SaaS Companies are Companies that offer software applications over the Internet through subscription-based models. SaaS stands for Software as a Service . Have you ever considered implementing a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software in your SaaS? If you are not familiar, CRM is an automation system that is designed specifically to aid businesses in making the most of their customer data. A comprehensive customer relationship management (CRM) is one of the most essential tools to create a greater impact on your business. The best crm for saas startups should be simple and should make easy to access customer details from anywhere in the world.
CRM is the strategy of a corporate firm to communicate and deal with its existing and probable customers. There are no two opinions about the fact that for any businessman or business firm, “Customer is GOD”. This is known and maintained since time immemorial. Thus, it is very important to build good relationships with potential customers in order to maintain the smooth running of the business.
SaaS or Software-as-a-Service is“on-demand” software where software is developed and then licensed to companies. SaaS has different types of uses in different platforms. It can be used by private individuals or by business firms for business purposes. SaaS is a very user-friendly and cost efficient service which is useful for small or medium-sized organizations.
Salesforce CRM
Salesforce CRM software is such software which has everything under one roof. It will fulfill all the demands that a CRM software user has. The best feature of this software is – the user company’s executive team can access the software anywhere they want whether it is inside or on the field. Users can have a trail of the total list of customers in a single place to analyze a number of details together. The main features are – partner management, opportunity management, sales data management and forecasting, marketing automation along with a contact manager to assemble the information and assess the leads to make successful deals with customers. The contact manager module is very useful as it covers all essential customer information like the history of the Customer Company, social status, and reputation in the market [from the social media], communication details. Analysis of these can make or break a deal. Along with this module, the reports and dashboard feature provides aid in collecting detailed reports and data for in-depth analysis. Besides customer management, the field of competition also needs to be kept in mind. Salesforce CEM’s sales collaboration module finds out information about competitors in the market and provides deal tracking facility. It has 4paid versions too which has a lot more useful modules.
Microsoft Dynamics 365
The CRM is available as an on-premises, cloud-based as well as a hybrid solution. It includes advanced features such as social insights, business intelligence and seamless integration with Microsoft productivity apps. The solution unifies different aspects of businesses including data, processes and people and helps them boost profitability and quickly adapt to changing situations. Data-driven recommendations and insights, a comprehensive view of customers and AI-driven workflows enable businesses to make intelligent decisions and achieve rapid innovation.
Pricing starts from $115/user/month (Customer Engagement Plan), while Unified Operations and Dynamics 365 plan costs $190 and $210 per user, per month respectively. Unified Operations plan includes finance and operation, retail and talent management, while Dynamics 365 Plan offers even more functionality for large businesses.
Key features and capabilities
- Sales and customer services
- Finance and operations
- Talent management
- Retail management
- Project service automation
- Marketing
- AI-driven insights
- Microsoft Forms Pro
- Power Apps
- Office 365 and LinkedIn integration
GoSquared
Best for: SaaS companies who want to automate marketing and guide sales actions based on real user website activity.
GoSquared’s Customer Data Hub allows you to track website users in real-time, segment users easily, and get an overview of every lead’s or customer’s activity on your site. SaaS companies use it primarily to trigger marketing campaigns based on real user behaviour, reduce churn proactively, and prioritise follow-up actions with leads.
Zoho CRM
Zoho has a lot of business solutions programs and one of it includes the Zoho CRM software. Zoho CRM software can be used for both large-scale business and small entrepreneurs. The main features of the Zoho CRM include – management of CRM workflow, purchase control, sales force automation, sales pipeline management, management of customer contacts and leads along with account management. The software has an Opportunity Tracking module which not only informs about the position of the customer in the buying cycle but also updates about deal history, deals size and the profile of the competitor. This information could be used in suitable ways to grab customers and finalize deals with them.
With the help of the app users get crucial leads about company officials visiting websites and receive an outlook about customers from events like trade fairs, seminars, and emails. The software has modules for routine business task automation, analyze customers on multiple domains and track the sales of the company. The social media prominence of the user company can be increased using the software to get contacts and leads from the company’s social sites. There are no free versions of this software and prices start from $12 per user per month.
