The best CRM systems for the sales department
You can fill in Excel spreadsheets, keep your customer base by hand and collect cards for each client in the old fashioned way, but the best CRM systems for the sales department are many times more effective, which eliminate chaos in the department, help the business earn more and automate the processes in the company

A talented boss, motivated salespeople and the best CRM system – every business dreams of such a combo. We will not tell you how to find a cool leader and assemble a team that will selflessly bring multimillion-dollar profits to the company. But let’s talk about the third point – “siremki”, which are convenient for both the leader and subordinates.

The best CRM systems for the sales department automate business processes, have analytics tools, and integrate with your website, email inboxes, instant messengers. Their structure and functionality are designed in such a way that they literally push the employee to complete the transaction and complete the task with the receipt of client funds to your company’s accounts.

Editor’s Choice

“PlanFix”

CRM with a powerful customization system, that is, flexible settings and adaptation to your needs. The company has its own app store similar to the popular AppStore and Google Play. Most of the apps in this store are free, but there are also paid options. There are some pretty interesting finds. For example, a solution that automatically inflects the client’s name in all documents, reports and letters. Or a service that integrates with Telegram polls to interview a client. 

With CRM for the PlanFix sales department, you can keep records of services (issue invoices, close acts, prepare reports), manage transactions from and to, accept and process applications from different sources. 

There are a lot of integrations: it supports most popular email clients, instant messengers, SMS sending services, cloud storages. The program is able to analyze the percentage of conversion and develop a plan for dealing with failures.

Official site: planfix.ru

Features

Pricefrom 2 to 5 euros for each employee of the company per month, depending on the tariff plan
Free versionyes, up to five employees
Deploymentcloud, there is a mobile application

Advantages and disadvantages

Flexible CRM customization (up to the choice of branding in the colors of your company) thanks to the modular system. A large number of integrations with different communication channels and other business services
Due to the large functionality, it requires more training for salespeople to work with this CRM. When you deploy a product for the first time, it is raw and empty, this is the company’s ideology so that everyone can flexibly customize it for themselves, but not everyone can independently and quickly implement the product, you have to pay for the work of contractors who will be involved in the implementation

Top 10 best CRM-systems for the sales department according to KP

1. RetailCRM

By the name, you might think that this system helps in automating business “on the ground”, in stores, but in reality it is tailored for online commerce. It is built in such a way that the sales department would be as comfortable as possible to collect requests from all instant messengers and social networks, and work with them in one window.

That is, the program will check the warehouse balances, and the delivery will help to appoint, and the manager will push that it would be necessary to bring the transaction to a logical result. There is a system of triggers – reminders for customers and employees about the next step in the transaction.

Good functionality for segmenting the accumulated “customer chaos”: to break buyers into segments and set automatic rules for repeat sales.

Official site: retailcrm.ru

Features

Pricefrom 1500 rub. per user per month
Free versionavailable for one user who processes no more than 300 orders per month, or a trial period for 14 days of the full version
Deploymentcloud or on PC

Advantages and disadvantages

Intuitive interface, which greatly facilitates the training of new employees. You can connect several online stores to one account – it is convenient for those who “split” their business into niche offers
A high price for each user, you also need to pay extra for the ability to make mail, SMS mailings and other tools. No separate tab for processing leads (potential new customers)

2. “MegaPlan”

The company relies on the security of its customer base. From CRM, you can’t just unload all contacts and deals with one click. This option is only available to administrators. A separate communication history is created for each client. The card contains the history of dialogues, accounts, call records. 

There is a system of virtual kanban boards: you can drag cards of current deals from one module to another on them. This serves a visual purpose for the sales team so they can see how many tickets they still have in the pipeline. 

A detailed reporting system shows how many deals are open and how long managers cannot complete them. The company assures that it will take two weeks to implement the system in your business.

