Best CRM for small business UK

As a small business in the UK, managing customer relationships, tracking sales, and staying organized can be challenging as you grow. A Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system can help you streamline these processes by centralizing customer data, automating follow-ups, and providing insights into your business performance. The right CRM will allow you to enhance your customer service, improve efficiency, and drive growth.
In this blog post, we’ll explore the best CRM options for small businesses in the UK like yours, focusing on tools that offer the right balance of affordability, functionality, and scalability to support your success.

Why you need a CRM

Using the right tech stack can have direct benefits on different areas of your small business. From streamlining your operations, to improving your communication strategy. Below we walk you through challenges you might already be experiencing without realising, and what benefits you can expect from a good CRM.

Challenges without a CRM

Managing a small business in the UK without a CRM can pose significant challenges, especially the following.

• Disorganization: Keeping track of customer data and interactions becomes chaotic.
• Missed opportunities: Without a streamlined process, potential leads may slip through the cracks.
• Inefficient processes: Manual tasks consume time and reduce productivity.
• Lack of insight: Inadequate data analysis hampers strategic decision-making.
• Inconsistent communication: Uncoordinated messaging can confuse and alienate customers.

Benefits of a CRM

Having the right tech stack – especially a CRM, can be game-changing for a small business. With the right CRM, you can expect the following benefits.

• Centralized information: All customer data is stored in one place, making it easily accessible.
• Enhanced efficiency: Automation of routine tasks frees up time for strategic activities.
• Improved customer relationships: Personalized interactions foster stronger customer loyalty.
• Better decision making: Data-driven insights enable more informed business strategies.
• Increased sales: Streamlined sales processes lead to higher conversion rates.
• Consistent communication: Unified messaging ensures a cohesive customer experience.
  

How to evaluate and choose a CRM platform

If you're considering a CRM for the first time, or just need a reminder of some pointers you should consider in your decision making process, we've rounded up the best tips below to get you started.

1. Define your requirements

To find the best CRM for small business UK, start by identifying the key features your business needs. Consider aspects like contact management, sales tracking, customer support, and integration with other tools you use. For instance, if you're a local retailer, you might prioritize inventory management and e-commerce integration. Clearly defining your requirements will help you narrow down options and choose a CRM that aligns with your business goals.

2. Budget considerations

Balancing cost with return on investment is crucial, especially for small businesses. While you might be tempted to opt for the cheapest solution, it's important to ensure the CRM offers value for money. Look for affordable CRM for small business UK that provide essential features without hidden costs. Remember, a slightly higher initial investment could lead to greater efficiency and higher revenue in the long run.

3. Selection process

Choosing the right CRM vendor involves thorough research. Start by reading reviews and testimonials from other UK small businesses. Check the vendor's reputation, customer support quality, and how frequently they update their software. Engage with vendors through demos or free trials to get a hands-on feel of the CRM. This step will help you gauge if the CRM is user-friendly and meets your business needs.

4. Get a demo

Once you've shortlisted potential CRM platforms, it's time to trial and compare them. Use free trials to explore their features and see how they fit into your daily operations. Pay attention to ease of use, customization options, and scalability. Compare pricing plans and ensure there are no hidden fees. Finally, seek feedback from your team to make an informed decision. Get started with a demo of folk here.

3 tips for implementing a CRM

At this stage, it's time to get excited to introduce your new CRM to your team and tech stack. Below we've got some tips and tricks so you know exactly what to do.

1. Import your data in your new CRM

Migrating your existing data seamlessly is essential for a smooth transition. Most CRMs allow you to import data using CSV files. This way, you don't need to manually import your contact information.

2. Create a first pipeline

Setting up your first pipeline is a significant step toward organizing your sales process. Customize the pipeline stages to reflect the typical workflow of small businesses in the UK. This might include stages like "Lead Captured," "Contacted," "Proposal Sent," and "Closed Deal."

3. Onboard your team

Ensure your team is fully equipped to use the new CRM by providing comprehensive training. This can include walkthroughs, tutorials, and Q&A sessions. Proper onboarding will help your team maximize the CRM's potential, leading to better customer management and increased productivity.

The 5 best CRMs for small business UK

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.

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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.
• Social media integration: Seamlessly import contacts from LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, Instagram and more to track all your contact information in folk and use templates for quicker, streamlined communication.
• Mail merge and email sequences: Full email sync, 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.
• Customizability: Make folk work for you with custom fields, pipelines, dashboards, automation and workflows.
• 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. Perfect for generating and nurturing leads in the UK market.
• Sales Hub: Provides deal tracking, pipeline management, sales automation, and reporting. Essential for managing customer relationships and closing deals efficiently.
• Service Hub: Offers customer service tools like ticketing, live chat, and knowledge bases. Ideal for maintaining high customer satisfaction levels.
• Operations Hub: Syncs and automates business processes across different systems. Streamlines operations for small businesses in the UK.
• Lead scoring: Prioritize leads with predictive scoring to improve sales efficiency. Helps focus efforts on high-potential leads.

