The options for CRM solutions are expanding and becoming more diverse. In reality, some currently popular CRM software may lack the flexibility to meet the complex deployment requirements of large businesses.

Nevertheless, there are CRM software designed to offer a digital infrastructure, in-depth technical support, and exceptional features, granting significant customization freedom for large enterprises.

The article below focuses on providing important considerations when choosing CRM solutions and lists the 5 best enterprise CRM software.

5 Things to consider when choosing CRM software

Determine your need

The first important step before selecting CRM software is to clarify the needs and deployment expectations. You can review and assess the pros and cons of the current tools and management programs in use. Following this, the focus should be on the aspects requiring modification or enhancement, all while estimating the customization needs.

Select types of CRM software: On-premise CRM vs On-cloud CRM

Next, you need to the type of software to deploy, which may be either On-premise or On-cloud CRM software. These two software types come with key differences.

For On-cloud CRM, the entire data and software system are stored and managed by a third-party service provider, allowing you to access it through a web browser or mobile application.

Some advantages of On-cloud CRM include:

• Cost-effective usage
• Easy to use and accessible anytime, anywhere
• No need to perform maintenance, security, and software update processes

On the other hand, On-premise CRM stores and manages the entire data and software system locally on the company’s servers and infrastructure.

Some advantages of On-premise CRM include:

• Internal storage ensures security for vital information.
• You have complete control over the software, enabling you to customize the software updates.
• Not dependent on the internet to access and maintain the CRM system’s operations.

Related Reading: On-Premise CRM vs On-Cloud CRM: Key Differences

Check the accessibility

A user-friendly CRM software accessible to users of all skill levels contributes to expediting the deployment process effectively. Specifically, the software interface should be intuitive, easy to install, and allow for seamless import and export of any data type without requiring excessive assistance.

Moreover, businesses should opt for CRM software that is flexible enough to synchronize with their existing operational processes. Typically, the majority of CRM solutions nowadays offer a free trial period of three or four weeks. This timeframe is sufficient for businesses to understand the software’s functionality and assess whether it is the optimal choice for their deployment needs.

Evaluate the ability to customize

Customization is a vital feature of CRM software. Because each business has different models and scales, it’s essential to select CRM software that offers customization capabilities to match your business requirements and smoothly manage your sales processes.

Most CRM software designed for large-scale businesses offers customization capabilities. Nevertheless, while CRM solutions with extensive customization features can facilitate flexible deployment to meet specific needs, they often come with a higher price point.

Pay attention to security issues

The most crucial information stored in CRM software is customer data. Therefore, when selecting a CRM solution, you need to prioritize security.

Currently,  many CRM solutions are cloud-based, meaning customer data is encrypted and regularly backed up to enhance safety and security. However, you should thoroughly research the provider and understand how their data will be stored and secured in the database. This information is typically available on the CRM provider’s website.

5 best enterprise CRM software

According to G2‘s and rankings based on user satisfaction, here are the top 10 CRM software solutions best suited for large-scale enterprises.

Salesforce Sales Cloud

Salesforce Sales Cloud is a part of the renowned Salesforce CRM platform, developed to assist large enterprises in optimizing business operations and maintaining better customer relationships.

Core features:

• Opportunity Management:  Provides details about transactions, including product information, deal stages, pricing, and competitors Allows sales personnel to access real-time information for each transaction.
• Marketing Automation: Automatically creates, deploys, and manages effective online marketing campaigns. Enables collaboration between sales and marketing teams to search, evaluate potential customers, and streamline the sales process.
• Lightning Voice: Allows making calls to customers directly within Salesforce with just a click. Sales representatives can view all contact information updated in real-time to be prepared for any customer conversation.
• Workflows and Approvals: Saves time and simplifies the approval of business requests by designing and automating sales processes with simple drag-and-drop actions. Approval requests include deal discounts, expense reports, purchase orders, etc.
• File Sync and Share: This enables the sales team to quickly search and share up-to-date and accurate content such as presentations, proposals, and contracts from anywhere, helping the business close more deals in less time.
• Reports and Dashboards: Easily create and customize dashboards and real-time data reports to support the decision-making process for the next business steps.
• Sales Forecasting: This enables viewing sales forecasts and specific adjustments suggested for each sales team.

