Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software has become increasingly popular among businesses of all sizes in recent years. 

These tools help companies manage their interactions with customers, streamline their sales processes, and improve their overall customer service. 

With so much CRM software available today, it can be challenging for businesses to choose the right one for their needs. 

In this post, we will review the top 3 best CRM software tools for businesses in 2023. We will discuss the features, advantages, and disadvantages of each tool to help businesses make informed decisions. 

Whether you are a startup or an established company looking to improve your customer relationship management, this post will provide valuable insights into the best CRM software tools available today.

How can CRM software help businesses manage customer relationships?

It may interest you to know that 72% of businesses that use CRM software report improved sales performance and Companies that use CRM software have an average customer retention rate of 27% higher than those that don’t use CRM software.

These statistics show that CRM software is a valuable tool for businesses, helping them improve customer satisfaction, increase sales performance, and access and manage customer data more effectively.

As the global CRM market continues to grow, more businesses are expected to adopt CRM software to optimize their customer relationships and drive growth.

Here are some of the ways in which CRM software can help businesses:

1. Organize customer data:
   A CRM software tool can help businesses organize their customer data by providing a centralized database that stores customer information, such as contact details, purchase history, and customer preferences.
2. Track customer interactions:
   With a CRM software tool, businesses can track all customer interactions, including emails, phone calls, and social media interactions, in one place. This makes it easier to manage customer inquiries and respond to customer needs in a timely manner.
3. Automate sales processes:
   CRM software can help automate sales processes, such as lead tracking and pipeline management, making it easier for businesses to manage their sales teams and close deals more efficiently.
4. Provide insights into customer behavior:
   By analyzing customer data, CRM software can provide businesses with insights into customer behavior, such as purchase patterns, interests, and preferences. This information can help businesses tailor their marketing and sales strategies to better meet customer needs.
5. Improve customer service:
   With a CRM software tool, businesses can provide better customer service by having access to customer data and interaction history, enabling them to respond quickly and effectively to customer inquiries and issues.

Click here to learn more about CRM and its benefits

Numerous well-known CRM tools exist, including, Hub Spot CRM, Pipedrive CRM, CRM Creatio, Oracle CRM, Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Sales Force CRM, Zoho CRM, etc.

Our Top 3 Recommendations

criteria for choosing the best CRM software tools

When choosing the best CRM software tools for your business, there are several criteria you should consider. These criteria include:

1. Features: Look for CRM software tools that offer the features and functionalities you need to manage your customer relationships effectively. These essential features include contact management, lead tracking, sales forecasting, marketing automation, customer service tools, etc.

2. Ease of use: Choose a CRM software tool that is user-friendly and easy to navigate. You want a tool that your team can easily learn and use without spending too much time on training.

3. Scalability: You want a tool that can grow with your business and can accommodate your changing needs as your customer base expands.

4. Integration: Look for a CRM software tool that can integrate with other tools you use, such as marketing automation software, accounting software, and project management tools. Integration ensures that your data is accurate and up-to-date across all your systems.

5. Cost: This is very important when starting out. You should consider the cost of the CRM software tool, including the upfront costs and ongoing maintenance fees. You want to choose a tool that fits your budget and provides the best value for your money.

Having considered the following criteria listed above and to help you make an informed decision amongst the many other CRM software tools out there, we came up with the top 3 to fit your needs and budget.

You can click on the link to each of our recommendations to get started or continue reading to learn more about each of the CRM software tools including their pros and cons.

#1 Zoho

Zoho CRM is an award-winning CRM that is trusted by a global network of over 250,000 businesses in 180 countries to convert more leads, engage with customers, and grow their revenue.

Zoho CRM is a cloud-based customer relationship management system that has been present for about 15 years. they have been able to build trust in the heart of their customers by providing all the available resources and features required in a CRM software tool.

Zoho CRM software tool is used by start-ups, large enterprises, and verticals like real estate, healthcare, insurance, legal, media, restaurants, travel, banking, tax, freelancers, and non-profits to increase their sales, marketing, and customer support efforts. This is simply because it can be easily customized to meet the specific needs of any business type and size.

