Customer relationship management (CRM) software are the centerpieces to any digital marketing strategy. Whether an organization is a small business or an advocacy campaign needs an actionable solution to house voter data, CRM software offers a variety of solutions and configurations.
Despite the capabilities such platforms provide, it is always difficult for campaigns and organizations to find a solution that fits their unique needs. To help address this, Telegraph has rated several industry-standard CRMs, and we thought it would be appropriate to put those platforms head to head along with their strengths and weaknesses for different types of organizations.
Best general CRM software by rating
Below is a list of all of the CRM software that Telegraph has reviewed. The rankings of the best platforms are determined by overall app rating. This score is Telegraph’s standard scoring system based on four fields of 25 points each added for a total score out of 100 possible points.
- Agile CRM – 90/100, “Over the moon”: Known as one of the most prominent alternatives to the highly technical Salesforce platform, Agile CRM is a unified customer management and communication framework. Featuring clean dashboards and above satisfactory user experience, this CRM has a lot to offer. Not to mention, there is an industry standard drag and drop email newsletter editor in-platform. Cost: Free for ten users with plans beginning at $8.99 per user per month.
- ZoHo CRM Plus – 90/100, “Over the moon”: ZoHo CRM Plus has a terrific CRM platform that compares to Agile and Salesforce. But, what gives ZoHo the high marks is its office productivity suite. ZoHo rightfully sells itself as a business “operating system” with a proprietary word processor, spreadsheets tool, website builder, accounting infrastructure, among other functions. Cost: Free forever plans with paid plans beginning at $12 per user.
- Salesforce – 88/100, “Spiffy”: Salesforce is considered the industry-defining platform when it comes to CRM software. Featuring capabilities that put other software on this list to shame, Salesforce offers a truly holistic approach to customer relationship and external communication. To highlight, Salesforce has built-in marketing automation and lead generation tools that include an email service provider and eNewsletter platform. It is also considered the “enterprise” option for CRM software. Cost: Plans cost up to $300 per user per month. This high cost is the only reason why Salesforce maintains a “Spiffy” rating.
Best niche CRM
- Datrm.in – 90/100, “Over the moon”: Datrm.in (pronounced Determine) is a CRM focused on building donor relationships. Given the lightweight nature of the tool and the flexibility of the pricing structure, organizations that deploy Datrm.in won’t have many complaints. Plus, users can’t dismiss the other features that this platform offers. Cost: Price is determined on the scale of contacts. Please refer to the company’s pricing matrix.
All niche CRM platforms are rated on the same scale as traditional CRM but scaled to other similar software. Datrm.in is not intended to be compared to the platforms listed above. We are working on providing reviews for more “niche” CRM platforms. Once we have reviewed and published this content, this blog post will be updated accordingly.
- Campaigns and organizations who need enterprise CRM solutions should use Salesforce.
- Beginners and bargain hunters can’t go wrong if they deploy either ZoHo CRM Plus or Agile CRM. Both platforms are exceptional and serve as cost-effective alternatives to the behemoth that is Salesforce.
- For those in need of a donor-oriented CRM that’s specialized and easy to deploy, use Datrm.in. Though this app is a niche product, Datrm.in received high marks for its lightweight nature, speed, and the ease of use for new users.
More from Telegraph & Lincoln Network
- Telegraph Picks: The Best Email Marketing Platforms for Campaigns – Too often, campaigns resort to the worst possible software solutions for their marketing stacks. That’s why we thought it would be essential to put the email platforms that we’ve identified and reviewed head-to-head.
- Telegraph Picks: The Best CMS Systems – Content management systems (CMS) are vital for the success of any organization. Ensuring that your CMS meets your needs is essential to the success of any organization; many nonprofits, lacking in-house tech expertise, require an easy-to-deploy CMS with drag-and-drop editing functionality to be successful online.