Item: Zoho CRM Plus
Rating: 9
Author: Kim Ashcraft

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use it every day as a base to deal with our clients and keep track of emails, tasks, and phone calls. We use it monthly for campaigns. Sales IQ lets me know when someone is visiting our site, and I can start conversations with them. Social also me to post and engage from one platform.

Pros and Cons

Emails are automatically populated for contacts. No need to search inbox for conversations
Reports are easy to customize and use to track different aspects of our business and see where we are in the sales cycle
Survey allows me to see the bounce rate, who open and how many times, and rates responders, so we know who to contact immediately

Does not integrate with Microsoft word 2019 seamlessly. I understand Zoho Writer is the preferred method; however, fonts and layouts are not to Word's standards. I need to apply for a workaround to every letter.
I cannot send an email from Gmail. I need to use Zoho mail or Outlook. The workaround is to copy the email address and paste it into Gmail. The good thing is Gmail syncs with Zoho, so the outgoing and incoming emails do link with contacts. Ideally, I would like to use 1 platform.
Calendar should have options so priorities could be listed by color. Or, as an overview, I could see all users in a different color.

Most Important Features

Keeping track of interactions with prospects and clients
Able to post on social media on one platform
Can see all sales team on 1 calendar

Return on Investment

Positive impact: allows us to see the sales cycle and address issue
Negative impact: Having to jump in and out of the platform as it does not work with Microsoft or Gmail. Waste of time
Positive Impact: Can see see all of sales teams calendar in 1 place

Alternatives Considered

Act! CRM

They became not user-friendly. Support was non-existent. Zoho support is always available for Chat, and in most cases, can resolve the issue to explain the steps on how to use the system.

Key Insights

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

Yes

Are you happy with Zoho CRM Plus's feature set?

Yes

Did Zoho CRM Plus live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Zoho CRM Plus go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Zoho CRM Plus again?

Yes

Other Software Used

QuickBooks Desktop Pro, Adobe Acrobat DC, Microsoft Powerpoint

Likelihood to Recommend

Starting with campaigns, once we send the campaign out, prospects who open it are moved into the sales funnel; the sales team then calls or emails the prospect. Our VOIP works in conjunction with Zoho CRM Plus, so phone calls are logged into the contact. And generates another call, letter, or appointment with the client on the Zoho calendar. Emails are sent through Gmail since Zoho CRM Plus does not work with Gmail. The client's email must be copied and pasted into Gmail. (responses are tracked in the Zoho CRM Plus). Once the sales team meets with the client and starts the process, it turns into an "opportunity" where all stages in the sale are tracked. We mail merge the contact info to the correct letter template, then download it into "Word," where the letter is proofed and corrected as necessary (Zoho merge does not allow you to work in "Word" 2019). When finalized, it is then uploaded back into Zoho CRM Plus under the Opportunity. The sale then continues through the process, and once signed off on, all the details of the job are logged into the Zoho CRM Plus. When the job is completed and closed out, Zoho CRM Plus automatically sends the client a thank you email. The client will then can biannual automatic emails reminding them to set up their bi-annual inspection.

Zoho CRM Plus does what it promises

Overall Satisfaction with Zoho CRM Plus