Pros

• User-friendly interface: HubSpot is known for its intuitive and easy-to-use interface, making it accessible for users of all skill levels.
• Comprehensive free plan: Offers a robust free version that includes essential CRM features, making it ideal for small businesses and startups.
• Seamless integration with marketing tools: HubSpot 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 businesses save time and improve efficiency.
• Extensive learning resources: HubSpot Academy offers a wealth of free courses, certifications, and resources to help users get the most out of the platform.

Cons

• High cost at higher tiers: HubSpot’s pricing can become expensive as you move to higher tiers, which may be prohibitive for small businesses as they scale.
• Limited customization in free plan: The free plan and lower tiers have limited customization options, which can restrict flexibility for growing businesses.
• 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 businesses with larger lists.
• Additional costs for add-ons: Many useful features, like advanced CRM capabilities and integrations, come as paid add-ons, increasing the overall cost.
  

Prices and plans

HubSpot has a free forever plan. Once you're ready to upgrade 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. Zoho

Zoho is a CRM system with a strong sales focus. Its got features such as journey orchestration, sales process management and workflow automation. There's also something for marketing teams, including lead hurting, event management and customer segmentation.

Key features

• Sales automation: Automates sales tasks like lead management, deal tracking, and follow-up actions.
• Customizable dashboards and reports: Allows users to create and customize dashboards and reports for in-depth analytics.
• Multi-channel communication: Integrates with email, phone, social media, and live chat to manage customer interactions.
• Lead and contact management: Manages customer information, tracks interactions, and segments contacts for targeted campaigns.
• Workflow automation: Automates routine tasks and processes to improve efficiency and reduce manual effort.

Pros

• Affordability: Zoho CRM offers competitive pricing with various tiers, making it accessible to small and medium-sized businesses as well as larger enterprises.
• Customization: Extensive customization options allow businesses to tailor the CRM to their specific needs, including custom fields, modules, and workflows.
• Integration with Zoho Suite: Seamless integration with other Zoho products (like Zoho Books, Zoho Projects, and Zoho Campaigns) creates a comprehensive ecosystem for managing different business functions.
• Multi-channel communication: Zoho CRM supports email, phone, social media, and live chat, enabling businesses to manage all customer interactions from a single platform.
• AI-powered features: Zia, the AI assistant, provides intelligent insights, predictive analytics, and task automation, helping to improve sales and marketing efficiency.

Cons

• Steep learning curve: The extensive customization options can be overwhelming for new users, requiring a significant time investment to master the platform.
• Complex setup: Initial setup and configuration can be complex, particularly for businesses without technical expertise or dedicated IT resources.
• Performance issues: Occasional reports of slow performance, especially with large datasets or complex operations, can hinder productivity.
• Limited third-party integrations: While Zoho integrates well with its own suite of products, integration with third-party applications can be limited or require additional effort.
• Feature limitations in lower tiers: The lower-priced plans may lack advanced features, pushing users to upgrade to more expensive tiers for essential functionality.

Prices and plans

Zoho's free plan is limited to three users. After that, an annual subscription plan is as follows.

• Standard: $20 per user, per month.
• Professional: $35 per user, per month.
• Enterprise: $50 per user, per month.

4. Capsule CRM

Capsule CRM is a user-friendly customer relationship management platform designed for small and medium-sized businesses. It offers a clean, intuitive interface that helps users manage customer relationships, track sales pipelines, and organize tasks and communications efficiently.

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Key features

• 1 sales pipeline: Manage your entire sales process from lead to close with a single, easy-to-use pipeline.
• 30,000 contacts: Store and manage extensive contact lists including leads, customers, and investors.
• Key integrations: Seamlessly integrate with essential tools like Microsoft 365, and Mailchimp.
• Workflow automation: Automate repetitive tasks to streamline operations and save time.
• Task management: Keep track of tasks and deadlines to ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

Pros

• User-friendly interface: Capsule CRM offers a clean and intuitive design, making it easy for users to navigate and quickly access important features. This simplicity reduces the learning curve, making it an excellent choice for small businesses and teams without extensive CRM experience.
• Contact and sales management: The platform provides robust tools for managing contacts, organizing customer information, and tracking sales opportunities. This helps businesses maintain a clear view of their relationships and sales pipeline.
• Customization options: Capsule CRM allows users to customize fields, tags, and pipelines to fit their specific business needs, offering flexibility in how they manage data and processes.
• Integration capabilities: Capsule integrates with various popular third-party applications, including G Suite, Microsoft 365, Mailchimp, Xero, and QuickBooks, allowing users to create a seamless workflow across their business tools.
• Affordability: Capsule CRM offers competitive pricing with a free plan for basic needs and affordable premium options, making it accessible for small businesses and startups.

