20 best CRM software in 2019 for small businesses

In the last two decades, we have seen a great rise in the whole idea of “understanding your customers.” This idea totally makes sense. If you understand what problems your customers are facing, you can provide the right solutions. With this idea, businesses understood the importance of building a deeper relationship with customers. Businesses give right solutions, customers can solve their problems, so it’s win-win for both parties! In the process of building a deeper relationship with your customers, CRM software can be a great tool. With endless insights on customer preferences and buying behavior, customer relationship management a.k.a. CRM has been accepted with open arms by all kinds of businesses. Now, even startups and small businesses are using CRM to facilitate their marketing and sales processes.

Well, my job is to show you the best CRM software available right now, especially for small businesses. After scrolling through almost every CRM tool and endless references, I have narrowed down 20 CRMs that small businesses can use. All these tools fall under the affordable range or have some kind of unique selling proposition (USP) that could make it perfect for your business.

Before we jump into the list, let’s have a look at these statistics on the CRM industry. I bumped into these stats while doing research, and I think these numbers will clear the air if you’ve got any doubts on the importance of CRM for your small business.

Interesting statistics on CRM software

• CRM software is one of the biggest software markets in the world, expected to grow around $49 billion in revenue by 2025.
• Retail, business services, and technology are the three leading industries using CRM software.
• 91 percent of North American firms, with more than 10 employees use a CRM system.
• Lastly, a CRM system can increase sales by 29 percent, sales productivity by 34 percent, and sales forecast accuracy by 42 percent.

We can all agree that CRM is a necessity for any modern business. So, let’s help you find the best CRM software for your small business. We didn’t include pricing information here because the cost of the software has a tendency to change and some companies run occasional specials. Check the links to each CRM software for the latest pricing.

Best CRM software for SMBs

1. Salesmate

The first CRM on the list is an ideal choice for small businesses & startups — Salesmate. This CRM is an affordable choice for growing businesses with a lot of helpful features that can streamline your sales and marketing processes. Built-in calling is a USP of Salesmate that allows users to make calls without leaving the system. You can get toll-free and virtual phone number and start making calls. Here are some other features you’ll find in Salesmate:

Salesmate features

• Sync with Google apps (G Suite).
• Workflow automation.
• 360-degree customer view with smart contact management system.
• Email automation.
• Deal management.
• Shared team inbox
• Product and services management.
• Mobile CRM for Android and iOS.
• Integrations with Gmail, Drive, ClearBit, Zapier, RingCentral, PieSync, Slack, Wufoo, and many more.
• Activity management.
• Visual sales reports, sales analytics, revenue reports, goal tracking.
• Sales forecasting.

2. Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a wonderful choice for any genre of business. With more than 100 integrations, Pipedrive makes things easier for all size of teams. With a lot of exciting features in the suite, pipeline management is a clear USP of Pipedrive. Why don’t we take a look at some other important features of this CRM?

Pipedrive features

• Pipeline management.
• Email integration.
• Activity and goal tracking.
• Sales reporting and sales forecasting.
• CRM apps for Android and iOS.
• Integrations with Plecto, Pipechimp, GetAccept, Toky, and many more.
• Workflow automation.
• Multilingual and multicurrency system.

3. Insightly

Insightly is an intuitive CRM for multilevel organizations with a lot of exciting features. This CRM comes with built-in project management and delivery system that can help you manage your projects and tasks better. Let’s have a look at some of the important features offered by Insightly.

Insightly features

• Lead tracking and routing.
• Workflow automation.
• Email tracking.
• Project management and delivery.
• Build and deploy custom apps.
• Mobile app for Android and iOS.
• Integrations with more than 25 tools.

4. Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM is designed for every kind of business. It is one of the most popular CRM among Indian businesses. The CRM is designed in India to generate more leads, get more conversions, and grow your business. Zoho can be a great option for your business. Check out some of its features.

Zoho features

• Bring all your channels in one place and create an organized environment.
• Connect social media accounts and generate leads.
• Connect with website visitors through live chat.
• Zia AI from Zoho offers insights on trends, conversions, and deal closings.
• Smart analytics and forecasting.
• Customization capabilities to work with the CRM the way you want.

5. Freshsales

Just like Salesmate, Freshsales also has built-in telephony (freshcaller) to connect with customers directly. Freshsales offers lead scoring, activity tracking, sales pipeline, and other exciting features. Despite having limited integrations, Freshsales can be a great option for small businesses and startups. Let’s have a look at some of the features of Freshsales.

