The Top 9 Best SalesForce Alternatives For Small And Medium Businesses

CRMs are designed for customer relationship management. They can help your organization manage sales, marketing, and customer service activities. Most CRMs include features such as contact management, lead management, opportunity tracking, task management, and reporting.
The Top 9 Best SalesForce Alternatives For Small And Medium Businesses

Purpose of CRM systems

CRMs are designed for customer relationship management. They can help your organization manage sales, marketing, and customer service activities. Most CRMs include features such as contact management, lead management, opportunity tracking, task management, and reporting.

Salesforce is one of the most popular CRMs on the market today. However, there are a number of Salesforce alternatives that offer a similar or even better experience. We are going to list some alternative CRM systems here.

What is Salesforce?

Salesforce is an American company that develops the CRM system of the same name, which is provided to customers exclusively on the SaaS model. Under the name Force.com, the company provides a PaaS system for self-developed applications, and under the Database.com brand, it provides a cloud-based database management system. Among the products acquired as a result of acquisitions are the Heroku platform service, the MuleESB service bus, the replicated Tableau data visualization system, and the Slack corporate messenger.

Founded in March 1999 by Marc Benioff, Parker Harris, Dave Meulenhoff and Frank Dominguez with the original idea of specializing in the CRM market and providing access to them exclusively as a subscription service, hosting all instances of the system in their own data centers, completely eliminating the installation of systems at customers and providing access of end users to systems through a web. Recognized as one of the pioneers of SaaS, PaaS, cloud computing, since 2012 it has been the world market leader in CRM systems.

Best Salesforce Alternatives for 2022

1. FreeAgent is a complete CRM platform and a robust work management system

FreeAgent helps teams get everything in one place, work together to achieve more, and track and improve performance.

FreeAgent also automatically logs and organizes your team's emails, calls, and meetings so you can remove tedious tasks from your to-do list. By eliminating time spent searching for information and reducing manual data entry, FreeAgent empowers executives to optimize sales, marketing, customer success, project management and more.

The platform will give you full visibility into your customer experience, so you get instant context to all your customer relationships and see the activity associated with any pipeline change and its impact.

Advantages and Flaws:

  • Tracks customer interactions across all channels, automatically centralizes and updates data.
  • Has a configuration engine called Composer that allows you to customize the platform to suit your startup's specific workflow and business requirements.
  • FreeAgent has a large list of integrations to help it work with your existing work tools. There's real-time sync with Gmail, Twilio, Office365, and Google Calendar, as well as two-way sync with Mailchimp.
  • Price can be a barrier for some startups, especially given the large jump in cost when moving from one plan to another.
★★★★⋆ FreeAgent CRM The platform will give you full visibility into your customer experience, so you get instant context to all your customer relationships and see the activity associated with any pipeline change and its impact.

2. SAP Customer Experience (formerly SAP Hybris) - a customer-centric system

It is a comprehensive digital CRM system for customer relationship management that automates key CRM processes, optimizes operator staffing costs, expands the telco provider's service portfolio, reduces customer churn and increases average revenue per customer.

It is possible to integrate all communication channels into a single system. Any specialist, communicating with a client, sees the history of requests through all channels and the proposed solutions to the problem. The subscriber does not need to explain the essence of the issue when re-applying.

It is also possible to independently order and pay for telecom services, look for a solution to a problem, give feedback on the quality of service, exchange opinions and experience in communities in social networks. networks, create service requests on the site.

Simplified work of the technical support department. The automation of processing requests, complaints, applications using the ticket system has been set up.

Advantages and Flaws:

  • In this system, impeccable customer service for the telecom operator.
  • Everything is done to optimize field services.
  • All tools are configured for end-to-end customer self-service.
  • Continuous effective customer support.
  • It's easy to install and run, but ultimately there are a lot of features that will take time to learn.
★★★★☆ SAP Customer Experience It is a comprehensive digital CRM system for customer relationship management that automates key CRM processes, optimizes operator staffing costs, expands the telco provider's service portfolio, reduces customer churn and increases average revenue per customer.

