The most popular CRM systems. CRM systems for small businesses - review of the best free solutions

Development own business for each owner large company is important stage, which cannot be missed. The innovative approach of modern entrepreneurs is developing every day, so many now use CRM systems for this. Comparing several of them will make it clear to everyone which one is better suited for a particular purpose.

Functionality

Comparison of CRM systems for manufacturing is used quite often, because each individual industry requires a specific approach.

As you know, such systems contain three modules: marketing, service and sales. They automate the customer interaction cycle.

By choosing a system with a rather limited number of functions, the user will end up with manual input, which can contribute to the gap

Architecture

Oddly enough, comparing small business CRM systems also highlights some of the advantages of certain types of programs over others.

Most applications of this type use a client-server architecture, but more modern ones can boast of a multi-level one.

Each user's access to the system is carried out exclusively through an Internet browser, thanks to which the architecture allows access to absolutely all functions and capabilities.

Flexibility of systems

Now best CRM-systems are already included in a certain list, where they occupy places distributed according to user opinions.

The sales, marketing, and service processes themselves always differ from each other in different areas and companies.

To begin with, the user must accurately determine the adaptation of the system to various sales processes, as well as the correct selection organizational structure and clarity of delimitation of access rights to information. But, unfortunately, for such requirements it is necessary to pay attention long time installation of all components.

In addition to this, one more important point is to support the functions of mobile devices that operate outside the main office.

Implementation timeframe

Indeed, many people are fascinated by good CRM systems. A review and comparison of each of them is quite interesting and educational for future users.

You will be able to use this system within half an hour after completing all the necessary stages, when it will be available for sale. The implementation of a CRM system itself begins exclusively with a complete analysis. It usually takes a long period of time (up to 3 months).

Development opportunities

Despite the small nuances that do not completely suit buyers, CRM systems have many interesting capabilities. Comparison of their types is intended specifically to make it a little easier for people to work.

First of all, when choosing a system, you should pay attention to the future. After satisfying the needs today, the next time you will have to look for something new and more functional.

At first it may seem that only a self-written system is the ideal option, because everything depends solely on the user’s imagination and wishes, although developers will still make many changes over time, so development will slow down significantly.

Well-established mechanisms can be perfectly used specifically to solve new business problems. After all, customer relationships require management at both the sales and marketing stages.

A question of cost

The CRM management system has a fairly reasonable price range, so anyone can easily purchase it for their own company.

The cost of the entire system consists of the following details: license, modifications, consulting, support, infrastructure and, of course, training.

Technical support

CRM systems have a rather interesting comparison, but technical support should also be given time. After all, before choosing the most suitable option, you should definitely learn about the system in general terms.

The level of technical support, as is known, is determined only by the approach of its manufacturer, but in no case by the type of the system itself. Inexperienced programmers are not at all capable of maintaining high-quality databases and documentation, because this will require many years of practice and training.

The business process is well established in companies if the system goes on sale in good condition. And the experience of many ordinary users will become an ideal assistant among their many.

Consulting

At any time, people could choose the best CRM systems, and even now there are several lists from which you can easily determine the most interesting and profitable option.

When using self-written systems, the user himself is the consulting support for himself. Hundreds of projects already have vast experience, but it is only for these users that it is available quite rarely.

Domestic and Western systems

At the moment, not only real domestic, but also Western CRM systems are popular. A comparison of their capabilities, as well as positive and negative functions, can be seen in the table.

Name	general information	Advantages and disadvantages
Terrasoft CRM	A domestic system that can help the user manage business processes, sales, marketing, loyalty, service, and relationships with partners.	The positive aspects include: high speed work with fairly large volumes of data, powerful configuration options, reliable protection of individual user configurations. There are no disadvantages in this system, since there is not enough data to determine them.
Oracle Siebel CRM	Western system, which contains more advanced applications compared to the previous version. It also has capabilities to manage sales, loyalty, marketing and so on. In addition, the system provides self-service management.	This system is the most expensive among other common options. This can be attributed to both pros and cons. After all good system should have an appropriate price, but still not everyone can afford it.
Microsoft CRM	Another good Western system created for managing relationships with clients. Its main capabilities include: sales and marketing management, an expanded range of tools for building various reports, and it also has extensive mobile device access.	The only negative feature is that the system itself puts forward a large number of requirements for the hardware complex. And because of this, the buyer must spend more money on its purchase. Otherwise, only the advantages stand out, thanks to the capabilities of the system.
	A Western system with a fairly user-friendly interface, which allows you to effectively manage various processes (sales, marketing, and so on). Management of relationships with partners, service, and loyalty is also provided for in it. In addition, its capabilities include	Unfortunately, at this point in time, not a single solution has been created based on the solution, which is the main disadvantage. And the interface, based on new technologies, can easily be considered a huge plus.

