CRM software recommended by industry leaders

At Emma, we’ve evaluated numerous CRM providers before confidently selecting Close, and it has transformed the way we manage our sales process. The built-in Power Dialer and seamless workflow automation have been game-changers, allowing our team to operate with incredible efficiency.

One of the standout features is the Power Dialer, which has significantly increased our outbound call volume. Instead of manually dialing through lead lists, our reps can now move effortlessly from one call to the next, saving time and boosting productivity.

Another invaluable tool is Call Assistant, which eliminates the need for manual note-taking. Close automatically transcribes and summarizes each call with high accuracy, even identifying action items ensuring our team never misses a crucial detail. The multi-language support is another huge plus, allowing us to seamlessly work with clients in French or English across different regions without friction.

The fact that Close works flawlessly across desktop and mobile means our team can stay productive no matter where they are. This flexibility, combined with the automation features, has helped us increase our outreach volume and optimize our sales activities without increasing working hours.

Close CRM has been instrumental in helping Emma’s sales team scale efficiently while keeping operations smooth and automated. If you’re looking for a CRM that combines ease of use with powerful features, Close is the perfect choice.

We chose Hubspot because of its ease of use and integrated Marketing and CS functions. We can use Hubspot to look at the entire Commercial Lifecycle. However in the CRM space there are a limited amount of tools outside of Hubspot and Salesforce that have the amount of integrations and functionality.

This causes an over-reliance on integrations for everything from Data/BI to Marketing Automation. I recently had a conversation with someone in the Revenue network who suggested Attio which is an AI based CRM tool.

This will be interesting to look at. However the CRM space is one that will look completely different over the next few years as many more AI tools enter the market.

At Billwerk+, we use Salesforce as our CRM. One of the biggest reasons for choosing it is its ability to scale with our needs while offering customization and third party integrations.

A key aspect of our use case is consolidating data from four differerent companies within the Billwerk+ group into one unified view. Given our structure, having a single source of truth for customer interactions, pipeline tracking, and revenue insights across all entities is critical. Salesforce allows us to do that efficiently.

On the downside, the complexity and cost can be challenging, especially when customizing workflows across different business units. Additionally, once the core setup is completed, making changes isn’t always easy, as adjustments can require significant configuration and resources.

One of the main reasons I chose NetHunt is its powerful integration with Gmail and multi-channel communication capabilities. This connectivity not only simplifies our communication process but also saves us a significant amount of processing time.

With Gmail, every email interaction is automatically tracked and organized within the CRM, ensuring no sales opportunity or communication is overlooked. Additionally, the ability to manage conversations across emails and chats/messengers in one place keeps our team aligned and responsive.

Overall, these features have improved our operational efficiency and allowed us to focus more on strategic business growth.

Since WebinarGeek was founded, we’ve been using Intercom as our CRM. Fast, real human support is one of the things WebinarGeek is known for, so choosing Intercom was a no-brainer. While many people recognize Intercom for its chat functionality, it’s so much more than that. It allows us to deliver support quickly, have a complete 360-degree view of our contacts, and provide highly personalized assistance to our customers.

One of the biggest advantages for us is the real-time connection between WebinarGeek and Intercom. We can send messages based on customer behavior in-app, essentially answering questions before they even get asked. The built-in surveys also help us gather valuable insights, allowing us to create tailored content for potential customers who are still figuring out if WebinarGeek is the right fit for them.

That said, while Intercom excels at customer support, it wasn’t ideal for managing sales funnels or Customer Success workflows. That’s why, in 2022, we introduced Pipedrive as our CRM for Sales and Customer Success. I really like Pipedrive because it’s incredibly flexible—anyone can set it up to match their own processes. Instead of forcing a rigid structure, Pipedrive adapts to how you work, which is great for teams with different needs.

So, in short, we rely on Intercom for customer engagement and support, while Pipedrive helps our Sales and CS teams manage leads and customer relationships more effectively. The PLG/ marketing team is covering both platforms, making sure that people always receive the right content at the right time.

We are using Notion with linked databases. see screenshot. This allows us to track contacts, companies, opportunities, meetings, along with sales stages and forecast category.

What would typically take a salesforce consultant, salesforce dev or sales ops, plus $100K+ of software spend has been able to accomplish the same outcomes for the cofounder and myself to stay aligned.

I highly recommend a lightweight approach early on where the data can be exported into a traditional CRM or data warehouse in the future to avoid with lots of back office toil.

As a fast-growing company, we needed a CRM that would support our sales and marketing teams without creating adoption friction. We explored Salesforce, Attio, and HubSpot, and ultimately, HubSpot was the clear choice.

