Loading...
Answers
MenuDo you have any suggestions for CRM software that is pretty to look at and easy to use?
We are a sales-based company and would like to keep track of our leads and sales data along with who is managing which account. We want something that is easy to use first and foremost but also pretty to look at. Any suggestions?
Answers
It depends on your needs. Have you explored SalesForce or Infusionsoft?
Based on my experience I would recommend Salesforce , it has an intuitive user interface with an attractive design. It also offers excellent reporting functionality and is extremely flexible.
There are many solutions out there. The most popular one is Salesforce.com
Other options include Zoho, SugarCRM & Infusionsoft. I know that Salesforce has a great API that many other software solutions are able to connect to.
Hope this helps.
Pretty to look at? I can't help you with that.
I can tell you what tools are easy-to-use -- and completely bad-ass. Take a look at Contactually. It isn't the prettiest, but it is easily the most awesomest platform for keeping track of leads and sales data.
Check it out.
If you're using OS X and don't want to rely on app on the Web, consider the latest version of Daylite. I don't like that it requires a server in order to sync to multiple users and iOS devices, but it stands alone in desktop apps for versatility and the latest version is quite attractive. It's not cheap, but it has no ongoing expense.
Check out Close.io - http://close.io/
Close.io is a streamlined sales platform that helps you close more deals by automatically tracking all your sales communication (calls & emails) without manual data entry.
I've been running sales and marketing operations at companies ranging from $50,000 a month to $100m a year in revenue and have seen my fair share of crms.
None of them are "pretty" out of the box, and what you can do with them generally depends on who you have running them. Some are more limited than others and some are more expensive.
The smartest thing you could do in your situation is connect with an expert to better understand your situation and to pick the system which best suits your needs. Even if the conversation isn't cheap, it will be a whole lot cheaper than migrating after you choose a system that doesn't meet your needs.
As an exercise you should try to brainstorm all the things you want your crm to do for you...
Then connect with an expert, show them your list and ask what they think is missing.
Once you've done that, one last call and ask for help choosing the solution that fits your situation.
It'll cost you $500, and it'll take you a week but it can save you a fortune in time and money if it saves you from making the wrong decision and only realizing it after 6 months
I'd recommend checking out https://www.pipedrive.com - great drag and drop pipeline view (no affiliate or relationship with the company).
You also may consider vTiger. It has very good features right up front. If customization is needed, it can be easily done. For example, we have had clients hire us to write some complex CRM for their "unique needs", but we were able to program and add modules to vTiger for a fraction of the cost that it save them a ton of money. Hope that helps.
I have experience selecting and integrating a range of CRM solutions across a variety of industries. Pretty doesn't necessarily correlate to effective buy I know what you mean: Form IS a part of Function. That aside, there are five metrics I follow when considering a CRM application for general use:
1. Organic Fit - To what extent does its underlying methodology fit your existing process. Will it integrate with your other systems (e.g. Accounting, HR, etc)
2. Market Penetration - If it's widely adopted, others are finding it useful and it's likely well-supported. But there is a reason it isn't #1 on my list: it needs to fit your operation.
3. Quality of Support - Near zero downtime, rapid response to user issues.
4. Scalability - Today's need will not be tomorrow's. What is the existing ceiling? What happens when you blow through it?
5. Cost of Use - Services are not the only things that scale. Write this into your game plan.
The top six examples (in no particular order) would include: Salesforce, Hubspot, Microsoft Dynamics 365, Zoho CRM, Pipedrive and Sugar CRM. Let's arrange a call if you would like me to provide rankings based on above five factors.
Hubspot, Salesforce, Monday are all good options.
I would say Salesforce is the most comprehensive however its a big set-up Monday and Hubspot are easy to set up.
I have self-hosted with Suite CRM as its open source and open project for project management.
Hubspot might be a good option to try.
Related Questions
-
What terms re-sellers use for selling SaaS?
A reseller typically purchases the SaaS at a discounted price and bill their client directly. I've seen reseller discounts range between 10% and 50%. The discount should be competitive with your industry, and allow a reasonable ROI for resellers. The reseller discount is typically for the life of the user otherwise expect resellers to offer their clients a competitor's SaaS. An affiliate or partner program that pays a commission for referring clients creates a direct relationship between your company and the users. In these types of programs, your commission could be a one-time payout upon referral, a recurring % of sale for the first year, or a recurring % of sale for the life of the client.MK
-
Looking for help determining ideal marketing automation -> CRM workflow.
It sounds like you're off to a good start with your lead generation. While it is important to keep lead volume strong, it's even more important to have a way to follow up with these leads and continue pushing them through your sales funnel until you can convert them into revenue. Without that follow-up, especially if you're generating leads through PPC, you're likely wasting the budget and energy you're putting toward your marketing efforts in the first place. The first thing I'd recommend you do is create an automatic "kick-back" email that triggers as soon as a lead downloads your ebook. Be sure to thank them for downloading, give them a link to access the ebook, and then (most importantly) include your call-to-action for the next step you want them to take. Second, figure out how you're going to handle these leads from a sales perspective. If you're stretched for bandwidth, I'd recommend a system where you assign dollar values to different types of leads, and only have a sales rep follow up with your highest value leads. How much is an ebook lead worth to your business? How much is a demo lead? What about someone who actively requests to be contacted? You'll find that as you get these systems and processes underway, it'll be extremely useful to have a CRM system both for integrating with your marketing efforts and for helping your sales team to be able to sort and prioritize the leads they're reaching out to. Lead conversion is a daily focus of mine in my role at HubSpot, and I'd be happy to chat further about how to get a strong marketing/sales funnel set up so you're better equipped to manage the leads you generate and better able to convert them into dollars. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help!SB
-
Is it OK to end services or support when a customer did not pay the cost of services/support or did not renewal contract in software industry?
If I understand you correctly, you're saying a customer agreed to pay you for services (product and/or support), either through posted prices and a shrink-wrapped license or through a written contract, and then you provided those services, and then they didn't pay? And you're asking whether it's "OK" that they didn't pay? Of course it's not OK! Is there any business who could operate in that fashion? The way it affects the customer relationship is you don't have a customer relationship. You have a situation where they are taking advantage of you. A relationship goes in two directions.JC
-
What are good options for CRM and some basic marketing automation for our startup? Single product or multiple through Zapier/existing integrations.
Great Question! I see you are not looking to spend too much money on this so my recommendation would be to use free tools that will only cost you the time you take to set them up yourselves. 1. Accommodating contacts (engaged vs not engaged, segmenting, custom fields and flexible reporting). For this I would recommend you use Podio. It is free for up to five users and will let you do all that and more. You can set up your templates with all the fields you want (drag & drop) and they are completely dynamic so you are welcome to change them at any point in time. 2. One Place to See All Interactions. I would use Mandrill (from the makers of Mailchimp) to send and track all mail related interactions. They have webhooks that you can use to create all sorts of custom workflows behind the scenes. Of course this also means you can integrate it with Podio's excellent API to keep all your data in the same place. Eventually you could even code in a workflow that would drip customized your content to subscribers using Mandrill. Essentially removing any need for additional software. Best of luck! And let me know if you have any more questions!AJ
-
What are the internet companies doing the best customer service? And is Zappos still top 10?
Way too many to list. The usual suspects include: Amazon, Westjet Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Apple etc. I'm focused on new(ish) tech companies and their approach to customer service such as: Silvercar, Airbnb, ZenPayroll, Oscar.MF
the startups.com platform
Copyright © 2025 Startups.com. All rights reserved.