My 2024 Streak CRM Review – Key Features and Benefits

What Can Streak CRM Do for Your Business?

Streak is a CRM solution that focuses on collaboration, and it’s built into a tool that many businesses already use: Gmail. It’s aimed at startups and small businesses whose core activities include sales. There are tools for several industries, including real estate, travel agencies, business funding, and venture capital.

The seamless Google integration is what makes this CRM software stand out from the crowd, which is enhanced by the fact that it’s a Google Partner. Accessing Streak CRM is straightforward and different from other solutions, as the Streak extension in Chrome does the heavy lifting. For mobile users, the native iOS and Android apps keep you connected and able to collaborate wherever you go.

The ability to add CRM benefits to an interface you’re already familiar with means no time is lost on a steep learning curve. Instead, you get an overview of your sales process that helps your business grow. The visibility and automated features mean you’ll have the context you need to be more productive and never miss an opportunity. 

The tools revolve around several different business processes, including sales, business development, hiring, fundraising, product development, and support. Let’s take a closer look at how this computer software works and what it can do.

Streak CRM Key Features

Streak CRM enhances the tools you already have to save time and stay on top of the various business demands that are crucial to your success. It utilizes AI for repetitive tasks, such as data entry, as well as insights and suggestions to improve decision-making.

Gmail Integration

The Streak extension or native apps connect to your Gmail account once you sign in. There isn’t a new platform to use and navigate. Instead, it seamlessly integrates with your existing Gmail inbox, which includes your calendar, contacts, and Google Drive files.

Since this CRM specializes in coming to you where you already work, all you have to do is explore the new tabs and features available in your Gmail inbox. Organization becomes much easier, especially when it comes to gathering relevant communications together. You can create a box where emails, contact details, notes, files, tasks, and call logs are available in one place for you to track.

You can collaborate via Gmail by adding other team members to boxes, tasks, and pipelines. Plus, there are advanced options for your emails, including mail merge to simplify sending mass emails and thread splitter to separate messages when new topics are introduced, so you can keep each conversation on track.

Pipeline Management

You can track your sales right from your inbox. The pipeline management tool is available to those who have subscribed to the Pro plan or higher. Here is where Streak CRM’s email power tools combine with attractive visualizations to keep you productive and organized. The feature works well for sales processes, including lead nurturing and lead management. Checking the last email and if it’s time to follow up is a breeze. 

The pipeline can help you track any kind of deal, as you can add custom elements depending on your needs. To save you time, there are also pipelines for different businesses and departments. 

Your support team can track tickets, and a hiring manager can stay on top of the recruitment process. The color-coding for each stage appears in your inbox, so it’s easy to track progress at a glance.

Email Tracking and Engagement Analytics

The Gmail sidebar is where most of the magic happens, although Streak CRM has popups and tools that fill the main screen, too. When you open an email, you can gain all of the context about a deal, including any custom fields you’ve added. Streak does the hard work by matching email filters, such as the domain or address, to bring you all the relevant information. 

The email tracking features help you maximize opportunities and improve your messages. You can see when an email is viewed, where, and how often it is opened, which means you can contact your lead when you’re already on their mind. You can reorganize your inbox based on who has recently opened your email and who hasn’t replied yet.

Besides finding out about email engagement, you can see how successful your emails are from analytics and get tips to improve. Streak CRM provides information on the success of subject lines, response rates, and more so you can hone your approach to close more deals.

Collaboration and Team Workflows

When gathering relevant data for you to track, Stream CRM doesn’t just focus on you, your team, or who is included in the thread. Everyone who is collaborating on a deal can get access to the relevant details, including boxes, comments, tasks, and emails. You set up the permissions so people will only see what’s relevant to them. 

That works across different departments, too. If an existing customer has contacted support, the sales team can check in and read the conversation and any notes from their inboxes. Not only will you appear more professional and on the ball, but you’ll be able to act fast when it comes to upselling and other opportunities.

Task and Follow-Up Automation

Streak CRM saves you time by enabling you to automate repetitive tasks without leaving Gmail. The automation templates are handy starting points and include adding data captured from forms, alerts, mail merges, and data transfers. One of the most useful options is creating tasks and adding comments when a box changes stage.

The snippets tool lets you focus on sales while still maintaining flawless and cohesive communication. You can create several templates, including subject lines and message text, to cover your common responses. Crucially, you can share those with your team so that best practices and consistent messaging apply across the board.

Another way you can increase your efficiency is through automated follow-ups. When using the mail merge tool, you can schedule emails as automatic follow-ups for people who don’t reply. 

You can determine how long to wait, schedule it for later, and add additional follow-ups depending on the circumstances. Your messages will automatically use the same subject line, keeping them part of the thread.

Sending emails and setting up tasks aren’t the only automations that improve efficiency. Streak CRM makes using its tools easier with the option to auto-fill your pipeline. You can import data from a previous CRM or use the inbox analysis to find companies and contacts to add data to your pipeline quickly. Details include any contact details available, email threads with the team, and if they’re part of any other pipelines.

Streak Pricing Plan

When you install Streak, you can get started straight away with the free version. It covers the basic CRM features, including email tracking, up to 50 mail merges a day, collaboration, and snippets. For access to pipeline visibility and management and other advanced tools, you’ll need to subscribe to a paid subscription plan.

The three options are Pro, Pro+, and Enterprise. Streak offers a  20% discount on each plan if you choose to pay annually rather than monthly. The Pro plan is $49 per user per month or $59 if you choose the monthly option. Your mail merge allowance increases to 1,500 per day, and you will get access to more CRM features, including private and shared pipelines.

