Are your agency’s sales going down? Is client satisfaction feeling ‘meh’? Your workflow is a mess? These are clear signs that you need a CRM for your agency.

Simply organizing your workflow and managing client information in a CRM can help you more than you think it can.

A CRM tracks client interactions and helps streamline your sales, marketing, and customer service efforts, all in one place.

In this article, I’ve listed the 6 best CRM for agencies to help you find the perfect one that serves your agency’s unique needs.

But first, let’s see how a CRM can actually help your agency.

Importance of CRM for agencies

For agencies, juggling data from multiple clients, partners, and third parties can quickly turn into a mess if you're relying on spreadsheets. 

A CRM gathers all the right info in one place so your team can handle every client with a high-quality approach, and new team members can get up to speed faster.

Basically, any business that deals with clients should hop on a CRM, but the following agencies particularly need it to function effectively:

• Advertising agencies
• Marketing agencies
• PR agencies
• Design agencies
• Digital marketing agencies
• Creative agencies

Take, for example, a marketing agency working with a software company. If a client’s customer purchased a software package a few months ago, a CRM can help you gauge if they’re ready for an upgrade based on their usage and behavior. 

A huge advantage of CRM software is how it automates those boring, time-consuming tasks. It handles the paperwork and reporting, so your team can focus on building relationships and making sales.

CRM for agencies also captures and manages leads from various channels. Plus, it provides valuable insights that help you understand what’s working and what’s not, so you can adjust strategies on the fly. 

Now, let’s look at some of the top examples of CRM and their practical use cases to guide your choice.

6 Best CRM for agencies

Here are my top 6 picks for the best CRM for agencies. 

1. HubSpot CRM

HubSpot lets you manage up to a million contacts and access robust tools for marketing, sales, customer support, and more—all without spending a dime.

It's modular and scalable, meaning you can start with the basics and expand as your business grows, only paying for what you need.

What particularly makes it the best CRM for agencies is the list of valuable, genuinely helpful free tools like:

• Blog idea generator
• An invoice template generator
• Free business templates
• An email signature generator, etc. 

Key features

Here’s a quick rundown of the key tasks HubSpot’s CRM takes care of for you: 

• Import customer data and integrate with tools like Gmail, Salesforce, and social media platforms

• Monitor lead activities and score them based on engagement to prioritize top prospects

• Automate email campaigns, lead nurturing, and repetitive tasks for consistent marketing efforts

• Manage customer inquiries and support tickets efficiently with a built-in ticketing system

• Assign tasks, set reminders, and schedule meetings

• Protect customer data with user permissions and access control features

Pricing

HubSpot CRM offers a free tier with limited features for up to 5 users. 

Paid plans start at $15/month/seat and include essential marketing, sales, service, content, and operations tools. 

The Professional plan, starting at $1,170/month, offers more advanced features and includes 5 seats with additional seats available at $45/month.

2. Salesforce CRM

Salesforce is a top-tier CRM that sets the standard for the industry. As a comprehensive solution, it helps you manage leads, contacts, and customers and is ideal for businesses looking to enhance their sales processes or consolidate multiple tools into one. 

Its robust features, customization options, and extensive integrations are perfect for large sales teams and established agencies.

However, Salesforce’s extensive capabilities come with a higher price tag, and it might not be the best one for small agencies.

Key Features

Here are a few features that set Salesforce apart: 

• Lightning app builder to create custom applications without needing any programming knowledge

• Define and manage roles, responsibilities, and account hierarchies using territory management 

• Chatter integrates team messaging directly within Salesforce

• Lightning Snap-Ins to integrate service capabilities into apps or websites

• Salesforce Steelbrick (CPQ) helps you create accurate sales quotes quickly

Pricing

Here are the pricing details for Salesforce agency CRM software: 

• Starter Suite: $25/User/Month: basic CRM features, email integration, and activity capture.

• Pro Suite: $100/User/Month: adds customization, sales quoting, forecasting, and real-time chat.

• Enterprise: $165/User/Month: includes advanced pipeline management and workflow automation.

3. Formaloo CRM

Formaloo is perhaps the best CRM for most agencies out there.

Formaloo offers a custom CRM solution that fits your agency's unique needs. 

With an intuitive interface and pre-built templates, you can create a CRM in minutes with your own data, workflows, and resources and tailor it as your requirements evolve.

Formaloo supports smooth data import from Excel or Google Sheets and offers flexible export options. 

It also integrates with pretty much every business tool—Slack, Notion, Stripe, ActiveCampaign, HubSpot, you name it.

And do you know what the best part is? You won’t have to break the bank as it is super affordable!

Key features

Here are some unique things you can do with Formaloo that make it one of the best CRM for agencies: 

• Securely manage access to leads, deals, and reports to protect customer data

• Automate repetitive tasks and workflows with triggers for task assignments, reminders, and case escalations.

• Build personalized dashboards with drag-and-drop functionality, custom fields, colors, tags, and filters.

• Create and customize lead generation forms and feedback surveys.

