsheets and emails back and forth, Method CRM captures prospects automatically through a web-to-lead form. See how below. 

You then have all your lead data in one place, including:

• Contact details.
• Past interactions. 
• Quotes. 

Method CRM also offers powerful integration with QuickBooks and Xero.

Add customers, create quotes, and receive payments in Method CRM. Then, watch the changes sync instantly to QuickBooks or Xero — no double data entry required. 

Even your payments sync to QuickBooks or Xero in real-time!

Without the added paperwork, you’ll never worry about paying suppliers and staff inaccurately. 

Your clients view and sign documents through Method CRM online portals, keeping everything organized. 

What’s more, your client’s details are always at your fingertips. Stay connected with the Method app to update quotes and send follow-ups from anywhere. 

With a 360-degree view of every customer, you have a centralized view of past transactions, project details and all your QuickBooks or Xero transactions.

Key takeaways

The main purpose of using a CRM system is to simplify sales, grow your business faster and build long-lasting customer relationships. 

Using one of the best CRM systems for small businesses like Method CRM simplifies your construction business with capabilities such as:

• Powerful workflow automation. 
• Two-way, real-time sync with QuickBooks and Xero. 
• Online portals for immediate customer service. 
• A 360-degree view of every customer for improved client interactions.

CRM system for construction FAQs

What is a CRM in construction?

A CRM system for construction is an essential tool for any construction company.

It keeps track of customer relationships and manages your projects more efficiently. 

With a CRM system, you nurture past, current, and potential customers, thanks to having important project information like milestones, timelines, and budgets accessible.

Is Salesforce good for construction management?

Salesforce is a popular option if you’re looking for a CRM system for construction management. However, if you’re a QuickBooks or Xero user, Method CRM is a better choice. 

Salesforce offers an array of features for construction projects, including: 

• Powerful contact management.
• Automated lead nurturing and tracking.
• Customizable dashboards and reporting.
• The ability to build custom apps. 

But all of the above will cost you a pretty penny. Instead, check out Method CRM for a construction CRM that’s:

• Tailored to your business’ needs.
• Offers a two-way sync with QuickBooks or Xero. 
• A powerful automation tool. 

What CRM do construction companies use?

There’s no shortage of construction CRM systems available, so when it comes to choosing one, consider your needs.

Method CRM is a popular CRM system for construction businesses as its powerful two-way sync with QuickBooks and Xero allows you to have your accounting data at your fingertips without the risk of double-data entry.

With its no-code backend, you’ll automate any workflow you need. All of this means, doing more with less thanks to Method CRM!

What’s more, the 360-degree view of customers and suppliers transforms your customer experience and operations. So what are you waiting for? 

Get the best CRM for construction with a free trial of Method CRM!

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The post Top 10 best CRM systems for construction in 2024 appeared first on Method.

With an integrated customer relation management (CRM) system, you can:

• Automate the tedious parts of customer relations.
• Leverage your customer data to get more sales and better prospects.

Whether you’re a small-scale manufacturer or a big name in the game, manufacturing CRM systems can take your business to the next level.

This guide will tell you everything you need to know to choose and implement the best CRM system for manufacturing.

Manufacturing CRM systems: the ultimate guide

Manufacturers tend to rely on repeat business to survive, and maintaining a good relationship with your customers is vital to your bottom line.

Manufacturing CRM systems help manufacturers keep track of data from both prospective and current customers, streamlining the customer service experience.

A CRM’s main purpose is to make it easier for you to foster a positive customer experience, with the end goal of keeping your customers happy.

The happier your customers are, the more likely they’ll return to your business.

What’s a CRM for manufacturing?

A CRM for manufacturing is software that helps manufacturers provide excellent service to their customer base by:

• Centralizing customer information.
• Consolidating sales conversations.
• Providing a hub for team members to access and share information effectively.

CRM software keeps track of customer information like phone numbers, addresses, order information, sales history, issues, demographics, and customer feedback — all in a convenient and easy-to-access location.

Sales teams can use CRM data to understand their customers better, increasing their chances of quickly identifying sales opportunities and closing deals.

Service teams can also use CRM features to solve customer problems efficiently, increasing customer satisfaction and retention.

Why implement manufacturing CRM systems?

You should implement manufacturing CRM systems to increase customer retention.