Ease of adoption was a key factor. HubSpot is widely used by SMB sales teams, meaning our reps were already familiar with it. Adopting a less common CRM would have required additional training, which slows down sales productivity. HubSpot’s user-friendly interface makes it easy for teams to get started while offering significant customization as we scale.

What impressed us was how much HubSpot has evolved. The platform now allows for deep configuration and workflow automation, enabling companies to scale significantly before facing limitations. Unlike legacy CRMs, where heavy customization is required early on, HubSpot lets businesses grow before needing enterprise-level adjustments.

Additionally, HubSpot integrates seamlessly with key sales tools like Aircall and FullEnrich, making it a natural fit for our revenue operations.

Another major advantage was HubSpot’s Startup Program, which offers progressive pricing, making it an excellent choice for early-stage companies looking for an enterprise-grade CRM without the high initial costs.

Beyond sales, HubSpot’s marketing automation tools—including newsletters and email campaigns—help align sales and marketing efforts.

For us, HubSpot combines adoption ease, powerful integrations, and scalability—everything a startup needs before considering complex enterprise CRMs.

At Upollo, we use HubSpot as our CRM because it’s the most flexible and scalable solution for managing customer relationships. It seamlessly integrates with key data sources, allowing us to unify customer insights in one place.

Its automation capabilities help us streamline processes, while its scalability ensures it grows with our business needs. Most importantly, HubSpot’s open ecosystem makes it easy to connect with other tools.

This is why we built a direct integration—so B2B SaaS companies can use Upollo’s accurate customer health scores within HubSpot to automate retention and growth strategies effortlessly.

I use HubSpot as my daily driver, and it has been used at Younium since the day I joined the company. Back then, we were around 50 employees, and now we are between 70-80. At this size, HubSpot is perfect for the requirements of a company in this phase. You want to scale, you want visibility, you want structure, and you want automation—HubSpot offers this in a straightforward package that is easy to understand and relatively simple to master compared to a CRM like Salesforce.

Sounds great, but what’s the other side?

HubSpot was actually the first CRM I ever worked with, and now I am truly exploring its functionalities in my RevOps role, where I also see some of its limitations. HubSpot is an amazing CRM for inspiring the creation of a scalable organisation around customer and prospect data, but at some point, its limitations become apparent, requiring clever workarounds. And that’s not for the faint-hearted but for the real tech heads. You simply cannot apply the same logic everywhere, which can be challenging at times. However, these logic differences can be addressed with creative thinking and a lot of screen-staring, haha.

HubSpot for RevOps

As someone in a role that oversees the alignment of Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success, having all revenue teams working in the same place is a massive plus. Teams can collaborate easily and speak each other’s tech language. I am a big fan of a single source of truth, and HubSpot truly enables that from a RevOps perspective. It also looks like their roadmap is becoming increasingly focused on improving the experience of all revenue teams, creating a platform that makes it easy to stay aligned and execute the customer journey effectively.

The Future?

We all know that AI is everywhere. Every time someone suggests a new tool, the first questions are: “Is it built on AI?” “Does it have any AI functionality?” HubSpot has been diving deeper into its own AI-powered future with the launch of its new Co-Pilot and Breeze Intelligence features, which allow you to enrich your CRM natively. I believe that in a couple of years, we will no longer need so many tools integrated with HubSpot, making maintenance and renewal management much easier. HubSpot has an even brighter future ahead, and I would highly recommend it to companies in the scale-up phase with plans to establish a RevOps function.

Salesforce is great because it enforces a structured framework for the sales process, ensuring that reps follow a consistent approach rather than relying on instinct or personal preference. This standardization improves pipeline visibility, enhances forecasting accuracy, and streamlines deal execution.

It keeps teams aligned and provides leadership with the insights needed to make informed decisions, reducing the risk of deals slipping through the cracks due to mismanagement or lack of follow-up.

That said, Salesforce feels increasingly antiquated. While it’s powerful, it can also be clunky and slow, sometimes creating unnecessary bottlenecks in sales operations. The interface and workflows often feel outdated, and making even simple customizations can require more effort than it should.

I haven’t explored the new AI functionality—it may add value—but so far, there hasn’t been a real need for it. While Salesforce remains an industry leader, it sometimes feels like a legacy system overdue for a refresh.

We use HubSpot as our CRM here at Sendspark! Its perfect for a team of our size! Additionally the workflow feature is one that we use heavily! Using this we set up automations and alerts that keep our GTM functions flowing!

Because HubSpot has a great app ecosystem, we also have a Sendspark app, which enables us to use our video tool for inbound and outbound workflows.

Only thing I will say, once you reach a certain level of contacts, it does start to add up, and become fairly expensive, which has led to use considering other options.

