Choosing the right customer relationship management (CRM) platform for your business is a decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Your CRM has the power to make or break the smooth running of your organization as a whole.
There are a number of great platforms out there today, but there are two that stand out: HubSpot and Salesforce. Both have a very good reputation and have really helped move companies of all sizes forward.
Let’s start with the criteria to take into consideration during your selection phase:
Table of Contents
Use case
Will I be using this CRM just for my sales, a mix of sales and marketing, or will this software need to have a 360 ° view of many facets of my organization, including after-sales service? Think about it when you go to review the scope of CRM functionality.
Improvement of your processes
Selecting a CRM provides a good opportunity to reflect on what is fragile within your business. Use this time to look at how your different departments work with each other and where there are “disconnections,” so you can find a system that will streamline and alleviate those sticking points.
Integration capacity
Businesses always perform better when they can use a single data source system. However, depending on the needs of your business, you may need to extract (or integrate) data from one system to another.
So be sure to research the types of integrations available with a given system and the ease with which you can develop specific and custom integrations if needed. If your choice is towards HubSpot for example, hiring a HubSpot partner agency will greatly facilitate your onboarding process.
The technical capacities of your team members
Often, CRM integrations “fail” because these are not properly configured or maintained. Think about the members of your team who will be using this software. If you have a less tech-savvy and more user-oriented team, opt instead for an easy-to-use CRM, with solid support and training.
Cost
When you list the number of users in your business who will be using the CRM, you will also be thinking about the present and future costs associated with this software. Also, if you plan to grow in the next few years, consider the financial implications of CRM licensing as you add more users, contacts, and features.
Think about your business needs
Above all, think about what matters most to your business. For example, some companies like a complete system to eliminate data silos in exchange for a few features.
On the other hand, some companies have very specific needs where one feature or advantage outweighs the rest. Make sure you have multiple conversations with key stakeholders in your organization as you immerse yourself in the process of finding a CRM that will work best for you.
HubSpot vs Salesforce: CRM Overview
Now that you know how to organize yourself to study your future CRM platform , let’s take a closer look at HubSpot and Salesforce so you can compare the two systems side by side.
First, we’ll start with a high-level overview of both systems, including reviews, pros, and cons:
Benefits :
Disadvantages:
Knowing that every business values certain features or benefits over others, let’s take a closer look at HubSpot and Salesforce across a few key categories.
Ease of use and configuration
In this category, we are going to see how easy each platform is to configure and use on an ongoing basis.
Also Read: How a CRM Software Can Improve Lead Generation
Quality of assistance
In this category, we’ll take a look at how effective the support is within each platform. Salesforce and HubSpot offer a number of ongoing support options to help your team continue to evolve and grow.
You can see it for yourself, both systems have excellent, long-standing support systems. The most important thing to consider here is the additional cost required for ongoing support. Salesforce is a more complex system that may require an in-house expert or a higher level of support in order to optimize the platform.
Features and customization
In this category, we’ll take a look at the breadth of features and how they rank against each other. For a full feature list and a really in-depth comparison, check out the HubSpot and Salesforce websites.
Integrations with other tools
In this category, we will see to what extent each tool can be integrated with other systems. While Salesforce has more native integrations available on paper, HubSpot continues to make huge strides in this area, especially with the addition of the Operations Hub to their product line.
Cost
Cost is obviously a major consideration when choosing the right CRM for your business.
Based on our own experience, HubSpot and Salesforce are neck and neck with their pricing options. The costs of both systems can stack up, depending on how many features and contacts you want to use.
Salesforce tends to cost more, but this may not be a problem for large companies with larger budgets. Conversely, this criterion can be prohibitive for small VSEs, SMEs or Startups. Additionally, Salesforce offers ongoing support options which can also be quite expensive (in which case you might consider hiring internally).
HubSpot approaches its cost structure through various “hubs”. Therefore, by adding another hub to your system, you will unlock a number of new features. The advantage here is the breadth of product available with each new addition, but this comes at an additional monthly cost.
Full details can be found on the HubSpot and Salesforce pricing pages.
Which CRM is right for you?
The most important part of selecting a CRM is choosing the one that will work for your team.
Each business’s needs are different, so be sure to use the information above to weigh the pros and cons of each solution.