Operational CRMs are software programs that streamline day-to-day business operations across sales, marketing, customer service, and back office teams by automating administrative, non-revenue-generating tasks. The top options include automation for sales and marketing processes, lead nurturing features, project management, and team collaboration. To help you decide, we reviewed a range of options and determined the best ones and their use cases.
The top six operational CRM solutions include:
- Freshsales: Best overall option for features and pricing (free starting price)
- Zoho CRM: Best CRM software for invoicing and billing (free starting price)
- Pipedrive: Best operational CRM with a la carte upgrades (14-day free trial)
- Bitrix24: Best operational CRM for project management (free starting price)
- Salesforce: Best operational CRM for advanced reporting (30-day free trial)
- HubSpot CRM: Best free CRM software with upgrades (free starting price)
Per our evaluation, we found Freshsales to be the best operational CRM for its mix of pricing and features. All options on our list provide a solid blend of core CRM functionality with features specific to operational software. Continue reading for a deeper analysis of each option, including their primary use cases, pricing plans, and key features, or jump down to see our scoring logic.
Note: All per-user prices are with a one-year commitment unless otherwise noted.
Top 4 Operational CRM Features
The best CRM options offer the following operations-specific features below:
Save time on tedious, repetitive tasks by setting up trigger rules within the CRM. These rules tell the software to automatically perform an action when a specific thing happens (e.g., generate an invoice when a deal closes) or simply at a certain cadence (e.g., create a reminder to contact a lead one month before their subscription expires).
How We Evaluated the Best Operational CRM Software
We reviewed the best operational CRMs based on six primary weighted criteria consisting of specific subcriteria. We assigned criteria scores out of five for each CRM software tool and then totaled the scores, determining a winner in each category as well as the overall best operational CRM option. Finally, we assigned a primary use case to each CRM that made our list.
Evaluation Criteria
We started by assessing the core features and pricing of each option, since the top CRM platforms offer robust operational tools and cost-effective plans. We then looked into the various advanced features available, followed by customization capabilities. Ease of use and customer support solutions wrapped up our review.
We considered standard CRM features such as pipeline and lead management, as well as operational functionality including sales and marketing automation, invoicing and billing, and project management.
Operational CRMs tend to range in price from completely free to hundreds or thousands of dollars per year, so this category looked into free plans or trials, the cost of paid tiers, and billing options.
We evaluated sophisticated features such as multiple pipelines, lead routing, business process optimization, and more.
This category includes custom features for workflows, deal stages, and web forms, as well as integrations with third-party apps relevant to operations.
Here, we browsed through real user reviews from certified sites and also considered each CRM’s knowledge base and the learning resources offered.
We checked ratings and feedback across reputable review sites and the types of customer support available via live chat, phone, and email.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What Is Operational CRM & How Does It Differ From Other Types of CRMs?
Operational CRMs are platforms that offer support for sales, marketing, and service processes through automation. This type of CRM primarily deals with daily operations and customer-facing activities such as nurturing leads across multiple channels, while also offering several general CRM features. However, unlike other types of CRM, it focuses on non-revenue-generating tasks, so teams have more time to interact with customers or close deals.
What Are the Key Features to Look for in an Operational CRM?
The top operational CRM options provide robust workflow automation, features for managing tasks and projects, tools for invoicing and billing, and several general CRM functions. Operational CRM platforms should also provide advanced features, including multiple pipelines, lead routing, and business optimization. Users should also be able to customize their CRM and integrate with third-party apps, as well as navigate through it with ease and ample support.
How Do I Determine Which Operational CRM Is the Right Fit for My Business?
Before choosing the right operational CRM for your business, list the features that your team will actually use, considering the extent of your operations, the complexity of your sales and marketing processes, and your desire to scale up. Also assess the resources available to you, such as budget, workforce, and your technical knowledge, so you can find a CRM that offers the tools you need, is affordable, and is easy to set up and implement.
Bottom Line: Best Operational CRM Software
Operational CRMs take it one step further than more general CRM options by focusing on tasks and activities that drive day-to-day operations. Business processes like sales, marketing, and customer support are all fundamental aspects of operations, but it’s important to find a solution that meets your specific needs. If you’d like to learn more about other main CRM platforms and how they compare with operational CRMs, see our article on the different types of CRM software.
This article was written by J.R. Johnivan and updated by Kezia Jungco.