3. Oracle Cloud CX Platform - Innovative, Flexible, and Delivers Consistent Performance and Security

Built on a cloud platform that incorporates best practices and applied new technologies, Oracle Cloud CX provides tools that are easy enough for business users to manage, yet powerful enough for developers to use.

Oracle Cloud CX uses an approach based on insights into user behavior, transactions, and demographics from marketing, sales, service, and internal applications. Based on this data, personal service and interaction with each individual customer is built.

Oracle Content Management brings together all corporate content and assets in one place: invoices, marketing materials, company files, images and videos. Built-in AI recommendations, collaboration tools, and workflows make it easy to create new content as needed.

The Oracle Customer Intelligence Platform for Customer Engagement enables enterprises to add value to their business by leveraging connected data processing resources and succeed in the experience economy. With connected data, analytics help you deliver real-time personalization across all customer journeys.

Advantages and Flaws:

  • The network is configured with a complete package of connected data.
  • Connected content is fully secured.
  • Engaged modern user experience.
  • Benefits of Customer Intelligence.
  • Price may be a barrier for some startups
★★★★☆ Oracle Cloud CX The Oracle Customer Intelligence Platform for Customer Engagement enables enterprises to add value to their business by leveraging connected data processing resources and succeed in the experience economy.

4. Streak is especially useful for sales, hiring, support and other areas

This is a service that turns a regular Gmail inbox into a customer relationship management (CRM) system. But so far only with the help of an extension for Google Chrome and Safari browsers.

It simplifies email deals, user support, delayed emails, and email open tracking.

Streak features:

  • Manage clients directly in Gmail.
  • Grouping messages from a client or deals.
  • Tracking the statuses, notes and details of each client.
  • Sharing information within the team.
  • Every message between the client and the team goes straight to the mail.
  • Speed up sending emails with repetitive templates.
  • Labels for creating letters.
  • Possibility of delayed sending.
  • Read notifications for sent emails.

Advantages and Flaws:

  • Built directly into Gmail, where you probably already do most of your work, Streak offers desktop and mobile apps with all G Suite integrations connected, so you can always access your work inbox and other tools (just download the extension Google Chrome and / or mobile application and everything will work).
  • The email integration automatically collects data from your contacts and emails and notifies you as leads move through each stage of your pipeline.
  • Keep notes in the app, keep records centrally, use data tracking on your contact emails, and see if customers have opened your emails or not.
  • Streak works as a Chrome extension, so if you change devices, you'll have to download and install it again.
  • Paid versions are at the level of more full-featured CRMs, which can be a barrier for some startups.
★★⋆☆☆ Streak CRM CRM for Gmail It simplifies email deals, user support, delayed emails, and email open tracking.

5. Salesflare is a lightweight CRM system for small and medium businesses

With Salesflare, marketing and sales teams can avoid the cluttered interface of most CRM systems and spend more time on their work. CRM is more suitable for companies working in the B2B field.

In Salesflare, deals and leads are filled in automatically. They are downloaded from social networks, company databases, telephone contacts, e-mail, calendars. The data is displayed in the form of textual data and in the form of graphs with time intervals where the contact with the client was made. Saleflare automatically reminds customers about transactions, helps them accompany and receive information about them.

Managers and employees with access can assign tasks to colleagues to accompany clients or search for new leads. In Salesflare, you can also view a real-time dashboard with static data and information about the company's budget.

Salesflare Features

  • Automatic completion of transaction data.
  • Visualization of the sales funnel.
  • Analytics and reports.
  • Email, link and website tracking.
  • Collaboration.
  • Integration with popular services using Zapier.

Advantages and Flaws:

  • Intelligent full-featured CRM designed for B2B startups.
  • Based on e-mail, the application simplifies sales management and building repeatable sales chains.
  • Communicate with customers and leads without having to manually update their information - the address book and real-time synchronization allow you to automatically update records of each interaction with a contact.
  • It's easy to install and run, but ultimately there are a lot of features that will take time to learn.
★★★★☆ SalesFlare CRM In Salesflare, you can also view a real-time dashboard with static data and information about the company's budget.