The global trend towards digital transformation of business is intensifying in Russia. Large businesses are implementing advanced CRM and BPM systems to improve operational efficiency and speed up their own activities. Working with business processes, optimizing and automating processes is the key trend for 2020.

We have collected the TOP 5 platforms that are capable of comprehensively transforming large businesses and included them in the rating. Each solution is unique and has successful implementation cases.

Creatio

1st place in the ranking. The best comprehensive solution for the Enterprise segment. Unified low-code platform Creatio for sales, marketing and service from domestic company Terrasoft. Creatio allows you to automate and speed up business processes of large companies from different industries. For average and big business 24 ready-made industry solutions are offered (banks, oil and gas, logistics, pharmaceuticals, business support centers, etc.). Cases of successful implementation of the platform in such companies as Tatneft, Dobroflot, EVRAZ, Gazprom Neft, Sberbank confirm the high level of trust of large businesses in Creatio products. Terrasoft is developing its own Marketplace of ready-made solutions and templates to speed up platform integration.

Microsoft Dynamics

2nd place. A powerful solution for medium and large businesses with ERP elements. Integration with Microsoft applications. Tools for managing sales, marketing and service. Creation and automation of business processes. Ready industry solutions for financial industry, personnel management and HR, integrated management service, sales and analytics. Successful integrations into such foreign companies: Unicef, Pandora, HP.

SAP

3rd place. SAP CRM offers a solution for sales, marketing and customer service. Reference work with the entire sales cycle - from planning and strategy development to successful implementation and performance analysis. Work with customers across all sales channels, transaction control and functional planner. A powerful platform for managing marketing activities and brand management has been created for marketing department specialists. Among the successful implementation cases are such companies as Bashneft, Severstal, NLMK, Sibmost.

Oracle Siebel

4th place. A system for large businesses that helps create a comprehensive corporate IT system to automate all departments of the company. Suitable for front office work (sales, service, marketing) and back office work (company performance analytics, personnel management). Oracle Siebel CRM allows you to create and automate a company’s call center, integrate many third party services and applications to business. The company offers ready-made industry solutions for many areas of activity - industry, hotel business, public sector, IT, retail, medicine and others. Successful cases of foreign companies - Bosch Telecom, AOL, Xerox.

Salesforce

5th place. The Salesforce CRM solution is considered #1 in the world, as confirmed by analytical agencies such as Gartner and Forrester.

A unified platform for sales, customer service, marketing and deep business analytics. The company is not focused on Russian market and is represented only by integrator partners. This does not allow us to place it higher than 5th place.

Rating of CRM systems - Score table

Ratings from Gartner and Forrester agencies

The Creatio system in these ratings is called bpm’online (Terrasoft changed the name of the platform in 2019).

Interfaces of compared CRM systems

SAP
MS Dynamics
Salesforce

Hello! In this article we will talk about such a tool for working with clients as a CRM system.

Today you will learn:

How the CRM system works;
How to implement a CRM system;
How to use a CRM system correctly;
Examples of the best CRM systems for business and freelancing.

What is a CRM system and how does it work?

It can be difficult to keep track of what you have planned for the day. To avoid forgetting anything, we keep diaries. But what to do if you need to monitor the implementation of projects of a company that employs more than a dozen people?

CRM systems are capable of evenly distributing tasks according to deadlines and among employees, and monitoring their implementation in the present time.

CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management, which translated from English means “customer relationship management.” In fact, the concept of a CRM system is much broader; they are aimed not only at systematizing work with clients, but also at facilitating the process of managing the organization as a whole.

CRM systems – these are special computer programs that automate the work of a manager in distributing tasks among employees, planning project implementation, accounting for clients, monitoring deadlines and completing assigned tasks.

To understand that you need a CRM system, let’s consider the basic principles of its operation:

Information about the client, tasks, deadlines and performers will now be stored in the CRM system database. A customer called you to make amendments to his order, you must immediately enter this information into the system. You can’t lose sight of anything, everything must be recorded, otherwise the CRM system will bring you nothing but problems.
Each of your employees will have their own profile in the system. This profile will determine the amount of information that will be available to a particular employee. This allows employees to focus only on those tasks that they have to complete and avoid information leakage.
Information about the completion of a particular task when working in a CRM system is constantly updated. That is, the employee performs his work step by step, which is immediately recorded by the system.
The CRM system analyzes the entire process of completing tasks, highlighting problem areas in the work.

