Customer Relationship Management is an opportunity to automate the business process and increase sales by 30-40%. Modern free CRM systems allow you to do this without investment, which is especially important for small businesses. The functionality of such programs is limited in comparison with paid software. However, this option is perfect for those who are at the very beginning of their big "business path".
How do free CRM systems work?
Most CRM systems that are freely available on the Internet are related to shareware products. This means that the user can choose a free tariff from several proposed options. Such a tariff usually includes a minimum (standard) set of functions and often has time limits for use. For many small companies, the minimum functionality that is available for free is sufficient.
Demo access is usually open for 14-30 days, after which the user is prompted to connect a paid version of the program. Also, those who want to get additional functions and features are offered to switch to a paid tariff.
Features of the work of free CRM-systemsare as follows: a
- limited number of leads, contacts, customers in the database;
- A small amount of space in the general file storage
- minimum set of functionalities for conducting marketing companies - email and SMS mailings, promotions;
- limitations of CRM integration with other programs;
- short term demo access.
The disadvantages of completely free CRM systems for small businesses are the following threats: the
- risk of loss or theft of the customer base and personal information of employees;
- lack of an operational support service;
- unskilled work of developers;
- lack of regular updates and functionality extensions.
Experts recommend choosing shareware software products to avoid the loss of important information and always receive prompt assistance from the support service. There are good exceptions, for example, forever free Friday CRM is simple enough to master on its own.
Advantages and disadvantages of free CRM
The indisputable advantages of automated control systems that are freely available include: the
- ability to implement CRM without any investments;
- the opportunity to try out the new system for free, before deciding to purchase a paid feature package.
Moreover, in comparison with paid versions, this type of software has some disadvantages: the
- absence of many important functions;
- lack of assistance from developers during installation and implementation of the system;
- relatively low level of security and confidentiality;
- the risk of the program terminating after 14-30 days (after the end of the demo access).
Before making a final decision, you should carefully weigh the pros and cons of free systems and study the conditions of the free tariff. This will help to avoid dangerous errors.
How to choose the best option for business?
To choose the most functional option for your business, you should make a list of tasks that a CRM system should solve. This list will be very different for companies operating in different fields. However, the ultimate goal of CRM integration always comes down to improving the process of interacting with customers. Thanks to automation, transactions should be faster and more convenient for the client.
Most businessmen have the following requirements for software:
- creating an expanded customer base with all the necessary information;
- the ability to track statistics for new and regular customers;
- Email and SMS mailing function for individual groups of customers;
- extended statistics reflecting the performance of each employee;
- the ability to set group tasks for the team;
- lead tracking function;
- redistribution of leads (calls) - automatic transfer of important clients to managers with high conversion;
- effective segmentation of customers according to different criteria;
- the ability to control the system remotely.
There are about a hundred more tasks that can be solved by an automated customer relationship management system. In order to "squeeze" out of a program the maximum of useful business opportunities, you need to properly configure its work. The developer support service can help with this.
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