Close CRM – My Personal 2024 Review on Features and Usability

What Does Close CRM Do?

Close CRM software provides an all-in-one sales communication system. It’s ideal for business owners, sales teams, and other sales operations. Its products fall under the following categories:

• CRM System
• Communication
• Automation
• Sales AI

These categories ensure you have access to the right sales tool you need to grow every aspect of your business. The Close plans are also an all-in-one package so you can access all the categories and features in varying degrees with one subscription.

Close CRM is the right sales tool for companies that make various calls, whether you’re a call center or marketing company. The Power and Predictive Dialers help streamline your calls and generate leads as effectively as possible.

The Different Close Pricing Plans

Close has three paid packages, and no free version is available. However, it does offer a 14-day free trial with no credit card required. That means you can test the software briefly without being obligated to continue using it after 14 days. 

There’s also an on-demand demo available if you want a better understanding of what to expect before committing. However, if you’ve watched the demo and feel you want to give the software a go, then three possible packages are available:

• Startup: $59/user/month, billed monthly; 

$49/user/month, billed annually

• Professional: $109/user/month, billed monthly; 

$99/user/month, billed annually

• Enterprise: $149/user/month, billed monthly; 

$139/user/month, billed annually

The main differences between these packages are some of the feature limitations. The Startup package supports five workflows and one pipeline, while the Professional package supports 25 workflows and three pipelines. Meanwhile, the Enterprise plan allows 100 workflows and 10 pipelines.

The comparison table on the Close pricing page shows the differences between the packages. It shows what features are available with each package and any limitations on these features. The table also links detailed storage and usage limits, such as how many leads you can store per plan.

What’s Close’s CRM Software Best Known For?

Close was established in 2013, and though it doesn’t rank among the top 10 most-used CRMs, it’s still quite popular. Some statistics show that Close has around 137 customers, with a 0.03% market share. However, other sources indicate that the brand grew to have 500 customers in 2023, with a $6.2 million annual revenue.

Regardless of its figures, this brand is relatively popular, especially among small to mid-sized companies with a $1 million to $10 million annual revenue. Generally, these companies have between 10 and 50 employees, and the response to Close is overwhelmingly positive.

Close has won various categories in G2’s recognitions, from the Top 50 Companies in 2024 and Leader in Spring 2024 to Most Implementable Small Business in 2024 and Best Results in Spring.

Another reason for its popularity is the exceptional features it provides. In addition to the standard automation and marketing tools, I found a Sales AI, Power Dialer, and SMS features. Close support is also available through a dedicated phone line and email support. However, there’s no live chat feature available.

This system’s design is relatively simple compared to giants like Salesforce, but it’s a highly secure option. The software is SOC 2 Type 2 and GDPR + CCPA compliant, with permissions settings for team leaders. These settings ensure that team members can only see the information the leader wants them to see.

Unlike many industry-leading software programs, Close has more affordable packages. However, it doesn’t have a free version, and while more small businesses than large ones use it, I would say it’s best suited for small businesses that are about to become mid-sized or medium-large companies.

It’s also easy to scale your package, as you can upgrade or downgrade right in your account settings. Your subscription and the option to change it or subscribe to add-ons will be available.

Close CRM’s Key Features

As with any software, you can only fully understand it if you know its key features. The software’s features help you better understand what you can achieve using it. As such, I examine Close’s most essential features below.

Calling & SMS Features

Enhance your communication efforts using the calling and SMS features. Sales reps can enjoy a built-in calling feature, which helps reduce busy dial tones or searching for numbers. The best thing is that there are no additional fees for this feature. 

You can prospect globally, enable call recording, and monitor your calling activity. It also features a call assistant, predictive dialer, and call coaching. In addition to calling, the SMS channel is extensive. You can connect with clients faster using the built-in SMS and integrate it with your workflows. 

You can send an automatic SMS to follow up or confirm appointments. Further, it has competitive pricing, with rates starting at $0.01 per outgoing SMS. Part of the calling and SMS capability is integrating third-party apps like Zoom with this. As such, you can contact clients and partners via Zoom video calls for a more personal touch.

Multi-Channel Sales Outreach

Your multi-channel sales outreach capabilities ensure you can quickly contact clients and make sales. This helps your business enhance win rates and boosts client engagement with your sales reps. Close integrates email, phone calls, and SMS channels into your workflow.