If you’re wondering how CRM systems stimulate growth in manufacturing, here are a few ways:

• Optimize your supply chain.
• Boost sales and convert more leads.
• Predict customer demand through consolidated sales data.
• Increase communication efficiency throughout your entire team.
• Improve customer interactions and increase customer satisfaction.

Adopting a CRM is your best bet if you want to facilitate your productivity across the board while improving your marketing and service simultaneously. 

What are the benefits of manufacturing CRM systems?

The benefits of manufacturing CRM systems include the following:

• Better sales performance.
• Superior supply chain visibility.
• Increased customer satisfaction.
• Improved product quality.
• Accurate demand forecasting.

Let’s take a closer look at each of these benefits below.

Better sales performance

Manufacturing CRM systems centralize all your sales conversations and customer information.

This empowers your sales team to work as one unit, managing and interacting with all customer accounts, leads, and existing communications inside a single system.

Having all your customer information centralized and well-documented is a massive advantage because it:

• Builds customer relationships based on trust and respect.
• Increases your chances of closing on a new lead.
• Helps retain or upsell your existing customers.

Using a CRM, you can easily access historical customer data and determine when your customers tend to order more of a certain kind of product.

Not only will you know when to sell, but what to sell and who to sell it to. You can also use that data to determine which customers you can provide more value to by upselling or cross-selling.

Superior sales pipeline visibility

CRM systems for manufacturing are an excellent tool for understanding your sales pipeline and guiding potential customers through your sales process.

Manually tracking your leads and deals through a spreadsheet is inefficient and can lead to communication delays and mistakes.

You can set up pipeline automation through a CRM, allowing you to automatically move your deals through the various stages of your pipeline when specific triggers occur.

You can even set the system to notify team members when a lead hits a milestone or moves forward in the pipeline.

Increased customer retention and satisfaction

One of the biggest reasons to use a CRM is to boost customer service quality. To successfully retain your customers, you must ensure they’re consistently happy and satisfied with your service. 

Customer satisfaction is a major factor in customer retention in the manufacturing sector. According to Salesforce, customers are 67% more likely to pay for great service. 

The key to outstanding service is knowing how to quickly and efficiently address specific customers’ concerns promptly and efficiently. And the best way to do that is to use a CRM to look up all your customers’ info in a few seconds.

A good CRM also comes with tools to help manage customer service cases. This includes a ticketing system that lets you track, update, and resolve customer issues in the CRM.

Improved product quality

CRMs can give you valuable insight into your customer base’s opinion of your product. Communicating with your customers and consolidating their feedback allows you to cater to their needs more effectively.

Having an efficient feedback mechanism makes it easy to survey customer pain points.

This is because efficient feedback leads to actionable insights that you can use to quickly improve your product’s quality and consistency across the board.

More accurate demand forecasting

As a manufacturer, you lose money when you have excess inventory or product shortage. Storing extra product costs money, and losing deals because of a shortage impacts your profits.

You’ll want to balance your production and customer demand to protect your bottom line.

Manufacturing CRM systems allow you to better predict what your customers want and when. A CRM can help you accurately predict current demand and future sales by analyzing your sales pipeline.

You can use this data to plan your production schedule ahead of time and allocate your resources accordingly.

Who should be using a manufacturing CRM system?

You should use manufacturing CRM systems if your team is in a customer-facing capacity.

Manufacturing companies have multiple teams of people who could benefit from a manufacturing CRM, namely:

• Sales teams: CRMs can make your salespeople more effective by making your sales cycle easy to navigate. Your sales team can easily track leads and guide them through every step of the pipeline.
• Marketing teams: Marketing departments can use all the data collected in a CRM to determine the most effective marketing strategy. Historical sales data and accurate demand forecasts tell your marketing team who to market to and how to market to them.
• Customer support: CRMs allow your customer service personnel to perform in their best capacity. Creating, viewing, and managing service tickets in one system will result in speedy customer service, making your customers feel they’re being taken care of.
• Production managers: CRMs hold valuable data for production managers. Knowing the exact details of customer orders allows production to schedule runs, stock products, and even improve product quality with outstanding efficiency.

How do I get started with a manufacturing CRM system?