Official site: megaplan.ru

Features

Price329 – 1399 rubles. for each user per month, depending on the tariff and subscription purchase period
Free versiontrial version for 14 days
Deploymentin the cloud or on PC

Advantages and disadvantages

Frequent updates, implementation and refinement of functionality. Ability to assign employees different roles for different levels of access to the interface and functionality
A complex interface requires a long team training and implementation. No scheduled billing

3. «Bitrix24»

The most promoted CRM in Our Country, practically a synonym for such systems. Its advantage is that it can be both a self-sufficient product, and integrated, “refined” and implemented for a specific business. The program has a bright and modern interface. A detailed history of each transaction is available. Can be integrated with telephony.

Great potential for sales automation: distribution of tasks to salespeople, generation of invoices for payment, uploading reports and the ability to set up SMS mailings. The system is able to build business processes according to your scenarios. You set the buyer’s path from one stage to another, all this is drawn up in a script, and at the output you get a sign with a clear business process. You can connect warehouse accounting, prepare commercial offers and standard company documents.

Official site: bitrix24.ru

Features

Price1990 – 11 rubles. per month depending on the tariff for the number of users
Free versionyes, with limited functionality
Deploymentcloud, on PC, in mobile application

Advantages and disadvantages

Real sales automation that helps build business processes. Informative sales reports and planning
There are complaints from users that after the release of the next update, service failures begin. It immediately offers many functions to the user that load the system and human attention, but may not be in demand in your business, and they cannot be removed

4. FreshOffice

One of the advantages of this CRM is the abundance of different fields in which the salesperson can enter information about the client or the company with which he works. And then the entire customer base can be segmented by different tags in order to conduct analytics. Or immediately throw an advertising campaign on social networks on a certain segment of customers.

For example, some of the deals you have hung, the client in the status “would buy if the price were a little lower.” You segment them into one whole and target them on social networks with a discount offer. 

There is a built-in chat aggregator, where managers receive messages from all sales channels. This CRM also helps the manager to control and plan the work of each employee.

There is the functionality of an automated funnel – when, for example, following the results of some stage of the transaction, the client automatically receives a message, a new task is assigned to the manager, and the next stage of the transaction is entered in the calendar.

Official site:freshoffice.ru

Features

Price750 rub. per user per month
Free versiona trial period is available upon request following consideration of the candidacy
Deploymentcloud, there is a mobile application, there is a local version for deployment on a PC

Advantages and disadvantages

All CRM functionality is immediately available without the need to purchase individual options. Rich tools for customer base segmentation
We split our functionality into two mobile applications, and both are needed in the work. There are complaints about periodic (but with enviable constancy!) technical failures on the company’s servers, because of its CRM slows down

5. 1C: CRM

CRM line for different scales of business: from small companies to corporations. It is especially convenient for those who use other products of the domestic 1C corporation, such as inventory control, accounting, personnel management, etc., to organize the workflow. On CRM, you can connect many add-ons for an additional fee, which are called “applications”.

For example, for a manager – a lead distribution system, for a manager – smart assistants who accompany, remind and suggest the algorithm at different stages of the transaction. The sales process is managed with the connection of projects, supplier orders, warehouse, payments, production, if necessary.

Official site: 1crm.ru

Features

Price490 – 699 rubles. per month per employee, depending on the subscription period
Free version30 days of access
Deploymentcloud, on PC

Advantages and disadvantages

Builds visual tables of customer relationship stories. Possibility of predicting transactions by potential income, efficiency and speed
Poorly suited for small businesses, as it requires configuration and integration of 1C specialists. Difficult to learn, requires staff training

6. YCLIENTS

The service has grown from a small set of tools for recording service customers into a good platform for automating and helping the sales department. The main users of this CRM are small businesses: beauty industries, hospitality, retail stores, sports complexes and fitness centers, clubs, sections, leisure facilities. 

First of all, CRM is convenient for those who have a relatively well-built system for attracting customers to the site. It will be interesting for the manager to study the sources of attracting customers in the analytics system. The program allows you to calculate salaries and reduce customer churn through loyalty programs. Integrates with telephony and online cash registers. The stated implementation time is five days.

