Top client management software for small businesses in 2024

If you want to maximize staff efficiency, provide top-quality customer service, and nurture your client leads, investing in client management software may be a wise choice. 

This type of platform, also referred to as a contact management system or customer relationship management (CRM) system, helps streamline your workflow and keep track of customers easily. It also organizes your business, ensuring you don’t overlook important action items like customer follow-ups.

These software platforms are full of features to maximize efficiency and save your staff time. A quality CRM solution can make a valuable impact on your project management, email marketing, customer support, and sales process workflows. 

With automations to streamline everything from email generation to sales calls and social media management, CRMs give your whole team real-time updates for more efficient and thorough customer interactions.

Top client management software for small businesses

Different client management systems offer different features — and, as you might expect, they come with a wide range of pricing plans. The following are top options to consider for your small business needs.

1. HubSpot CRM

HubSpot CRM is one of the most popular CRMs for small businesses and is completely free to use. 

This CRM software provides you with real-time details on your sales pipeline, giving you the ability to coach your sales team more effectively. Functions like live chat and email templates save staff time, while prospect tracking and pipeline management help you monitor and close leads.

2. Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM, an all-in-one solution for customer management, is free for up to three users, making it an ideal option for a small business just getting started with CRM software. 

It offers gamification modules to incentivize your sales team with rewards, and it boasts an extensive list of integrations that includes Google Ads, Mailchimp, Google Drive, DocuSign, and more. 

Workflow automation options help streamline your lead nurturing process and eliminate repetitive tasks, and real-time reports and analytics help you measure performance indicators.

3. Jotform

With Jotform, you can streamline client lead generation and automatically pull lead data into a comprehensive database. It all starts with Jotform’s sales lead generation form template. Customize the template to your business needs, post it on your site, and let it gather the essential information you need for each lead.

From there, your new leads will auto populate your client database. The client database template is also fully customizable, and you can download it as a PDF, CSV, or Excel file to share with others.

Jotform’s client onboarding template is another helpful tool that lets you efficiently add new clients to your business. This customizable form ensures your team captures all of the new client information you need. You can then download, print, assign, and share this table with others, keeping your entire team up to date and working as one cohesive unit.

4. Salesforce

Salesforce is a versatile platform suitable for all businesses, no matter their size. With tools for lead management, marketing automation, and analytics, this software can help a business track e-commerce leads, provide top-notch customer service, oversee marketing campaigns, and more. 

With a whole suite of client management tools at their fingertips, your team can see client information at a glance for increased efficiency. And the Salesforce mobile app for iOS and Android makes your business more mobile, increasing your productivity from any location.

5. Insightly

Insightly unites your marketing, sales, and project teams by keeping all your customer data in one central database.

Advanced analytics, customizable marketing campaigns, performance metrics, and ROI reporting are just some of the ways Insightly supports your teams and keeps them functioning at their best. Insightly also gives you the ability to create custom apps and landing pages for more effective lead generation.

6. monday.com

monday.com is an online collaboration platform that can keep all of your teams up to date, allowing staff to work seamlessly together.

Designed similarly to collaborative spreadsheets and boards, monday.com lets your team members view and compare tasks, ensuring no one misses a step. Teams can update sheets collaboratively, helping them stay on top of essential tasks — like invoicing and making phone calls — throughout the sales pipeline.

The automation features let your sales and customer service teams focus on using their skills in the most valuable ways, rather than spending their time on basic, repetitive tasks. This app is easy to set up and learn, so you can quickly integrate it into your business.

Choosing the right client management software

When choosing a CRM for your business, look for a product that balances functionality and cost. From completely free options to premium plans, CRM options span a wide variety of price points, and they’re equipped with features such as customization options, easy-to-use drag-and-drop functionality, and metrics like lead scoring and sales forecasting. 

The best option for your business depends on your goals and how you plan to use the software.