Freshsales features:

• Built-in calling and texting (through Freshcaller).
• Lead scoring and lead assignment.
• Contact management with tasks, notes, and files.
• Visuals sales pipeline and deal management.
• Real-time tracking of visitors.
• Email sync and tracking.
• Smart analytics and forecasting.

6. HubSpot

HubSpot is one of the oldest CRM software for small business. Although, some of the HubSpot plans may seem overpriced for small businesses. But HubSpot’s idea is this: Pay according to your needs. Let’s check out some of its features.

HubSpot Features

• Marketing automation.
• Team email.
• Email tracking.
• Blog and content optimization.
• Social media and SEO strategy tools.
• Gmail and Outlook integrations.
• Email signature.
• Predictive lead scoring.
• Recurring revenue tracking.
• Live chat.
• A/B testing.

7. Close

Close is a sales focused CRM for inside sales teams. The aim of Close CRM is to help sales teams close more deals by optimizing their sales process. Just like Salesmate, Close CRM is one of the first companies to provide a built-in calling feature. Let’s have a look at some other features offered by Close CRM:

Close features

• Email syncing and tracking with insights.
• Bulk emailing with personalized templates.
• Sales goals tracking.
• Sales employee performance.
• Integrations with Zapier, Zendesk, Wufoo, and others.
• Built-in calling with SMS.
• Predictive dialer to make multiple calls at once.

8. Copper

Copper CRM is dedicated to reducing human efforts in repetitive tasks like data entry. Inspired by G Suite apps, this CRM is designed in a way that lets users understand the system very quickly. Let’s have a quick look at its features.

Copper features

• Auto data fetching that saves data entry.
• Lead management.
• Contact management system.
• Visual pipeline management.
• Task management & alerts.
• G Suite integrations.
• Sales forecasting reports and insights.
• Workflow automation.
• Integrations with Zendesk, Xero, RingCentral, Slack, and many more.

9. Zendesk Sell

Zendesk Sell is a Sales automation software that helps sales teams get better visibility of their pipelines. Sell also focuses on lead prioritization, so teams can close more customers. Let’s have a look at some of the features and pricing plans of Zendesk Sell.

Zendesk features

• Built-in calling and SMS.
• Email tracking.
• Integrations with Slack, Dropbox, Google Suite, MailChimp, and more.
• Contact management system.

10. Microsoft Dynamics 365

Microsoft has dipped its hands in the CRM ocean also. Providing an all-in-one solution for sales and marketing teams, Dynamics 365 can help businesses with marketing automation, lead generation & tracking, streamlining sales processes. Obviously, 365 allows users to connect with other Microsoft apps like Outlook, Lync, Word, Excel, and others.

Let’s have a look at some of the important features by Dynamics 365.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 features

• Sales insights and forecasting.
• AI-driven sales insights to improve sales.
• Integrations with LinkedIn Sales Navigator and other Microsoft apps.
• Sales productivity tools.

11. Salesforce

Salesforce is the leader in the CRM game, although it is designed mostly for larger businesses and enterprises. This CRM has various modules like Sales, Service, Marketing, Commerce, and Engagement. Let’s take a look at some of the important feature of Salesforce.

Salesforce features

• Contact management system.
• Opportunity management to close more deals.
• Lead management.
• Sales insights and forecasting.
• Email integrations.
• Workflow automation.
• Create a customer journey and touchpoints.
• Data management platform.
• Google marketing platform.

12. Capsule

Capsule CRM is more focused on bringing all customer data to one place, so sales teams can close deals mindfully. This CRM is also focused on lead assignment and team management. Capsule offers a contact manager where you can check out all the details of your customers and also track the progress of deals.

Let’s check out some of the features of Capsule CRM.

Capsule CRM features

• Track history, documents, tasks, and details of contacts at one place.
• Search facility to gather results throughout the system.
• Task management.
• Sales pipeline management.
• Insightful reports.
• Track sales performance.
• Sales forecasting.
• Track team performance.

13. AgileCRM

In the list of best CRM for small business, here we have a solid choice. AgileCRM is an affordable CRM for small and medium-sized businesses with a lot of useful features. Agile has covered every tiny feature that a business can use starting from document signing to marketing automation. The main problem with Agile CRM is its overwhelming number of features. Not all businesses need everything. When a small business goes with Agile, it has to pay for loads of unnecessary features. Plus, the extra features make the whole system messy to work with.