6. Zoho CRM is a system for organizing CRM for small businesses

This is a good sales force alternative, with good functionality for users. Since, Zoho CRM is a cloud-based solution for automating sales and marketing departments.

With Zoho CRM, companies can transact with customers and partners, convert leads, and receive detailed sales reports. A CRM system helps increase sales, automate business processes, store customer and transaction data, and make effective decisions based on data analysis.

Zoho CRM is suitable for both small companies and large corporations.

Zoho CRM includes the lead management tools you need to track sales.

With real-time tracking, your entire sales team stays on track. It has a simple and intuitive user interface, good customer support and a wide range of features. The downside is that it's not as popular as some of the other CRMs on this list, so there may not be many people to help you learn how to use it.

Zoho is not hosted on Swiss servers and its setup is not customizable enough for a complex sales cycle. The lead generation is collected and you can easily create a simple sales funnel. Salesforce competitors can do a better job with Zoho. The free version is limited to three users. It is a versatile tool with simple sales tools.

Advantages and Flaws:

  • Zoho CRM is easy to use, with a simple user interface designed for startups and small businesses, includes customizable modules, automation, and social media features.
  • Allows you to define workflows and streamline daily tasks, as well as manage potential customers.
  • Data migration features allow you to quickly migrate data from spreadsheets and contact management software to the Zoho platform, making it easy to launch the platform.
  • Integrates with Twitter and Facebook for fast and efficient interaction with potential customers at the right time.
  • There is a free CRM for three users - great news for super-lean startups, although (as you might expect) it has a somewhat limited feature set, with less customization and no bulk email functionality.
  • Zoho doesn't have individual email tracking and individual lead notifications, which can be limiting if you rely on one-on-one interactions.
  • The add-ons are installed on top of the existing CRM product you purchase, so costs can increase when you want to expand your use of the platform.
★★★⋆☆ Zoho CRM With real-time tracking, your entire sales team stays on track. It has a simple and intuitive user interface, good customer support and a wide range of features.

7. Freshworks CRM is a great CRM for small businesses

Freshworks offers a 21-day free trial so you can see if it's right for you. In this solution, you will find an excellent sales analysis dashboard. The solution is also easy to use on a mobile device. Free support will be appreciated. Linkedin sales navigator can be connected to CRM. This is a serious competitor to Salesforce, which is perfectly created for working with sales pipelines and contract management.

Freshales is a good CRM for sales teams who want to focus on closing activities. The solution is easy to use and has a simple user interface. It also offers a range of integrations including Google Apps, Zapier, and more.

Advantages and Flaws:

  • It's easy to get started - all critical startup features like lead management, email, and pipelines are included.
  • Lead capture allows you to automatically capture leads from emails, you can also create your own lead scoring criteria to better track who is most likely to convert (this can also be configured).
  • There is a “free forever plan for startups limited to 10 users and 10,000 entries (that’s leads, contacts, accounts and deals), but it’s not easy to find (you’ll need to sign up for a 21-day free trial, which will give you the full version of the software) – at the end of the period, you will be asked if you would like to choose one of the four paid plans or continue free work).
  • Once you start expanding your use of Freshsales and gaining access to more advanced features, you will need a lot of learning.
  • Sorting and filtering tasks is less intuitive than it could be.
★★★★☆ Freshworks CRM  This is a serious competitor to Salesforce, which is perfectly created for working with sales pipelines and contract management.

8. SugarCRM is a cloud-based platform that offers everything from sales and automation features to account and customer relationship management

Email marketing is well built and easily connected to the sales pipeline. Sales reps will love the Campaign Creation Wizard.

Sales representatives can edit their contracts based on customer data. Contact management is visually pleasing, and business management is simple and visual thanks to the beautiful dashboard.

