Disclosure: Your support keeps this site going strong! We may receive referral fees for the services we recommend on this blog. However, this does not impact our reviews and recommendations. All opinions expressed are our own.
Are you looking for an efficient CRM tool to boost the growth of your business? If this is the case, then you have surely come to the right blog post!
In this comprehensive guide, we will first let you know about a popular CRM option. And the name of this is Zoho CRM.
Also, we will do an honest Zoho CRM review, so that, you would be able to determine whether it is the right choice for your requirements or not.
Now, without any further ado, let’s dig into the discussion to gain a good understanding of this:
Zoho CRM Review 2023
Introduction
In the current dynamic business environment, it is incredibly challenging for businesses to acquire new customers and retain existing customers.
And it can be called a big reason why presently customer relationship management or CRM systems have turned out to be an important element for any business.
Whenever you consider searching for the “best CRM systems” on the internet, there are high chances for you to come across Zoho CRM.
It is typically a cloud-based business management platform that caters to all sizes of businesses. This platform is known for offering sales and marketing automation tools with analytics, helpdesk, and customer support functions.
We will uncover further details about this platform below:
Zoho CRM Review 2023:
Zoho CRM Review
Ease of Use (4.3/5)
[wppb progress=93 option="candystripe green" fullwidth=true]
Features (4.5/5)
[wppb progress=95 option="candystripe green" fullwidth=true]
Automation and Reporting (4.8/5)
[wppb progress=98 option="candystripe green" fullwidth=true]
Contact and Deal Management (4.8/5)
[wppb progress=98 option="candystripe green" fullwidth=true]
Help and Support (4.3/5)
[wppb progress=93 option="candystripe green" fullwidth=true]
Value for Money (4.2/5)
[wppb progress=93 option="candystripe green" fullwidth=true]
What Is Zoho CRM?
It is known to be one of the most popular and best CRM software (cloud-based) that is specially designed for small businesses and startups. A lot of people go for this platform as it is cost-effective, feature-rich, and user-friendly.
From the time of its emergence to till now, this robust CRM platform has successfully managed to empower more than 150,000 businesses in 180 countries.
Zoho CRM has helped these businesses in converting more leads, engaging with customers, and also generating more revenue. It is regarded as the best CRM for small businesses.
A majority of its customers include organizations that are associated with the media, tech, consulting, and real estate sectors.
The businesses functioning in these industries need CRM to successfully run their operations.
Zoho CRM is on the mission to assist businesses “sell smarter, better, and faster.”
Loaded with the best-in-class customer support as well as automation features, Zoho CRM can effectively and faultlessly connect with its consumers.
So, by utilizing this platform, business owners can easily carry out their operations.
Zoho CRM Overview Details
Zoho CRM is an outstanding entry-level CRM platform that one can use to effectively boost the growth of their business.
This platform is known for offering a free version or Zoho CRM free trial plan that works amazingly for new businesses who are looking forward to tracking leads along with contacts.
Once you choose to upgrade to its premium plan, you will get access to many important features that assist you in automating your marketing activities along with tracking the data of customers.
Zoho CRM is also involved in offering seamless integrations with other 3rd party applications and Zoho tools that you may already use. It includes QuickBooks, Google Analytics, and Mailchimp.
Now that, you have got a brief overview of the Zoho CRM, it is time to talk about its key features. We will focus on discussing its features in the forthcoming section:
Zoho CRM features
To make the right decision, you must have a good understanding of the features that a particular system provides.
The same applies to Zoho CRM as well. If you do not have a clear idea about its features, then don’t worry, in the following section, we will discuss these in detail:
1. Sales Force Automation
It is no wonder that sales teams have to manage many time-consuming works on an everyday basis. This includes tracking contacts, organizing sales appointments, follow-up emails, and a lot more.
But thankfully, you would be able to quickly manage all these works by utilizing Zoho CRM.
This tool helps in the automation of the sales process which again makes your overall work more convenient.
Not only that, but it also empowers you so that you can concentrate on other important tasks such as generating and fostering leads, closing deals, as well as finally developing and improving your relationships with customers.
2. Automated Lead Generation
This program lets you automate lead generation from many different resources. It includes websites, social media, chats, as well as trade shows.
Also, the distribution of the leads to the right reps becomes incredibly easy for you with lead scoring. It helps in ensuring that you do not lose any quality leads.
