If you run an online business, you know how difficult it is to keep your head above water when it comes to managing customer interactions. It's all too easy to lose track of leads, miss follow-ups, and find your inbox overflowing with customer queries.
The good news? CRM software can turn the tide to provide some much-needed clarity. Contrary to common misconceptions, it's not meant for corporate giants alone.
Businesses of all sizes can use CRM software to centralize customer data, automate tedious tasks, and streamline their sales process for stronger customer relationships.
But with a sea of CRM options out there, how do you choose? What features are must-haves for online businesses? And how do you implement your chosen CRM effectively?
This article covers everything you need to know about CRM for online businesses. We'll explore essential features, present our favorite CRMs, and share best practices for CRM rollouts. Stay with us.
Why Does Your Online Business Need CRM Software?
Sure, you might be getting by without CRM software. But while you're tracking interactions across spreadsheets, your competitors are using CRM software to stay several steps ahead.
It may sound harsh, but with today’s higher customer expectations, it's the reality. From ecommerce stores to agencies, every online business can benefit from having CRM software.
Statistics confirm this too. 45% of businesses saw higher revenue and 47% saw higher customer retention rates thanks to CRM software. Others also saw up to 300% higher conversion rates and roughly 50% higher sales productivity with CRM software.
CRMs work as your command center for all things customer-related. Every email, chat, support ticket, and transaction is captured and organized to help you pinpoint exactly where each customer is in their journey.
This way, you anticipate needs accurately, resolve issues faster, and deliver personalized experiences at scale.
Essential CRM Features for Online Businesses
Nowadays, using CRM software is table stakes. To drive actual results for your online business, you need a solution equipped with the right CRM features for your use case.
To that end, keep these seven features on your radar when shopping for CRM software:
- Contact Management: This is the heart of any CRM. Contact management keeps all your customer information—names, emails, transaction history—in one centralized location to give you a 360-degree view of each client.
- Sales Automation: Leave grunt work in the capable hands of technology. A decent CRM helps you visualize your sales process and automates workflows (e.g., follow-up emails). This frees up your team's time to focus on building relationships and closing deals.
- Ecommerce Features: If you run an ecommerce store, you want CRM software equipped to handle ecommerce-related operations like real-time order tracking and invoice management.
- Analytics and Reporting: A CRM provides insightful reports on customer behavior, sales performance, and marketing effectiveness. This intel lets you make data-driven decisions and optimize your business strategy for greater impact.
- Lead Management: Never lose track of leads again. CRM software helps you nurture leads with targeted campaigns, track their progress through the sales funnel, and identify the most promising opportunities for conversion.
- Integration Capabilities: Integration helps you "connect the dots" effortlessly across relevant channels. CRM software integrates with your existing tech stack and streamlines your workflow for a truly unified customer experience.
- Customer Support: Last but certainly not least, decent CRM software empowers your support team by providing a complete customer history. This way, they resolve issues faster and personalize the support experience to drive up customer loyalty.
These features work together to streamline operations, boost sales, and enhance customer satisfaction. The outcome? You foster stronger customer relationships and position your online business for sustainable growth.
5 Top CRM Software for Your Online Business
Sifting through today’s CRM market to find your ideal software is no cakewalk. There are lots and lots of options to consider.
To save you the trouble, we've narrowed it down to five top contenders—each bringing something unique to help support your online business goals. Let’s take a look.
Instantly Dealflow
G2 Rating: 4.9/5 ⭐ from 2,741 reviews
Next to popular names, Instantly Dealflow may be the new kid on the block. But that doesn't make it any less effective. If anything, Dealflow is even more tuned in to the current needs and challenges businesses face today.
To cater to online business CRM needs, Dealflow seamlessly integrates email outreach, lead management, pipeline visibility, marketing automation, and analytics—all under one roof. This means you no longer have to juggle different tools to use different features.
Dealflow also deeply understands the nuances of the modern business sales cycle. So, it simplifies the process by focusing on the essentials, while still offering powerful AI-driven features to boost sales efficiency.
The cherry on top? Dealflow directly syncs with all other Instantly products to give you a truly unified business workflow. Try it for free today!
Standout Features
- AI assistant for personalized messaging
- Multichannel outreach across email, calls, and SMS
- Unlimited seats for your entire team on a fixed subscription
- Integration with other Instantly products and a robust lead database
- Deliverability network to keep your messages in inboxes—not spam
- Master inbox to keep all customer interactions centralized and easily accessible
Pricing
Instantly Dealflow’s monthly pricing tiers start at $37/month and go up to $358/month for its Light Speed tier. You also get a free trial to try out its features before committing.
HubSpot
G2 Rating: 4.4/5 ⭐ from 11,371 reviews
HubSpot is a household name in the CRM world—and for good reason. More than just a CRM, HubSpot is a full-blown growth platform designed for businesses of all sizes. From marketing to sales to customer service, HubSpot offers a bit of everything.