• Use granular permissions for secure data access or deploy Formaloo On-premise for local server storage

Pricing

Formaloo offers the following pricing tiers: 

• Free plan for individuals with essential features

• Pro plan at $12/month for startups with added collaboration and integrations

• Team plan at $38/month for teams with advanced customization

• Enterprise plan with custom solutions and enhanced security

4. Monday.com

Monday.com is a CRM that doubles as a project management tool. It is the best CRM for agencies that need to manage both client relationships and internal workflows.

Unlike typical list-based CRM platforms that resemble Excel sheets, Monday's CRM has a vibrant, colorful design where you understand the status of leads and identify any open actions at a glance.

Key Features

Here are some key tasks monday.com CRM helps with: 

• Monitor and manage entire sales or marketing team operations, including headcount planning and team performance.

• Import leads, contacts, and accounts from Excel or API, with AI-driven duplicate data merging.

• Manage contacts, send sales emails, log calls, and track activities on the go with the mobile app.

• Create or use preset automation templates to handle repetitive tasks, like lead routing and notifications, with no coding required.

Pricing

Monday CRM pricing is structured as follows:

• Free: $0/month for up to 2 seats, 1,000 contacts, and basic features like web forms.

• Basic: $12/user/month, includes unlimited pipelines, contacts, boards, and iOS/Android apps.

• Standard: $17/user/month, adds advanced management, email integration, AI tools, and custom automations.

• Pro: $28/user/month, offers sales forecasting, advanced email features, and extensive analytics.

• Enterprise: Includes all Pro features with additional enterprise-level capabilities (pricing available upon request).

5. Nimble

Nimble is a user-friendly, affordable CRM made for Microsoft 365. It integrates with Office 365, Outlook Desktop, and Outlook Mobile to help you stay organized, track sales, and access communication history from anywhere. 

Its Nimble Prospector extension provides valuable insights on leads before you reach out. 

Praised by Forbes Advisor as a top CRM for small businesses, Nimble is especially renowned for its strong social media integrations.

Key features

• Syncs leads from various sources like LinkedIn and web forms into a single platform.

• Builds targeted lists of prospects quickly using enriched social data.
• Drag-and-drop Kanban interface where you can create and manage multiple pipelines.

• It has lead capture forms with pre-built templates

• Advanced reporting dashboards to view detailed performance metrics and insights on sales activities and forecasts.

• Lets you send and track templated messages directly from the sales pipeline.

Pricing

Nimble offers a single plan priced at $24.90 per user per month with annual billing or $29.90 with monthly billing, which provides full access to all its features. However, users are limited to 25,000 contacts and 2 GB of storage per user. 

6. Copper

Copper is the preferred CRM for Google Workspace™ businesses, trusted by over 30,000 customers worldwide. 

Its layout closely resembles Google’s design, so if you can use Gmail, you can navigate Copper CRM easily. 

Integrated within Gmail, Copper shows a sidebar with client details—contact info, interaction history, and more—directly in your inbox. You can manage files, tasks, and projects, and handle deals all from your email.

Key features

Some of the features that set copper apart include: 

• Integrates with Gmail, Google Sheets, and Google Drive for a cohesive workflow.

• Offers built-in reports to predict potential revenue and assess the health of your sales pipeline.

• Automatically gather and update contact and company information from the web through auto-enriched profiles.

• Pre-built email templates and automated nurture sequences for marketing.

• Copper’s mobile app scanner turns business cards into new contacts.

Pricing

Copper CRM offers four pricing tiers:

• Starter for $9 per seat/month, includes 1,000 contacts and Google Workspace integration.

• Basic priced at $23 per seat/month, adds task automation, pipelines, and a 2,500 contact limit.

• Professional for $59 per seat/month, features workflow automation, bulk email, and a 15,000 contact limit.

• Business for $99 per seat/month, provides advanced analytics, customer nurture automation, and unlimited contacts.

Why you should build your own CRM?

Relying on third-party CRM providers comes with risks. They could change their terms, discontinue services, or simply increase their pricing to go out of your budget.

But most importantly, what if there are no features in existing CRMs that can cater to your agency’s unique needs? Or what if your requirements change in the future? You wouldn’t want the hassle of jumping from one CRM to another, would you?

With a custom CRM, you gain independence and ensure that your CRM system is always available and evolving according to your needs.

The best CRM for agencies is one that allows you to design tools that fit perfectly with your specific needs and workflows. Unlike off-the-shelf CRMs, you can create functionalities that directly address your business requirements with a custom solution.

If your agency handles sensitive customer information, such as financial data, a custom CRM can provide a higher level of security. You have full control over how data is stored, accessed, and protected. It reduces the risk of data breaches and increases trust with your clients.

If you're ready to build your own CRM perfectly tailored to your agency, check out Formaloo. Our no-code platform makes CRM design easy with drag-and-drop features and industry-specific templates.

Start your free trial today. 

FAQs

What is CRM in agency management?

A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is a system that helps agencies organize, track, and manage interactions with clients and partners. It centralizes data, streamlines communication, speeds up tasks and improves client satisfaction.

How do I choose a new CRM?

To choose the best CRM for agency, look for features that match those needs, check user reviews, and consider integration with existing tools. Test a few options with demos or free trials to find the best fit. Alternatively, you can also create a custom CRM to fit your unique needs.

Do marketing agencies use CRM?

Yes, marketing agencies almost always use CRM software to manage client relationships, track campaigns, and analyze performance.