Small businesses rely on only one thing for their survival- growth. In today’s competitive business world, you’ll be trampled and thrown out if you don’t grow and move forward. This is especially true for small businesses that ultimately rely on their exposure and customer relationship for growth. Customers are the lifeblood of any business, without them, no matter how big your business is, it will fail. However, the success and growth of a business depend on the relationship you have cultivated with your customers.
If you want to start an eCommerce business, CRM software comes of great value. It provides you with everything you need for customer relationship management. There are several free CRM software that offers powerful solutions for small to medium-sized companies. These free CRM software are designed to help businesses keep track of their relationships, manage leads, identify opportunities for converting leads to sales, and much more. Here are the top 5 free CRM software for small businesses.
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What is CRM Software?
Technically, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is any tool, strategy, or process that helps businesses better organize and access customer data. But as technology advanced and managing business relationships with customers became more complex, CRM has evolved into a key tool for the success of any business. Today, CRM software is a platform that connects your different departments, from marketing to sales to customer service and organizes their activities and metrics into one cohesive system. It provides a complete picture of all customer interactions, keeps track of your sales, helps organize and prioritize your opportunities, and facilitates collaboration between various teams.
If you still have doubts about using CRM software for your business, you need to know this – CRM software is now the biggest software market in the world and the growth isn’t slowing down. Companies across the world, regardless of their size encompass a CRM strategy to provide a more customized and personalized experience for their customers. According to a report by Grand View Research, the global customer relationship management market size was valued at USD 40.2 billion in 2019 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 14.2% from 2020 to 2027.
Without a doubt, CRM is now at the heart of every growing business. So, moving forward in 2023, which is the best free CRM software for small businesses, and what are the features and functionalities? Don’t worry, we have got you covered. Here are the top 5 free CRM software for small businesses in 2023.
5 Free CRM Software For Small Businesses
HUBSPOT CRM
HubSpot CRM is a free CRM offering from HubSpot, a sales and marketing Software as a Service company. It is one of the best choices for small businesses looking for free CRM software as it is straightforward to set up, easy to use, and has pricing plans to fit every budget. Today, over 86,000 customers in more than 120 countries use HubSpot’s free CRM software to attract, engage and delight their customers.
Key Features
- Reporting Dashboard
- Company insights
- Deal Tracking
- Pipeline management
- Email tracking and notifications
- Prospect tracking
- Meeting scheduling
- Live chat
Integrations
- G-suite
- Social media
- eCommerce
- Microsoft 365
- Zapier
Deployment
- Web-based, cloud, SaaS
- Android
- iPhone/iPad
Customer support
- Live chat
- 24/7 Phone support
- Knowledge base
- Training videos
Pricing
According to HubSpot, HubSpot CRM is “100% free, forever”. However, you need to take out your wallet if you want the most out of HubSpot CRM.
- $0/month (Free)
- $45/month (Starter)
- $450/month (Professional)
- $1,200/month (Enterprise)
Check full features: https://www.hubspot.com/products/get-started
ZOHO CRM
With plenty of integrations and customization options, Zoho CRM software is one of the best in this space for small businesses. It comes with an easy-to-use, streamlined and intuitive interface that can help you start selling in no time.
Key Features
- Journey orchestration
- Process management
- Automated lead generation from Facebook and Twitter
- Live chat and prospect tracking
- Lead management
- Deal management
- Workflow automation
- Contact management
Integrations
- G-suite
- Social media
- Microsoft 365
- Zapier
- Other Zoho tools
- Slack
Deployment
- Web-based, cloud, SaaS
- Android
- iPhone/iPad
Customer support
- Remote screen-share assistance
- Live chat
- 24/7 Phone support
Pricing
- 15-day free trial
- INR 720/user/month billed annually (Standard)
- INR 1200/user/ month billed annually (Professional)
- INR 2100/user/ month billed annually (Enterprise)
- INR 2300/user/ month billed annually (Ultimate)
Check full features: https://www.zoho.com/crm/small-business-crm-software/
FRESHWORKS CRM
Freshworks CRM is one of the best free CRM software for small businesses. It delivers personalized experiences across marketing and sales. Freshworks CRM is powered by Freddy AI, an advanced AI algorithm that helps you discover the best leads, boost customer engagement, and nurture existing customers with a smart, comprehensive solution.
Features
- Contact lifecycle stage management
- Opportunity and pipeline management
- Customer contract management
- Email marketing
- Lead generation AI bot
- Auto-profile enrichment
- Predictive contact scoring
- Deal insights
- Instant reports and forecasting
Integrations
- G-suite
- Social media
- Mailchimp
- Microsoft 365
- HubSpot marketing
- Zapier
- QuickBooks
- Piesync
Deployment
- Web-based, cloud, SaaS
- Android
- iPhone/iPad
Customer support
- Live chat
- 24/7 Phone support
- Knowledge base
- Training videos
Pricing
- 21-day free trial
- INR 2099/user/month billed annually (Growth)
- INR 5099/user/ month billed annually (Pro)
- INR 9199/user/ month billed annually (Enterprise)
Check full features: https://www.hubspot.com/products/get-started
SALESFORCE CRM
Salesforce CRM is one of the biggest and most widely used CRM software on the market. It is designed for service, marketing and sales. It features all the elements that you need to run your business on an automated platform. Overall, Salesforce CRM is a free CRM software that is the ultimate solution for your business.
Key Features
- Reporting Dashboard
- Opportunity management
- Account and contact management
- Lead management
- Quote management
- Workflow and approvals
- File sync and share
- Reports and sales forecasting
Integrations
- G-suite
- Slack
- Quickbooks
- MailChimp
- Jira
- DocuSign
- Dropbox
Deployment
- Web-based, cloud, SaaS
- Android
- iPhone/iPad
Customer support
- Live chat
- 24/7 Phone support
- Knowledge base
- Training videos
Pricing
- 14-day free trial.
- $25/user/month (Essential)
- $75/user/month (Sales Professional)
- $75/user/month (Service Professional)
- $1,250/month (Pardot growth)
Check full features: https://www.salesforce.com/solutions/small-business-solutions/overview/
LESS ANNOYING CRM
Less Annoying CRM (LACRM) is an all-inclusive free CRM software for small businesses. It is designed with the ultimate goal of simplicity in mind. It is easy to use and only takes a few minutes to set up and get it running. It is made especially for small businesses, so it is affordable and as the name suggests, less annoying.
Key Features
- Contact management
- Leads and pipeline management
- Easy collaboration with other users
- Task management
- Report creation
Integrations
- G-suite
- Mailchimp
- Microsoft 365
Deployment
- Web-based
Customer support
- Phone support
CRM Pricing
- 30-day free trial
- $15/user/month
Check full features: https://www.lessannoyingcrm.com/
You need to have a clear strategy, plan, and execution to maintain customer relationships in your business & an extensive creative digital marketing agency can help you amplify your efforts with their expertise in online business management. If you don’t have a proper customer relationship management strategy, it will be difficult for you to keep track of all the touchpoints and interactions you’ve had with your customers and leads that you have interacted with through the implementation of your digital marketing strategy. As a small business owner, this is the last thing you want- providing a below-par customer experience that leads to a loss of revenue and reputation. This is why you need the best free CRM software. So, make use of these CRM tools and make the most out of your business.