Costs: 

Pros: 

• Enables a 360-degree view of the customer interaction journey
• Offers tools for automating business processes
• Includes a demo for every deployed feature
• High level of customization and scalability
• Superior data security system

Cons:

• Internet access is required to use the software.
• While Salesforce Sales Cloud offers extensive customization, you will face additional charges for adding features or utilities, leading to increased software usage costs.
• The platform provides advanced features, but for new users, navigating through all the features and options available on the dashboard may not be intuitive. You will need to invest significant time in training their teams to effectively utilize the software.
• Migrating data from existing systems to Salesforce Sales Cloud can be time-consuming and may require technical expertise. Businesses can contact the Salesforce consulting team for assistance in addressing this issue.

SAP Sales Cloud

Recognized as a top on-cloud CRM software for large enterprises, SAP Sales Cloud assists businesses in creating an internal collaborative environment, optimizing business processes, and fostering efficient interactions with customers.

Core features:

• Omnichannel Engagement: Provides omnichannel interaction features to enhance customer engagement, streamline the sales process, and complete transactions. 
• Email & Calendar Integration: Integrates with productivity tools like Microsoft Outlook and Google Gmail to automatically synchronize customer data and important information from the current system.
• Predictive Analytics & Machine Learning: Real-time scoring and prediction features help businesses identify potential customers, guide them through the sales process, and offer personalized recommendations for products, sales representatives, and pricing to optimize contract opportunities.
• Sales Performance: Offers detailed sales guidance to help businesses actualize their sales strategy while tracking progress and results with comprehensive information on each salesperson’s actions. Additionally, businesses can integrate with the SAP CX solution suite to boost business goals.
• Productivity & Personalization: Provides features that enhance the efficiency of the sales process, such as tagging, flagging, scheduling, and personalizing fields, reports, and custom fields for easy access and use by sales representatives.
• Back-office Integration & Connection: Integrates with SAP ERP and SAP CX solutions to leverage real-time, valuable information and details to understand sales cycles and seize transaction-closing opportunities.

Cost: SAP Sales Cloud doesn’t publicly disclose its pricing on the website. Therefore, businesses are advised to contact the provider directly for consultation and a price quote.

Pros:

• User-friendly interface that is easy to use.
• Seamless integration with other services in the SAP system, facilitating the sharing of information and data across departments within the business.
• Provide demos for each deployed feature.
• Offers advanced analytics capabilities for customer information and market trends to optimize sales strategies.
• High customization and scalability.
• Ensures the security, regular updates, and accuracy of customer-related information and data.
• Automates business processes.

Cons:

• The usage cost is not publicly disclosed, making it challenging for businesses to accurately estimate deployment expenses
• The seamless integration capability with other SAP services, while advantageous, can be a drawback as businesses become heavily dependent on the SAP system, leading to limitations if a few services from a different provider are used.
• Integrating SAP Sales Cloud with external services is not straightforward and requires significant expertise and resources.
• The high customization capability of SAP Sales Cloud demands technical proficiency and a certain level of understanding of SAP, making it time-consuming for new users to familiarize themselves with the platform.

HubSpot Sales Hub

When it comes to leading CRM providers, HubSpot is a very familiar name for most businesses. The HubSpot Sales Hub solution offers businesses outstanding features to build relationships with customers, manage the sales funnel effectively, and close more deals.

Core features:

• Sales Automation: Set up a series of automated and personalized tasks and emails to streamline the sales process and close deals.
• Conversation Intelligence: Utilize AI tools to record calls with customers to understand how each sales representative interacts with customers and provide timely evaluations and improvement guidance.
• Document Tracking: Support the sales team in creating and sharing sales content, while tracking which type of content customers open, view, or forward, and which content leads to deal closures
• Email Tracking: Use tools like Gmail, Outlook, and HubSpot to send tracked emails and receive notifications for any potential customer interaction with tracked emails.
• Call Tracking: Prioritize daily sales calls based on the HubSpot database. Automatically record call details for contacts in the CRM system.
• Pipeline Management: Create, customize, and control the sales process visually with the “Deal Pipeline Management” feature. On the “Sales Dashboard” page, you can view detailed sales activities, track customer movement through the funnel, and identify and address issues for each customer case to quickly close deals.
• Sales Analytics & Reporting: Choose from available reports or customize individual reports to monitor the progress and performance of the sales team with in-depth and accurate analytical data.

