If you’ve ever felt like you're juggling a thousand balls when it comes to managing customer interactions, a CRM is exactly what you need. 

Customer Relationship Management, or CRM, is software that businesses use to manage interactions with their customers.

74% of companies report that using a CRM provides them with improved access to customer information.

The different types of CRM software and their use cases include the following: 

• Operational CRM automates business processes related to sales, marketing, and customer service.
• Analytical CRM uses the data collected by operational CRM systems to gain insights into customer behavior, preferences, and trends. 
• Collaborative CRM use cases include enhancing communication and collaboration between different departments within an organization to serve customers better. 

In this article, I'll explore five popular CRM examples and explain how you can use them to strengthen your relationship with your customers.

5 Leading CRM examples

Here are the top 5 CRM examples with their unique strengths and functionalities. 

1. Salesforce

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Salesforce is one of the best CRM apps that help businesses manage all aspects of their customer relationships. 

It hosts a comprehensive suite of tools for sales, marketing, customer service, and more, all within a single platform.

The main features of Salesforce include: 

• It stores, tracks, and analyzes all your customer and prospect information in one place.
• Salesforce Customer 360 unites your marketing, sales, commerce, service, and IT teams with a single view of every customer. 
• Scales to meet your growing needs and is built on a secure, cloud-based platform.
• You can extend Salesforce's functionality with a vast marketplace of third-party apps.
• Automates marketing tasks such as email campaigns and lead generation.
• Helps you deliver exceptional customer service with tools for case management, knowledge base creation, and self-service options.

2. Pipedrive

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Pipedrive offers a simple and effective CRM manager. The dashboard is based on a Kanban-style board to help you visualize your sales pipeline. 

The platform allows you to see all your deals at different stages in a clear, organized way and ensures nothing falls through the cracks.

Main features: 

• Allows you to customize pipelines and add custom CRM fields.
• You can connect Pipedrive with your favorite business apps through the Pipedrive Marketplace. 
• Pipedrive's forecasting, goal-setting, team monitoring, and advanced sales metrics tools empower informed decision-making.

3. Formaloo CRM

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Formaloo lets you build a custom CRM that perfectly reflects your unique business processes. 

You can create custom fields, workflows, and automation to streamline your operations and ensure your CRM functions exactly as you need it to. 

The platform uses AI to generate insightful reports and dashboards that go beyond basic data visualization.

Main features: 

• Eliminates data silos and fosters collaboration through shared tasks, notes, and communication tools.
• Streamlines your sales pipeline with intuitive CRM lead management features.
• Keeps customer data secure with granular permission settings for leads, deals, and reports.
• Lets you create visually appealing lead generation forms to capture leads with ease. 

4. HubSpot CRM

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Hubspot CRM tracks deals, analyzes activity, and provides real-time insights.

Its functionalities are limited compared to other CRM examples on this list, but the free version is great for startups and small-scale companies with budget constraints. 

Main features: 

• Tracks sales pipeline and activity in real time.
• Provides detailed reports to measure team performance.
• Offers unlimited data and up to 1 million contacts forever for free.
• Includes free meeting scheduler, email templates, and live chat.
• Helps you close deals faster with features like deal notifications and pipeline management.

5. Agile CRM 

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Agile CRM blends sales enablement, marketing automation, and customer service features to empower businesses to thrive like Fortune 500 companies. 

It is based on the next-generation cloud-based technology and offers a mobile-ready, fast, and user-friendly experience. 

Main features: 

• Cloud-based and mobile-friendly for easy access on any device.
• Includes contact management, deal tracking, telephony, appointment scheduling, project management, and gamification.
• Provides access to a marketplace with over 500 additional apps for further customization.

These were the current top CRM examples. Now, it’s time to understand how to use a CRM.

How to use a CRM in your business?

Using a CRM is not as complicated as new teams think it is. 

Here’s a step-by-step CRM tutorial that describes how to use a CRM system. 