HubSpot's most appealing feature is arguably its free forever CRM. It’s a decent choice for online businesses looking for a basic CRM to streamline their customer journey at zero cost.
Standout Features
- Marketing automation tools for email campaigns and lead nurturing
- Free forever CRM with basic contact management and deal tracking
- Built-in live chat and ticketing system for exceptional customer service
Pricing
HubSpot's basic CRM is free forever. Its premium version plan starts at $15/month/seat for small teams and $90/month for businesses and enterprises.
Freshsales
G2 Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐ from 1,185 reviews
Freshsales (Freshworks CRM) is a collaborative CRM designed for online businesses and sales teams that prioritize teamwork.
It fosters seamless communication between sales, marketing, and customer support teams to keep everyone in sync and meet customer needs efficiently.
Standout Features
- Shared team inbox for centralized communication and collaboration
- Built-in phone and video calling for seamless customer interactions
- Customizable dashboards and reports for data-driven decision-making
Pricing
Freshworks offers a 21-day free trial. Paid plans start at $11/user/month and go up to $71/user/month for the enterprise plan.
Zendesk
G2 Rating: 4.2/5 ⭐ from 485 reviews
Zendesk is the customer service powerhouse of CRMs. While it offers great selling features, its origin as a help desk platform shines through in its customer support capabilities.
Zendesk CRM also integrates seamlessly with other Zendesk products, making it a great choice for businesses already in the Zendesk ecosystem.
All in all, if your online business prioritizes customer service (and it should), Zendesk is worth considering.
Standout Features
- Sales reporting and analytics for data-driven insights
- Automated workflows and pipeline management to streamline sales
- Integration with other Zendesk products for a holistic approach to customer relationships
Pricing
Like many others, Zendesk CRM offers a free trial. Its paid plans start at $25 per agent/month and go up to $149 per agent/month for its professional plan.
Bigin by Zoho CRM
G2 Rating: 4.5/5 ⭐ from 384 reviews
Bigin by Zoho CRM answer to small business CRM needs. It's like the compact car of CRMs—small, efficient, and perfect for zipping through your daily tasks.
If you're a small online business or just starting out, Bigin offers essential CRM features without overwhelming you with complexity—and at affordable prices.
Standout Features
- Kanban-style sales pipeline for clear visualization of your sales process
- User-friendly interface to manage customer interactions easily
- Web & mobile access for managing your CRM on the go
- Integration with popular email and productivity tools
Pricing
Bigin by Zoho gives users a free forever plan. Its monthly paid plan is set at C$11/user/month while its premier plan is C$15/month, making it one of the most affordable CRMs on the market.
Key Implementation Steps for a Successful CRM Rollout
You've chosen your CRM software. Now let's bring it to life in your online business operations. Follow these steps to ensure a smooth, effective CRM rollout:
Set Clear Goals
Define what success looks like with specific, measurable goals for your CRM implementation.
Are you looking to increase sales by 20%? Improve customer retention rates? Streamline your support process? Having clear goals guides your setup and helps measure your return on sales.
Clean, Prep, and Migrate Your Data
Before adding your existing data to the CRM, you'll need to clean, standardize, and de-duplicate it. This can be a big task, especially if your data is spread across multiple databases and locations.
A best practice here is to move things in phases, starting with essential data and gradually adding more.
Customize and Integrate
Tailor the CRM to your unique business processes—but don't go overboard with customizations. Start by customizing the software based on your set goals or CRM strategy.
Next, integrate the CRM with your existing tools, be it email, ecommerce platforms, marketing automation software, etc. Finally, test these integrations thoroughly to ensure smooth data flow.
Train Your Team
This step involves equipping your staff to use the CRM effectively. How? By providing a training program that covers basic functionality, advanced features, and best practices.
Consider using different learning styles to bring your team up to speed—whether that’s hands-on workshops, video tutorials, or written guides. And don't forget to make training ongoing (as needed) rather than a one-time event.
Monitor Progress and Optimize
Once your CRM is up and running, it’s time to compare results with expectations. Track KPIs like adoption rates and feedback to understand how the CRM works for your online business.
Are there features your team isn't using or processes causing friction? Based on the results, you can make adjustments to help you get the most out of your CRM software.
Key Takeaways
CRM software is a game-changer for online businesses. It streamlines customer interactions, keeps your team in sync, fosters stronger relationships, and ultimately boosts sales performance.
To recap:
- When selecting CRM software, prioritize features like contact management, sales automation, lead management, customer support, and analytics.
- Instantly Dealflow, HubSpot, Freshsales, Zendesk, and Bigin by Zoho CRM are a few of the top CRM choices available today for online businesses.
- Ensure a smooth CRM rollout by setting clear goals, customizing the CRM to suit your needs, cleaning your data, training your team to use the CRM, monitoring progress regularly, and adjusting accordingly.
Ready to drive stronger customer relationships with CRM software? Sign up for Instantly Dealflow today!