Before choosing a manufacturing CRM system, put together a team of personnel from different departments to discuss which features are most important to them in CRM software.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to getting started with a manufacturing CRM:

1. Choose members from sales, marketing, service, and other departments that will use the CRM.
2. Have all your team members discuss their day-to-day workflow, focusing on bottlenecks and situations you can improve with better access to data.
3. Examine the reports available to you and your team, and discuss if and how these could be improved.
4. Establish how your team assesses the performance metrics from your sales and marketing assets and the respective teams’ performance.
5. Create a list of essential systems and processes your CRM will need to integrate and communicate with.
6. Calculate the current costs of your processes. This will stand as a baseline figure that you can compare against the cost and impact of onboarding a CRM.

With your team’s assessment, you can easily compare CRM systems to see which one has the most features that your team needs.

Key features to look for in a manufacturing CRM system

Most CRM systems for manufacturing come with a wide range of valuable features.

No matter what manufacturing you do, below are some key features you’ll want to have in your CRM. 

Marketing

CRM software can help you create and manage marketing campaigns to capture and retain more customers. You can analyze and integrate sales data to solidify your targeting and achieve higher conversion rates with prospective customers.

CRM systems can help you identify the best-performing text copy and the ideal time to send messages to your customer base.

With CRM software, you can also create and send messages to your customers based on the data from tracking target customers.

Optimizing customer service

Manufacturing CRM software should optimize your business’s customer service. It allows you to optimize and personalize your approach to customer service for every unique customer.

You can identify your customers’ preferred communication channel and establish contact through that channel, streamlining communication.

Good CRM software also allows you to access detailed analyses where you can see opportunities to reduce cost and optimize service.

Sales-related functionalities

Centralizing your customer data in your CRM software allows your sales team to access and share information efficiently.

They can use CRM to better understand how your business or organization performs and then use that information to provide the right solutions to your customers.

CRM software makes it easy to pinpoint high-value customers and focus on them.

Dispatch service

A critical function your CRM software must have is organizing your service specialists and distributing tasks in the software.

Centralized data is crucial in allowing key employees easy access to pertinent information. This will speed up your services and help you earn your customers’ trust.

Automating your service models with manufacturing CRM systems lets you match your specialists’ skills with your customers’ needs.

Moreover, live information dissemination and geolocalization during a service event solidify your business’s internal processes.

Optimal project management

Project management functionalities are essential in any CRM software.

To maximize business efficiency, ensure your CRM can:

• Plan projects and allocate available resources efficiently.
• Distribute tasks and determine time management.
• Track billing and spending for easy accounting.
• Give your team access to a collaborative portal.
• Generate accurate reports.

How to set up a manufacturing CRM system

Once you’ve chosen a CRM to use, setting it up can be daunting. You need to be deliberate in your CRM implementation to achieve maximum efficiency.

Here are a few steps you need to take to set up your manufacturing CRM system properly.

1. Map out your customer journey

Create a map of your customer’s journey through your sales pipeline. This includes expanding on awareness, consideration, purchase commitment, post-purchase service, and loyalty expansion.

You can implement a CRM in every step of the sales process, and it’s up to you to figure out where it would be most beneficial.

To find out what areas a CRM can help in, ask yourself some of these questions:

• How do customers find out about your business?
• How do you determine when a customer is in a buying mindset?
• How do you guide them through the selling process?
• How do you plan on ensuring a customer comes back for more?

The answers to these questions will help you solidify your sales and business processes and standardize your customer acquisition.

2. Determine your sales and business processes

Once you’ve mapped out the customer journey, you can start creating processes for your business in the CRM.

Creating ad campaigns to capture leads, measuring engagement, collecting lead data from web forms, and sending emails to prospective customers are all processes you can simplify with CRM.

3. Create custom pipelines, stages, and fields

Once you’re ready to work with your CRM, you can start setting up your sales pipelines, stages, and custom fields:

• Custom fields store and display data that is unique to each customer. Custom fields can be part of stages.
• Stages are the individual steps of your sales pipeline. Stages are part of pipelines.
• Pipelines are visual representations of a group of stages for a sales process.

Don’t make your sales process too complicated, or your teams will have difficulty adjusting to the new procedures.

4. Synchronize your customer data

Synchronizing your customer information is crucial when setting up your manufacturing CRM systems.

The most common way to import your customer data is by using .csv files, which allow you to import your contacts in batches and organize them as they come in.

5. Integrate other tools into the CRM

Integrating your other digital tools into your CRM will allow you to capture customer data from other sources, such as social media, webinars, website tracking, and online purchases.