Official site: yclients.com

Features

Pricefrom 857 rubles per month, the tariff depends on the scope of application, the term for purchasing a license, the number of employees
Free versiontrial period 7 days
Deploymentcloud, there is a mobile application

Advantages and disadvantages

The best system for online booking and communication with customers through online maps, widgets and other virtual sales channels. Built for service businesses
There are many complaints about technical support, which, according to customers, is in no hurry to solve technical problems. Gives only meager reports on the financial performance of the business

7. amoCRM

The developers have relied on simplifying both the interface and functionality in order to achieve system speed, as well as to minimize the time and financial costs of training the sales department to use the program. 

One of the best CRMs on the market is set up in such a way that requests from all channels fall into the sales funnel. And everything is in front of the eyes of managers so that they do not miss anything. There is integration with mailboxes, IP-telephony. The program has its own messenger for corporate communication. 

In the sales funnel, you can connect various tools for targeting and “warming” customers – such as mailing lists, advertising on social networks. Tracks which of the clients have not made an order for a long time and invites the manager to enter a new deal with him.

Official site: amocrm.ru

Features

Price499 – 1499 rubles. per month per user, depending on the tariff
Free versiontrial period 14 days
Deploymentcloud, there is a mobile application

Advantages and disadvantages

Great user interface that you can quickly train your sales team to interact with. A digital sales funnel that helps you set up targeted advertising for the client you need to “squeeze”
Limited functionality of the mobile application. A lot of complaints not the slowness of technical support

8. Callibri

An experimental CRM system that focuses on marketing, that is, tracking the effectiveness of various advertising campaigns and converting them into sales. Otherwise, everything is as befits the best CRM examples: the history of correspondence with clients, integration with telephony, instant messengers, etc. 

But the system is interesting primarily for its tools. It is divided into three sets, each of which is paid: “MultiTracking”, “MultiChat” and “End-to-End Analytics”. Here are some interesting possibilities. 

So, “MultiTracking” Shows which ad, site, page and keyword the client came from. “MultiChat” collects applications from the forms on the site, maintains a single log. There are interesting features, such as automated transcription of the dialogue between a salesperson and a client, and a detailed end-to-end analytics system.

Official site: callibri.ru

Features

Pricefrom 1000 rub. per month for each set of tools, the final price depends on the number of visitors to your site
Free versiontrial period 7 days
Deploymentcloudy

Advantages and disadvantages

A service for working with leads, which provides a colossal set of tools, most of which are not available from competitors. You can unload a specific segment of customers from the system in order to transfer this data to targeting
A set of tools is more useful for the marketing department than for the entire sales department. Directly the classic CRM component in terms of conducting a deal, sales funnels are scarce

9. TimeDigital CRM

The client card displays the entire history of his interaction with the sales department and your website. What interested the person, whether he looked at your mailing list. The system can even set a scoring score for buyers: the higher the score, it means that the more the client was hooked by the advertisement of your product, and the more loyal he is to your product or service. 

You can customize the sales funnel for your company. The system will automatically send a commercial offer to the client at a certain stage of the transaction. CRM itself creates reminders for managers so that they do not forget to call customers who did not answer the call or asked to call back. For each transaction, you can create a task pool for the manager, so that the client is even more satisfied with working with your company.

Official site: timedigitalcrm.com

Features

Price1000 – 20 000 rubles. per month depending on the number of users and clients
Free versiontrial period 14 days
Deploymentcloudy

Advantages and disadvantages

Builds automated sales funnels for your product. Customer scoring
A common database of client contacts for the entire sales department is not always appropriate. No mobile version

10. “Ether”

CRM, which is made specifically for small businesses. There are not a large number of add-ons and bells and whistles that large developers offer. Roughly speaking, these are more advanced Excel spreadsheets that are geared towards sales. By the way, on click, the entire database is unloaded into an Excel file or can be imported from it. 

