In sales every interaction matters. Whether your sales team is nurturing a new set of leads, giving product demo every week or closing some pending deals from last week – you need to keep a track of it to be able to measure it. And using a contact management software just makes this task easier for you.
In this article, we will be exploring contact management software tools, including its benefits, comparing it to the CRMs and helping you choose the perfect solution for your team.
It doesn’t matter if you have not yet used a CRM system in your life, we will give you a complete information about the tool in details.
So, I’m starting with the most important question.
What is a ‘contact management software’?
A contact management software is a tool that centralizes and organizes contact information for businesses. It enables personalized communication, maintains customer service, and enhances sales opportunities.
It tracks importantdata such as customer contact details, transaction history, customer engagement details, sales pipeline status and lot more.
For businesses dealing with customers, leads, or other business connections, this software is often a go-to to track their overall workflow.
At present, about 90% customer management softwares usually come with sales CRM capabilities for efficient customer relationship managament.
Benefits of using a contact management software
Whether you are a sales leader, a small business owner or a part of large enterprise, here are some advantages of using a contact management software for your business:
1. Centralized Data Hub
Contact management software centralizes all your contact data—names, email addresses, phone numbers, social profiles, deal information and more. It eliminates the chaos of scattered spreadsheets and sticky notes. When you need to find a lead’s phone number or recall a customer’s purchase history, it’s all at your fingertips.
2. Enhanced Customer Engagement
With contact management software, you gain insights into interactions over time. You’ll know when a lead last engaged with your content, which emails they opened, and what they’re interested in. Armed with this knowledge, you can tailor your communication, nurture leads effectively, and build stronger relationships.
Read more: What Is Customer Engagement? How To Improve It?
3. Data-Driven Decision Making
You can easily analyze trends, preferences, and buying behavior. Which leads are converting? What communication channels work best? By leveraging customer data, you make informed decisions.
For instance, if you notice that leads from a specific industry respond well to personalized emails, you can adjust your outreach strategy accordingly.
4. Efficient Data Quality Management
Contact management softwares regularly update customer data on automation and syncs it to the database. When a lead changes their email address or a customer moves to a new company, you’ll be on top of it. Clean data means better targeting, fewer embarrassing mix-ups, and smoother communication.
5. Scalability and Flexibility
Contact management software scales effortlessly. Whether you’re adding new leads, clients, or partners, the system adapts. As your team expands, you won’t hit a data management roadblock.
6. Time Savings and Efficiency
You can set automated follow-ups, assign tasks, and simplify your workflow. Sales reps spend less time on administrative tasks and more time building relationships.
7. Improved Collaboration Across Teams
Sales, marketing, and customer service can seamlessly share contact details. When everyone’s on the same page, collaboration thrives. Imagine a sales rep accessing marketing insights or a support agent understanding a customer’s history—it’s a win-win.
Read more: Increase in Transparency and Collaboration to Reduce Business Cycles
8. Security and Compliance Assurance
Contact management systems provide robust data security. Whether it’s GDPR, CCPA, or industry-specific regulations, contact management software ensures compliance.
Contact Management Software v/s Customer Relationship Management Software(CRM)
A contact management software(CMS) may seem like a Customer Relationship Management software(CRM) reading this article so far, but surprisingly they are not
Although both of them stores and manages customer information, there’s a lot of difference between these two.
Let’s find out how each done differs.
| Aspect | Contact Management Software | CRM |
| Primary focus | Storing and organizing basic contact details (names, addresses, social media accounts) | Comprehensive management of customer interactions, sales, and relationships |
| Functionality | Maintains detailed contact records such as names, phone numbers, email addresses, locations, transaction history, and notes. | Offers lead and deal management, marketing automation, comprehensive reporting and activity tracking |
| Use case | Ideal for small businesses or individuals needing a straightforward tool for basic contact storage | Suited for businesses of all sizes aiming to enhance customer relationships, automate processes, and drive sales growth |
| Scalability | Limited scalability in a growing business | Highly scalable to accommodate growing contact lists and business needs |
| Omnichannel communication | Not designed for omnichannel communication | Supports diverse channels for consistent interactions |
In conclusion, a customer management software is essentially like a an address book with some collaboration features. On the other hand, a CRM is an entire toolkit offering a range of features related to sales, customer service and marketing alignment.