There are three ways to integrate tools in your CRM depending on your system’s features:

• Native integrations: Also known as direct integrations, these connect your other tools directly with your CRM.
• Third-party integrations: Also known as middleware integrations, these integrations rely on middleman software to connect two or more tools that initially couldn’t communicate.
• Application Programming Interface integrations: Also known as API integrations, this kind of connection is made specifically for your CRM using your platform’s code.

6. Automate your workflow

Manually doing repetitive tasks slows down your team and hinders efficiency. Thankfully, CRMs make automation easy.

Find the most repetitive manual tasks in your workflow, and check if you can use your CRM’s functionality to automate them through specific triggers.

For example, you can set the CRM to create an ad campaign with a web form submission as the goal.

When a lead fills in their details, the CRM can create a profile for that lead with their contact information, then send an email to them, with follow-up emails ready for the next two weeks.

7. Onboard users and set their permissions

Use your team members’ email addresses to add them to the CRM, so they can access the system and even get their emails and calls processed automatically.

Remember to set permissions for every user to only access the information and features they need.

Discuss clear guidelines for information access with your team and restrict specific teams’ access to certain features to avoid data overcrowding and potential user error.

Key functions of a manufacturing CRM system

CRM systems have a whole library of functions that bring value to your business. You can even customize a CRM system to do what your teams need it to do.

Below are some functions that you’ll need in your chosen CRM.

Managing leads

CRM software captures and stores lead data from many sources, such as emails, phone calls, website forms, and social media.

Additionally, it monitors a lead’s progression through the sales pipeline and aids in selecting marketing strategies for converting them.

Managing contact data

CRMs can store customer details in an easily accessible database.

You will save time when accessing a customer’s name, address, contact number, order history, and other data.

Email functionality

Managing your emails through a CRM makes B2B marketing much easier.

A CRM system should be able to send mass emails, track customer email conversations, and queue automated emails to your customer list.

It’s also a huge plus if a CRM can integrate with popular email apps like Gmail and Outlook.

Report generation and analytics

Reports are the lifeblood of your business strategy. The ability to generate and analyze reports is universal in manufacturing CRM software.

A good CRM should help you assess your business’s performance by tracking different metrics and analyzing data.

Workflow automation

A critical function of CRM software is the ability to automate your workflow.

Automating repetitive manual tasks like sending emails and following up on leads can speed your workflow up and allow your teams to focus on more important things.

Demand forecasting

Demand forecasting allows you to address your current customers’ demand for your product while estimating your future sales based on historical and current data.

This feature lets you keep production and inventory levels optimized.

Sales pipeline management

With a CRM, you can visualize the sales pipeline and identify where your leads are in the sales funnel. 

You can use the visual pipeline to manage different stages and perform mass actions like sending emails to leads in a particular part of the pipeline.

Marketing

CRMs are great for automating marketing functions. You can create and launch marketing campaigns, track optimization per campaign, and decide which platforms to launch your campaigns.

Types of manufacturing CRM systems

There are three primary types of manufacturing CRM systems: operational, analytical, and collaborative. 

Below are the differences between the three systems.

Operational CRM system

Operational CRMs typically automate processes to make your workflow as smooth as possible. These CRMs effectively simplify the tedious parts of customer interaction, allowing your team to focus on the things that need their attention.

This type of CRM specializes in marketing, service, and sales automation, freeing your time for more creative processes.

Operational CRMs are great for small companies that have limited staffing.

Analytical CRM system

Analytical CRMs analyze customer data and help you gain valuable insights into the customer experience.

It’s easy to collect a lot of data, but gathering valuable insights from collected data is much more difficult. With good insights, you can quickly develop a plan of action based on empirical data.

These CRM systems have specialized features for data analysis, allowing you to see trends in customer behaviors and effectively forecast demand.

Analytical CRMs are most helpful when you have tons of data to sift through. 

Collaborative CRM system

Collaborative CRMs help facilitate communication and collaboration between different teams and departments that may feel disconnected from each other.

The primary function of a collaborative CRM is to efficiently share data between departments and personnel to make customer service as smooth as possible.

Data collected by the marketing team passes to the sales team and then to the customer service representatives through a centralized information system.

This saves customers the hassle of waiting while a service rep searches for their file or, even worse, having to repeat themselves to get their concerns addressed.

Collaborative CRMs work best when your organization has many moving parts that need to share the same information to deliver a pleasant experience to the end customer.

Key takeaways

Manufacturing CRM systems are essential in keeping your organization efficient and your customers happy.