The CRM platform is simple, and integrations with Mailchimp, Zendesk, Zapier, and more help streamline workflows.

Advantages and Flaws:

  • Provides an end-to-end CRM solution spanning marketing, sales, and customer service, with a focus on sharing relevant and actionable information across teams.
  • Allows you to map the customer journey to send the right messages at the right time and automate complex business processes with draggable blocks.
  • The support team is attentive, which is a big plus for startups that need quick responses and short time to resolve issues.
  • In addition, SugarCRM has a large user community, so you can connect with other startups.
  • You must have at least 10 people on your team to use SugarCRM, so it may not be suitable for small startups.
  • SugarCRM comes from open source solutions, so the learning curve is moderate, which means you need to take the time to learn the platform.
★★★⋆☆ SugarCRM CRM Email marketing is well built and easily connected to the sales pipeline. Sales reps will love the Campaign Creation Wizard.

9. HubSpot CRM is a good solution for small businesses that want to keep track of all their activities in one place

HubSpot CRM offers a completely free plan, but there are nice features on the paid plans too. Sales productivity will increase with this CRM. It has a simple and intuitive user interface, good customer support and a wide range of features. The solution is also useful for pipeline management as it has built-in predictive tools. The downside is that it can be costly for large enterprises. The solution, like Salesforce, is based in the US.

They are well known for their email marketing and free version. Spot CRM integrates with a number of other HubSpot products, including HubSpot Marketing, HubSpot Sales, and HubSpot Service.

The free plan offers unparalleled value. You can store up to 1 million contacts and get unlimited users and storage. You will also save money and time on training as the platform is user-friendly and easy to learn for your staff, which will get your business up and running faster. Key Features: Very easy to use, but flexibility is less important than other CRMs.

Advantages and Flaws:

  • Manages workflows and improves project management - you will be able to effectively track and work with potential customers, follow the sales process and record customer interactions across all channels.
  • The HubSpot Startup Program offers discounts of up to 90% for eligible startups, with personal training and onboarding.
  • Works with both G Suite and Microsoft Office, so whichever platform your business prefers, CRM will work seamlessly.
  • Zapier integration makes it easy to share information across apps (Google Sheets, Slack, Facebook Lead Ads, etc.) to extend features and help grow your business.
  • HubSpot CRM is free so you can get started without spending too much, while paid add-on packages for HubSpot include features like reporting, AI, and advanced automation.
  • Customization options are limited, which can be a problem for niche startups.
  • The basic free CRM features are many, but they are basic, and eventually you may need to buy Sales Hub or one of the other HubSpot add-on packages to expand your CRM experience.
★★★☆☆ Hubspot CRM The free plan offers unparalleled value. You can store up to 1 million contacts and get unlimited users and storage.

Choose the right CRM software

CRM helps organize your business, streamline day-to-day operations, and make remote and distributed work as efficient as possible. After all, CRM helps you grow.

Whatever your startup is doing, there is surely a CRM that will help improve day-to-day operations with features like contact management, lead management, sales funnel tracking, and marketing automation.

Finding the right CRM for your startup will take some comparison, but the list above will give you a foundation and allow you to start your own research.

These CRM tools are great choices and each one offers slightly different features and benefits.

When choosing the best CRM for your business, it's important to consider your specific needs and what you want from the system. If you are looking for a comprehensive all-in-one CRM solution, then SalesForce is a good option. It offers a wide range of features and integrations.

In 2022, automating the sales process will be the key to your success.

Sales process automation is a hot topic in the CRM world, and for good reason. This will help you close more deals faster. And as technology advances, it becomes easier and easier to do this. SalesForce offers an amazing all-in-one solution.

This article features many ideal SalesForce alternatives with pre-designed benefits. Study carefully and choose the best for your business!

Frequently Asked Questions

How do the needs of small and medium businesses differ from large enterprises when choosing a Salesforce alternative?
Small and medium businesses often require more cost-effective, user-friendly, and flexible CRM solutions compared to large enterprises that may prioritize extensive features and scalability.



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