CRM stands for customer relationship management. It refers to methods and procedures used by a firm to develop and sustain good connections with its clients. Small businesses' development and success are dependent on their strong relationships with customers, which is why CRM tools offer a good solution for managing your customer relations effectively.

Customer retention is as important as good customer service, and the best CRM tools will include processes to optimize sales and marketing procedures. The best CRM systems will assist you in every aspect of a customer's experience with your company, whether it is using email marketing, targeted advertising, loyalty and referral systems, or other methods.

Which CRM software should I use to improve customer relationships?

There is no uniform solution - the best CRM software for your business depends on what you want from your contact management. You'll want a CRM system that allows you to identify new opportunities and unique techniques based on CRM data. A good CRM software will use AI to provide intelligent insight, as well as making it easier for you and your staff to handle administrative duties. There is a number of good tools out there to help you with your CRM. Customer relationship management has to be tailored to your business - so it is key to choose the right tool. Some are eg designed to support large businesses which means they are more costly. Here is our list of more cost-effective solutions to improve customer satisfaction in small businesses:

HubSpot: HubSpot is a comprehensive inbound marketing platform that includes a variety of CRM solutions. While its premium service is designed for large-scale businesses, small companies can use HubSpot's free CRM. HubSpot allows marketing automation, schedule quote and track sales, use templates to assist task management and generate sales reports. HubSpot has a customer service suite which is great for connecting with customers and supporting them with any queries. There is ticket creation bots, reporting tools, email templates, and more. The software also offers its own award-winning CMS for content creation and management. This comes with SEO tools, adaptive testing, free website themes, and more.

Keap: Keap's CRM is recognized for its user-friendly and efficient platform. It is popular among small business owners who are less tech-savvy but still want to cut down on the time spent on CRM. With over 20 years of expertise, Keap is more than qualified. Keap has a number of useful functions - optimizing email campaigns with tracking and customer data analysis, automating processes for attracting and contacting potential customers (great for your sales team!), and a selection of templates.

Freshworks CRM: Powered by AI, this software can help establish personalized customer journeys based on their insights. Freshwork's CRM technology lets you track the progress of potential deals, provides insights and forecasts, and categorizes customers depending on their engagement levels.

Salesforce: Small business owners tend to like the Salesforce Customer 360 Platform, which provides a tailored suite suited for fast-growing companies. The sales process can be automated with Salesforce. Sales force automation allows your staff to focus on what they do best. Salesforce is a CRM that truly understands its customers, saving its users manual data entry and admin work while providing AI-powered solutions like natural chatbot support for consumers. Customer service agents can use automated tools to improve their productivity by keeping track of all customer interactions in one place. Prebuilt performance dashboards assist small company executives in optimizing their customer care processes.