The development of SMBs is intimately linked to their ability to manage customer relations effectively. In the digital age, competition is fierce and prospects’ expectations are constantly evolving. In particular, they expect personalized interactions, almost immediate responsiveness, and consistency at every stage of contact. In the face of these challenges, CRM for SMB is essential to progress.
CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is often presented as a single tool or software for managing customer relations. But in reality, it’s a comprehensive approach: centralizing sales information and interactions, implementing or standardizing processes, automating certain tasks, analyzing and improving your sales, marketing and customer service methods. All with the aim of increasing customer satisfaction and boosting sales performance.
Why is this important for a small business? Let’s take a simple example: you have a sales team, e-mails arrive every day, social networks call on you, product sheets evolve, quotes need to be sent, reminders need to be sent… Very quickly, without a follow-up system, you risk losing visibility, missing opportunities and generating dissatisfaction among your prospects and customers. The CRM tool then acts as a compass, guiding you on a daily basis towards the right deal, at the right time, with the right proposal.
So, the aim of this article is to offer you a comprehensive guide to help you better understand what a CRM for SMB is, and the best practices for using it. We’ll also present a comparison of the best CRMs.
What is a CRM for SMB?
A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software centralizes and organizes all information relating to your prospects and customers. Its aim is to streamline sales processes and day-to-day management.
The term “CRM” also refers to a corporate philosophy focused on customer satisfaction and optimizing the relationship throughout the entire lifecycle. So it’s not just a question of technology, it’s a business model that places customer knowledge at the heart of strategy.
A CRM for SMBs provides visibility, organization, efficiency and processes. To be suitable for small and medium-sized businesses, it must meet a number of criteria.
List of criteria for choosing the right CRM for sales management
- Simplicity of use: Your teams may not be computer experts, or have the time to spend on complex setup. So you need an intuitive interface and features that are easy to activate.
- Affordable, flexible pricing: A CRM solution must offer features tailored to the needs of the SME, with no hidden costs and the ability to evolve as the company grows.
- Scalability: Small businesses aspire to become larger companies. A CRM must be able to keep pace with this growth, managing more contacts, teams, products or sales channels. And by enabling scalable business processes.
- No-code personalization: Even as an SMB, you have your own know-how, specific processes and unique offers. Your CRM must be able to adapt to these specificities, and not the other way around. This customization should be possible for any employee with no technical skills.
- Integrations with existing software: Small businesses often use several software for accounting, costing, marketing, operations and so on. The ideal solution is a CRM capable of connecting or interfacing easily with these other solutions, without the need for major IT developments.
A CRM for SMB must support marketing, sales and customer service. From the very first lead generated, right through to post-sales support management, traceability is key to building a consistent, responsive customer experience.
Why adopt a CRM for SMB?
For an SMB, every prospect counts. Every satisfied customer can become an ambassador, a long-term partner. And yet, with small teams and few resources, there’s little margin for error. CRM provides a direct response to these problems:
Data centralization
No more scattered Excel spreadsheets or notebooks. With a CRM, you’ll find all your information (contacts, activities, e-mails, calls) in a single dashboard.
Best collaboration
Everyone in the company has access to the same level of information, in real time. Your sales force no longer has to wonder who said what to customer X; it’s all recorded automatically.
Customer satisfaction
The better you know your customers and their issues, the more you can provide them with relevant, proactive answers. And the greater the chance of a sale.
Task automation
Numerous repetitive tasks (sending follow-up e-mails, building quotations, costing, reminding customers of reminders notices, creating sales reports) can be managed via automation.
A clear view of sales
Quickly visualize your current sales, forecasts, most urgent business, etc., so you can prioritize resources optimally. You have better control over your sales targets
Best performance
A CRM for SMBs makes it easier to identify opportunities, prioritize actions, build customer loyalty and reduce non-value-added tasks. As a result, sales teams are more efficient.
Time-saving
Fewer double entries, fewer administrative errors. Everything is centralized and interconnected, and certain data are automatically integrated into quotations, reminders, etc.
Cost reduction
Thanks to automation and guided experiments, teams can concentrate solely on important tasks. The time saved can be reinvested in growth, for example.
Quality data
Data entry is simplified and automated. No more typing errors or oversights. Information searches are instantaneous. Sales managers can make informed decisions.
The main features of a CRM for SMB
CRMs for SMB offer a wide range of features. Of course, it’s up to you to choose and use the ones that are really important to you. And there’s no need to worry about using too few features. In fact, on average, companies use less than 50% of software features.
Contact management:
Easily create customer files, enriched with fields (contact details, purchase history, sector, company size, contact preferences, etc.).
This contact database will enable you to carry out simple filtered searches to communicate the right sales offers to the right people, at the right time.
Dashboards and Pipelines
A CRM for SMBs should offer customizable dashboards for tracking your sales, leads and objectives. One click gives you an overview, but you can also zoom in on details.
