5 Best CRMs for agencies

As an agency, managing multiple clients, campaigns, and team workflows can become complex as you scale. A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system can help you stay organized by centralizing client communication, tracking project progress, and automating follow-ups—all from one platform. The right CRM allows you to streamline operations, improve client relationships, and ensure that nothing falls through the cracks.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the best CRM options for agencies like yours, focusing on tools that will help you manage client interactions, optimize processes, and drive your agency’s success.

Why you need a CRM

As busy agency, managing client relationships and streamlining operations can be challenging. A CRM system can be a game-changer in simplifying these tasks and driving growth.

Challenges without a CRM

Managing an agency without a CRM can lead to several issues that hinder growth and efficiency. Here are common challenges faced by agency founders.

• Disorganization: Without a centralized system, keeping track of client information and communications becomes chaotic.
• Missed opportunities: Potential leads can fall through the cracks due to lack of follow-up and tracking.
• Inefficient Processes: Manual processes consume time and resources, reducing overall productivity.
• Lack of insight: Without data analytics, it's difficult to make informed decisions and identify growth opportunities.
• Inconsistent communication: Clients receive mixed messages due to uncoordinated communication efforts.

Benefits of a CRM

Fortunately, the right CRM offers numerous advantages that can significantly enhance your agency's performance. Here are the key benefits.

• Centralized information: All client data is stored in one place, making it easily accessible and organized.
• Enhanced efficiency: Automating routine tasks frees up time for more strategic activities.
• Improved customer relationships: Personalized interactions and timely follow-ups strengthen client loyalty.
• Better decision-making: Data-driven insights help in making informed business decisions.
• Increased sales: Streamlined sales processes and better lead management boost conversion rates.
• Consistent communication: Coordinated efforts ensure clear and consistent messaging to clients.
  
  

How to boost your agency's efficiency with a CRM

There are a few ways a CRM can help you boost your agency's efficiency. Below, we've mapped out some common use cases.

1. Map your process

To optimize your agency's workflow, it's crucial to map out each phase of your process. This includes defining key milestones from lead generation to project completion. A CRM tailored for agencies can help you track these stages seamlessly, ensuring that no step is overlooked and every task is executed on time.

2. Lead qualification

Effective lead qualification is essential for maximizing your agency's resources. Utilize your CRM to score leads based on criteria such as engagement level, budget, and project timeline. This helps prioritize high-potential clients and streamlines your sales efforts, making your team more efficient.

3. Outreach and follow-iup

Automating your outreach can significantly enhance your productivity. Use your CRM to set up personalized email and LinkedIn campaigns targeting different segments of your audience. This ensures consistent communication and timely follow-ups, increasing your chances of converting leads into loyal customers.

Nurture Existing Leads, Customers

Keeping existing clients engaged is just as important as acquiring new ones. Your CRM can help you identify opportunities for upselling and cross-selling by tracking client interactions and purchase history. Implement targeted campaigns that offer additional services or products relevant to their needs, fostering long-term relationships and boosting revenue.

How to evaluate and choose a CRM

With a lot of CRMs on the market, it can be hard to figure out which CRM fits your business goals. To help you with your decision making process, we've put together these top tips.

1. Define your requirements

For agencies, the right CRM should cater to specific needs such as client relationship management, project tracking, and team collaboration. Identify key features like automation, customization, and integration capabilities with tools you already use. Consider whether the CRM can handle your client volume and support your growth. Unsure where to start? Use the following list of key features we've created for you, and make edits according to your specific requirements.

Key features of a CRM for agencies

• Automated processes: Streamlines tasks by automating repetitive workflows.
• Contact enrichment: Automatically finds leads and customers email addresses and LinkedIn profiles , enhancing efficiency.
• Structured pipeline: Tracks Leads, Customers through defined stages, ensuring process clarity and effectiveness.
• Email sequences: Increases communication efficiency with follow-up templates and automated sequences.
• LinkedIn connection: Seamlessly imports contacts from LinkedIn and tracks conversations within the CRM to leverage your network and social sales strategy.
• Analytics: Provides essential data analysis and predictive insights for better planning.

2. Budget considerations

While evaluating CRMs, balance the cost against the return on investment. Look for scalable solutions that fit your budget without compromising essential features. Remember, a higher upfront cost might be justified if the CRM significantly boosts productivity and client satisfaction.

3. Selection process

Start by researching CRM vendors that specialize in agency solutions. Check reviews, request demos, and ask for case studies relevant to your industry. Engage with vendors to understand their support and training offerings. Shortlist those that align with your requirements and budget.

4. Get a demo

Before committing to a CRM solution, it's crucial to see it in action. A demo allows you to explore the features, interface, and overall usability of the CRM. This hands-on experience helps you determine if the CRM meets your agency's specific needs. Consider scheduling a demo to get a personalized walkthrough. Get started with a demo of folk to see how it can streamline your agency's operations.

