Item: Zoho CRM
Rating: 9
Author: Vince McConville

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I currently use Zoho CRM in my business as part of my Zoho One Subscription. I have also implemented it in a number of clients. In my own business, I use it to track and manage opportunities as well as for managing projects. [It] enables me to keep a good eye on my business to track my productivity and manage my capacity accordingly. It also links into the Zoho Desk product that enables me to manage my customer's issues effectively.

Pros and Cons

Pipeline management.
Customer management.
Project management.
Canvas App is great for custom layouts.

Creating custom dashboards.
Very flexible but the amount of settings can be daunting.

Return on Investment

Effective management of sales pipeline freeing up time to work with the customer.
Managing the multiple stages of multiple projects keeps me on track and enables me to deliver projects on time and on budget.

Usability

You can customise the interface and navigation to strip out unnecessary fields and modules. The new Canvas App is brilliant as it enables you to design your own interface that will match your organisation requirements, making it easier to use for the user who will be more likely to enter the right info in the right place and also have easy access to the important date they need when engaging with customers. It's a real game-changer.

Product Configurability

It is very configurable. For a lay user, this may be too complex, but once it is done (potentially with the help of a specialist), customer layouts will increase productivity. So the advice is to get someone in to help implement it in a way that is right for your business.

Alternatives Considered

Insightly, Salesforce.com and HubSpot CRM

Zoho CRM was right for my business because I signed up for it a few years ago as part of a Zoho One subscription, and so it was a great value. It was also very configurable and flexible for my needs. I have used and implemented Salesforce with clients, and [it] is equally configurable, but I found Zoho CRM much easier to configure. HubSpot is a great CRM, and I've recommended it for users just starting off their CRM journey, but once you start paying for it, you would be better off with Zoho. I used to use and implement Insighty a lot, but their base price went up too high, which deterred many first-time users.

Key Insights

Do you think Zoho CRM delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Zoho CRM's feature set?

Yes

Did Zoho CRM live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Zoho CRM go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Zoho CRM again?

Yes

Other Software Used

HubSpot CRM, Salesforce.com, Insightly

Likelihood to Recommend

Zoho CRM has very nice staged pricing options, including a free tier to get you started, so [it] is suitable for a wide variety of businesses, from Small Micros to larger businesses. Good for sales and customer management, but I have also implemented it with a customer who had a custom module that manages a complex insurance quote process. When you get to the enterprise level, it can pretty much do what Salesforce can but at half the price.

Forever improving!

Software Version

Overall Satisfaction with Zoho CRM