26, September, 2024
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Best CRM Software for Consulting
Biography
David Lee brings over 3 years of CRM experience to the table, with a proven track record of success in helping businesses leverage technology to achieve their customer relationship goals. He is a data-driven CRM strategist with a keen understanding of how to utilize CRM systems to gain actionable customer insights and personalize customer interactions. David is a regular contributor to industry publications and frequently speaks at CRM conferences, sharing his knowledge and best practices with the CRM community. He holds a Master's degree in Business Administration (MBA) with a specialization in Marketing.
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Latest Update:
Sep 16, 2024, 8:45 am
In a Nutshell
I’ve spent enough time working with consulting firms to know that having the right software is vital to the overall results. One of the ways that you can benefit your company is by having a decent CRM for consulting businesses.
But what is a CRM, how do you know you found the right one, and how does it help your business? In this article, I’ll look at precisely that and explore the ins and outs of customer relationship management software in detail. Let’s get into it.
6 Best CRM Software for Consulting
After thorough testing and evaluation, I’ve discovered the following tools as the best Consulting CRM software:
- Capsule CRM – Best CRM Platform for Scalability
- Freshsales – Best CRM Platform for Tech Consultantsr
- HubSpot – Best Free CRM for Consulting
- Keap – Best Premium Consulting CRM Software
- Zendesk – Best CRM to Manage Interactions with Customers
- Zoho CRM – Best Affordable, Comprehensive CRM
What Is a Customer Relationship Management Software (CRM)?
I consider customer relationship management, or CRM software, a handy tool that does what it sounds like. It allows you to manage your customer system, optimize workflows, and integrate various parts of your company into a single cohesive whole.
Depending on your company’s niche, good CRM software can do everything from streamlining the sales pipeline to ensuring that tasks get done on time. It may integrate chatbot, live chat, and other forms of communication, or it may focus on marketing and ad management.
In my opinion, the right customer relationship management software for your business is the one that provides the tools you need to operate at your best capacity.
How Can a CRM Software Help Your Consulting Business?
Because CRM software is so diverse and performs such a broad array of tasks, the ways it can help your consulting business are almost limitless.
Here are a few of my favorite ways that consulting CRM software benefits the businesses that use it:
- It allows you to automate parts of the sales process – many parts of the sales process are incredibly repetitive. By taking advantage of automation and, in some cases, artificial intelligence and machine learning, you can expedite your sales process significantly. This approach also frees up valued staff to perform more profitable tasks.
- It facilitates better structuring of the sales pipeline – few companies realize just how messy the sales pipeline can be. A good consulting CRM software will allow you to map your sales pipeline, so you can see where to streamline it. It can even help you see areas where you’re leaving money on the table by not taking full advantage of your sales potential.
- It creates and stores email templates for ready access and quick use – From a consulting firm to a sales group, email is the backbone of modern sales. The right consulting CRM software will help create email templates for common uses. You can even automate sending specific emails in response to specific occurrences.
- It enables you to manage your to-do list of sales activity – The right CRM for your business will help you plan every part of the sales process, from lead generation to follow-up phone calls and managing a client’s orders when you close a sale.
- It offers detailed reporting and forecasting – A good CRM for consulting businesses will help you keep track of your sales over any given time. It will also predict likely sales over future periods based on past results.
If you’re looking for the best CRM system for your consulting business, you’re at the right place. In the following sections, I’ll examine what I consider the best CRM for consultants.
Top 6 CRM Solutions for Consulting businesses
Starts at $18 per user per month
In my opinion, Capsule is a great CRM for growing businesses. It has an array of price points ranging all the way from free to Enterprise.
The company incorporates almost all of these standard CRM tools into its product line, and you can use them to do everything from automation to integration and customer interaction.
Since it’s a pay-as-you-go service, you can easily upgrade whenever your business is in a position to do so.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Scalability
- Free plan available
- Subscription price
- Many Integrations
Cons
- Limited features in the free plan
- Higher plans might be expensive for smaller businesses
Starts at $15 per user per month
Freshworks is a well-known name in business software applications. It has brought the wealth of its experience to bear on Freshsales CRM.
With highly affordable price points, and comprehensive artificial intelligence and automation tools, this is the best CRM for consultant firms in technological industries.
From automation to customer service and account management, Freshsales does it all.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Includes AI-powered tools in all paid plans
- Features a basic built-in VoIP phone service with virtual numbers
- Supports global transactions
- Affordability in paid plans
Cons
- The built-in phone system lacks advanced cloud-based call management features
- Additional charges apply for excess bot sessions
- No volume discount is available for purchasing a large number of seats
- Weekday support only
Starts at $45 per user per month
In my opinion, HubSpot is one of the best free software suites for business processes. It offers everything from CRM to marketing software.