Customers highly value a great experience with your company and like feeling heard and valued. A good CRM system can increase customer satisfaction and retention by streamlining customer interactions.

CRMs can also help you automate tedious parts of your workflow, saving your business time and money.

Along with analyzing customer data and generating reports, CRMs can facilitate effective communication and information sharing in your organization. 

Manufacturing CRM systems FAQs

Why do manufacturers need CRM?

Manufacturers need manufacturing CRM systems to deliver a great experience to their customers. CRMs assist manufacturers in organizing customer information, analyzing data, and automating business and sales processes.

What is the most commonly used CRM?

One of the most commonly used CRMs is Method CRM, especially among QuickBooks and Xero users, as it helps businesses strengthen operations and streamline customer experience through automation.

What are the three key types of CRM systems?

The three key types of CRM systems are analytical, collaborative, and operational CRM systems. The first helps parse and analyze extensive amounts of customer data. The second is excellent for efficiently creating and sharing information between team members and departments. The latter automates sales and business processes, saving human resources for more important things.

Sign up for a free trial of Method CRM today!

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Implementing an automated CRM system is the most efficient way to reap the benefits of automation and propel your business forward.

But what exactly is CRM automation?

In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about CRM and automation and how to integrate CRM system automation into your processes without interrupting your current workflows.

What is a CRM?

Before jumping into the specifics of automated CRM systems, let’s get back to basics and review what CRM is.

CRM stands for customer relationship management and mainly helps you manage your customers and how they interact with your business.

Why implement a CRM solution?

A CRM solution enhances your customer relationship management by adding structure to your processes and keeping you organized. 

You’ll find that the right CRM solution improves your overall workflow management by integrating with your various business processes.

Areas that you’ll see your CRM solution improve include:

• Sales management.
• Project management.
• Documentation management. 

No matter what you’re looking for in a solution, the one element you should always look for is CRM automation.

What is CRM system automation?

CRM automation is a way of automating repetitive, manual tasks related to your customer relationship management.

These tasks may include:

• Scheduling follow-ups.
• Collecting payment.
• Tracking customer data.

How to set up an automated CRM system

The best CRM systems rely on automation to simplify your processes and increase productivity. 

To get started, you must first choose the software that best aligns with your current business operations. 

Think about your current customer journey. While CRM system automation assists with the entire customer journey, it’s helpful to determine your weakest points that need the most improvement. 

Maybe customer follow-ups aren’t as timely as you’d like. Or perhaps you have trouble segmenting your contacts and keeping track of each customer’s needs.

Whatever your weakest point is will be a starting point for setting up CRM system automation.

Let’s take a look at the benefits of an automated CRM system.

What are the benefits of an automated CRM system?

Software tools are a significant investment. When considering any new system, the main question is: How will this benefit my business?

With CRM system automation, the possibilities are endless.

This software provides benefits beyond customer management by combining your workflows to enhance all aspects of your business. 

Below are four benefits an automated CRM system brings to your business.

Simplified task tracking

Oddly enough, it’s easy to lose track of repetitive tasks. It can also be bothersome to ensure all simple tasks get done accurately.

CRM system automation takes on that burden by simplifying your everyday manual tasks, such as:

• Lead collection.
• Data entry.
• Appointment scheduling.

From there, it’s easy to track progress in all areas of your business from a single platform.

Centralized sales progress tracking

An automated CRM system lets you keep track of sales progress and other business workflows in one place.

Moreover, a centralized system ensures your business stays organized and cohesive.

Any sales rep can pull up up-to-date customer information and pick up from where the last teammate left off, allowing for a smooth transition for your customer. 

When all your sales reps have access to the same information in real time, they’re empowered to serve your customers better and move forward as a team.

Increased sales opportunities

Once you automate your repetitive tasks and better organize your business, you’ll end up with more hours in the day.

What do you do with that extra time? Look for new sales opportunities!

CRM software saves you time that you can reinvest into your sales efforts to continue to grow your business. 

Better yet, as those opportunities come in, the right CRM organizes your leads and tracks them through the sales pipeline, ensuring that nothing slips through the cracks. 

Better communication

A large part of customer relationship management is communicating with your prospects and customers. 

You never want to forget to follow up with a hot lead. Even worse, a miscommunication with a customer can lead to a dispute and negatively impact your business.

The best CRM gives you advanced tools to automate and streamline communication with your contacts. These tools may include automatic customer follow-ups and an online portal to give your customers a self-service option.