Costs:

Pros:

• Provides 24/7 customer support via live chat, email, and hotline.
• Intuitive platform interface and user-friendly CRM features.
• Offers a demo for each deployed feature.
• Provides tools for automating business processes.
• The ‘tracking’ features are well-designed and systematically meet the requirements for monitoring and controlling the entire sales process.

Cons:

• Although HubSpot Sales Hub is designed to be user-friendly, the initial setup, customization, and management of the CRM system may require a significant amount of time.
• Internet access is required to access and use the software.
• The free trial version limits features and permissions, making it challenging for businesses to accurately assess the capabilities of this CRM system.
• Migrating data from existing systems to HubSpot Sales Hub can be time-consuming and may require technical expertise.

Zoho CRM

Zoho is a renowned CRM solution with a variety of features designed to suit businesses of all sizes, enabling them to build and manage customer relationships and optimize sales processes.

Core features:

• Sales Force Automation: Automates sales tasks such as scheduling sales appointments, sending follow-up emails, tracking leads, and updating sales opportunities.
• Marketing Automation: Provides tools to efficiently run marketing campaigns and deliver high-quality leads to the sales department.
• Performance Management: Streamlines business processes, and enhances sales capabilities with insights relevant to changing market trends.
• Product Customization: Use custom fields, buttons, layouts, link data, localize language and currency, and test before deployment.
• Omnichannel Management: Enables businesses to connect with customers across various channels while collecting essential data to support sales calls.

Costs: 

Pros: 

• User interface is intuitive and easy to use.
• Allows integration with multiple applications and services to create a unified CRM system.
• Utilizes artificial intelligence to predict customer behavior and suggest relevant actions.
• High-level security features.
• Offers a 15-day free trial version.

Cons:

• Customer support service is not yet fully optimized.
• Customization process requires technical expertise and significant resources.
• The trial version limits many features, making it challenging to evaluate the platform’s capabilities.

NetSuite CRM

Another prominent CRM software for large enterprises is NetSuite CRM. This is a cloud-based CRM platform designed to help businesses manage interactions with current and potential customers, partners, and suppliers.

Core features:

• Sales Force Automation: Provides businesses with an integrated sales process, covering lead management, upselling, cross-selling, and quoting to sales forecasting, order management, order fulfillment, and commissions.
• Marketing Automation: Builds, deploys, and measures the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. Tracks potential customers and identifies the moment they are ready to make a purchase, transferring potential customer information to the sales department.
• Customer Service Management: Creates and automates the management process of customer cases, ensuring that customer inquiries are quickly addressed with the answers they need.
• Partner Relationship Management: Controls all aspects of the sales and marketing process between the business and its partners with real-time updated information.

Costs: NetSuite CRM doesn’t publicly disclose its pricing on the website. Therefore, businesses are advised to contact the provider directly for consultation and a price quote.

Pros:

• An all-in-one solution for various aspects of eCommerce such as sales, marketing, and customer service.
• Exceptional customization capabilities to meet the specific deployment needs of each business

Cons:

• The usage cost is not publicly disclosed, making it challenging for businesses to accurately estimate deployment costs.
• Businesses are required to pay the entire deployment cost upfront for the initial setups.
• Users must subscribe to an annual license, incurring additional fees before using this tool.

Related Reading: Explore the 10 best CRM software for large enterprises Pt2

The Bottom Line

Leveraging years of valuable experience supporting various businesses in the deployment of CRM solutions, SECOMM offers valuable insights to help businesses swiftly identify appropriate software and expedite the implementation process.

Contact or call directly to SECOMM’s hotline at 02871089908 for free consultation.