When you perform a sale, you generally start by reaching out on the phone. This feature lets you build an automated workflow with reminders to reach out to customers. It’ll let you know when it’s best to call the customer versus emailing or SMSing them. 

It also smoothly integrates with other features, like automated workflows and a power dialer. A multi-channel sales outreach ensures you always retain customers by bugging them too much with calls or forgetting to send a follow-up text. It also allows you to tailor your sales approach to the preferences of the lead or client.

Workflow Automation

Automated workflows help streamline your daily operations and are critical for your pipelines and customer satisfaction. Luckily, Close can fully automate your workflows and let you add custom fields to improve them. While the packages limit the number of workflows to five, 25, and 100, it’s still more than enough for small businesses.

Create your first workflow immediately to let the program do the work for you. By automating workflows and specific tasks, you can re-engage opportunities and increase your referral rates. All of this together helps improve your customer’s lifetime value. 

If you’ve found a workflow that works for your team or operation, you can save a template and share it with your team members. It streamlines your operations and helps you boost your sales figures. You can also maintain and monitor automated workflows from one place, which quickly enables you to spot any gaps in the sales process.

Power Dialer

The Power Dialer is exceptional technology that helps streamline the work of your salespeople. It automatically dials the following number on the list after you finish a call, saving time with its software. The Power Dialer also sources the numbers for you, saving research time that could be better spent contacting leads.

The dialer automatically moves on to the following number if the call doesn’t connect. Lead history is available with each call, and you can continue with other tasks while the Dialer does its thing. Once a call connects, it’ll patch it through to you. 

Predictive dialing is also possible. It dials multiple numbers at once and patches through the ones that answer to available salespeople. This way, you can work through a more significant number of leads, which averages more daily leads. The conversion rate can be higher, which opens up time for sales reps to focus on other essential tasks.

Is Close Easy to Use Software?

This software is reported to have easy onboarding and a user-friendly interface. While I found that true for the most part, it’s also worth noting that freelancers or people using personal emails to sign up might experience some trouble. Manually signing up requires a dedicated work email, but you can bypass it by signing up via Gmail.

However, if the software believes your email or account to be “suspicious,” it’ll automatically terminate your trial period. You can contact support to rectify this, but there’s no information on what flags an account suspicious.

Still, once you have your account, adopting the system is easy, thanks to various resources. You can use the sales guide, webinars, on-demand demos, or help center to find the relevant information. Your account will also have a support and FAQ section to help you get started.

A collapsable sidebar helps you access all the pages and categories. It’s also available on any device, from desktop to tablet and mobile. Add custom fields in the Smart View section in your sidebar to gain instant access to analytics and categories you frequently check.

Companies Using Close CRM

Close has proven to be an excellent sales engagement CRM for small to medium companies. It maintains an average rating of 4.7/5 on platforms like G2, Capterra, GetApp, and Software Advice, so it’s no surprise that various companies use it. 

Most companies using this software are US-based, as it doesn’t yet have such a widespread customer base as well-known CRM systems. These companies include:

• Winlt
• MakeSpace
• Hipcamp
• Branch
• Toggl
• Studi
• IdeaPros
• Underground Ecom
• FTOCloud
• ChartMogul

Alternatives to Close Software

Close might be a growing brand trusted by hundreds of companies, but that doesn’t mean it’s the one for you. You might not like its interface, have trouble with signing up, or prefer something with a free version. I list three other sales engagement CRM software options below to help you find one that’s in a similar price range and a good alternative.

• Bitrix24
• Thryv CRM
• Salesforce

My Suitability Assessment

If you’re unsure whether this software fits your requirements, look at my suitability assessment. After thoroughly reviewing it, I list the reasons for and against it. While you should always choose a system your sales team can easily integrate, the following reasons might help point you in the right direction.

Choose Close CRM if:

• You’re a company that needs to make various calls, like a call center
• You require automated workflows and pipelines for a small sales team
• You’re a small to medium company with a slightly better budget
• You want to have an easy onboarding process with various resources
• You require an easily scalable solution
• You must have call tracking and easy reporting solutions for communications
• You want a user-friendly and customizable dashboard

Avoid Close CRM if:

• You want a free version of the software
• You’re a small company with a tight budget
• You’re working from a personal email or Gmail domain
• You want 24/7 customer support via live chat
• You have more than 10 pipelines or 100 workflows
• You’re a large company that requires a customizable solution