The benefits listed above are thanks to certain features found in automated CRM systems. Let’s explore those features. 

Essential features of CRM system automation software

CRMs come with various features that allow you to integrate automation into your business workflow. 

When looking for an automated CRM system, you should look out for three particular automation features:

• Automated data syncs.
• Advanced customization.
• Native integrations.

Automated data syncs

If you use several different sales tools, some of the data in those platforms is likely repetitive. 

Relying on manual data entry is a mistake that forces double data entry, which can result in confusion and inconvenience for your team. 

Double data entry is not only tedious but also raises issues if your team members don’t all have access to the same information.

To avoid this dilemma, you should choose a CRM solution with automated data syncs between your different platforms. That way, you never have to update information across all platforms manually. 

It’s a bonus if your CRM can connect to your software stack to ensure that data flows seamlessly.

Advanced customization

Even if your CRM has impressive automation features, your business has unique needs that you may not meet with a strictly out-of-the-box solution.

That’s why you should seek an automated CRM system that you can tailor to your business needs. 

Better yet, a no-code solution allows you to personalize your software without the help of a programmer.

Native integrations

You can think of an automated CRM system as a single tool that connects your software stack.

To avoid disrupting your business flow, choose a CRM system that integrates with your existing tools.

Some standard CRM integrations include:

• Accounting software, such as QuickBooks and Xero.
• Google Workspace, including Gmail and Google Calendar. 
• Email marketing platforms such as Mailchimp.

As a result, you gain access to all your favorite tools in one central location and create a fluid system to operate your business.

With all this new information on CRM system automation, you might wonder where marketing automation fits into all of this. Let’s find out!

Do you need separate CRM and marketing automation software?

Many businesses keep their marketing and sales efforts separate and use different tools for each. As CRM is primarily a sales tool, many people don’t consider using it for marketing. 

However, you risk missing out on opportunities when treating marketing and sales as two separate workflows. 

Let’s compare CRM and marketing automation better to understand the importance of each for your business.

Marketing automation vs. CRM automation

Before jumping into why you should combine your sales and marketing processes, let’s start by explaining what marketing automation software is.

Marketing automation software

Marketing automation software streamlines your marketing processes to get more eyes on your business.

These processes may include:

• Lead capturing
• Lead segmentation.
• Marketing campaign management.

For example, with an automated marketing system, you can schedule email drip campaigns and watch your leads progress deeper down the sales funnel.

Once those prospects become customers, your CRM system takes over much of the work – but not all.

CRM automation software

As mentioned, CRM system automation focuses on improving your business’s customer relationship management.

However, CRM and marketing aren’t independent of one another. They rely on each other, and your business relies on them working harmoniously to foster growth. 

An example of where marketing and CRM automation intersect is organizing your contacts.

Leverage CRM to keep your leads and customers separate to keep track of your business’s progress and potential.

Beyond that, and although a prospect ideally converts to a customer, you still want to market to them through sales or promotions your company may be having.

The best solution is to integrate your marketing automation platform and automated CRM system.

How to integrate CRM and marketing automation software

If you already have a favorite marketing tool, a CRM that allows integrations is the best way to combine your sales and marketing workflows. 

However, you may not need a separate marketing automation tool at all.

Some CRMs come with marketing automation features that may be enough to execute your marketing strategy.

One significant marketing feature is web-to-lead forms that you can embed into your website to capture potential customer information and drive new leads.

Another CRM automation feature to look out for is email marketing. A great, automated CRM system allows you to create personalized email campaigns to win over prospective customers. 

The best part is that your email analytics can be found in the same place as the rest of your reporting data, making it easy to compare and contrast your efforts and results.  

Is CRM system automation suitable for your business? Yes! In fact, every business can benefit from a CRM.

Who should be using CRM automation?

CRM software is all about making it easier to manage every external interaction and relationship essential for business success.

If your business has customers you have to interact with, you should leverage CRM system automation.  

That said, the way you use CRM automation will depend on the nature of your business and the best practices in your industry.

Industries leveraging automated CRM systems

The way CRM system automation is used varies from business to business and industry to industry. 

For better context, let’s break down how different industries use automated CRM systems.

Manufacturing

Processing and fulfilling orders are the bread and butter of the manufacturing industry. So any software that a manufacturer uses should simplify this process.