While your business is small, you can use core versions of everything CRM-related. Later, you can scale up and take full advantage of the paid business suite.
This CRM for consulting simplifies most sales-related tasks through customer support, productivity analysis, and lead generation for prospective clients.
If you’re just getting started and cash flow is tight, you can always opt for the company’s free tools. They’re a lot more limited and will have Hubspot branding, but you’ll still be able to streamline business processes and task management.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Suitable for different business types
- Has a free plan option
- 24/7 customer support
- Flexible payment options for customers
Cons
- Email and in-app chat support not available on the free plan
- Multi-language content is available only on the enterprise payment plan
Starts at $159 per user per month
Keap is a full-fledged financial software offering everything you need in a small business consulting CRM. The products are entirely scalable, and you can easily upgrade to bigger versions as your company grows.
In my opinion, this is probably one of the most comprehensive CRM programs on this list, covering everything from customer data and customer relationships to marketing campaigns and automating sales processes.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Streamlined and easy to use interface
- Tag users based on their actions
- Easy to set up and launch new campaigns
- Easy to integrate with other apps
Cons
- Email sequence builder is a bit clunky
- Comes with a learning curve
Free Plan: No
Starting at $19
Zendesk is a popular software for many different reasons. One of the main ways people use this particular website is to improve customer retention by building customer relationships. If you’ve spent time around websites offering online services, you’ve probably been in touch with a Zendesk representative.
This company is one of the top names in client communication and operates the live chat, SMS line, and email service for many small consulting businesses.
Its key features are much more comprehensive, including pipeline management, marketing automation, and service automation.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Limited features
Cons
- Perfect for costumer contact
Starts at $16 per user per month
Many small consulting businesses rely on Zoho to streamline and simplify their sales activities. In my experience, this is one of the most comprehensive modular operating systems for business.
I’ve found that it has uses for every part of the entire sales pipeline. From lead generation to marketing features, sales cycle analysis to client servicing, Zoho truly does it all.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Affordable pricing plans, including a free option
- Automation is available on all plans
- Multiple integrations on paid plans
- 30- to 45-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- AI features are only available on top tiers
- Slight learning curve
- Support can be slow to respond
Choosing the Best Consulting CRM Software for Your Business
I realize that buying consulting CRM software is a challenging decision. Depending on whether you’re an independent consultant or a small consulting business, your needs can differ significantly.
Whenever people ask me what the best CRM software is for their business, I always take them through a series of questions. Ultimately, no one can choose the best CRM for consultants better than the consultants themselves.
Before choosing a CRM system for your business, consider the following:
- What are you hoping to accomplish?
- If your sales team wants to improve its ability to communicate with clients, the best CRM software for you will revolve around ticketing and communications networks.
- If you’re interested in marketing automation and streamlining business processes, consider a CRM solution focusing on Task management and mapping sales pipelines.
- How large is your business?
- A large consulting business or firm will need more extensive systems than a single independent consultant. It’s senseless paying for a 50,000 contact CRM for consultants when you barely have 500.
- What is your budget?
- Again, larger businesses have a larger budget and can afford to pay for larger packages. If you’re starting out or a small company, consider a free or inexpensive CRM for consultants. While some CRM tool uses may have limitations on free versions, it’s often enough for small consulting companies.
Answer these questions and make a list of the following:
- How much you’re willing to spend,
- Which tools you need,
- How big your databases need to be
This way, you can quickly narrow down the tools listed to find the best CRM for you.
Does CRM Software Expedite the Sales Process?
In the right hands, CRM software expedites the sales process by streamlining pipelines and helping to automate processes. The more streamlined the channel, the more efficient your sales performance will be.
If you’re considering marketing automation or a CRM for consultants, I’d definitely recommend trying out one of the software options I’ve listed above.
Final Thoughts
Whether you have a large consulting firm or you’re an independent consultant, CRM software can help you manage existing clients and improve customer experience.
I’ve listed some of my favorite CRM software in this article, and all of them offer something different:
- Hubspot is a great free option for small companies
- Zoho is affordable
- Zendesk is a recognized name in customer service
- Keap is a wonderful complete service package for larger firms
- Freshsales makes terrific use of artificial intelligence
- Capsule offers pay-as-you-go CRM services
I urge you to look at each of them in detail and use the questions above to narrow down the right choice for your business.
For the best possible customer relationship management, you can’t go wrong with good software. It can make the difference between finding new customers or losing old ones.
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