- Identifying quality leads from various sources
- Nurturing prospective leads into conversions
- Evaluating and tracking important info about leads
3. Deal Management
It involves certain steps which include prioritizing, tracking, and monitoring deals in your pipeline.
Zoho CRM is involved in offering you all the important things that you are required for managing deals as well as sales structures.
- Evaluating past deal activities along with opportunities
- Boosting the opportunities for cross-selling and up-selling
- Offering comprehensive insights on your deals anywhere and anytime
4. Zoho CRM Contact Management
It is known to be one of the most important abilities of any CRM system. And Zoho CRM comes with this capability. It possesses distinct options which you can use to add as well as manage leads, prospects, contacts and accounts.
You can gather information through web firms, or an inbuilt social CRM platform or you can choose to import the info manually.
The best part about utilizing Zoho CRM is that it lets you customize your info, especially through a drag-and-drop builder.
So, you can tailor the information in a manner that suits your business process. In the beginning, it is worth investing your time in all these setup processes so that it is done correctly.
By successfully doing this, you can see a significant boost in your workflow. Not only that, but it also makes sure that your team has all the accurate information to accomplish sales targets.
Also, note that this platform has presently revamped its email marketing and management features with SalesInbox.
This feature is available only for Enterprise users and as a part of it, you will get a dedicated mail client integration that smartly organizes as well as prioritizes emails.
You can again easily access past messages, tasks, notes, and contact information in one location.
So, it enables your sales team to immediately preview the sales cycle for every contact. This way, you would be able to add prospects to your CRM from an inbox.
Also, utilizing automatic triggers or simply dragging and dropping from one particular column to another aids in converting your leads into contacts.
5. Zoho CRM Workflow Automation
Workflow automation is something that helps your sales team to stay both productive and effective.
It comes with robust Zoho CRM automation capabilities which let you automate your routine sales tasks.
You get the ability to successfully create workflow rules which can be applied to several business areas like deals, leads, products, accounts, sales orders, and a lot more.
Again, whenever specific conditions are met, you can focus on implementing certain actions like adding a tag, sending an email, or updating a required field.
One of the important things to note in this aspect is that the workflow rules can have a maximum of 10 conditions which offers advanced automation for reducing time-taking administrative work.
6. Multichannel Sales CRM
Zoho CRM software is a well-known customer relationship management platform that assists you in managing customers as well as sales prospects across multi-channel touchpoints. And this is what a CRM is intended to do.
You can utilize its email marketing features for carrying out several important tasks which include automating emails, managing contacts, and tracking engagement (responses, views, etc.).
You can even filter your leads by engagement actions like not sent, sent, not opened, opened, etc. Also, you can craft your follow-up strategies.
You again get the drag-and-drop email builder that you can utilize for creating new designs and templates, extensive email reporting as well as team collaboration tools.
Not only email, but Zoho CRM also offers you lead management and generation tools for social media.
You also get tools that you can use to implement live chat on your site. Certain systems are also available that you can utilize for managing phone calls.
7. Zoho CRM Integration
Integrations are regarded as one of the most important elements any of CRM tool. As you are a business owner and so, you may need to employ a wide diversity of software programs across distinct departments.
And, in this regard, the most important thing is to make sure that all of these programs are efficiently working together.
So, if you are having similar objectives, then you can rely on Zoho as it comes with a vast suite of products like Zoho Campaigns and Zoho Mail.
With the help of these, you would be able to easily expand your CRM’s functionality.
Also, you will find the availability of many different 3rd party integrations which can help you a lot in boosting your productivity as well as team collaboration.
It includes Quickbooks, MailChimp and Office 365, and G Suite.
8. Zoho CRM Reports And Analytics
Many of the CRM platforms that you are expected to come across lack features related to reports and analytics.
And if you choose any of such platforms, then the only way to access these features is by employing 3rd party solutions.
But, whenever you are choosing Zoho CRM, you do not have to worry about these things as it comes with solid analytics and report features. So, it will prove to be very helpful for you in making well-informed decisions.
Also, it is interesting to note that, Zoho CRM has now focused on updating its UI to offer you a minimalist and solid layout by eliminating needless clutter.
You, as a user can easily put up a tailored dashboard to see digital illustrations of the critical metrics.