Top 6 contact management software tools you should check out
Here are couple of the top contact management softwares that are killing it in the market currently.
#1. Hubspot
Price: FREE
G2 Rating: 4.4/5
Capterra Rating: 4.5/5
HubSpot’s free CRM has a lot of contact management features into it making it ideal for anyone looking to use it for contact management. HubSpot also works as a one-stop solution for businesses looking to streamline their sales and marketing efforts.
It offers a centralized platform for all customer interactions, making it easier to manage and nurture relationships with customers and leads. With its automated data entry and enriched contact records, HubSpot ensures that your contact information is always up-to-date and comprehensive. It’s designed to enhance productivity, improve customer relationship management, and drive business growth.
Key features include:
Automated Contact Management: Automatically updates and manages up to 1,000,000 contact and company records, eliminating manual data entry.
Enriched Contact Records: Automatically populates contact records with relevant company details from its extensive database of over 20 million businesses.
Centralized Communication: Provides a unified platform for all communication history and activities, including emails, calls, notes, follow-ups, meetings, and deals.
Integration Capabilities: Offers seamless integration with hundreds of apps, including Gmail, Outlook, Google Drive, and Dropbox, enhancing functionality and ease of use.
Sales Pipeline Management: Allows you to visualize and manage your sales pipeline, helping you track deals and forecast revenue.
Email Tracking and Notifications: Enables you to track email opens and clicks, and receive real-time notifications, helping you engage with leads at the right time.
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#2. BigContacts
Price: Free forever plan, Basic plan starts at $20/month
G2 Rating: 4.5/5
Capterra Rating: 4.3/5
BigContacts is a cloud-based CRM and marketing system, tailor-made for small businesses. It’s a user-friendly platform that simplifies contact management, making it easier for small teams to nurture customer relationships and drive growth.
The platform is designed to automate many of the tedious tasks associated with contact management. From updating contact records to tracking emails, BigContacts takes care of the details so you can focus on what matters most – building strong, lasting relationships with your customers
Key features include:
Automated Contact Management: BigContacts automatically organize, sort, and view contacts based on various parameters such as pending activities or last communication.
Custom Fields: BigContacts allows you to store additional information about your prospects and customers that is crucial to your business.
Sales Pipeline Management: With BigContacts, you can build a custom sales pipeline and automate personalized emails based on the prospect’s position in the sales cycle, helping you stay on top of your sales process.
Email Tracking and Notifications: BigContacts lets you track email related analytics such as email opens, email replies etc. in real time.
Task Management: It lets you automate the follow-up process with its reminders and task lists, ensuring you stay on top of your tasks and deadlines.
Integration Capabilities: BigContacts enhances its functionality and ease of use by integrating with various apps, allowing you to work seamlessly across different platforms.
Reliable Customer Support: They provide round-the-clock customer support via chat, call, and email.
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#3. Nutshell
Price: 14 Day free trial, Basic plan starts at $19/user/month
G2 Rating: 4.3/5
Capterra Rating: 4.3/5
Nutshell CRM is a cloud-based platform that stands out in this list of contact management software tools. Designed with small businesses in mind, it offers a unique blend of features that streamline sales and marketing activities. Its unique features make it a standout choice for contact management.
Nutshell CRM is more than just a contact management software—it’s a partner that helps businesses nurture customer relationships, drive growth, and achieve their goals.
Key features include:
Unified Communication Timelines: Records every interaction with each contact, providing a complete history at a glance.
Custom Sales Pipeline: Offers a flexible sales tracking platform with templates for building the perfect pipeline.
Two-Way Email Syncs: Syncs with Gmail and Office 365, allowing management of work from a single browser window.
