Experts Tell Us the Best CRM Software for Business

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3 years ago

This article showcases our top picks for CRM Software For Business. We reached out to industry leaders and experts who have contributed the suggestions within this article (they have been credited for their contributions below).

We are keen to hear your feedback on all of our content and our comment section is a moderated space to express your thoughts and feelings related (or not) to this article This list is in no particular order.

NetHunt CRM

This product was recommended by Stewart Dunlop from PPCGenius

NetHunt CRM – an easy-to-use multi-tool for entrepreneurs. Everything included: – Full Gmail integration – Unlimited records, custom fields, folders, follow-ups – Mass mailing – Email tracking – Follow-ups NetHunt gives lightweight, customizable CRM operations by integrates G-Suite apps within your inbox. It offers four built-in workspace structures upon installation – Sales, Support, Hiring, or Real Estate. These workspaces collect records that can be shared with other G-Suite users and vice versa. Collaboration features include a team activity feed and task and lead reassignment. NetHunt offers unlimited folders, records, and follow-ups, as well as email tracking, calendar support, and mass emailing. The app adapts your inbox with basic CRM functions. Emails are shown with qualifying information, and clicking on the NetHunt icon beside the sender’s name allows you to search for relevant records. NetHunt also allows filtered views of records. NetHunt allows for email marketing campaigns and a customizable sales pipeline. It’s offered at tiered pricing plans; a Small Business plan costs $25 per month for 5 users; various Growing Business tiers increase the price and user cap.


Insightly CRM

This product was recommended by Sam Browne from Find a DJ

Being a founder of the Tech Company, I would highly Insightly. Insightly is a CRM software for small and big businesses that is both easy to use and powerful. It does not only provide you the ability to keep track of all of your contacts, such as leads, vendors, and partners, but it additionally has a project management feature that guarantees you and your team to be on top of all of your projects and track their progress instantly. There are numerous versions of the software available, ranging from a free version that supports up to 2 users all the way to an enterprise version for companies that have more advanced CRM needs.


BrandBot

This product was recommended by Alex Libutti from 5WPR

BrandBot, a new CRM platform for gym and fitness owners with a suite of unique features that allow managers to connect to customers, gauge their sentiment about coming back, help them prep for upcoming classes, and more. Along with that, it helps with sales and generating new memberships by creating bespoke campaigns down to each individual.


Drip

This product was recommended by Muhammad Mateen Khan from PureVPN

Drip is the leading eCommerce CRM, but it’s not just for eCommerce. It’s powerful, has a beautiful interface, and is very easy to use for any business. This CRM software makes it easy to build automation workflows and email campaigns. You even have the choice of building your email with a visual builder or text builder. And either option is really easy. Drip also offers easy list segmentation, conversion tracking, content customization, purchase intent marketing, and much more. With tags, events, and custom fields you can learn and track everything you need about your customers’ stories. It’s designed to increase your bottom line and help you generate leads, manage contacts, and turn them into lifelong customers. Drip is loaded with features including marketing automation, advanced contact management, actionable reports, email campaigns, one-on-one conversations, eCommerce user tracking, and more. You can easily integrate Drip with all of the best 3rd-party services like email services, lead generation software, WooCommerce, Shopify, and many more. There are even workflows for Facebook and Instagram lead generation.


Less Annoying CRM

This product was recommended by Brack Nelson from Incrementors

Less Annoying CRM allows our small business the capacity to track each of our sales from lead to close, including economic stats. We have set up a special customized contact field for our world debt. We are considering adding a separate pipeline to trace collections for overdue accounts. It’s so adaptable and effective, that I can assume customizing it to follow and distribute any part of our business. This is a standard, hands-on stock. Its customization does not come from dozens of complex adjustable but hard-to-edit macros, but easy, logical, direct connections between the functions. And all our data can be output in easily managed spreadsheets and reduced data folders, so it could be quickly moved or adapted for other functions. The whole LessAnnoying system is deceptively simple.