Features:

• Sales Automation
• Omnichannel enables you to converse in real time with customers and prospects. Get notified when someone interacts with your brand—whether they’re browsing your website, reading an email, or talking about your brand on social media.
• Analytics
• Mobile CRM
• Canva Studio

Zoho CRM Pricing

Plans	Pricing
Free	Up to 3 users
Standard	$12/month
Professional	$20/month
Enterprise	$35/month
Ultimate	$45/month

Pros and Cons of Zoho CRM

Pros	Cons
Easy to setup and use	Free for only 3 users
Supports many platforms for integration	Customer support limited to 24/5 for free users
Mobile CRM app to stay in touch with your customers anytime, anywhere.	Limited functionality on the Mobile CRM app
Flexible Payment options
Affordable with no hidden cost

#2 Hubspot

Hubspot CRM is one of the most famous and commonly used CRM software tools. It is well known for its ability to integrate with many platforms including WordPress, the most popular Content Management System. Since it’s mostly free, many people are interested in it.

Hubspot comes with many free features that other CRM software tools do not provide but I will recommend you go with the starter plan if you want to get more advanced features which include Essential marketing, sales, service, CMS, and operations software. It is fast, easy to use, and affordable.

Features:

• Marketing Hub: run complete inbound marketing campaigns at scale, and achieve unparalleled alignment with your sales team
• Sales Hub: With this advanced CRM feature you can get deeper insights into prospects, automate the tasks you hate, and close more deals faster.
• Service Hub: scale customer support, unite front office teams, and provide proactive service that delights and retains customers
• CMS Hub: drag-and-drop builder with ready-made themes
• Operations Hub: easily sync customer data and automate business processes. 

Hubspot CRM Pricing

Plans	Pricing
Free	Unlimited Users
Starter	$30/month
Professional	$1,200/month
Enterprise	$5000/month

Pros and Cons of Hubspot CRM

Pros	Cons
Easy to setup and use	Relatively expensive
Supports many platforms for integration	Some features are limited for the free plan
Offers discount for startups	Sending Emails across multiple companies at the same time is restricted
Integrates with Google services
The free plan is very much ok to get you started

#3 Salesforce

Salesforce CRM Software is one of the most recognized CRM software tools in the world.

Salesforce CRM also known as Customer 360 connects your marketing, sales, commerce, service, and IT teams around every customer so they can work together while boosting productivity, increasing efficiency, and decreasing costs.

They have proven over the years, to be amongst the best in providing cloud-based CRM software that is fast, scalable, and easy to use.

Features:

• Marketing
• sales
• Artificial Intelligence Integration
• Slack Connect
• Analytics and real-time visualization
• Email Integrations

Salesforce CRM Pricing

Plans	Pricing
Free	Maximum of 5 users
Starter ( sales, service, and email outreach tools)	$25/month
Professional (Complete CRM)	$75/month
Enterprise	$150/month
Unlimited	$300/month

Pros and Cons of Salesforce CRM

Pros	Cons
Good range of features – all in one place	The price is on the high side
AI supported to speed your workflow	Customization is costly and it has a complex environment that needs a dedicated team to handle it.
It is cloud-based. Hence, it is very efficient	Requires frequent training on the use of the platform
Integrates with a number of CRM software
Supports email marketing and other Google services

Conclusion

CRM software tools help businesses manage customer relationships more efficiently. They provide a centralized platform for tracking customer interactions, storing data, and providing insights into customer behavior. The benefits of using CRM software include improved sales, enhanced customer service, and streamlined marketing processes.

As the global CRM market continues to grow, businesses that adopt CRM software will have a competitive advantage in managing their customer relationships and driving business success.

For Startups: Hubspot CRM is the go-to as it is free, very affordable, and requires less support to get started

For Mid-size businesses/organizations: Zoho CRM is also a good choice as the price is low with lots of features to keep your business running.

For Enterprises: Salesforce CRM is the right choice although it comes at a higher cost, it offers comprehensive solutions that can help businesses streamline their operations and scale their customer relationship management.

Suggested Reading =>>> Beginner’s Guide to CRM