Let’s take a look at Agile’s features.

Agile features

• 360-degree customer view.
• Contact management software.
• Track deals and set milestones.
• Appointment scheduling.
• Project management tool.
• Built-in telephony.
• Workflow automation.
• Landing page builder.
• Connect with social channels.
• Email marketing & Tracking.

14. AmoCRM

AmoCRM has a different approach compared to the tools listed here. Amo allows you to integrate all important channels to a single platform where you can manage all the messages. Amo’s approach makes it different from other CRM tools and makes it perfect for businesses with social inquiries. Let’s check out some other features of AmoCRM.

AmoCRM features

• Check sales progress.
• Lead tracking and nurturing.
• Display targeted ads.
• Task and notifications.
• Smart sales analytics.
• VoIP integration for calling.
• Mobile CRM.

15. SugarCRM

SugarCRM has two modules, one for SMBs and one for enterprises. SugarCRM offers a wide range of features that covers sales and marketing processes. It’s an all-in-one solution. Let’s take a close look at some of the features of Sugar.

SugarCRM features

• Quotes management.
• Sales and marketing insights and analytics.
• Sales forecasting.
• Workflow automation
• Easy customization.
• Mobile CRM apps.
• Create, execute, and track marketing campaigns.
• Project management.
• Sales lead management
• Connect social channels.

16. PipelineDeals

Next on the list of best CRM for small businesses is PipelineDeals. This CRM is focused on streamlining sales pipelines for teams. PipelineDeals comes with customization capabilities, so you can design the CRM the way you want. Looking at the pricing, this CRM can be a good option for small and medium-scale businesses.

PipelineDeals features

• Sales pipeline management.
• Real-time status updates on recent activities.
• Powerful reporting and analytics.
• Lead management and nurturing.
• Lead sourcing.
• Contact management system.
• Team management insights.
• Activity and goal tracking.

17. Nimble

Nimble is an affordable CRM with only one pricing plan that covers most of the important features that a small business requires. Nimble CRM also offers artificial intelligence that helps you discover emails, phone numbers, and other details for your prospects.

Nimble features

• Personalized group messaging.
• Email templates.
• Deal pipeline management.
• Unified message inbox.
• Sales forecasting and reporting.
• Contact management software.
• Email sync and tracking.
• Activity and task management.

18. Act CRM

Act CRM is designed to give marketing capabilities to small and midsize businesses. Though some of the plans of Act might be overwhelming for small businesses, most plans cover what is necessary. Act pricing plans start from $35/User/Month up to $399/Account/Month, offering various marketing automation features.

Let’s take a look at some of the features of Act CRM.

Act CRM features

• Contact management.
• Create, run, and track marketing campaigns with automation.
• Activity tracking and alerts.
• Lead management.
• Workflow automation.
• Pipeline management and automation.
• Interactive dashboard with insights and reports.
• Mobile CRM.

19. Streak CRM

Streak CRM wants you to manage leads, projects, support, and everything from Gmail. The approach of Streak CRM is to keep you familiar with the environment, hence Gmail. Let’s take a look at some of the interesting features from Streak.

Streak CRM features

• Deal management from Gmail.
• Task management and reminders.
• Contact management.
• Email tracking.
• Data with interactive visuals.
• Bulk emailing.
• Mobile CRM.

20. Bitrix24

The last one on the list of best CRM software for small business in 2019 is a multipurpose tool that covers communication, task management, CRM, and support features with a superb interface. Bitrix24 also provides features that can help you build landing pages for your business.

Let’s check out some of the important features offered by Bitrix24.

Bitrix24 features

• Chat and video communication platform.
• Task and project management.
• Document management system.
• Sales funnel and pipeline management.
• 360-degree customer view.
• Sales automation.
• Multichannel marketing from a single platform.
• Customer support.
• Send out quotes and invoices.
• Built-in telephony system.

Bottom line on CRM software

There are multiple choices available in the market, but there’s one ideal CRM that satisfies most of your business needs. As a small business, you have to exactly identify your needs so you can choose the best CRM for you. Every CRM in this list carries a unique selling proposition. For example, Salesmate offers built-in telephony, shared team inbox and workflow automation at affordable rates. Or Pipedrive is superb in pipeline management. If your need matches with the USP of any of these CRM software, that’s your pick.

Here’s a table that clarifies USPs of all the listed CRMs so you can decide easily.

Featured image: Freerange Stock