Picking the Best Free CRM Software for Your Small Business
Customers are the heart of your business. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software helps you run your business better. To leverage your list of leads and connections you’ll need more than the contact list you’ve been saving on your smartphone, note apps, or (gasp!) an actual pen and paper notebook. Stop it! We are going to share with you the best free CRM software out there and show you how to pick the right free CRM software for your small business.
Successful small businesses make the most of every relationship. They also know how to save money and when to spend money on the tools that make their business grow. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software can seem expensive to a small business but a survey by Baseline found that the average ROI for CRM was $5.60 for every dollar spent. That’s a nice return, but do the math on spending zero dollars and you’ll want to check this “Best Free CRM Software” list.
Why You Need CRM Software
CRM software is going to save you time by tracking and automating many of the tasks that need to be done to gain and retain customers, while working at increasing revenue and growing your small business. A good CRM software system is going to handle all your interactions with current customers, leads and prospects. It organizes, synchronizes, and automates sales, and marketing activities. Many CRM programs also handle customer support on an easy-to-use and integrated platform to simplify the management of your small business. If you don’t currently have a CRM system you’ll be amazed at how all that customer data previously scattered between five salesmen and the four corners of your office is now organized, in one interface where it can be used to analyze and grow your business.
How to Choose the Right CRM for Your Small Business
There are dozens of CRM software options for your small business. Automating business processes is a lucrative industry and the big names running big businesses usually have a low-cost small business option. But they also have option and features you’d never use while spending, in some cases, over $100 a month to track and manage customer relationships. We can give you a list of the best free CRM software options for your business to increase sales and improve productivity, but which one is the right fit for your business?
Essentially, your CRM serves as a database that organizes all your customer information and interactions in one place, providing insight and tracking for improved sales and marketing functions. Since your CRM is a contact list on steroids it can also serve as contact manager for vendors and business partners. Use this checklist of CRM features to decide your business needs. Research the features (by clicking the links below) of the software listed on the Best Free CRM list find the one that fits your business needs.
CRM Business Needs Checklist
[ ] Easy to learn and use.
[ ] Third-party integration.
[ ] Cloud-based and/or mobile access.
[ ] Order tracking and invoicing.
[ ] Lead generation.
[ ] Prospect nurturing.
[ ] Sales forecasting.
[ ] Sales rep performance tracking.
[ ] Email marketing.
[ ] Competitor tracking.
A small business that just needs to manage contacts and send invoices won’t benefit from a robust CRM that requires a lot of data to run simple functions. Those looking to leverage the technology that automates the business functions that drive growth and revenue can find free CRM software that delivers professional results at no cost.
Best Free CRM Software for Small Businesses
What does it take to make the Best Free CRM Software for Small Business list? Besides being absolutely free (no free trial teasers or credit card numbers required here!) and loved by customers and reviewers, we’ve narrowed down the list to intuitive and flexible systems with powerful tools and useful reporting that make it easy to manage contacts, segment clients and automate tasks.
(In alphabetical order – no affiliate links)
“Use Capsule to keep track of the people and companies you do business with, communications with them, opportunities in the pipeline, and what needs to be done when.” – Capsule
“FREE UP TO 100 USERS AND 100,000 CONTACTS. Our Free edition is limited to 100 users, 100,000 contacts and no campaigns, no technical support and expires in 1 year.” – CRMPro
“CRM and Project Management. Easy. Powerful. Affordable. Manage leads, contacts, organizations, partners, vendors and suppliers. See everything from background, email history, events, projects or opportunities.” – Insightly
“Less paperwork, more business. Simplify your daily agenda, keep track of everything that’s going on, and boost up your business with one of the most easy-to-use CRM solution.” – Raynet
Really Simple Systems Features
“Everything you need to manage your customers, prospects and sales – completely free! Our CRM software has been designed with small and medium sized businesses in mind. It’s easy to set up and simple to use.” – Really Simple Systems
“We’re changing CRM for the better – less cost, more dynamic and flexible features, faster deployments with no vendor lock-in. SuiteCRM over delivers on functionality when compared to Salesforce, SAP, Siebel, SugarCRM and Microsoft. It’s customizable to suit any business size or requirement and more importantly, it’s FREE and Open Source.” – Suite CRM
Zoho CRM Features (scroll down on pricing page for “Free Edition”)
“Close more deals in less time. Zoho CRM gives you a 360-degree view of your complete sales cycle and pipeline. Identify trends, spot opportunities, increase efficiency, and reduce costs with the right answers, right now.” – Zoho CRM
“Zurmo is an Open Source Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application that is mobile, social, and gamified. We use a test-driven methodology for building every part of the application. This means you can create and maintain a custom-built CRM system or platform with the assurance that future updates are not going to break your installation.” – Zurmo
About The Author
Zach Anderson is the co-founder of Reputation Loop (helping small businesses grow by generating customer feedback and online reviews) who loves online marketing and golf.
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