3 tips for implementing a CRM

At this stage, it's time to get excited about your brand new CRM. To help you get familiar with it quicker, we suggest ticking the following three things off your to-do list in your first few weeks with it.

1. Import your data in your new CRM

Migrating your existing data is a critical step when switching to a new CRM. Start by exporting your current data as a CSV file. This ensures that all your valuable client information is seamlessly transferred to your new CRM. And, means you won't have to add individual contact information manually.

2. Create your first pipeline

Setting up your first pipeline tailored to your agency's workflow is essential. Define the stages that reflect your agency's sales or project management process, such as Lead Generation, Proposal Sent, Client Onboarding, and Project Completion. This customization helps in tracking the progress of each client and project efficiently, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.

3. Onboard your team

Once your CRM is set up, it's vital to get your team on board. Conduct training sessions to familiarize them with the new system, highlighting how it will benefit their daily tasks. Encourage them to explore the CRM and address any questions or concerns they might have. A well-trained team ensures that your CRM implementation is successful and that everyone is aligned towards maximizing its potential.

The 5 best CRMs for agencies

1. folk

folk is a modern CRM platform for managing contacts, workflows, and relationships, offering customizable pipelines, AI-driven tools, and integrations to enhance deal management and prospecting.

Key features

• Contact enrichment: Automatically enriches contact details by finding emails and LinkedIn URLs, enabling efficient outreach without manual data entry or additional costs for email services.
• LinkedIn integration: Seamlessly import contacts from LinkedIn and Sales Navigator to track contacts within folk, and use templates for quicker, streamlined communication.
• Mail merge and email sequences: Full email sync compatible with Gmail and Outlook, with access to automation for your email sequences, templates, and tracking features, enabling users to manage all communications directly from the CRM.
• AI-powered features: AI tools assist in managing contacts and relationships, automating routine tasks, and suggesting actions to improve productivity.
• Integrations: folk integrates seamlessly with over 6,000 apps, including Gmail, Zapier, and Make, allowing users to centralize their workflow and reduce manual data entry.

Pros

• Ease of use: folk is praised for its intuitive interface, making it accessible even to non-technical users with quick onboarding and a minimal learning curve.
• All-in-one: folk streamlines your workflow by allowing you to import contacts from LinkedIn, automatically find their emails, reach out through customizable email sequences, and track interactions in a pipeline, eliminating the need for multiple tools and saving time and money.
• LinkedIn integration: Seamlessly import contacts from LinkedIn, track conversations within folk, and use templates for quicker, streamlined communication.
• Full customizability: Make folk work for you with its custom fields, pipelines, dashboards, automation and workflows. folk can support multiple business functions across sales, marketing, recruitment and more so your team can collaborate better.
• Integrations: folk integrates seamlessly with over 6,000 apps, including Gmail, Zapier, and Make, allowing users to centralize their workflow and reduce manual data entry.

Cons

• Reporting: Currently lacks reporting features, but there are plans for future implementation.
  
  

Price and plans

You can try folk for free with a 14-day free trial. After that, a monthly or annual subscription plan is as follows.

• Standard: $20 per user, per month.
• Premium: $40 per user, per month.
• Custom: Starts from $60 per user, per month.

2. HubSpot

Hubspot CRM is a user-friendly, scalable platform offering integrated tools for managing sales, marketing, customer service, and operations efficiently.

Key features

• Marketing Hub: Includes email marketing, ad tracking, landing pages, and lead generation tools, essential for agencies managing multiple client campaigns.
• Sales Hub: Provides deal tracking, pipeline management, sales automation, and reporting, helping agencies streamline their sales processes and close deals faster.
• Service Hub: Offers customer service tools like ticketing, live chat, and knowledge bases, ensuring agencies can provide top-notch support to their clients.
• Operations Hub: Syncs and automates business processes across different systems, allowing agencies to maintain efficiency and consistency in their operations.
• Lead scoring: Prioritize leads with predictive scoring to improve sales efficiency and focus on high-potential prospects.

Pros

• User-friendly interface: Known for its intuitive and easy-to-use interface, making it accessible for users of all skill levels, which is crucial for agencies with diverse teams.
• Comprehensive free plan: Offers a robust free version that includes essential CRM features, making it ideal for small agencies looking to start without a significant investment.
• Seamless integration with marketing tools: Integrates smoothly with its marketing, sales, and service hubs, creating a unified platform for inbound marketing and customer management.
• Automation capabilities: Provides powerful automation tools for tasks like email marketing, lead nurturing, and sales workflows, helping agencies save time and improve efficiency.
• Customizable dashboard and reports: Allows users to create customized dashboards and reports to track metrics and gain insights into business performance, which is essential for agency reporting.