Close

This product was recommended by Reuben Yonatan from GetVoIP

I’m the CEO of a company that reviews cloud communication services/products, including CRM software. Of the CRMs we’ve tested, Close is one of the best for businesses. It features email integration, intelligent search, minimal data entry, a built-in phone and unlimited calling.


HubSpot

This product was recommended by Ally B. Findeiss from DNA Agency

Our organization, DNA Agency, is a user and a certified partner of HubSpot a CRM service, that also provides sales, service, and marketing add-ons in addition to their free CRM. The software provides tools like a business card scanner, and can easily import excel spreadsheets of current contacts’ information. Once all of your contacts have been uploaded HubSpot CRM closely tracks all correspondence, such as emails, and provides you the opportunity to log calls and meetings with your contact. Further, their technology allows you to track every client’s current position in the sales cycle. Their technology organizes correspondence for you and your team, using automation and tracking, to keep your clients top of mind.


The Magazine Manager

This product was recommended by Kelly Jacobson from Mirabel Technologies

Made for the publishing and media industries, The Magazine Manager offers a robust set of must-have CRM features for all businesses. It unifies billing and accounting, sales, marketing, and more. In particular, this CRM offers contact management, lead scoring, email marketing, reporting dashboards, and workflow automation. The Magazine Manager is a high-power yet affordable software that’s hard to come by but easy to fit into any business budget. While delivering the quality and competitiveness of other top CRMs, The Magazine Manager offers a pricing sweet spot that makes streamlining business operations affordable for everyone.


Zoho CRM

This product was recommended by Azza Shahid from Physicians Thrive

Zoho is a cloud-based CRM that includes everything, from accounting tools to collaborative apps. Multichannel, Zoho collects its customer’s data from different sources, such as e-mail, live chat, calls, and social media. Its feature “SalesSignal” provides real-time analytics and notifications for every customer. It has a central dashboard, which you can use to assign individual targets to each of your team members, and monitor their progress. It also is a great way to automate sales processes. You can also buy and add more extensions to its CRM dashboard to further increase its functionality. The only con I see is that their support team can show a little improvement.


Salesforce CRM

This product was recommended by Krystal Reynoso from Ignite Visibility

We use and highly recommend the Salesforce CRM because they have a product platform perfect for any business size and their needs: * Non-Profit Cloud is for non-profit organizations. It provides contact management, donor nurturing, and fundraising support at minimal to no cost to clients depending on organizational attributes * Salesforce Essentials for Small Businesses allows ease of use to manage contacts, leads, sales opportunities, and customer ticketing with data-driven reports and dashboards. It integrates with the G-Suite platform. * Professional and Enterprise for medium to large scale businesses enhances the sales nurturing and customer service process. There is an ecosystem of pre-built solutions and the flexibility of custom integration. Their third party ecosystem is inclusive of but not limited to accounting, forecasting, quoting, and cross-selling. Salesforce Essentials provides the opportunity for small businesses to work like a larger organization with cadence and cost in mind.


