Zoho CRM

For a small business that is just starting out, Zoho CRM would be a good choice because it is great value for money, and this is especially important when you are working within tight budget restrictions.

Just because it is not the most expensive option out there, does not mean that the software is lacking in any way. There has been no skimping or cutting of corners on the key features that are so important to have within a CRM package, such as automated sales, marketing and customer services functionality.

Benefits of Zoho

The company have thought about the set-up process, and have made it really user-friendly for customers to set up and use. They have cut down on the number of clicks needed to perform actions within each module. This saves a lot of time-wasting and messing around, and customising the system to suit your needs is far less stressful than some other CRM systems. You are able to set up workflows and rules for several different business processes, which is a great time-saving function in itself.

Zoho CRM gives you quite a comprehensive tool set to manage your products, sales quotes, price books, vendors, orders, and business invoices to complete your whole sales cycle. It is simple to generate and send quotes to prospective clients, accounts, or networking contacts directly from the CRM, or if you prefer you can simply print or create a PDF file to pass on. There is no need to create a separate invoice or sales order, as you can convert an existing quote through the click of a button. These tools are incredibly convenient and time-saving.

Zoho's Best Features

• Mobile Integration
  If you are on the move for a large part of the day, you can quickly and easily access your Zoho CRM account from any mobile device, providing you have an Internet connection. You can also access your data offline, and synchronize your work later on with your CRM system through a tablet or smartphone. Some of the very useful mobile features include incoming and outgoing call logging, viewing, amending or deleting records, and the ability to send emails directly.
• Social Engagement
  You can communicate and engage with your social media contact through your Zoho account, and get updates about your activities on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, allowing you to stay engaged with your followers, existing customers and prospective clients at all times.
• Easy to report and visualise data
  There are a number of pre-built reports that you can access and run in real time, or schedule for a later time, for example following the completion of a sales campaign. If you prefer to create your own reports that are tailored to suit your own needs, then you can do this too and also export them in Excel, CSV, or as a PDF.
  
  You can also create useful charts from your data, and have them presented in different styles such as bar, pie, funnel, or line. Your dashboard will also give you a visual representation of your reports in one view. Your charts will be displayed dynamically through the use of Adobe Flash technology, and you will be able to drill down through any chart that you generate. Analysing results is simple as you can click on a chart to get the relevant data set needed. This can give you a great overview of your overall results, and highlight areas that need more work.
• Customer and Technical Support
  You can get assistance quickly when you need it through email and live chat, phone support, remote assistance, and customer portal access are available for paid customers. For free user, email response time is two business days. You can also access a knowledge base, blog and FAQs if needed.

Zoho Prices

Limitations of Zoho

Zoho creates its own apps that you can integrate with your CRM, but if you are looking for something a bit more powerful to supplement your system, there isn't much on offer from the Zoho marketplace. You may have to resort to using the Developer API to integrate other applications.