Oracle CX Cloud Suite
Oracle CX (Customer Experience) suite offers a comprehensive set of functionalities that go beyond automation of sales force and help businesses increase revenues and sale engagements. Adaptive and actionable intelligence equips sales teams with the information they need to close more deals in less time.
The solution helps businesses deliver outstanding customer experiences and gain a competitive advantage. The suite is a set of integrated apps that cover the whole customer lifecycle. Pricing information is available by quote and depends on a variety of factors including the number of users and scope of the project.
Key features and capabilities
- Marketing Cloud
- Commerce Cloud
- Engagement Cloud
- Service Cloud
- CPQ Cloud
- Subscription Management
- Loyalty Cloud
- Social Cloud
- Data Cloud
- CX Platform and Industry
Ontraport
Best for: SaaS marketing teams that want to automate emails and SMS messages.
Ontraport is a great option for SaaS teams that do not sell via demos, calls, and contracts but rather only have a self-service funnel. With Ontraport, product and marketing teams can set up automated emails and pop-up forms based on user activity. It can also be used to send SMS communications, such as appointment reminders, purchase confirmations, and promotions. Note that it’s not exclusively designed for SaaS companies and is also utilised by membership sites and infopreneurs.
SugarCRM
SugarCRM is very user-friendly for small business or start-up entrepreneurs. It doesn’t have any complicated and elaborate pricing framework along with a lot of add-ons; rather makers of this software have made it as easy as possible to understand. Users who don’t want to spend a lot of time on customization should go for SugarCRM. Even then it has endless customization options.
It provides one of the best customer services among all the picked up CRM tools and is best suited for start-up developers. The Business News Daily awarded SugarCRM the Best CRM software for Start-up in May 2018.
Base CRM/ ZenDesk Sell
Previously known as PipeJump and Future Simple, Base CRM/ZenDesk Sell is a comprehensive sales automation solution that covers pipeline management, email and phone communication, sales forecasting and reporting and lead management. Automated scoring rules make lead prioritization easier and help sales team to stay focused on the ones that really matter.
The intuitive UI provides complete visibility into the sales pipeline and keeps teams updated with accurate, relevant and up-to-date information. The CRM allows users to customize sales stages such as including leads and records to all sales deals in the pipeline. Real-time visual reporting makes things clearer and present information in an easily digestible form.
Key features and functionalities
- Pipeline management
- Lead and opportunity management
- Automated scoring rules
- Full-funnel analytics
- Enterprise-grade mobile apps
- Personalized, bulk emailing
- Sales forecasting and reporting
- Task automation
- Customized notifications
- Advanced permissions
- Advanced call analytics
Freshsales
This advanced CRM software tool not only provides normal CRM modules but also unique features like auto-dialers, call recording, call routing, and affiliate management. The tool uses a number of communication channels to import leads as well as authenticate, distribute and develop them. The main advantage of freshsales is that it can be used to control more than thousands of leads using a single contact management system.
In this CRM tool, previous events can be easily tracked so that they can be utilized to plan future deals. Besides this great feature sales personnel can detect whether emails have been read or simply ignored. So users get a clear picture of the sales process at different stages and they can plan the future steps accordingly. The software provides 24*7 customer care service over the phone or live chats. FinanceOnline awarded Freshsales with the Great User Experience 2017 Award.
Nutshell
Best for: SaaS sales teams that want a simpler solution so they can focus on leads, not software.
Nutshell is an up-and-coming SaaS CRM that’s a great fit for younger SaaS startups who don’t want to mess with complicated software in order to start selling. It includes simplified sales automation, team collaboration, performance tracking, pipeline management, and contact management features. Customers love it because it supports healthy sales habits and enables automation without requiring months of training to get anything done.
Conclusion
Businesses are rapidly moving toward Software-as-a-Service model. This model has its own set of problems you need to plan for. We have listed down some best CRM software for Saas-based startups; this will help your startup in the long term and make your company run smoothly without any hassle.