A competent, intuitive CRM solution is the need of the hour for any business that puts effective, personalized, customer communication at the forefront of its strategy.

 

Your business, however, at its current stage might not be prepared to invest in an expensive CRM plan, but that should not be stopping you.

In this post, we will discuss how you can choose a free sales CRM that fits your business needs, without sacrificing essential features for the “free” tag.

Understand your business needs first

Before choosing a free CRM, it is important to gain clarity on what exactly your business needs. The following questions are a great place to start:

-What are the main goals you wish to achieve with the CRM? (e.g.: managing leads, tracking conversions, boosting follow-ups, etc.)

-What tasks or communication efforts do you wish to automate?

-How many of your team will be using the CRM?

-Is your business aiming for short-term usage or long-term growth with a CRM?

Key features a free CRM should not compromise on

These are the key features you absolutely need to have in a free CRM:

Contact and deal management

The free CRM you choose should help you organize your contacts and track deals with ease, providing you a complete view of every customer interaction. Tools such as Interakt for instance, allows you to manage WhatsApp chats, leads, and conversions from a single place.

Pipeline tracking

The CRM should also have a visual pipeline that can let you track each deal seamlessly, enabling you to prioritize follow-ups and close deals faster without missing a beat.

Automation workflows

Even a free CRM should be equipped with basic automation features needed to automate routine tasks such as cart-reminders and follow-ups to help businesses save time and boost conversions.

Integration options

Make sure that the free CRM also has integration options to seamlessly connect with your existing tools like email or WhatsApp platforms, payment apps, eCommerce tools, etc.

Basic reporting and analytics

A free CRM should also be able to show you what is working, and what is not, through basic reports on leads, conversions, conversations, campaign performance etc.

Mobile app availability

Modern sales, and marketing teams, wont always be at the desk. So, a mobile-ready CRM like Interakt, can keep the sales activities going even in remote scenarios.

User limit and data storage

The first requirement for scalability is adequate users and storage access. Make sure the CRM you choose does not block team access, and significantly limit storage too early.

Top free CRM options that offer maximum value

These are some of the top CRMs with free versions that offer all the essential features that a small, growing business will need.

Interakt

Interakt is designed for businesses that rely on WhatsApp to drive sales and engagement, and combines CRM, sales automation, and marketing tools for a streamlined, comprehensive solution. It is the perfect tool for D2C brands and businesses that wish to manage conversations, leads, and follow-ups from a single platform.

 

Features:

-Automated messaging and notifications

-Lead capturing and funnel tracking

-Personalized campaign and sales pipeline

-Integrates well with platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, payment gateways, and more

Interakt Sales CRM offers a compelling free plan, with paid plans starting at $29 per month.

HubSpot CRM

HubSpot’s free CRM is another all-rounder option, that’s ideal for businesses looking to handle marketing and sales tool from a single user-friendly platform, without having to jump between tools.

 

Features:

-Contact, lead, and pipeline management

-Email templates, forms, and landing pages

-Live chat and meeting scheduling

HubSpot CRM has a free forever plan. Paid plans with advanced functionalities start at $18 per month.

Zoho CRM Free Plan

Zoho CRM’s free version provides enough features to help small teams manage leads, tasks, and implement basic automation. It is a great free solution for businesses who wish to make use of other Zoho tools as well.

Features:

-Integrates with Zoho ecosystem

-Real-time deal tracking

-Lead and contact management

-Workflow rules and task automation

Zoho CRM is free for up to three users. Paid plans start at $29 per month.

Freshsales Free Tier

Freshsales, from Freshworks comes with a modern and intuitive interface making it a great choice for startups that are looking to automate and streamline sales activities.

Features:

-Built-in calendar and task manager

-Contact and lead management

-Mobile app availability

-Email, chat, and phone integration

Freshsales, besides its free version, has paid plans starting at $15.

Red flags: When a free CRM isn’t worth it

While a free CRM can be a great starting point, not all options provide the same value. Here are a few signs that indicate if a tool will hold you back from growing:

1.The CRM does not have core features like deal or contact management.

2.No support for integration with essential tools like email and WhatsApp platforms, payment systems, etc.

3.Clunky interface that might slow down your daily workflow.

4.No scalability or upgrade path to support growth.

5.Lack of support or even basic documentation

Look out for these red flags before choosing a free CRM to prevent future difficulties in your business’ journey.

Checklist to evaluate a free CRM

Here are a few questions you need to evaluate a free CRM against, to ensure you are choosing the best one for your business and team:

 

1.Can I automate key tasks?

The CRM should let you automate key tasks like follow-ups, lead assignment, or notifications, thus helping your business save time, reduce errors, and enable teams to boost overall productivity.

 

2.Does it integrate with my existing channels?

Ensure that the tool can integrate well with your existing stack of tools and channels like, WhatsApp, email, eCommerce platform etc. This can help keep all interactions, calendars and workflows streamlined.

 

3.Is the UI friendly and mobile ready?

Clean, intuitive, and user-friendly interface is essential as this can reduce the learning curve and enable your team to adopt the tool and start fetching positive results faster.

 

4.Will it scale as the business grows?

See if the CRM can support you with upgrade paths and features, when your team, customer base, or sales process expands. This is critical to ensure that your business growth with the CRM of your choice is seamless throughout.

 

5.Does it provide access to an adequate number of users?

Ensure that the free CRM allows enough team members to use it effectively. With adequate user-access, you can maintain collaboration and consistency between your sales, support and marketing teams.

Final thoughts

A free CRM tool, when chosen wisely, should be able to provide you with all the core functions needed to prepare your business for scaling and growth. The right choice hence, not only saves costs, but also supports success, laying the foundation for you to seamlessly shift to more powerful, feature rich paid tiers in the future.

 

Looking for a scalable, feature-rich, WhatsApp-friendly CRM?

 

Interakt’s Sales CRM is the best place to begin!