Cons

• Limited advanced features: Compared to some of its competitors, Capsule CRM lacks more advanced features such as in-depth analytics, comprehensive automation, and complex reporting capabilities. This can be a limitation for larger businesses or those with more complex CRM needs.
• Basic email marketing capabilities: While Capsule integrates with email marketing tools like Mailchimp, its built-in email marketing capabilities are relatively basic. Users seeking more advanced email marketing features may need to rely on third-party integrations.
• Limited customer support: Capsule CRM primarily offers support through email and an online help center. The lack of live chat or phone support might be a downside for users who prefer immediate assistance or more direct support options.
• No built-in phone or SMS integration: Unlike some other CRMs, Capsule does not have built-in phone or SMS functionality, which could be a disadvantage for businesses that rely heavily on direct communication with clients through these channels.
• Scalability concerns: While Capsule CRM is great for small to medium-sized businesses, companies that are rapidly growing or have more complex CRM requirements might find the platform less scalable as they expand.

Prices and plans

Capsule's annual subscription plan is as follows.

• Starter plan: Starts from $21 per user, per month.
• Growth plan: Starts from $38 per user, per month.
• Advanced plan: Starts from $60 per user, per month.
• Ultimate plan: Starts from $75 per user, per month.

5. 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.

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Key features

• Google Workspace integrations: Seamlessly integrates with Google Workspace, enhancing productivity for businesses that rely on Google tools.
• Email tracking and snippets: Provides insights into email interactions and allows for quick responses with pre-saved snippets.

Pros

• Seamless Gmail integration: Streak is directly integrated into Gmail, allowing users to manage CRM activities without leaving their email inbox. This integration simplifies the user experience, especially for those already familiar with Gmail.
• User-friendly and intuitive: Because it operates within Gmail, Streak is easy to use and requires minimal training. The familiar interface makes it accessible even to those new to CRM software.
• Email tracking and automation: Streak includes useful features like email tracking, mail merge, and automated follow-ups, which help users manage communication more effectively and improve response rates.
• Collaboration features: Streak enables real-time collaboration, allowing team members to share pipelines, emails, and notes, improving teamwork and visibility across sales or project management efforts.

Cons

• Limited advanced CRM features: Compared to standalone CRM platforms, Streak lacks some advanced features like detailed analytics, advanced reporting, and marketing automation, which may not meet the needs of larger or more complex organizations.
• Reliance on Gmail: As Streak is tied to Gmail, it may not be suitable for businesses that use other email platforms. This dependency also means that any changes or issues with Gmail could directly impact Streak’s functionality.
• Basic mobile experience: While Streak has a mobile app, it offers a more limited experience compared to its desktop counterpart, which might be inconvenient for users who need comprehensive CRM access on the go.
• Integration limitations: Streak has fewer integrations with other software tools compared to more robust CRM systems, potentially limiting its effectiveness for businesses that rely heavily on a variety of third-party applications.
• Potential email clutter: Since Streak operates within Gmail, managing a large volume of CRM data within an email interface can lead to clutter and make it harder to maintain a clear, organized inbox.

Prices and plans

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

Conclusion

Choosing the best CRM for your small business in the UK is a vital decision that can significantly impact your operational efficiency and customer relationships. Whether you prioritize ease of use, affordability, advanced features, or seamless integrations, there is a CRM solution tailored to meet your specific needs. Platforms like Folk, Hubspot, Zoho, Capsule CRM, and Streak each offer unique advantages that can cater to different aspects of your business processes. By carefully evaluating your requirements, budget, and the specific features of each CRM, you can find the perfect tool to help your small business thrive. Start your journey towards enhanced productivity and customer satisfaction by exploring these options today. Try folk for free here.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do small business in the UK use as a CRM?

Small businesses in the UK often use CRMs like folk, Hubspot, Zoho, Capsule CRM, and Streak. folk is popular for its intuitive interface and seamless integrations, while Hubspot offers extensive marketing and sales tools. Zoho is known for its affordability and customization, Capsule CRM for its user-friendliness, and Streak for its Gmail integration.

Do I need a CRM?

Yes, depending on the complexity of your processes. A CRM can streamline your customer interactions, automate tasks, and provide valuable insights, which can significantly improve efficiency and productivity. If your business involves managing multiple customer relationships, sales pipelines, and marketing campaigns, a CRM is essential for staying organized and competitive.

How much does a CRM cost?

CRM costs vary widely, typically ranging from £10 to £100 per user per month. Basic plans for small businesses can start as low as £10-£20 per user per month, while more advanced features and higher-tier plans can range from £50 to over £100 per user per month. It's crucial to choose a CRM that fits your budget and meets your business needs.

Does folk’s CRM respond to small business UK needs?

Yes, Folk’s CRM is well-suited for small businesses in the UK. It offers ease of use, customizable pipelines, and seamless integrations with tools like LinkedIn and Gmail. These features help streamline workflows, automate tasks, and enhance productivity. Folk's intuitive interface and AI-driven tools make it an excellent choice for small business owners looking to manage contacts and improve customer relationships efficiently.