There are many CRM solutions mentioned on SmallBizCRM. So, to help you fast track your search for a suitable CRM application for your business, based on feedback and click-throughs from visitors, we have introduced this new Top Ten CRM Software section to our website. The following are the most popular CRM software solutions listed on SmallBizCRM as per our webstats,visitor feedback and our opinion, too!
WEB BASED CRM
Voted Best Web Based CRM for 2007 by SmallBizCRM
InfusionCRM. HighlyRecommended. Excellent web based CRM solution for small to medium companies seeking a comprehensive, reliable CRM tool. Recently awarded the prestigious 2007 CRM Excellence Award for “Top Small Business Marketing Software”, InfusionCRM tracks all your information in one consolidated CRM system. InfusionCRM provides support for shopping cart and sales transactions, auto-responders, product information, customer details, order history, payment plans, marketing sequences and responses, lead tracking and progression, Skype integration and more. Their impressive offering and user base did not go unnoticed - Pat Sullivan, former founder and CEO of ACT! and SalesLogix, has now joined their Board Of Directors! What also made me sit up was when I noticed mails coming to me from the likes of Palo Alto (makers of BusinessPlanPro, the definitive business planning software) and Perry Marshall, the Google Adwords PPC guru, using InfusionCRM. InfusionSoft also produce an excellent Real Estate Agent CRM solution, MortgageProCRM.
Voted Best Outlook Based CRM for 2007 by SmallBizCRM.
Prophet CRM. Highlyrecommended. If you use MS Outlook you should have a serious look at Prophet. Voted by PC Magazine (May, '07) as one of their "Four Favorite Small Business Tools", Prophet CRM is a great, easy-to-use, multi-award-winning Outlook based CRM solution that looks and functions as a part of Outlook (improving user adoption and reducing your training costs substantially), but adds the sales features you want. Prophet CRM is quick and easy to use - you can create an opportunity from an inbound email with one click, for instance. It happily runs on a peer-to-peer network without the need for MS Exchange Server (but supports it, too). Prophet is excellent value for money, and ideal for the small business with a sales process that needs management, and is scalable for bigger sales teams, if need be. Their newly released Prophet version 4.0 is a winner! Review of Prophet 5.0 to follow soon.. (Previous versions: Prophet v3.0 incorporates important new features. Read our previous review: Prophet 2004 CRM overview ). Avidian, the developers of Prophet CRM, was named one of the "Best Companies to Work For" by Washington CEO Magazine 2 years running.
LIMITED TIME INTRODUCTORY PROMOTION - Prophet is available for $50 off their Personal Edition 5.0, with discounts on Server versions. Read more..
WEB BASED CRM
CenterBase. HighlyRecommended. Centerbase is ideal for companies that want the accessibility of a web based CRM system, but you can host it on your own server if you prefer. This makes a lot of sense from various angles, particularly from a security and performance perspective. CenterBase is a good option if you run on the MS Windows platform. Feature rich and good value for money. Their Center Base CRM Pro version is designed for 10-15 user sites. Pricing is $39.95 per month for the web based subscription model, or $195 per user once-off fee for CenterBase Pro, or $295 per user for their Enterpise version, which includes a MS SQL Server 2000 installation.
FreeCRM.Recommended. FreeCRM is now the market leader for online CRM solutions for small businesses. Their single user version is still free and their PRO version is a nominal $15 per user per month. Read our FreeCRM review of this best value-for-money hosted CRM solution that compares very favourably with its much higher priced counterparts.
LeadsOnRails. Recommended. An exciting new entrant to the fold of web based CRM software, LeadsOnRails promote their product as "easier to use than large CRM systems, more capable than Contact Management applications". Brought to our attention by a very satisfied user, LeadsOnRails seem to know where they fit in to this competitive and convoluted CRM market. Many vendors almost lose sight of the fact that it is about managing leads, and behind those leads are real people, will real expectations that need to be managed. Their pricing, at $350 per user per year, is very realistic.
TOP CONTACT MANAGERS & PIM's (Personal Information Managers)
Voted Best Online Contact Manager by SmallBizCRM
iContact Pro . Highly Recommended. Formerly Intellicontact PRO, iContact PRO is remarkable web-based contact manager / email marketing software combined that really gets the balance right. If your business involves the regular sending out of eMail newsletters, this polished, value-for-money software will form an essential part of your marketing arsenal. You can manage your email marketing campaigns and any sales lead follow-up's that result. Their affordable pricing structure depends on the size of your mail list and starts from only $9.95 per month.
Oprius Foundation.Highly Recommended. One to watch is Oprius, an ideal CRM/ Contact Management solution for Network Marketers, or replacement for ACT! users wanting a good online Contact Manager. Comprising 7 modules, Oprius provides comprehensive email and contact management. Competitively priced at a mere $14.99 per month.
EssentialCRM. Recommended. Going from strength to strength over the years, EssentialCRM is the ideal PIM or Contact Manager for the lone road warrior or small business. Essential PIM has every feature you need to organize your life: scheduling, contact info, To Do lists and versatile notes, Outliner, two-way synchronization with Microsoft Outlook etc. Choose between their Mobile version or EssentialCRM PRO version.
Are you still unsure as to how to go about selecting the right CRM for you, avoiding failure and throwing money down the tubes, how to evaluate and how to best leverage your investment? This critical decision will have a major impact on your business and, to succeed, and succeed well, it is imperative you have a CRM plan in place. The CRM Coach has recently upgraded their "CRM Survival Guide", a brilliant resource for those wanting to embark on a CRM project.
As someone who owned a CRM company for over 15 years, it is unfortunate (maybe fortunate!) our customers at the time didn't have this book to refer to -there would have been far less failures, but then we wouldn't have picked up the business from past failed CRM purchases, of which there were many. The CRM Survival Guide was written with smaller businesses in mind, but bigger companies would also benefit from the read. Just the section on how to negotiate with vendors and consultants would save you enough money and stress to justify its purchase. It even includes a master CRM Budget worksheet in MS Excel format ready for use.