The most common dashboard model is the pipeline or kanban, which enables you to visualize and filter the progress of prospects in a sales cycle (prospecting, qualification, quotation, negotiation, sale…). This visualization makes it easy to identify the need for follow-ups.
Interaction follow-up and request management :
Each exchange (call, e-mail, appointment) must be recorded automatically or manually in the customer file.
You can create procedures or instructions to guide your sales staff in managing requests, which then update the data sources.
Automated costing and dunning:
CRMs for small and medium-sized businesses integrate reminder and notification systems that alert your sales reps to the need to follow up on a particular prospect, send a quote, or finalize a contract. In addition, quotation methods can be automated on some CRMs, saving time and improving sales reactivity.
Integrations with your existing software :
Today, a CRM for SMBs must interface with your other tools (e-mail, calendars, ERP, HRIS, etc.) to avoid multiple entries.
How do you choose the ideal CRM for SMB?
Here is the list of criteria to be evaluated for each CRM candidate:
- Ease of use: Your teams need to get to grips with the tool quickly. A complicated CRM will often be rejected.
- Flexible pricing: Choose flexible formulas that adapt to your changing needs. Check whether billing is by number of users, by number of contacts, or by features.
- List of mandatory features: you need to prioritize the features you want. You don’t want to end up buying tools that won’t be used.
- Level of automation: Does the CRM offer automated workflows for reminders, quote generation, internal approvals, etc.?
- Customization: Can you add fields specific to your business? Modify your pipeline steps? Change the interface?
- Connecting to your existing software: Check with the CRM for SMB editor to see if the software can connect to your existing software.
- Scalability: SMB often needs to grow and internalize more skills. Your CRM needs to be able to handle more users, more segments, more processes.
- Support and assistance: Check the quality of customer support, the availability of training courses…
Ranking of the 9 best CRMs for SMB (Comparison 2025)
Lapala, the 100% customizable CRM for SMB
From $39/month for the whole company
Ergonomics :
⭐⭐⭐⭐
No-code :
✅
Price per month for 10 users
$39
Lapala is a CRM software for small and medium-sized businesses, which stands out for its ease of use by teams and its simple customization, while at the same time being a powerful, high-performance tool for small and medium-sized businesses. Thanks to its various features, it can centralize all opportunities, automate non-value-added tasks, and create guided processes for managing customer requests.
With Lapala, free your teams from tedious, non-value-added tasks. Save time to boost sales and margins
Lapala summary:
– Simple and no-code.
– High level of personalization.
– Low prices.
Want to know in 30 minutes if Lapala is right for you? Request a demo
Salesforce, world leader in CRM
From $25/month/user
Ergonomics :
⭐
No-code :
Partly
Price per month for 10 users
$250
Known for its powerful CRM, Salesforce now offers a slimmed-down version designed for small and medium-sized businesses. Salesforce’s sales management software centralizes opportunities, the sales pipeline, automates key tasks and provides dashboards.
Salesforce offers its own application environment (AppExchange) and no-code customization options. Nevertheless, the ecosystem remains technical for beginners and requires a learning curve.
Zoho CRM, not just for sales
From $14/month/user
Ergonomics :
⭐⭐⭐
No-code :
Partly
Price per month for 10 users
$140
Part of the Zoho suite (Zoho Books, Zoho Desk, Zoho Campaigns…). Suitable for SMBs looking for a complete ecosystem. Zoho CRM offers basic features such as contact management, marketing automation, pipeline, etc.
Zoho CRM offers customization features (triggers, workflows). The configuration interface isn’t the simplest on the market, but it does allow a lot of no-code configuration (drag-and-drop, conditional rules, etc.). On the other hand, the interface has made progress but can seem cluttered at first if you activate too many modules. Allow time for training.
Hubspot, the most popular CRM for SMB
From $15/month/user
Ergonomics :
⭐⭐
No-code :
✅
Price per month for 10 users
$150
Hubspot is an interesting CRM for SMB, allowing you to get started quickly and cost-effectively with the free version. But the price rises organically with the add-ons you choose. Take a close look at the features available at each subscription level.
This CRM also integrates numerous modules to digitalize your organization: Marketing, Customer Service, Network Management.
Pipedrive, CRM for SMB efficient
From $14/month/user
Ergonomics :
⭐⭐⭐
No-code :
✅
Price per month for 10 users
$140
Pipedrive is designed for sales pipeline management, simplified opportunity visualization and lead management. This CRM also integrates automated follow-up e-mails and integrated reminders.
Pipedrive offers simple, configurable workflows via a “pipeline” interface. You can setup fields, create drag-and-drop automations to send an automatic e-mail or trigger a task.