A CRM combines your customer information and order information to keep track of each customer’s order.

That way, you can pull up the relevant information to quickly update customers inquiring about their order status. 

A CRM allows you to conduct several tasks from one place, including:

• Create sales orders.
• Calculate shipping costs.
• Generate invoices. 

As an automated CRM system provides a single database from which all team members can access up-to-date information, your sales team and backroom are always aligned.

In turn, this increases the accuracy of order fulfillment.

Construction

A lot of behind-the-scenes work goes into construction – from managing documents to communicating with clients.

A CRM system for construction simplifies these tasks, allowing you to shift your focus to the job at hand. 

Construction companies need an automated CRM system that keeps contact details organized to provide a complete picture of their clients. When client details automatically update in your records, it’s much easier to manage your clients and jobs. 

Since no two construction jobs are the same, your chosen CRM should reflect that aspect of the industry.

Customization allows you to add custom fields and ensure that your software solution can handle any job you take on.

Better yet, since construction managers are always on the go, a CRM with a mobile app is essential to find the information you need at all times.

Accounting

For accountants, a CRM with accounting integrations is non-negotiable. 

An automated CRM system enhances the accounting capabilities of any business, making an accountant’s job easier and more efficient. 

This is because a CRM allows you to store more customer information than simple accounting software, giving you a 360-degree view of each client. 

If your CRM syncs with your accounting tools, there’s no need for double data entry. You’ll always have the latest client information shown on each platform. 

Plus, a CRM gives you a place to store leads and opportunities, keeping your accounting solely for sales and revenue.

Non-profit

Non-profit organizations need the most efficient tools possible to spend less time on administrative tasks and more time making a difference.

A CRM allows you to automate several everyday non-profit tasks, such as data entry and donation acceptance, so you never lose track of your organization’s goals. 

Keep track of your donors’ history and set up automated thank you messages to ensure no donation goes unappreciated. 

Eager to have an automated CRM system of your own? Let’s go over the next steps.

How do I get started with CRM automation?

To get started with CRM automation, you must first choose the right CRM for your business. 

Factors that you should consider when choosing a CRM include:

• Business needs: Think about where your business can improve.
• Sales strategies: Determine how a CRM fits into your current plans or whether you have to make some changes. 
• The tools you already use: Ensure that your CRM of choice integrates with your other tools for optimal automation.

You should always test-drive a solution before committing to ensure it is the right solution for your business.

In fact, you can test out your first CRM right now!

Method: An all-in-one CRM system automation

As the #1 QuickBooks CRM, Method automates every aspect of your business. At the heart of its automation capabilities is the two-way QuickBooks and Xero sync.

Here’s how it works: Every time you make a change in Method, it automatically updates in your accounting software, and vice versa.

The effects of this are:

• Real-time updates across your business. 
• No more double data entry.
• Hours saved on manual tasks.

But that’s just the beginning!

Method allows you to build stronger relationships with your customers by:

• Giving you a 360-degree view of their data.
• Helping you deliver excellent customer service with automated follow-up emails.
• Empowering your customers to self-service with only portals.

Method also integrates with a variety of tools that you know and love, including:

• Gmail.
• Outlook.
• Google Calendar.
• Paypal.
• Mailchimp.
• Zapier.

What’s more, Method’s custom CRM system capabilities allow you to make it your own, regardless of your industry.

Key takeaways from the ultimate guide to CRM automation

To recap, CRM system automation is essential to ensure that your business runs as efficiently as possible.

An automated CRM system simplifies your operations by combining your processes and streamlining your workflow. 

As a result, you get to dedicate more time toward revenue-generating tasks and forming new winning strategies.

Automated CRM system FAQs

What is a CRM used for?

A CRM is used to optimize the way you manage customers. It strengthens customer communication by helping you keep track of customer details and interactions and delivering actionable insights. CRM also improves other aspects of your business, from marketing to accounting. 

How do you automate customer relationship management?

The best way to automate your customer relationship management is to build a CRM system using CRM software that integrates with your other favorite tools, such as your accounting software, sales tools, and marketing automation systems.

What is the most commonly used CRM?

The most commonly used CRM systems include Salesforce, Zoho, and HubSpot. However, it’s worth noting that the most commonly used CRM isn’t necessarily the best for your business, especially because these mainly cater to large enterprises.

Start automating your workflows today with your free trial of Method!

Image credit: Desola Lanre-Ologun via Unsplash

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