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Agile development stands at the forefront of the software industry, championing an iterative, high-speed approach reliant on effective team communication and collaboration for success. This piece underscores the indispensable role played by dedicated development teams in agile projects, shedding light on their significance, advantages, challenges, and vital management techniques. Engagement Models in Software Development As businesses embark on software development endeavors, they confront a pivotal decision in choosing the most suitable engagement model for collaborating with skilled teams. Fixed-Price Model Ensures project completion within set timelines and budgets, but may lead to increased costs for desired changes, limiting customization options. Time and Material Approach Offers flexibility by compensating teams based on hours dedicated to the project, allowing for easy adjustments and ideal for projects needing intermittent attention. Dedicated Team Model Balances fixed-price and time & material models, employing specialized teams for adaptable project scopes, ensuring reliability and flexibility in long-term delivery. The Importance of Dedicated Teams in Agile Development Agile development relies on dedicated teams, diverging from traditional project management methods. These teams prioritize frequent collaboration and communication to swiftly adjust requirements and task priorities. Comprised of professionals fully committed to the project, dedicated development teams collaborate to deliver innovative solutions and top-tier results. This section explores their crucial role in agile development and essential strategies for effective team management. Success in agile development depends on the expertise and cooperation of dedicated teams. Efficient communication, coordination, and excellence from every member are crucial for timely results, highlighting the necessity of dedicated software developers. Clear alignment with core business goals and expectations is essential for project success. The Advantages of Employing a Dedicated Team in Agile Development Using a dedicated development team in agile projects has many benefits. Firstly, their commitment ensures excellent results, boosting project success. Secondly, their teamwork increases productivity. Lastly, having a dedicated team improves oversight and control over the project's progress, aiding in accurate outcome estimation. Improved Collaboration and Communication Engaging a dedicated development team in agile projects also yields enhanced collaboration and communication advantages. This dedicated group fosters close cooperation among remote team members, bolstering comprehension of roles and responsibilities and accelerating progress towards business objectives. Establishing dedicated software development teams helps alleviate miscommunication and ensures alignment towards shared goals. Employing a dedicated team also fosters transparency, encouraging open expression of thoughts, seeking advice, and addressing concerns. Quality Assurance and Timely Delivery A dedicated development team in agile development leads to enhanced quality assurance, expedited delivery times, and early issue detection. Collaborative efforts enable swift and effective resolution of such matters, facilitating prompt progress to subsequent tasks. Implementing a dedicated software development team helps minimize delays and ensures alignment with quality expectations. Furthermore, dedicated teams operate with heightened productivity, enabling swift completion of development tasks and adherence to project deadlines. Flexibility and Scalability By enlisting a dedicated development team, projects become more adaptable and scalable. This enables easy adjustment to changes in market conditions or requirements. Businesses can readily modify the team size to match project needs without interrupting ongoing work, ensuring projects remain on schedule and are delivered punctually. Comparing In-House and Outsourced Development Teams In-House Development Team: An in-house dedicated team comprises full-time employees working solely for one company. They have deep knowledge of the company's culture, practices, and technology, smoothly handling projects from start to finish. However, there are challenges with in-house teams: Cost Concerns: Maintaining an in-house team can be expensive, including expenses like recruitment, training, salaries, and benefits, which may strain smaller companies or startups with limited budgets. Expertise Limitations: Internal teams may lack specialized knowledge, technical skills, or industry-specific expertise compared to external teams, particularly in niche industries or specific skill sets. Scalability Issues: In-house teams may struggle to adjust their capacity swiftly to meet changing project demands or priorities. Flexibility Constraints: Internally-based teams may find it challenging to accommodate varying working hours, meet project deadlines, or adapt to different methodologies compared to outsourced teams. Outsourced Development Team: External dedicated development teams, sourced from third-party providers, focus solely on the organization's projects. These professionals offer numerous advantages: Cost Savings: Outsourced teams often provide competitive pricing, reducing expenses on infrastructure, technology, and overhead costs. Access to Expertise: Engaging with a software outsourcing company grants access to specialists from a global talent pool with the required skills and experience. Scalability: Outsourced teams can adjust their workforce to match fluctuations in project scope and priorities, making them valuable for businesses. Flexibility: Remote outsourcing allows for greater flexibility in working hours, project deadlines, and delivery processes. Outsourced development team offers benefits despite challenges like language barriers and time zones. Good communication and teamwork can help overcome these issues. Leaders should consider these advantages when deciding on the best approach for their company's goals. Wrapping Up Having a dedicated team is crucial for success in agile development. Consider the pros and cons of internal versus outsourced teams. While internal teams offer control, they can be more expensive, whereas outsourcing provides expertise at lower costs. If you decide to go with an outsourced dedicated team, VT Labs can provide skilled engineers to meet your agile development requirements.

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