If we summarize the principles of operation of a CRM system, we can conclude that a CRM system is an accounting system, a kind of repository of information about the client and the history of interaction with him, tasks and performers, deadlines and the implementation process, which allows you to analyze all these processes for further increasing the efficiency of the company.

It would seem that a CRM system makes the tasks of a manager easier and complicates the life of an ordinary employee, but this is not so.

CRM systems are of particular importance for freelancers:

Reminds you of what you need to do first;
Allows you to always control the deadlines for completing work, avoiding emergency situations;
It will allow you to save all the clients with whom you have worked, their contact information, preferences and comments on the work, which will be useful in future cooperation.

For the company and its employees, the CRM system performs the following tasks:

Distributes tasks among employees;
Reminds about due dates, prioritizes employee tasks;
Records customer data;
Automates the creation of documents;
Focuses everything necessary information for a specific task in one place;
Allows you to monitor the implementation of the tasks of each employee and highlight the most successful ones.

As you can see, the CRM system is multifunctional and useful both for freelancers and for companies and its employees. But there are still areas of business in which the use of CRM systems is simply necessary.

These include:

Any service business;
Activities in the field of trade. Especially if you sell goods via the Internet or telemarketing;
Financial services here it is important to track the client’s status.

CRM system functions

Summarizing those advantages that a CRM system brings to freelancers and businesses, we can highlight the capabilities of CRM systems:

Formation and maintenance of a client base. At the same time, you decide what information it will contain: only contacts and upcoming tasks, or also completed projects and difficulties in their implementation, and so on. This allows you not only not to “lose” a client, but also to track the effectiveness of every employee who has ever worked with him;
Standardization of actions. The CRM system has clear rules for working with it, which standardizes the actions of employees and eliminates confusion;
Recording all contacts with the client. Any employee in contact with a client must enter data about this contact into the system. This is the law!
Improving employee efficiency. The CRM system allows you to track the completion of tasks by each employee, see missed deadlines and problem areas in working with the client. This encourages employees to work more efficiently;
Client classification. The CRM system allows you to note regular customers and first-time clients, complex and loyal clients;
Recording and storing data about competitors;
Quick search of any information entered into the database.

You are probably already sure that you need a CRM system, but we haven’t talked about it yet shortcomings:

High cost of a licensed CRM program. The average cost is 10-15 thousand rubles;
There is a possibility of information leakage. Sometimes programs crash;
The need to attract specialists to install and configure the program;
The need to train employees to work with the CRM system;
Elimination of possible disturbances on the part of employees.

Now we can move directly to a review of CRM systems in Russia.

We are sure that one of the CRM systems is already installed on your personal computer and you already know how to use it. This is the simplest CRM system – Microsoft Excel.

Yes, this program does not have all the functions that it should have, but meets the requirement of organizing customer relationship management. Using Microsoft Excel, you can record client contact information, tasks for each of them and distribute them by due date.

This option is quite suitable for freelancers who do not want to overpay for unnecessary functions and learn how to work with a real CRM system.

Rating and review of CRM systems for your business

For those who want to get serious about mastering data accounting systems, we have prepared a rating of CRM systems describing their functions and preferences for use in different areas of business.

But first, let's look at the types of CRM systems in Russia.

There are two types of CRM systems, which differ from each other in the technologies of creation and use:

Saas– cloud CRM system, the CRM system and its data are located on the server of the developer of this very system. Setup and other processes fall on the shoulders of the developer;
Stand Alone– involves creating your own server, all the information is with you, and you set up the CRM system yourself.

Paid CRM systems

Amo CRM

Cloud product. It has a simple interface.

Advantages:

A large number of different filters;
Wide integration base. Amo CRM can be integrated with social networks, telephone, landing page systems;
Possibility of construction;
Minimum training period for a manager to work with this system;
There is a free trial period of 14 days.

This system is more focused on those companies where sales do not occur immediately, where a sales funnel is necessary. That is, first the client contacts the manager, consults, and only with subsequent calls does he make a purchase.

In addition, Amo CRM allows you to work on two fronts: attract potential customers and serve existing ones.

Basically, the Amo CRM system is aimed at enterprises that operate in the B2B market.

Flaws:

There is no block of documents in the program itself, but there is the possibility of integration with DropBox and attaching documents to each client;
Lack of ability to break tasks into subtasks;
Not designed for implementation throughout the company.

The cost of Amo CRM is 500-3000 rubles per month.