Along with that, the users also get the option to select a chart type i.e., donut, funnel, pie chart, etc. along with axis information (if it’s available).
Every dashboard, you find here is customizable to include a maximum of 10 reports. So, you can see any of the critical info you want at a glimpse.
If you want, you can even share the dashboard with your team members. In this way, you would be able to keep everyone in your team well-informed.
It again comes with a solid Zoho CRM reporting feature that offers users an important understanding of the business data.
Note that in this case, the reports are effectively built from modules that include Leads, Accounts, Deals, Contacts, Tasks, and a lot more.
At present, there is the availability of more than 40 standard reports. But, in case, you are not able to discover an appropriate built-in report, then you will get the option to generate your custom reports.
Again, to ensure easy access, you can consider organizing reports into distinct folders. You can even reorder those as per your liking through, drag and drop.
You will discover an export element that allows you to swiftly translate any report into CSV, PDF, or Excel format so that you can easily share it with colleagues.
You can even focus on configuring reports to be generated automatically. And finally, you can have those emailed on a day-to-day basis to yourself.
9. AI-Powered Sales Assistant Known As Zia
In the year 2018 (February month), a new feature was introduced by Zoho which is referred to as Zoho Intelligent Assistant or Zia.
It is known to be an AI-powered sales assistant. If you come across any of the problems or have certain doubts, you can directly ask questions to Zia to receive the best assistance.
Also, Zia is dedicated to answering all your queries related to your customer base. Answering your questions, it is involved pulling data from your database.
For example, when asked Zia will present you with a table of the leads that are generated by each of the channels in a particular month.
Not only that, but Zia is also capable of making sales predictions. It does this by allocating a score depending on how close each of the deals is to conversion.
Zoho CRM help in detecting sales anomalies and also provides notification to the users regarding incorrect or outdated data.
Finally, by utilizing this feature, you will get suggestions related to the best suitable times and dates for reaching out to a customer.
10. Zoho CRM Customer Service
If you are a premium customer of Zoho CRM, then you would be able to reap benefits from its 24/7 helpline.
But the email support option is available to anyone irrespective of whether they have paid for the plan or are utilizing the free plan.
You will again find a helpful catalog of popular blogs as well as handy documents on this platform. All of these options are available to help you reap maximum benefits.
It is known for its exceptional customer support. The platform comes with an AI-powered sales assistant known as Zia.
You can use this particular feature to solve any of your queries that you may have. All in all, the Zoho CRM customer support is amazing.
Zoho CRM Pros And Cons
Pros
- Comes with a lot of customization options along with integrations
- Flexible pricing options
- Effortless maintenance and setup
- Simple and intuitive interface with a minimal learning curve
- Responsive customer support
- Robust email marketing features
- Solid automation capabilities
- Useful AI-powered sales assistance known as Zia
- Zoho CRM mobile app is also available
Cons
- At certain times, you may have to deal with slow connections
- Zoho CRM free plan does not offer you with 3rd party integration
- Limited custom fields
Zoho CRM Pricing Plans
For many newcomers, Zoho CRM’s feature-rich free version is a terrific place to start. It has a lot of essential functions like sales and marketing automation along with customer support.
All of these features are going to be incredibly helpful for your business.
However, it does, has some restrictions, if you choose its free plan. Note that the free plan of CRM Software Zoho is available for up to three users.
With its free version, you will also get contact, lead and account management features along with analytics and reports.
But, if you are looking forward to using any features beyond this, then you need to choose its paid plans.
The five pricing tiers that Zoho CRM offers are Free, Standard, Professional, Enterprise, as well as Ultimate.
Now, let’s have a quick look at its plans:
Zoho CRM Free
Price: $0/month
Key Features:
- CRM views
- Contact, leads, deals, and accounts
- Events, tasks, notes, and call log
- Advanced filters
- Page customization
- Basic support
- And a lot more
Standard
Price: $12/month (billed annually)
Key Features:
- All features of the free plan
- Custom Zoho CRM dashboard
- Mass email
- Multiple pipelines
- Workflows
- Scoring rules
Professional
Price: $20/month (billed annually)
Key Features:
- All features of the Standard plan
- Inventory management
- Validation rules
- Web-to-case Zoho CRM forms
- Blueprint
- SalesSignals
Enterprise
Price: $35/month (billed annually)
Key Features:
- CommandCenter
- Zia AI
- Mobile SDK & MDM
- Advanced customization
- Multi-user Zoho CRM portal
- Zoho CRM canvas
Ultimate
Price: $45/month (billed annually)
Key Features:
- Advanced Feature Limits
- Advanced BI that is bundled with Zoho Analytics
- 30-day trial
Zoho CRM Alternatives
Once you are done reading the key features of Zoho CRM, almost 99 percent of your work is done.
