Choosing the right CRM for a small to medium business can be a challenge.

A CRM system combines digital and automation tools to create a centralised hub where you can store, organise, and leverage valuable customer data to enhance your sales and marketing strategies.

When done right, as well as boosting sales, a CRM system can also help streamline processes around customer onboarding, fulfillment, troubleshooting, customer service, complaints and retention.  A CRM system is able to facilitate seamless collaboration amongst your teams by centralising customer information, making it easily accessible to everyone involved in the buyer journey, from marketing and sales to customer support.

There are a huge range of well-known and lesser-known CRM software options. While all perform many of the same basic roles, some are better suited for certain uses or businesses of certain sizes and budgets. 

Many CRMs will also have the option to purchase additional functionalities such as marketing automation for an integrated all-in-one business solution.

Here we take a quick look at some of the pros and cons to consider with some of the better known CRM options.

Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM is a cloud-based system that is popular with small businesses as an entry-level solution that is still powerful. Different pricing plan options make it accessible for a range of budgets, and the CRM can be bundled with other Zoho products to expand its functionality.

It includes features like lead and contact management, deal tracking, and social media integration. Zoho CRM also offers a wide range of integrations with other business applications, including Google Apps, Microsoft Office, and Zapier

Pros: 

• Affordable and flexible pricing plans
• Simple user interface 
• Minimal learning curve 
• Easily integrates with over 40 Zoho products and more than 300 third-party apps
• Extensive developer platform
• Updated regularly

Cons:

• May not be suitable for medium to larger sized businesses 
• May struggle when dealing with large amounts of data at once
• Email template customisation can be challenging
• Emails more prone to being blacklisted
• AI features only available on top tier plans
• Limited custom fields
• The customisation options can be overwhelming for new users and those with limited technical skills.

Freshsales

Freshsales is a sales-focused system designed for SMBs with basic marketing features available in their Suite plans. Its higher plans place a strong emphasis on AI-based lead scoring, which is built into the software to help you prioritise leads based on their level of engagement and likelihood to convert. 

It includes features like contact management, deal tracking, and lead scoring, as well as integrations with other business applications like Google Apps, Mailchimp, and Zapier. Freshsales also includes a built-in phone system for making and receiving calls.’

Pros: 

• Affordable
• Easy to use
• Quick to implement 
• Includes a built-in phone system for making and receiving calls
• Includes automatic profile enrichment feature 
• Advanced customisation tool available 
• Can integrate with other Freshworks platforms to extend functionality.

Cons: 

• Can become expensive if additional add-ons are purchased
• Provides fewer integrations than other affordable CRMs
• Lacks options for exporting information

Capsule

Capsule is a user-friendly cloud-based solution that provides the basic functionality and organisation tools small businesses need. It is particularly suitable for businesses using Google Apps. Medium-sized businesses only requiring a simple CRM would also find it meets their needs. Capsule also offers an email marketing add-on to extend its functionality. 

Pros:

• User friendly 
• Can integrate with over 60 services including Google Workspace, Microsoft 365 and Zapier
• Has a range of customisation features that suit SMB requirements
• Extensive and intuitive user support portal

Cons: 

• Has fewer features and integration options than more expensive CRMs
• Lacks some advanced features and reporting options
• Full reporting features only available in the most expensive tiers

Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a sales-focused CRM system for SMBs that is customisable for your unique sales processes and patterns.  It includes deal tracking, contact management, and reporting features, as well as integrations with other sales tools like email marketing software and web conferencing platforms. Pipedrive is known for its user-friendly interface and customizable sales pipeline.

Pros: 

• Easy to use
• Simple interface
• Integrates with over 400 third-party apps like Zapier, Zoom and Good Analytics
• Good customer support.

Cons: 

• Lacks robust marketing automation features
• Requires a lot of integrations compared to other CRMs to cover all aspects of your business
• Entry level plan has limited features. 

Salesforce

Salesforce is the dominant player, and their SalesCould CRM is used by businesses of all sizes  ̶  from SMBs to global enterprises  ̶  and from across industries. It offers a range of products that support different business areas, including sales, business support and marketing, and is fully customisable to suit your specific needs. It’s known for its extensive customization options, robust reporting features, and its ability to integrate with other business applications. Salesforce also has a large marketplace of third-party apps and add-ons that can extend its functionality.

Pros: 

• Can integrate with over 1,000 third-party clients, apps and add-ons – as well as Salesforce’s suite of other software
• New features and enhancements released more often than other CRMs
• Interface is more user friendly than other CRMs

Cons: 

• Can be costly depending on the level of customisation and number of opt-in extras
• Can be time consuming and expensive to implement
• May require extensive training for users.

Sugar

SugarCRM provides sales, marketing and support functionality, and other contemporary features that align with the evolving needs of B2B SMBs and large businesses. With its highly customisable interface and open-source architecture, it is a popular choice for businesses looking to tailor their CRM solution to their specific needs and integrate with other applications.

Pros: 

• Easy to use
• Good customer support 
• Unlimited third-party integrations
• Can be hosted on the Sugar cloud or your own servers
• Extensive feature set
• Highly customisable

Cons: 

• Pricey for the features offered
• Can be unwieldy and overwhelming
• Steep learning curve
• Coding experience is required to deploy and customise it in-house
• Limited data reporting functionalities.

Microsoft Dynamics 365

Microsoft Dynamics 365 is a cloud-based CRM suite suitable for both SMBs and large businesses. It offers a wide range of applications that can be purchased individually or together to suit your business needs – sales, marketing, customer service, field service and project operation. It includes sales, marketing, customer service, and field service features, as well as integrations with other Microsoft products like Office 365 and Power BI. Microsoft Dynamics 365 is often used by larger businesses due to its enterprise-level capabilities.

Pros: 

• Functions as an interconnected CRM and enterprise resource planning (ERP) system’
• Can integrate with other Microsoft products like Office 365 and Power BI
• One of the most flexible applications for integration
• Flexible customisation and configuration at set up
• Robust advanced find tool
• Can be up and running quickly and with minimal costs if it doesn’t require customisation.

Cons: 

• Expensive
• Less friendly to non-Microsoft applications
• Rigid configuration that is hard to change once setup is complete
• User interface may be difficult to navigate and use
• Mobile app is glitchy and may not offer all features
• Data storage limits are very low so it’s likely you’ll need to purchase more.

Ultimately, the best CRM system for your business will depend on your specific needs and goals. It’s important to first understand your business needs and processes, and then evaluate each system carefully to determine which one offers the features and integrations that will best support your business operations.