Cons

• High cost at higher tiers: Pricing can become expensive as you move to higher tiers, which may be prohibitive for small agencies as they scale.
• Limited customization in free plan: The free plan and lower tiers have limited customization options, which can restrict flexibility for growing agencies.
• Complexity in advanced features: Some advanced features, such as custom reporting and workflows, have a steep learning curve and may require additional training.
• Email marketing limits: Email marketing functionality in the free plan is restricted by limits on the number of emails you can send, which can be a drawback for agencies with larger client lists.
• Additional costs for add-ons: Many useful features, like advanced CRM capabilities and integrations, come as paid add-ons, increasing the overall cost.
  
  

Price and plans

HubSpot's prices and plans on the CRM suite for an annual subscription are as follows.

• Starter: $15 per user, per month.
• Professional: $450 per user, per month.
• Enterprise: $1,500 per user, per month.

3. Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a web-based CRM for small businesses, offering lead management, automation, email integration, and customizable pipelines to optimize sales.

Key features

• Lead and deal management: Centralized tools to manage leads and customer data, interactions, and sales pipelines, helping agencies act quickly on opportunities.
• Sales automation: Workflow automation to handle repetitive tasks, such as lead routing, follow-ups, and email sequences, allowing agency teams to focus on closing deals.
• Email integration: Full email sync, templates, and tracking features, enabling users to manage all communications directly from the CRM.
• Advanced reporting and analytics: Real-time data analytics and custom reporting tools to track sales performance, forecast revenue, and gain actionable insights.
• Customization and security: Options to customize pipelines, fields, and user permissions, with robust security measures to protect data.

Pros

• User-friendly interface: Pipedrive is known for its intuitive and visually appealing interface, making it easy for users to navigate and manage their sales pipelines.
• Sales pipeline focus: Pipedrive is specifically designed for managing sales pipelines, offering a visual approach that helps agency teams track deals and activities effectively.
• Customization: Pipedrive allows for a high degree of customization, enabling users to tailor the platform to their specific sales processes with custom fields and workflows.
• Automation features: Pipedrive includes automation tools that help streamline repetitive tasks, such as sending follow-up emails and moving deals through the pipeline, saving time and boosting productivity.
• Third-party integrations: Pipedrive integrates with a wide range of third-party applications, such as Google Workspace, Slack, and Zapier, enhancing its functionality and flexibility.

Cons

• Limited advanced features: Pipedrive lacks some of the more advanced CRM features, such as extensive marketing automation and AI capabilities, which are available in other platforms.
• Basic reporting in lower tiers: The reporting and analytics features in the basic plans are somewhat limited, requiring upgrades to access more in-depth insights.
• No built-in email marketing: Pipedrive does not include built-in email marketing features, requiring users to integrate with third-party email tools for such functionality.
• Limited customer support hours: Customer support is not available 24/7, which can be inconvenient for agencies operating in different time zones or needing immediate assistance.
• Price increases with add-ons: The cost of Pipedrive can increase quickly when additional features or integrations are added, making it less cost-effective for agencies with growing needs.
  

Price and plans

An annual subscription plan basis is as follows.

• Essential plan: Starts from $24 per user, per month.
• Advanced plan: Starts from $44 per user, per month.
• Power plan: Starts from $79 per user, per month.
• Enterprise plan: Starts from $129 per user, per month.

4. Streak

Streak is a customer relationship management (CRM) tool that integrates directly with Gmail, allowing users to manage their sales pipeline and customer interactions from within their email inbox. Designed to simplify CRM tasks, Streak offers features such as email tracking, mail merge, task management, and pipeline visualization, all seamlessly embedded in Gmail’s interface.

Key features

• Advanced CRM: Manage leads and customers with ease.
• Shared pipelines: Collaborate on sales and project pipelines with your team.
• Email tracking and snippets: Monitor email interactions and use pre-written templates for quick responses.
• Google Workspace integrations: Seamlessly integrate with Google Workspace for a unified workflow.
• Mobile access: Access your CRM data on the go with mobile support.

Pros

• Seamless Gmail integration: Manage CRM activities directly within Gmail, simplifying the user experience.
• User-friendly and intuitive: Minimal training required due to its familiar Gmail interface.
• Customizable pipelines: Tailor pipelines to fit various agency workflows like sales and project management.
• Email tracking and automation: Improve communication with email tracking, mail merge, and automated follow-ups.
• Collaboration features: Real-time sharing of pipelines, emails, and notes enhances teamwork.

Cons

• Limited advanced CRM features: Lacks detailed analytics and advanced reporting, which may be needed by larger agencies.
• Reliance on Gmail: Not suitable for agencies using other email platforms; dependent on Gmail's functionality.
• Basic mobile experience: Mobile app offers limited features compared to the desktop version.
• Integration limitations: Fewer integrations with third-party tools can limit its effectiveness for some agencies.
• Potential email clutter: Managing CRM data within an email interface can lead to a cluttered inbox.