Shareable Email Templates: Provides simple, shareable email templates for effective communication.
Customizable Sales Reports: Helps track team’s progress and identify best opportunities.
Free Data Migration: Offers hassle-free data migration to the platform.
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#4. Freshworks CRM
Price: Free trial for 21 days, Basic plan starts at Rs. 745/user/month
G2 Rating: 4.5/5
Capterra Rating: 4.1/5
Freshworks presents a customer contact management solution that stands out for its simplicity and user-friendly design. It provides a unified platform where You can access all the necessary information about a prospect, including their social profiles, contact details, and recent interactions.
The platform also offers AI capabilities for predicting contact scores, analyzing past data for valuable sales insights, and suggesting the next course of action.
It’s a comprehensive contact management software tool with automation capabilities that can do wonders for small to large teams.
Key features include:
Unified Contact Management: Centralized database for easy access to all prospect details and activities.
AI-Powered Assistant: Freddy, the AI assistant, provides predictive contact scoring and sales insights.
Salesforce Automation: Streamlines sales tasks and processes for efficiency.
Marketing Automation Tools: Enables automated marketing activities for better reach and engagement.
Customer Segmentation: Allows for targeted marketing and sales efforts.
Automated Email Campaigns: Personalized emails can be sent automatically to the right prospects at the right time.
Free Customer Support: They offer free customer support service during weekdays.
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#5. Contact Boss
Price: 1 month free trial, CAD $12/user/month
G2 Rating: 4.3/5
Capterra Rating: N/A
Big Contact is a comprehensive contact management solution designed to cater to the needs of small businesses. It provides a detailed view of customer records, including crucial details such as contact information, transaction history, and past interactions. The platform is engineered to track all customer touchpoints, helping your team maintain organization and efficiency.
This tool can significantly enhance your sales engagement and efforts.
Key features include:
Detailed Contact Records: Offers a complete overview of each customer, including their contact details, past interactions, and transaction history.
Automated Data Sync: Automatically updates contact data based on your activities and interactions, ensuring your records are always up-to-date.
Task Automation: Allows you to automate actions and set reminders for tasks, enhancing productivity.
Email Correspondence Tracking: Monitors all email communication and notifies users when specific emails are opened, keeping you in the loop.
Sales Pipeline Management: Assists in moving deals through your sales cycle with automated follow-ups, ensuring no opportunity is missed.
Customizable Fields: Lets you store additional information about your customers and prospects, providing a more personalized experience.
Team Collaboration: Enables you to manage your teams effectively by creating users, roles, and permissions.
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#6. Zoho CRM
Price: Starts at Rs. 800/user/month
G2 Rating: 4.1/5
Capterra Rating: 4.3/5
Zoho CRM is a robust contact management software that serves as a one-stop solution for businesses looking to improve their customer relationships. It offers a unified platform for tracking contact details, transaction history, and all customer interactions. With its user-friendly interface and comprehensive features, Zoho CRM makes contact management a easier.
Key features include:
AI-sales assistant: Zoho’s AI-voice assistant Zia provides you any information on command on mobile app.
Detailed contact management: Provides a holistic view of contact information, transaction history and past interactions.
Smart Automation: Automatically captures data and update that based on your activities and interactions with customers.
Email Tracking: Tracks all email correspondence and alerts users when specific emails are opened.
Sales Pipeline Management: Keep deals moving through your sales cycle with automated follow-ups.
Team Management: Create users, roles, and permissions to manage your teams effectively.
Omnichannel engagement: Manages all your customer interactions in a single place.
How to choose the right contact management software ?
Selecting the right contact management software for your team can significantly enhance your business operations. Here are some detailed and practical steps to guide you in making the right choice:
1. Identify Your Requirements: Start by identifying the specific needs of your team. What are the challenges you are facing? What features are you looking for in the software? Do you need a basic contact management system or a comprehensive CRM solution? Understanding your needs will help you narrow down your options.