"1C-Bitrix: Corporate portal»

"1C-Bitrix: Corporate Portal" is a complete software, with functionality much broader than that of a conventional CRM system.

Advantages:

Maximum automation of routine tasks;
Integration with most computer programs, telephony, by mail, website;
Ability to set access rights for each employee;
Project management.

This system will be useful for large companies with a large number of clients. For others, its wide functionality will be a waste of money. Please note that it is not intended for the sales department.

Flaws:

High price;
Difficulty setting up;
The need for long-term employee training in how to use the system;
Not intended for sale.

Cost 300,000 rubles for installation.

Megaplan

Megaplan is an easy-to-use system for organizing business processes. Represents a cloud.

You can choose the functionality you need and pay only for it:

“Collaboration” allows you to manage projects, form teamwork: distribute tasks among performers, set deadlines and monitor the completion of tasks by each employee. The cost per month of use is 290 rubles;
“CRM: clients and sales” includes recording information about working with clients: contact information, orders, automation of the sales process, and more. The cost of a month of use is 490 rubles;
“Business Manager” combines the two previous functions. Cost per month: 690 rubles.
The free version has limitations on the volume of transactions, documents, number of clients, and accounts.

Megaplan has no restrictions on the scope of application; everyone will choose the functionality they need.

Advantages:

Simple interface;
Low cost;
Ability to select functionality;
CRM system for sales.

Flaws:

Inability to integrate with the site;
Overloaded service design.

Bitrix 24

A cloud CRM system, unlike its older brother, has fewer functions. Suitable for large and medium-sized businesses.

Advantages:

Integrates with all kinds of systems;
Has the functions of working with clients, project management, and teamwork.

Flaws:

There are too many features, you can’t pay for just the ones you need;
Complex interface;
There are no tags;
Not focused on the sales department.

The cost of a month of using Bitrix24 is 9,000 rubles; it has a free option, but with limited functionality.

RetailCRM

The CRM system has a temporary free version. This is one of the best CRM systems for online trading in general.

Allows you to solve the following problems:

Maintaining a client base;
Telephony connection;
Work with courier services;
Integration with the site.

BaseCRM

Easy to use cloud-based CRM system. Suitable for medium and large businesses.

Advantages:

Work with clients – IP-telephony, work with leads, integration with mailing systems, process automation;
Working with projects - distributing tasks, setting deadlines, control;
Working with a team - social network functions, distribution of tasks among performers.

Flaws:

Not designed for implementation throughout the company;
There is no ability to export and import data from and into the system.

The cost of the program is 2,000 rubles per month of use.

Terrasoft

Cloud CRM system with a simple interface.

Contains the following functions:

Client management;
Working time management;
Automation of document flow;
Optimization of communications within the company;

Advantages:

Ability to choose the functionality you need.

Flaws:

Not intended for sales department.

The average cost of using the product is 5,000 rubles per year. There is no free version.

SugarTalk

A full-fledged CRM software system, most adapted to business in the field of advertising and design.

Tasks of the CRM system:

Integration with all kinds of programs, mailing systems, website;
Organization of team work.

The cost of SugarTalk is 15,000 rubles.

Free CRM systems

Free CRM systems also come in software and cloud, share software systems in this case more.

Free CRM systems are more suitable for freelancers and small businesses (with no more than 5 employees), as they have restrictions on the number of users.

SalesMan CRM

SalesMan CRM is a CRM software system available for download absolutely free. But it will only be available to one employee, connection more employees require payment.

SalesMan CRM has the following functions:

Maintaining a client database with all related functions;
Organizing team work, distributing tasks, setting deadlines.

On-crm

Cloud CRM system is available free of charge, but only for one user.

Its functions are aimed at:

Work with clients - maintaining a client database, searching for information, maintaining the history of work with clients;
Organizing team work - distributing tasks among employees and according to deadlines.

Trello

Cloud CRM system has no restrictions on the number of users or number of clients.

Allows you to automate the following tasks:

Automation of work with the project - distribution of tasks, deadlines, clients.
Synchronization with other devices

	Paid CRM systems	Free CRM systems
Maximum number of users
Maximum number of clients	Unlimited, the final cost depends on this parameter	Unlimited in most cases
Functional	Maximum possible functionality, can be limited if desired	Limited, only basic functions for each task are available. As a rule, there is no integration function with programs, devices and websites. There is no call recording function
Who is it suitable for?	Large and medium businesses	Small businesses, private entrepreneurs, freelancers

How to choose a CRM system

The most important thing in choosing a CRM system is to determine the functions that you need. Please note that even a large company with several hundred employees may not require a complete package, including automation of work with clients, coordination of team work, and systematization of project work.