Axonaut, all-in-one CRM for SMEs
From $69/month/user
Ergonomics :
⭐⭐⭐
No-code :
✅
Price per month for 10 users
$339
All-in-one software: CRM, invoicing, basic accounting, customer reminders, quotations, bank reconciliations. Targeted at small businesses looking for simplicity and time savings.
The setup part remains simple (addition of fields, sales management). For more complex workflows, Axonaut doesn’t have an “advanced” editor like some of its competitors, but covers the essentials for SMB use.
NoCRM, the simplest CRM
From $22/month/user
Ergonomics :
⭐⭐⭐⭐
No-code :
✅
Price per month for 10 users
$222
NoCrm focuses on prospecting and lead conversion. This CRM software for SMB emphasizes simplicity, the elimination of superfluous fields, and the logic of a To-do list for sales reps.
You can customize a few fields and set sales stages, but the tool remains purposely uncluttered. It is therefore less oriented towards complex workflows than other tools.
Zendesk Sell, the ticketing CRM
From $19/month/user
Ergonomics :
⭐⭐
No-code :
✅
Price per month for 10 users
$190
Zendesk Sell is centered on the sales cycle, with its lead tracking and scoring module, automated follow-up, e-mail synchronization and more. It is highly integrated with Zendesk Support (customer service).
The interface is designed to be simple, but can appear complex with the numerous modules available. You can simply set up basic automations (e.g. notifications, sending e-mails). Ultra-complete setup is time-consuming, but you can set up fields and pipelines with ease.
Freshsales, complete CRM for SMB
From $9/month/user
Ergonomics :
⭐⭐⭐
No-code :
✅
Price per month for 10 users
$99
Freshsales is part of the Freshworks suite (Freshdesk for support, Freshservice, etc.). This module focuses on sales, lead management, integrated telephony and direct e-mail management from the CRM.
This CRM for SMBs lets you create automations (lead scoring, e-mail campaigns, workflows) via a visual interface. It’s a good compromise between simplicity and power.
Tips for optimizing your sales processes and using your CRM for SMB
- Train and mobilize your teams: The best CRM in the world is useless if your employees don’t use it. Plan short, operational training sessions, communicate internally on the importance of filling in the information… In some cases, it is possible to mobilize teams by setting up remuneration variables based on software use.
- Define a clear sales cycle thanks to processes: What are the steps involved in closing a deal? From initial prospecting, to offer, negotiation and closing. The better this is defined, the more the CRM will be able to track and automate these steps.
- Update data regularly: Obsolete or incomplete data distorts analyses. Integrate cleansing routines, or tools that interface with third-party databases to check the validity of e-mails, phone numbers, etc. The easiest way is to use tools that offer guided experiments, such as Lapala CRM.
- Automate non-value-added tasks: Use workflows, assignment rules, notifications and automatic escalations to streamline your processes. Connect CRM for SMB to your existing software
- Customize CRM to match your know-how : create personalized tools for rapid decision-making.
- Integrate customer onboarding and request processing into CRM software: CRM is the nerve center of your customer data, so let your teams use it to manage incoming customer requests and onboarding.
- Ongoing analysis: Take the time each month to review CRM usage. Which indicators are under-used? Which automations could be improved?
Frequently asked questions about CRM for SMB
Is a CRM really useful for a very small business?
Yes, as soon as you have a few dozen prospects or customers, you gain in productivity and visibility by using a CRM. Even for micro-businesses, a basic CRM can prevent missed opportunities.
Can I connect my CRM to my billing software?
Most modern CRMs offer integrations or APIs for exchanging data with your other tools, such as billing or accounting. However, check for compatibility with different tools.
How do you ensure the security of customer data?
Serious publishers rely on secure cloud environments, with regular backups, data encryption… You can also set access rights (which user can view or modify data?).
How long does it take to deploy a CRM?
This depends on the complexity of your processes and the degree of customization required. For an SMB, a simple deployment can be done in a few days or weeks, especially if you support your teams well and start with a SaaS CRM.
What are the most common mistakes made when setting up a CRM system?
- Not defining clear objectives for CRM use
- Neglect training and change management
- Wanting to automate everything at once and drowning in complexity
- Leaving duplicates in the customer database
Do I need a dedicated CRM manager?
Often, in an SMB, it’s the manager or a sales manager who takes on this role. If the tool is simple, it’s not very time-consuming. But if the software is not ergonomic, it can quickly become a headache.
Conclusion
Implementing a CRM system is an important step in the life of any small or medium-sized business wishing to optimize its customer relations. It makes life easier for the company as a whole, avoiding any loss of information, automating non-value-added data entry and freeing teams from non-value-added tasks.
The ideal CRM for SMBs should focus on simplicity, pricing flexibility, customization and scalability. Choosing a CRM for SMBs means asking the right questions: what are your main needs (sales, marketing, customer service, invoicing)? Which features are essential for your sector? What budget are you prepared to devote to this project? What third-party integrations are essential?
Leave a Reply