free CRM software – Those days are gone when customers had limited options in brands. E-commerce platforms and other websites have brought many competitors. Therefore, businesses need feature-rich CRM tools to improve relationships with customers and anticipate their demands. This tool helps businesses in monitoring and managing consumer interactions for better services.
Successful businesses are using customer relationship management or CRM software to store information related to the user’s preferences, past interactions with the firm, and other data. You should also use a feature-rich program to get closer to your customers to be their first choice. It can help you in improving your marketing strategies and attract more new customers.
What is a CRM System?
There are many departments in a business organization. The CRM system connects important departments, such as marketing, sales, customer service, etc. to organize their activities, notes, and metrics. CRM software prepares a cohesive system to provide instant access to consumers’ data.
Team members from various business departments can access customers’ data whenever needed. The marketing team, sales team, and customer service providers can deliver top-notch solutions based on data collected by the CRM tool. Therefore, every business organization needs this software to maintain customers’ trust and loyalty.
Many business organizations have bought CRM software. They use customers’ data as a strategic asset to generate more leads, increase revenue, and keep existing users happy. Can free CRM software be as helpful as premium CRM tools are? Continue reading to reveal how useful free customer relationship management software can be for your business.
Who Should Buy a Free CRM Software?
A free customer relationship management software can help you understand the true potential of flagship tools. You won’t invest any penny into this tool. It can teach you how big businesses manage and use consumer data to satisfy their needs and get more leads.
Some top-rated free CRM tools can provide everything a flagship CRM software offers. They are perfect for start-ups and small businesses trying to thrive with limited investment.
Two Things to Check Before Choosing a Free CRM Software
There are several feature-rich CRM tools developed by reputed companies. Your options reduce significantly when looking for free CRM software. Although you do not wish to spend money, ensure the software offers basic features. Consider the following things before downloading and integrating a CRM tool into your system:
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Is it really free?
Many platforms claim to provide a free CRM tool, but there are always some conditions. You may get a free trial of the software for a limited period. You can test it and access some basic features to understand its importance. The software provider may charge a hefty subscription fee once the free trial is over.
Check whether the software provider is seeking your credit card. If yes, then proceed smartly. Look for hidden charges or how long you can use the software for free. Ensure it is completely free and you can use it as long as required.
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Check features
Some free CRM programs compete with top-rated tools used for the same purpose. Check the following features to choose the best free CRM software for your business.
Check how many users can access customers’ data from the CRM software. It should support at least 3 users so that your marketing, sales, and customer support teams can use the tool.
The software should provide features for contact, leads, deals, events tasks, and multichannel marketing management tools. Go through the entire list of features and check the features included in the free plan. Avoid tools offering limited features with little impact on customer relationship management.
Top 4 Free Customer Relationship Management Software
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Odoo
The Odoo CRM software is free forever! It is an open-source customer relationship management tool. It helps you in gathering actionable data to make profit-making decisions. You can get insights based on collected data to make better marketing strategies. Besides, you can design custom dashboards and access real-time flow charts and reports to understand customers’ expectations more efficiently.
Pros:
- Offers tools to monitor performance and assess the effectiveness of business strategies
- Free forever
- Unlimited users
- It is an open-source tool that you can customize as per your needs
Cons
Lack of support and maintenance issues have disappointed many users, who chose Odoo as their first CRM software.
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Bitrix24
It is a reputed CRM software chosen by thousands of businesses across the globe. Bitrix24 offers premium services, but its free version is perfect for small businesses and startups. Small teams, businesses, and startups consider Bitrix24 the best CRM because it does not charge any penny. They get 5 GB of free cloud space and 12 users can access this CRM tool at a time.
Pros:
- Free tools for team collaboration
- Sales funnel automation
- Project planning
- Task management
- Document management
- Multiple communication tools
Cons:
Although the free version offers many appealing tools, they are nothing in comparison to Bitrix24’s premium CRM tools.
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Asana
It is another feature-rich CRM and project management software. This software offers collaboration, scheduling, reporting, and documentation tools to manage sales and marketing processes. It became the first choice of many SMBs looking for a free alternative to expensive project management tools.
Pros:
- You can use this software to automate time-consuming manual tasks
- It uses many built-in tools to generate real-time reports based on collected data
- Work request management
- Offering over 100 integrations
- You can customize the dashboard to access and check required information seamlessly
Cons:
It may seem like a complex CRM and project management software. Users with no prior experience with CRM software may find it daunting to use.
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Zoho
Zoho is a perfect CRM software for small businesses and startups. It supports up to 3 users and provides many features, such as powerful integrations, sales and marketing tools, along with cloud storage. Users do not spend any penny to get this tool because it is one of the finest free CRM software.
Pros:
- This CRM software is free forever
- No hidden charges and no credit card required
- Provides advanced tools for email marketing, content management, customer data management, and more
- Chosen by over 250,000 businesses across the globe
Cons:
Only 3 users can access this CRM tool and the free version got limited features.
Conclusion
Free CRM software is what you must get when planning to expand your business. Get the free tool to assess its true potential. Learn how it can help you in keeping prospects and existing clients happy. Switch to a premium version when the free tool is not good enough to manage consumer interactions.