The following points should influence your choice:

Number of customers and number of purchases;
Regularity of purchases;
Your company's product range;
Number of stages in the purchasing process;
The number of employees who need to be connected to the CRM system;
Budget.

The most important parameter of any CRM system is the ability to synchronize with other programs, mailing systems, websites and devices. Pay special attention to the availability of opportunities collaboration CRM systems with a telephone to automatically record incoming calls from clients and initiate new ones. This will be useful to you in any case.

The ability to set deadlines, priorities, set tasks and control are some of the most important functions that influence the choice of a system.

You and your employees will definitely want to plan the work process, distribute tasks according to deadlines and performers, and the manager must control the work process, otherwise there will be no positive results from automating processes. This is the purpose of CRM systems, so without these functions the system will not be complete.

The ability to import data from a CRM system and export data to the system is important in the work process.

You will often have a need to “pull” some data from the system or, conversely, upload a document into the system, for example, the terms of an agreement with a client. If this cannot be done, then it is better to abandon such a CRM system.

The complexity of the interface and excessive functionality can lead to high costs during the implementation and training of personnel, sometimes this leads to the freezing of the CRM system implementation process.

The cost of the CRM system and the cost of its maintenance. Pay special attention to the second point.

Features of using CRM
In order for a CRM system to bring you benefits, you must follow the following rules when implementing it:
Write down the business processes of your organization. Designate those responsible for each of them, this will help you distribute tasks according to performers and deadlines;
Consider an incentive system based on CRM system data;
Train yourself and your employees not to postpone work deadlines.

And always be prepared for the following pitfalls of implementing CRM systems:

Working with a CRM system will take time;
Sometimes employees forget to enter data into the system or enter it incorrectly;
You will see the shortcomings of each manager;
Irregular control leads to a decrease in the efficiency of working with the CRM system;
You will probably have to seek help to set up a CRM system and train employees;
There will be those employees who will manage the database “in their own way,” do not allow this.

Much of CRM (customer relationship management) success is a result of choosing the right technology. Organizations must weigh costs, services and functionality provided, ability to support production, and much, much more. There are so many possible factors to consider that choosing a vendor and comparing a CRM can become extremely difficult.

Introducing Aggregated rating of CRM systems 2019 according to ISM, Nucleus Research, CRM Magazine. The systems included in the list are analyzed according to 179 criteria, but the greatest attention is paid to ergonomics and functionality.

The newcomer (the RosBusinessSoft company released it relatively recently) has already gained a strong reputation in the market: after all, it is the first service in Russia that allows you to maintain a client base and complete warehouse accounting via the Internet in online mode.

This CRM system will help improve customer relationship management and the sales process by automating organization management, communication between employees and customers, and teamwork. Includes mobile version, which is convenient for frequent traveling business people.

Zoho has been on the market for eleven years, and in honor of last year’s anniversary, it made the Zoho CRM system free for up to 10 users. One of the distinctive features of the program is integration with other company products, including mailings, mail, online office and much more. Russian interface is present.

This CRM system has its own cloud PBX and can replace many separate programs (messengers, accounting, file sharing, etc.).

It is one of the most effective SaaS CRM systems on the market. Customer access to the system is via the Internet. There is a Russian interface.

The top 5 best CRM is a program for simple, but functional and convenient business management. Allows you to maintain a common database with customizable access levels, keep records of clients and monitor employee performance.

This CRM system is integrated with Oktell telephony, which allows you to improve the process of calling customers. Even if the manager went on vacation, all you need to quickly monitor the activities of employees is Internet access.

3. amoCRM

The main advantage of this program, which is included in the best CRM systems for sales, is its simplicity. It requires neither installation nor configuration, which saves costs on technical specialists. The company takes care of all the operation of the system.

2. Bitrix24 – the best free CRM

A kind of social network at work, which allows employees to easily and conveniently communicate with each other - on the website, by mail, by video call, by mobile phone. It is also the best free CRM. The system has all the capabilities to control and analyze the sales process.

1. bpm’online sales

“Great results are always based on a well-structured process” - this is the principle by which the best CRM systems work. The 2019 rating was topped by the bpm’online sales system, which was chosen by ISM, Nucleus Research and CRM Magazine as the best of the best. It allows you to manage the full sales cycle, from attracting a client to ordering and beyond. The intuitive interface is easy and pleasant to work on both desktop and mobile devices (smartphone, tablet).