I was a Salesforce “Fanboy” 2012-2020 – for both big & small companies, but also startups.

Pipedrive, Zoho, Close, Odoo & Co. lack integrated marketing & sales, deep reporting & clean integrations. And Salesforce became so “corporate” by now that you need 2 jedi knights and Yoda himself to tame the force.

HubSpot however made amazing improvements in sales + customer success after already being great for marketing since years. That’s why we see 80% of successful B2B entrepreneurs with 5-500 FTEs build & scale their revenue architecture on HubSpot today.

When it comes to CRMs, I offer three specific insights:

1. There is no BEST CRM.

2. Your CRM cannot just be an audit tool.

3. Make sure your salespeople love it.

When you try to Google “What is the best CRM?”, you are usually already missing the point. What no CRM company will tell you is that asking that question is akin to asking, “What is the best shoe size?” The answer to either the best CRM or the best shoe size is the same: the one that fits.

Throughout my career, I have used many different software systems. They range from highly refined systems like HubSpot, Keap/Infusionsoft, Pipedrive, and Go-High-Level to smaller independent CRMs like Prospect Safari, Jarja Media, and even customized internal software with no name.

Before searching for a CRM, take the time to break down your needs. At Mennr, when we are helping clients with their revenue operations, we start by creating a list of all known CRM features we can think of. We then sort them into “Must-have,” “Like-to-have,” and “Not needed,” based on each individual client. After that, we find the CRM that matches that list as closely as possible.
For example, a current client of ours provided actors and actresses for children’s birthday parties and other similar events. These performers dress up as princesses and superheroes. This company wanted to start establishing relationships with party venues such as amusement parks and trampoline parks. This way, they can book three or four parties at once rather than needing to find one parent at a time.
We created an outreach strategy for them that required high-quality email automation that makes the job as point-and-click as possible. The owner had minimal sales experience, and she needed a system that could run itself. We ended up with Pipedrive for her, but that does not make it the right choice for everyone. The automation setup process can be complicated and frustrating. If she had to do it herself, it would have been a disaster. It does a great job when it is up and running, but you need to know the tech-savviness of your team.

The other piece of advice I offer is that a CRM is a sales tool, not just a management and auditing tool. It must be more than just a bludgeon to beat salespeople with—it needs to make their job easier. Your CRM cannot simply be a digital rolodex of potential customers; it needs to simplify the day-to-day activities of the sales team. Does it send out emails and texts for them? Can it serve as their phone system? Some CRMs can even automatically drop messages into customer voicemail boxes.

Think about your organization. Are you using the CRM to generate sales or just to monitor your salespeople? If your CRM is really just there to count the number of phone calls your team makes, it is an audit tool. However, if it automatically sends emails and text messages to prospects and houses email templates and scripts for your team, that is a big difference.

One CRM I recently used was Prospect Safari. This was a fairly inexpensive CRM that had a lot of good features. One of my favorites was a “Resources” tab that was easy to access from any lead record. I was able to add scripts, qualification materials, and even embed YouTube training videos, which my team could view at any time. I could even tie these resources to the exact step that the lead was currently on. They had access to any training materials they needed at any time, including email templates, scripts, and recordings of previous meetings and cold calls. I had to set a lot of this up myself, but I really enjoyed that feature when it came to onboarding new salespeople.

Yes, you want your managers to be happy. But odds are strong that your managers are more adaptable than your salespeople are. They will almost always have more experience. Even if the data in the system is raw and minimal, they may be able to create specialized reports using Excel that give them what they need.

Before you look at any CRM, you need to change your mindset regarding what you are looking for. Your goal is not to make YOUR job easier, but to make it easier for the frontline sales team.

If there is ever a disagreement on which software to use between the frontline salespeople and the managers, side with the salespeople. It does not matter if you find the best system in the world—you can find a system that finds leads, nurtures them for you, makes coffee, and gives your team a foot massage. If the sales team does not put information into the system, the system is worthless. Make sure your team is bought in and loves the system first and foremost. They are the ones who are going to be using it every day and putting in the majority of the information.

Likewise, if the CRM frustrates the salespeople, it will soon start to really frustrate the managers. User interface issues at the salesperson level always end up on a manager’s desk anyway. If a salesperson has a headache with the software, odds are pretty good that the same headache is going to be the manager’s before long.

The biggest downfall of any CRM is user error. All a CRM can do is organize and optimize the data that is put into it—junk in, junk out. Do all you can to minimize user error.

1. There is no BEST CRM. It is all about finding the one that fits your individual needs.

2. A CRM needs to be more than just an audit tool. It needs to drive sales for you.

3. Don’t buy a CRM for your management team—buy it for your sales team