The Pro+ plan enhances your access to automation and reporting. It costs $69 per user per month with the annual subscription or $89 with a monthly subscription. The 14-day free trial gives you a taste of the Pro+ features if you’re thinking of upgrading from the free plan. With this version, you get the AI co-pilot, which provides insights, custom data views, suggested meeting agendas, field entries, and more.

Choosing the Pro+ plan means you get access to automated follow-ups for mail merge recipients and integrations with third-party tools, including Slack and Calendly. You can use the advanced Webhook API to connect to your internal systems, and the reporting options are more advanced.

You can contact the Streak team to discuss a move to the Enterprise plan. It includes priority support, as well as data validation and custom roles. It starts at $129 per user per month on the annual plan or $159 for a monthly subscription. Choose this plan if you want to ensure data is consistent, dedicated support, and custom permissions for access.

Is Streak CRM Easy to Use?

Since you access Streak via a Safari or Chrome extension on your desktop browser, it feels different compared to most other CRMs. It only makes sense to use this tool if your business is already using Gmail. However, if you are already using it, then you’ll be familiar with Google Workspace, enabling you to hit the ground running. 

The usual Gmail interface changes a little, so you’ll see Streak on your sidebar and other buttons and menu options added in different locations. It’s a seamless integration that follows Google’s intuitive approach, which makes it easy to use. Crucially, you don’t have to leave Gmail to complete any tasks, which adds to the time-saving aspect. 

On the other hand, when you launch a regular CRM platform in your browser, the features and functions are more obvious and easy to explore. With Streak, it’s the opposite, as you have to find out what it can do and then go looking for the options and features within the interface. It’s not a big deal, but it does mean you might miss out on some of its functions.

The onboarding process for paid subscribers includes more one-to-one support from the team. However, I can’t fault the training videos and resources available for users of the free plan. I particularly appreciate that the videos are available from the sidebar, so you can watch them while looking at the relevant area in your Gmail account. 

There are videos to cover most features and business processes, including emailing effectively, collaborating, and tracking leads. The introductory videos get you off to a good start. It’s worth looking at the information on the mail merge feature, pipelines, snippets, automation, and integrations, too. 

Available Integrations

Streak integrates with more than 9,000 apps, although your subscription plan will affect the options available to you. Most of the additional integrations come via Zapier. It also has an open API, making it easier to integrate with your internal systems.

• G Suite
• Zapier
• Typeform
• Calendly
• Google Forms
• Webhooks
• Google Chat
• Slack 

Is Streak a Fit for Small Business Needs?

Streak CRM is an excellent fit for small business needs. It’s aimed at startups and small businesses and also acts as a valuable tool for freelancers. The costs are the first sign that it’s a suitable option, as there’s a free plan with adequate features. Plus, the cost for the Pro plan is relatively affordable when you have a small number of users.

The ability to run email campaigns and track responses is part of Streak’s core appeal to small businesses. Additionally, small teams can collaborate, access centralized data, and save time thanks to the workflow, automation, and smooth integration with Gmail. 

The native mobile apps are a boost to small companies with agents out in the field. It’s the productivity tools that show what a difference this software can make to startups, as it keeps users focused on leads and urgent priorities and prevents missed opportunities.

It’s fairly flexible in terms of customization, especially for industry-specific tools. However, it’s not a suitable option for small businesses that want an all-in-one tool. The focus is on sales and communication via email; marketing and invoicing tools are not part of the package.

Free Version vs Paid Version

The free plan contains what Streak calls its email power tools. The email management service allows you to track emails with notifications when someone reads your message. With the free version, you can send personalized mass messages, create a library of common response templates, and split threads to follow specific topics.

While you can save time and boost productivity and sales with the free plan, a paid subscription is required for pipeline management and collaboration. With the Pro plan, you can create shared pipelines, which include the box function, where you can capture and store relevant meeting notes, communication logs, files, and comments all in one place.

If you need to take advantage of email sharing and Zapier or other integrations, then a paid plan is necessary. Overall, the paid plan is functional, but you aren’t able to use Streak to its full advantage.

While the Pro plan is a good step up and offers value for money, the Pro+ is the most appealing prospect. It gets rid of almost all the restrictions around integrations, automation, and reporting. Plus, the smart suggestions from the AI co-pilot increase the time-saving capabilities. Most companies will see benefits from the free, Pro, or Pro+ without needing the custom permissions that come with the Enterprise plan.

Which Companies Work with Streak CRM?

It’s clear that Streak can help larger companies and businesses in any industry based on the organizations it works with. There are teams from big names already feeling the benefits. 

• Uber
• WeWork
• Opendoor
• Blue Apron
• Keller Williams
• Techstars

Suitability Assessment

Choose Streak if:

• You’re a freelancer, startup, or small business that needs an affordable tool to track and manage emails
• You want to skip the learning curve that comes with a new platform and access tools straight from Gmail
• You want to create custom pipelines relevant to your business and collaborate within teams and between departments
• You’d like to save time by sending mass emails, automating follow-ups, and sharing response templates for consistency
• You want productivity tools, reporting, and insights for sales, recruitment, support, and fundraising teams

Avoid Streak if:

• You don’t use Gmail or the G Suite in your everyday business dealings or conduct most of your business via other communication methods
• You want your CRM to focus on marketing and social media
• You need invoicing, billing, and payment capabilities from your CRM