Price and plans

Streak's annual subscription is as follows.

• Pro: Starts from $49 per user, per month.
• Pro +: Starts from $69 per user, per month.
• Enterprise: Starts from $129 per user, per month.

5. Salesforce

Salesforce is a robust CRM platform for large enterprises, offering tools for sales, marketing, service, and analytics, with extensive scalability.

Key features

• Lead and customer management: Salesforce excels in managing leads and customers, allowing agencies to track interactions and nurture relationships effectively.
• Marketing automation: Automate email campaigns, social media posts, and other marketing activities to save time and enhance engagement.
• Customizable dashboards: Create personalized dashboards to monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) and track the success of various campaigns.
• Third-party integrations: Seamlessly integrate with tools like Mailchimp, Google Analytics, and Slack to streamline workflows and improve productivity.
• AI-powered insights: Utilize Salesforce Einstein to gain predictive insights and make data-driven decisions to optimize client strategies.

Pros

• Comprehensive feature set: Salesforce offers an extensive range of features covering sales, service, marketing, and more, making it a powerful tool for managing all aspects of customer relationships.
• Highly customizable: Salesforce is highly customizable, allowing businesses to tailor the platform to their specific needs with custom fields, objects, and workflows.
• Extensive integration capabilities: Salesforce integrates with a vast array of third-party applications, as well as its own ecosystem of tools, enabling seamless data flow across platforms.
• Scalability: Salesforce is highly scalable, making it suitable for businesses of all sizes, from small startups to large enterprises, with the ability to grow with your business.
• Advanced analytics and reporting: Salesforce provides powerful analytics and reporting tools, allowing businesses to gain deep insights into their data and make informed decisions.

Cons

• High cost: Salesforce can be expensive, especially for small to medium-sized businesses, with high licensing fees and additional costs for add-ons and customization.
• Steep learning curve: Due to its extensive feature set and complexity, Salesforce often requires significant time and training for users to become proficient.
• Complex setup and customization: Initial setup and customization can be challenging and often require expert help or certified consultants, which adds to the overall cost.
• User interface: Some users find the Salesforce interface to be outdated and not as intuitive as other modern CRM platforms, which can hinder usability.
• Overwhelming for small teams: Salesforce’s robust features may be overkill for smaller teams or businesses, leading to underutilization of the platform’s capabilities.

Price and plans

• Starter suite: $25/user/month provides basic CRM features for small businesses.
• Pro suite: $100/user/month includes advanced tools for growing businesses.
• Enterprise plan: $165/user/month offers extensive customization and automation for large companies.
• Unlimited plan: $330/user/month provides comprehensive features for large enterprises.
• Einstein 1 Sales: $500/user/month provides AI-driven insights and advanced features for large enterprises.

Conclusion

Choosing the best CRM for your agency is a crucial decision that can significantly impact your efficiency and client relationships. Each CRM platform we've discussed—folk, Hubspot, Pipedrive, Streak, and Salesforce—offers unique features tailored to different needs and budgets. Whether you're a small agency looking for simplicity and integration with tools like Gmail or a larger enterprise needing extensive customization and advanced analytics, there's a CRM solution out there for you. Evaluate your specific requirements, budget constraints, and the scalability of the CRM to ensure it aligns with your business goals. Start by exploring these platforms with free trials or demos to find the perfect fit for your agency. Try folk for free here.

Need a helping hand? Use our free tool to find your perfect CRM match.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do Founder of an agency use as a CRM?

Founders of agencies commonly use CRMs like folk, Hubspot, Pipedrive, Streak, and Salesforce to manage client relationships, streamline operations, and drive growth. Each CRM offers unique features tailored to different needs, from simple contact management to advanced sales automation and analytics, making it easier for agencies to choose a solution that fits their specific requirements.

Do I need a CRM?

Yes, depending on the complexity of your process. A CRM can significantly enhance your agency's efficiency by centralizing client information, automating routine tasks, and providing valuable insights through data analytics. This can lead to better client relationships, improved decision-making, and increased sales, making a CRM a crucial tool for most agencies.

How much does a CRM cost?

CRM costs vary widely, typically ranging from $15 to $500 per user per month. Entry-level plans start around $15-$25 per user per month, offering basic features suitable for small agencies. Advanced plans with more robust features can cost $100-$500 per user per month, catering to larger agencies with more complex needs.

Does folk’s CRM respond to agencies needs?

Yes, folk’s CRM is well-suited to agency needs. It offers an intuitive interface, customizable pipelines, and AI-driven tools that streamline contact management and prospecting. Its integration capabilities with over 6,000 apps, including Gmail and LinkedIn, make it a comprehensive solution for managing workflows and enhancing productivity, addressing the specific requirements of agencies effectively.