1. Add your team

The first step to start using a CRM is to log in to your CRM account with your administrator credentials. Then, you need to add your team to collaborate there. 

You can do that in settings or admin section, usually located in the top right corner or under a dropdown menu. You’ll require to fill in each user’s name, email address and other details.

Some CRMs also allow you to assign roles and permissions at this stage, so make sure to set those according to each team member's responsibilities.

Remember that these settings may vary from tool to tool. You can read the tool guidelines if you face issues adding team members.

2. Customize your sales pipeline

Every business has its way of converting leads into customers.

Think about the steps you follow in taking a potential customer from initial contact to becoming a client. 

Break down this journey into clear stages, such as "Prospecting," "Qualification," "Proposal," and "Close Deal."

Within your CRM, locate the section for managing your sales pipeline. 

This is where you'll define the different stages of the customer journey you identified earlier. Each stage should represent a clear progression toward closing the deal.

CRMs also allow you to add custom fields to capture information specific to your sales process. 

For example, if you sell real estate, you might add fields for property type, square footage, and number of bedrooms.

3. Transfer prospects data

To get started quickly, you'll want to import your existing prospect information into the CRM. 

Identify the source of your prospect information. It could be an excel spreadsheet, a marketing automation tool, or an email list. 

Ensure the data is organized and includes relevant details like names, email addresses, and company information.

Most CRMs allow you to import data through a simple upload process. 

However, the system will likely require your data to be formatted in a specific way, usually a Comma-Separated Values (CSV) file. 

Many CRM examples discussed above offer downloadable templates to ensure your data is formatted correctly.

When uploading your data, the CRM will ask you to match the information in your file with the corresponding fields within the system.

Once you've matched the data fields, initiate the import process. 

The CRM will also provide a report highlighting any errors encountered during import. You can then review and address any issues before the data is finalized.

4. Get other marketing and sales tools onboard

Consider integrating the marketing and sales software you currently use into your CRM. 

Popularly used tools include email marketing platforms, social media management tools, and project management systems. 

Many CRMs like Formaloo offer pre-built integrations with popular marketing and sales tools. 

You can look for a dedicated section within your CRM settings or visit the software provider's website to see a list of supported integrations.

If a native integration isn't available, use an integration platform like Zapier.

Plan the data flow between the platforms you want to integrate. Identify what information will be shared and in which direction.

After setting up the integration, thoroughly test it to ensure data is transferred accurately and securely.

5. Customize your dashboard

Your CRM dashboard is your personalized command center. Prioritize what information is most crucial for your team's success to select the most relevant metrics. 

Most CRM examples we talked about earlier offer widgets that display data in different formats, such as charts, graphs, and numbers. 

You should select widgets that clearly represent the metrics you identified earlier.

Arrange your chosen widgets on the dashboard in a way that makes sense for you and your team. 

Then, choose the timeframe that best reflects your needs and provides actionable insights.

6. Enable analytics

CRMs have a dedicated section for accessing and generating reports. It might be labeled "Reports," "Analytics," or something similar. Look around for areas with these titles.

Once you're in the reporting section, familiarize yourself with the available reports. 

You might see pre-built reports on common metrics like sales pipeline activity, deal conversion rates, and marketing campaign performance.

In addition to pre-built reports, CRMs allow you to create custom reports tailored to your specific needs. 

You can choose the data you want to analyze, set filters based on criteria like date range or sales rep, and format the report in a way that best suits your needs.

A perfect CRM tailored to your needs!

If you require a high degree of CRM customization to match your unique business workflow perfectly, then look no further than Formaloo.

Unlike traditional, one-size-fits-all CRM examples, Formaloo allows you to create custom fields, workflows, and automation. 

It streamlines your operations and ensures your CRM functions precisely as you need it to.

Formaloo goes beyond basic data visualization by leveraging AI to generate insightful reports and dashboards that empower data-driven decision-making.

Take control of your customer interactions and build a CRM that perfectly aligns with your business goals. 

‍Try Formaloo for free today.