2. User-Friendly Interface: The software should be easy to use and navigate. Your team will be using it daily, so it’s essential that they can understand and operate it without much difficulty. Look for software with a clean, intuitive interface that doesn’t require extensive training.
3. Integration Capabilities: The software should be able to integrate seamlessly with other tools in your current tech stack. This could include email platforms, social media channels, or other CRM systems. Integration can significantly improve your team’s efficiency and simplify your processes.
4. Customization Options: Every business has unique needs. The software should offer customization options that allow you to tailor it to your specific requirements. This could include custom fields, workflows, or reporting capabilities.
5. Pricing Structure: Understand the pricing structure of the software. Is it a one-time purchase, or is it subscription-based? Are there any additional costs for extra features or users? Make sure the software fits within your budget.
6. Customer Support: Good customer support can make a huge difference. Check if the software provider offers reliable customer support. Is there a dedicated support team you can reach out to? What are their response times? Make sure the software ticks all these boxes.
7. Software Reviews and Recommendations: Don’t forget to read reviews on sites such as G2, Capterra, Reddit and get recommendations. This can give you a better idea of the software’s strengths and weaknesses. You can also reach out to peers in your industry for their recommendations.
8. Scalability: Consider the growth of your business. The software should be able to scale with your business as it grows. It should be able to handle an increase in the number of contacts and users.
9. Data Security: The software should provide robust security measures to protect your contact data. Check if the software provider complies with data protection regulations such as GDPR, SOC-Type 2, CAN-SPAM etc.
10. Training and Onboarding: Check if the software provider offers training and onboarding support. This can help your team get up to speed with the software quickly.
So, next time next you are choosing any contact management software, make sure the the tool ticks the above parameters and questions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, contact management software is a powerful tool that can streamline your business operations and enhance customer relationships. It offers numerous benefits such as improved communication, better organization, and increased productivity. While it shares similarities with CRM systems, contact management software focuses more on tracking and managing contact information.
We’ve explored some of the top contact management software tools in the market, each with its unique features and benefits. However, choosing the right tool depends on your specific business needs and goals. Factors to consider include ease of use, scalability, integration capabilities, and cost.
Remember, the right contact management software is half of your work. So, take your time, do your research, and choose wisely.
If you have any further questions, refer to our FAQ section or feel free to reach out.
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Contact Management Software: F.A.Q
Q. What is contact management software?
A contact management software is a specialized tool that allows businesses to store, track, and manage contact information of their customers and prospects. It serves as a centralized database where all contact details, including names, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, social media profiles, and interaction history, are stored and easily accessible.
This software helps you enhance customer relationships by providing a holistic view of each contact’s details and interaction history. It often includes features such as task management, email tracking, and integration capabilities with other tools, making it an essential tool for sales and marketing teams.
Q. What is the best contact management software?
Determining the “best” contact management software can vary based on the specific needs and requirements of a business. However, several contact management software solutions are frequently highlighted for their comprehensive features and user-friendly interfaces. Here are a few of them:
- Hubspot CRM
- Zoho CRM
- BigContacts
- Contactboss
- Freshworks CRM
- Nutshell
Q. What is the difference between contact management and CRM?
Contact Management Software is a tool that stores and organizes contact details. It tracks interactions with these contacts, helping businesses stay organized.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM), on the other hand, is a more comprehensive tool. While it includes contact management, it also provides tools for sales, marketing, and customer service. It offers a holistic view of customer relationships, helping businesses understand customer behavior and preferences.
In essence, contact management is a part of CRM. The choice between the two depends on your specific needs and the scale of your business.
Q. What is an example of contact management?
An example of contact management is the use of a software like HubSpot CRM. This tool allows businesses to store and organize contact details such as names, email addresses, phone numbers, and social media profiles. It also tracks all interactions with these contacts, including emails, calls, and meetings. This helps businesses maintain organized records of their customer interactions, improve communication, and ultimately enhance their customer relationships. It’s a practical example of how contact management can streamline business operations and boost efficiency.
