Zoho CRM software review - Managing clients and building new leads

Keeping track of existing clients, following up on lead generation, and building relationships are integral parts of any business strategy, and Zoho CRM helps you do just that. When your business activity starts to grow, things can become unmanageable and you could be losing out on opportunities as a result.

Enter Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software. The simplest definition of a CRM system is a platform that allows businesses to manage client relationships and the data and information associated with them.

One of the most popular CRM platforms on the market is the award-winning software Zoho CRM which is designed to attract, retain and satisfy customers to grow your business.

Overview

The core of Zoho CRM’s functionality is lead and contact management, but also sales pipeline management and purchase control. Zoho’s recently revamped interface includes 10 different components, with the main module navigation panel placed on top for easier searching.

The user can also customise the dashboard to suit their specific business needs with easy to navigate tabs, links and drop-down menus.

Zoho’s functions are scalable and work seamlessly whether you are a startup, small business or large scale enterprise. The software can automate daily tasks, track sales, engage customers and manage social media posts on different platforms.

It also features a mobile app, which allows you to check on things, execute tasks or seal deals in real-time while on the move.

Another functionality tool that sets Zoho apart from other CRM platforms is the way it can integrate with popular apps such as Microsoft Outlook, Mailchimp, QuickBooks, ConstantContact, Google apps and cloud-based solutions such as OneSaas and Cloudwork.

What can Zoho do?

Zoho CRM has a huge number of features that relate to closing sales and attracting customers. But how does it help you with your customer relationships? Let’s find out:

Automated sales operations

Zoho CRM automates daily sales tasks, converts web visitors into hot leads, imports prospects from external sources and parties including trade shows, direct emails, and seminars. Once the data is imported to the system, leads are matched with the appropriate sales agents and are converted into buyers.

Most of the sales functions in Zoho CRM are single-click and customisable to your specific business needs.

Zoho CRM also allows the user to manage customer accounts. This includes monitoring all accounts from a shared database; viewing them across products, locations, account, and status, Users can also track customer purchase history for cross-selling or upsell opportunities. With the same tools, you can accurately forecast revenue, establish sales quotas, identify individual/team performance, measure forecast accuracy, and create forecast reports and dashboards.

Real-time data

Zoho CRM also includes an Opportunity Tracking tool that shows you where your customer is in the sales cycle to help you craft more fitting messages and approaches. This data can be found in the accurate and easy to use Dynamic Reports & Dashboards.

Similarly, the software allows you to identify and target inactive leads with historical data to realign your customer messaging and approach. Another handy tool is the Business Card View which allows you to quickly access all relevant customer information in one window without having to search and scroll for tables.

Zoho also records the time and content of past conversations and correspondence so you can easily keep track of relationships. The tools in the CRM will keep you briefed and totally up to date, so the approach you take with the customer is tailored to the scenario.

Social media

People who are looking for goods and services often jump on the internet to find a provider. Many use search engines, but more and more people are finding their way to service providers through the use of social media, such as Facebook and Twitter.

You may find that you are gaining more business from your social media pages, especially if you advertise or boost posts. Social media posting can be time-consuming and analysing the data can be quite taxing. This is where Zoho’s social media platform comes into its own. Not only can you make multiple posts with a single click, but the social media platform will also present you with real-time data such as who has read your posts, who has shared them, who liked them, and who has started to follow you. It also uses the data to categorises them as leads and contacts, so you can connect with them.

On the go

Zoho CRM is not only a desktop application. It has special dedicated mobile editions for Android and iOS users. The apps allow you to keep in control of your business and stay in touch with customers while on the go. You can access sales records, assign tasks and much more from your smartphone or tablet.

It is integrated with Google Apps

Another great feature about Zoho CRM is that it can connect seamlessly with a number of Google’s apps, including Docs, Gmail, Calendar, Contacts, and Tasks.

Pros

Zoho CRM is rich in features and has competitive price packages
You can try before you buy, and scale up or down
It is easy to navigate and user-friendly
Offers plenty of customisation options

Cons

There can be a lot going on and users who are not technologically savvy could get bogged down
Can be cumbersome exporting/sorting data
Can sometimes display too much raw data

Outline of Zoho features

Sales Force Automation

Lead Generation & Qualification
Pipeline Analysis
Sales Stage & Probability Analysis
Competitive Analysis
Real-Time Forecasting
Quota Management

Lead Management

Automate lead management process
Fast track lead to deal process
Capture leads from website
Import leads from trade shows, seminars, direct mail, etc.
Match sales-ready leads to the right salespeople
Convert prospects into opportunities, accounts, and contacts with a single click
Sales processes as per own best practices (B2B & B2C)

Account Management

Single database
Customer data across products, geographies, account, and status
Parent-child relationships between customer accounts and their subsidiaries
Price quotes, sales orders and invoices
Purchase history to find cross-sell and up-sell opportunities
Loyalty programs

Effective Follow-up

Log important customer calls
Save customer meetings and calls in an intuitive calendar
Invite employees, leads and contacts to meetings and events
Manage recurring events by day, week, month and/or year

Website Integration with Forms

Create forms with no coding
Set rules to simplify lead distribution
Upload forms live instantly
Catch leads directly into your CRM

CRM Workflow Management

Workflow alerts while creating or modifying records
Associate tasks to the workflow rules with CRM records
Email notifications with templates and upon triggering a workflow rule
Auto schedule the workflow actions at pre-defined interval
Instant notifications to 3rd party applications via Webhooks
Custom Functions
Macros automate tasks

Sales Tracking

Sales Opportunity Management
Monitor sales opportunities across sales cycle
Import sales opportunities from third-party solutions and services
360-degree view
Drag-and-drop customization wizard
Big deal alert
Sales pipeline and sales escalation process
Free Edition

Pulse

Track records that are critical to your business based on your criteria
Stay on top of sales updates in real-time
Identify cold prospects for a sales follow-up
Sort updates by users and modules
Sort records by record owner and module
Complete visibility based on last activity

Sales Forecasting

Revenue is based on data within Zoho CRM
Create, assign and revise sales quotas
Assess individual and team performance
Forecast accuracy against commit amounts
Fully customizable forecast reports and dashboards

Productivity

Business Card View
Quick glance at important details of the contact without scrolling or searching
Customize fields

MailMagnet

Captures, collates and distributes customer email activity within your CRM
Get notification and reply to customer emails within CRM
Intuitively scans your mailbox and displays only relevant emails
Send emails via your favourite mail client
Get a copy of the email linked to the right lead or contact in CRM
Link prospect and customers emails with your CRM data
Share emails from prospects based on your own rules
Create mail merge templates for different modules
Get updated user info in merged documents
Manage templates in secured folders

Document Library

Role-based folders, sub-folders
Share collateral with your salespeople
Send documents from your CRM
One document can have multiple versions
Quick feedback from colleagues to improve document

Social CRM

View social interactions of your brand with prospect
Reply to direct messages, likes and mentions via your brand’s social profile
Engage future prospects from within the social stream
Stay tapped on customer’s interests and updates
Comment or like them inside CRM

Mobile CRM

Real-time access to customer data
Receive sales alerts
Search customers nearby, create tasks
Capture trade show leads directly into Zoho CRM
Digitalize and save business cards on your iPhone

CRM for Google Apps

Custom Modules, API, Webhooks and Custom Functions
Create campaigns, email marketing & autoresponders
Enable security controls, organizational hierarchy & territories

Price plans

Zoho CRM offers a monthly or yearly pay-as-you-go service that you can cancel, upgrade or downgrade at any time. All major cards and bank or check transfer are accepted. You can also try before you buy.