Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software

What is CRM Software?

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software offers centralized tools for storing, organizing and analyzing important customer data. While worthwhile, keeping excellent data records can be time-consuming and prone to error when done manually. CRM software therefore helps to convert leads, retain existing customers, and improves internal processes. 

CRM systems, be they through integrations with other Customer Experience (CX) tools or simply as stand-alone systems, can be beneficial across departments, from marketing and sales to customer support. Centralizing all of your customer, lead, and sales data into one powerful CRM platform can streamline processes, improve lead conversions, drive sales, and help shape companywide decisions regarding new or existing business.

Key Features and Capabilities of CRM Software  

  • Customer profiling
  • Contact management
  • Calendar integration and management
  • Interaction tracking
  • Task management
  • Email integration
  • Social media integration
  • Lead management
  • Sales pipelines
  • Lead scoring
  • Lead tracking
  • Workflow automation tools
  • Document storage
  • Customer lifecycle management

Additionally, CRM platforms also integrate with other customer-focused platforms, such as customer intelligence software. With CX now being a top factor of consideration for businesses of all sizes, incorporating granular customer insights is essential to improving customer service, while also delivering timely personalized recommendations that are attuned to the needs of varying audiences.

Key Benefits of CRM Software  

  • Centralized customer data: Top CRM platforms essentially offer sales and service teams the ability to communicate with a customer via a single profile. This is done by integrating interactions from multiple communication channels, thereby delivering omnichannel communications through one unified platform – as opposed to having to toggle between multiple applications.
  • Streamlined access for sales and service teams: While centralized customer profiles contribute to smoother collaboration between teams thanks to a single-pane-of-glass interface, task management capabilities enable team members to create, assign and share tasks in order to stay on top of day-to-day duties.
  • Automation of repetitive tasks: Configuring workflows within a CRM can allow teams to automate common and mundane tasks, so precious time can be freed for more pressing responsibilities, or for tasks that require strategic attention.
  • Personalized recommendations: CRM systems, together with customer journey mapping tools, can help marketing teams deliver personalized recommendations that are carefully customized and timed to the unique needs of each customer, in order to resonate better – while also driving sales.

Have more questions about CRM software? Visit our CRM FAQs to learn more.

Top 10 CRM Software Vendors

NetSuite / SYSPRO / Salesforce Service Cloud / Monday.com / SAP S/4HANA / OnePageCRM / Oracle ERP / Maximizer / Insightly / Act!

WH Score
8.3
CRMNEXT

CRMNEXT

5reviews
Starting Price:N/A
CRMNEXT is a powerful customer relationship management (CRM) software that helps businesses of all sizes manage and grow their customer base. With a wide range of features and flexible pricing options, CRMNEXT is an excellent choice for companies looking to streamline their sales and marketing effor...
WH Score
8.3
ServiceNow

ServiceNow

16reviews
Starting Price:N/A
ServiceNow helps enterprises to build cloud networks or software that can help them in administration, governance, or digital workflow management. ServiceNow has grown immensely popular because of all the talk that goes around business automation. ServiceNow is an American-based company operating fr...
WH Score
8.3
Less Annoying CRM

Less Annoying CRM

18reviews
Starting Price:$15 per user / per month
Most CRMs are designed for huge companies. Sure, they might have a "small business"” plan on their pricing page, but that just means they took their normal product and removed features. That results in a clunky, complicated experience for you. However, Less Annoying CRM is designed with SMBs i...
WH Score
8.2
Zendesk Sell

Zendesk Sell

28reviews
Starting Price:$20 per user / per month
Zendesk is a professional software designed to deliver better customer service. It utilizes all communication channels (including social networks), manages communications, and maintains perfect order in handling requests. 
WH Score
8.2
AccountEdge

AccountEdge

13reviews
Starting Price:$20 per user / per month
AccountEdge is powerful, easy-to-use desktop accounting software for small businesses on Mac or Windows. Plans start at $20/month.
WH Score
8.2
Mediafly

Mediafly

8reviews
Starting Price:N/A
Mediafly is a leading sales enablement platform that assists corporations in modernizing their sales procedures, while helping boost client engagement. Linking knowledge with enablement, Mediafly empowers and positions business partners to successfully organize pipelines, connect buyers, measure val...
WH Score
8.2
LeadSquared

LeadSquared

12reviews
Starting Price:$400 per contact / per month
Specializing in all-round lead management, LeadSquared is a multichannel marketing automation solution. Connect with leads across their preferred communication channels with trigger-based marketing, while also evaluating campaign performance with reporting and analytics capabilities.  
WH Score
8.2
Sage X3

Sage X3

17reviews
Starting Price:N/A
Sage Business Cloud Enterprise Management is changing how businesses compete and grow with a fast, flexible, simple solution for globally connected organizations. With Enterprise Management, you're choosing a next-generation cloud solution for your enterprise to grow faster and accelerate efficienci...
WH Score
8.2
Bullhorn

Bullhorn

67reviews
Starting Price:N/A
Bullhorn CRM is a cloud-based solution built for enterprise-size companies that jointly manages and fosters prospect and customer relationships. Bullhorn provides complete CRM functionality. Whether you're in relationship management for the business services industry, a consulting firm that need...
WH Score
8.1
Solve360

Solve360

5reviews
Starting Price:$0 per user / per month
Solve is a productivity CRM for teams to manage customer workflows, including record keeping, scheduling, communication and information sharing through its native phone and tablet apps and desktop portal. The system be used to store data on contacts, companies, jobs, cases, sites, projects and prope...

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Topics

Learn more about Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Software

Are CRMs part of sales or marketing?

CRMs are characteristically designed to assist sales and service teams, as agents in these departments are in the frontlines of answering customer inquiries, or attending to complaints/feedback. While marketing teams may not directly use the core functionalities of CRMs, they may find value in accessing any inbuilt reporting and analytics tools, if available.

Additionally, marketing teams can assist other teams that do actively use CRMs, by configuring custom workflows in order to automate common tasks, implement customer self-service tools, or deliver personalized recommendations directly within the CRM – based on insights derived from reporting tools.

Is a CRM a database?

CRMs are based on customer databases, all of which are connected to one another. But a CRM is more than just a collection of databases; it's an entire system, complete with an easy-to-navigate user interface that allows sales and service teams to interact with prospects/customers. Additionally, CRM systems also offer analytics across all the information in the system so that you can analyze that data to spot opportunities, issues, or trends to inform your decision making. 

What is the difference between CRM and CDP?

Although CRMs and Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) are both solutions that are utilized for customer engagement and management, there are key differences between each. The main difference between CRMs and CDPs, however, lies in their core functionalities; while CRMs are systems that offer sales and service teams a set of tools to interact with customers across any channel of their choice, CDPs build centralized customer profiles by ingesting, analysing and unifying customer data from multiple channels.

Typically, CDPs connect with CRMs, so business teams can obtain deep customer insights directly into the latter, via the former. This integration then helps teams to automate tasks, customize recommendations, and contextually interact with customers – directly from the CRM interface.

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