The interface is concise, everything is in the form of columns and columns, where information about clients is entered: their status, the task for the employee. There are templates for possible options for promoting a deal and assigning statuses to them, or you can add your own. 

Official site: ether-crm.com

Features

Price99 – 19 999 rubles. per month depending on the tariff, the tariffs differ in the number of users who can work in CRM
Free versiontrial period 21 days
Deploymentcloudy

Advantages and disadvantages

The ability to quickly train an employee and implement the system in your sales department. Allows you to manage not only clients, but also projects, as well as part of the personnel office work
No integration with other services. Low potential for automation of the sales algorithm – these are just very convenient tables that do not motivate managers to complete the deal

How to choose a CRM system for the sales department

There are no unambiguous rules for choosing a CRM system: functions that are vital for one company are useless for another. However, there are basic criteria that you need to pay attention to in any case.

How to deploy CRM

Most products are now in the cloud. That is, they work on the servers of the supplier company. Access to them from anywhere in the world, as long as the Internet works. The downside is that if the company has a technical failure, the site will not be active during the restoration work. A logical continuation of cloud solutions is a mobile application. It most often has a slightly limited functionality of the full CRM, only the appearance is sharpened to work with mobile devices.

Another thing is box solutions or they are also called “boxes”. You buy ready-made software that is installed on the company’s server and on the computers of salespeople. This program does not require an active internet connection. In fact, it is yours forever. That is, you pay once, but a serious amount. Minus “boxes” – the lack of updates. If a CRM developer releases new add-ons in the future, you will need to pay to have them available in your department.

Integration of CRM with other services

Let’s say you’re using Gmail. And CRM is “friends” only with Outlook. But switching to new postal addresses is not always convenient. This means that you need to choose a system that immediately supports the digital infrastructure of your business. Market leaders are constantly evolving and adding the ability to integrate various instant messengers, IP telephony operators and other modules involved in sales.

Type of customer cards

It is not so much the appearance that is important, but what set of information they can store. How many free fields does the system offer? Is it possible to supplement the buyer’s profile with a link to his social networks, correspondence history, integration with the loyalty program? If this is relevant in your business, choose a CRM system with such a set of options.

Incentive for sellers 

A good system encourages sellers to work. Mostly regular reminders. Call this client, get feedback from another, make 10 cold calls, etc. The best programs can be customized to motivate salespeople to work harder and better.

Think strategically

Choose CRM for the sales department not for current needs, but for the future. For example, the number of managers in a department may increase. It is important to keep this in mind if the CRM rate depends on the number of users. 

Or in the future you want to master a new sales channel, and additional system functions will be required. For example, engage in email marketing or bet on targeted advertising on social networks. 

If you do not provide the necessary functionality in advance, in the future you will have to look for additional services and integrate them into the existing CRM. And integration is not always possible, and it is not always cheap.

Popular questions and answers

We asked the project manager of the Webfly IT company Konstantin Rybchenko clarify a number of issues that will help in choosing the best CRM.

What are the main parameters of a CRM system for a sales department?

The main functions for any business: maintaining a client base, connecting telephony and the ability to communicate with consumers through different channels. Most systems on the market cover these three blocks. Next come the modules for “pumping” the business – this is marketing, end-to-end analytics, and others.

Is it possible to use free CRM for sales department?

Free CRM is convenient to use to evaluate the functionality of the systems and opt for one. Popular developers of such software have free versions with a limit on the number of users, the number of orders, or without access to all features. Other CRMs have a free trial period – an average of 14 days.

How do CRM systems help eliminate chaos in the sales department?

Applications are not lost in CRM, there is a history of interaction with the client and an understanding of the stage at which the transaction is. The head of the sales department has control tools: a sales plan, a sales funnel, reports in various areas – the number of transactions, calls, conversions. The boss can listen to the manager’s conversation with the client via telephony and adjust the script. There is an assessment of employee performance indicators and KPIs. In CRM, these data can be assessed in the context of the desired period of time (day, week, month or year), for a specific employee, and track the dynamics of indicators.

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