Now, you are on the stage to decide whether Zoho CRM is a perfect option for you to choose or not.
If you find any of the required features to be missing, then you can choose any of its alternatives that you like or you can opt for Zoho CRM plus. Note that the Zoho CRM plus features are all very helpful.
Some of the top Zoho CRM alternatives include the following:
- Salesforce Essentials
- HubSpot CRM
- Pipedrive
- Freshsales
- Base CRM
- Nimble
- Agile CRM
- Copper
- Insightly
- InfoFlo
Our Final Verdict On Zoho CRM
Zoho CRM Review 2023
-
🥰 Ease of Use
-
❤️ Features and Ease of Setup
-
😇 Automation and Reporting
-
😘 Contact and Deal Management
-
👍 Customer Support
-
🙃 Pricing
4.5
Final Verdict
All in all, Zoho CRM can be called a simple CRM solution that is loaded with a lot of exceptional features.
Due to the presence of all these features, it is regarded as a suitable solution for freelancers, start-ups, and small and medium-sized businesses.
In case, you are completely new in this field, you can choose to modify the system. And the best part is that you can do this easily as it tends to have a user-friendly interface.
This is one of the best CRM software for small businesses that will enable you to try Zoho CRM for free.
Again, if you are a seasoned CRM user, then you will always get to use the best-in-class features those aids in boosting the growth of your business.
We hope, now after reading this comprehensive Zoho CRM review, you would be able to select the best tool for your business.
Zoho CRM Frequently Asked Questions Or FAQs
Is Zoho CRM Costly?
The pricing of Zoho CRM is competitive. It also offers you a free plan that you can choose to get a basic idea about this tool.
But, if you are looking forward to using advanced features, then you can choose to upgrade the plan.
When compared to some of the biggest CRM companies like HubSpot and Salesforce, Zoho CRM is known as costly.
Its paid plans start at only $12/month. So, all you can do is start your journey with their free plan.
It will help you to understand whether this tool is worth trying or not. Once you are satisfied with its features, you can go with its premium plans.
Is Zoho CRM Regarded As A Good System?
Zoho CRM can prove to be an amazing system for you to use, whether you are in search of a simple CRM or one with robust features to assist in managing your leads and clients.
The best part about this tool is that it effortlessly integrates with other Zoho CRM apps and 3rd party apps.
So, it means that by utilizing this tool, you can organize every important aspect of your business such as analytics, support, sales, and marketing.
The best part about this tool is that it effortlessly integrates with other Zoho CRM apps and 3rd party apps.
So, it means that by utilizing this tool, you can organize every important aspect of your business such as analytics, support, sales, and marketing.
Who Is Zoho CRM Considered Best For?
Zoho CRM comes with multiple plans which makes it suitable for almost all types of business.
So, depending on your specific business requirements, you can choose any of its plans that you find suitable.
It works effectively for businesses ranging from small to large.
But, if you are a newbie and want to attain growth, then you would be able to reap benefits by utilizing a system like Zoho CRM.
Except for the free plan, every plan of this platform comes with the best features which include Zoho CRM customization, automation, and analytics.
So, depending on your specific business requirements, you can choose any of its plans that you find suitable.
It works effectively for businesses ranging from small to large.
But, if you are a newbie and want to attain growth, then you would be able to reap benefits by utilizing a system like Zoho CRM.
Except for the free plan, every plan of this platform comes with the best features which include Zoho CRM customization, automation, and analytics.
Does Zoho CRM Integrate With Microsoft Outlook?
Yes, Zoho CRM comes with a Microsoft Outlook plug-in for both Mac and Windows users.
You can consider syncing contacts, and events and automating tasks with Outlook through Zoho CRM.
One reply on “Zoho CRM Review 2023: Is It The Finest Choice For Your Business Requirements?”
Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re glad you discovered us through Yahoo, and we appreciate your support. If you have any questions or need assistance, please feel free to reach out.