Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software has become essential for businesses looking to enhance customer interactions, streamline processes, and drive growth. With so many options available, it's hard to decide which is the right one for your business. In this blog, we'll explore CRM software examples to understand how different businesses are using these tools successfully. By examining these cases, we'll uncover the specific benefits of CRM and offer some helpful tips to guide you in finding the perfect CRM solution for you.
What is customer relationship management (CRM)?
CRM refers to the strategies, practices, and technologies businesses use to manage and analyze customer interactions throughout the customer lifecycle. CRM software serves as a centralized hub where businesses can store, track, and manage customer data, ensuring that every interaction—whether it's through email, phone, or social media—is meaningful and well-informed. It is used by sales and marketing teams as well as customer service teams who focus on different stages in the customer lifecycle.
Think of CRM as the ultimate relationship-building tool. It empowers all the teams in your businesses to better understand their customers, anticipate their needs, and deliver personalized experiences that foster loyalty and trust.
Why do businesses need CRM systems?
Businesses these days have a lot to juggle, and customer relationship management software is a great tool that can make things a lot easier. Here are some common problems they face and how a CRM steps in to solve them:
Messy customer info: Without a CRM, all your customer details might be all over the place – in spreadsheets, emails, or different programs. It's hard to find what you need or make sense of it all, making it different to understand customer's preferences. A CRM puts everything in one place, so it's easy to find and understand.
Forgetting to follow up: When you're doing everything by hand, it's easy to forget to call someone back or send them a reminder. CRM tools can automate these tasks, so you never miss a chance to connect with a potential customer or simply to provide better customer service.
Teams not working together: Sales, marketing, and customer support often work separately, which can lead to confusion and wasted effort. A CRM gives everyone a single place to work together, share ideas, and make sure they're all on the same page, making it possible to create personalized customer experiences.
Not knowing how well you're doing: If your data is all over the place, it's hard to know if you're actually making progress. CRM tools give you reports and analytics that help you track what's working, spot trends, and make smart choices based on the numbers.
Benefits of CRM solutions
Customer management software isn’t just about solving problems—it’s about unlocking opportunities. Here are some of the key benefits businesses can expect:
Enhanced customer relations: By understanding customer needs and preferences, businesses can deliver personalized experiences that drive satisfaction and loyalty.
Streamlined processes: Automation and centralized data mean less time spent on administrative tasks and more time focused on growth.
Increased collaboration: Teams can work together more effectively, ensuring that marketing campaigns align with sales goals and customer support efforts.
Better decision-making: With real-time access to customer data, businesses can make informed decisions that drive results.
Top CRM software examples for 2025
Let's explore some of the top CRM software solutions by looking at CRM examples in real life to see how these tools are actually being used. Each of these CRM systems stands out with its own set of unique features, powerful capabilities, and specific ways they're being applied, which is why they're popular choices for businesses of all sizes. We'll break down each CRM software by looking at what it offers in general, the key features that make it shine, how it's typically used, and what the pricing structure looks like
1. Lark
Lark is a comprehensive collaboration platform that integrates messaging, task management, meetings, calendars, documents, data management, emails, and more into a single solution, making it a powerful CRM tool for businesses. It supports customer data management, sales pipeline tracking, marketing campaign planning, and automates repetitive tasks, allowing teams to focus on higher-value work. Lark’s core strength lies in its seamless collaboration ecosystem, where all tools (such as Messenger, Base, Docs, Calendar, etc.) are interconnected. This enables users to manage CRM-related tasks, such as tracking sales leads, assigning tasks, recording customer information, and generating reports, all within one platform. Additionally, Lark Base offers no-code data management capabilities and a rich library of templates, allowing businesses—from startups to large enterprises—to quickly customize CRM systems tailored to their needs.
Key features
Team collaboration: Lark combines Messenger, Docs, Calendar, and Meetings into one platform, allowing teams to communicate efficiently and complete CRM tasks in a collaborative environment.
No-code data management: Highly customizable fields and tables in Lark Base: Add process fields (track sales lead status), personnel fields (assign tasks), date fields (set reminders), and more to create anything from simple contact databases to complex sales pipelines or customer management systems. Pre-built CRM templates can be used to quickly launch workflows for sales tracking, customer visit records, contact management, and more.
AI-driven lead management: Automatically categorize and enrich lead data, such as company size and industry. Use AI to generate personalized discovery questions for client calls, enhancing lead engagement and customer communications.
Data visualization tools: Analyze data and monitor pipelines, targets, and sales performance with fully customizable dashboards. Tailor dashboards to focus on the metrics that matter most, enabling actionable insights and data-driven decisions.
Automated workflows: Automate follow-ups, reminders, and customer interactions. Receive automatic notifications in your chat when you get a lead, close a deal, or receive inquiries, ensuring prompt action. Save time by eliminating manual tracking of sales processes and focus on core priorities.
Advanced mobile tools: Empower your sales team with an optimized mobile experience to manage deals, track sales processes, and submit real-time updates from anywhere. Stay connected with your team, whether on desktop, mobile, or web.
Real-world example
V12Software, facing rapid growth, struggled with fragmented data, siloed teams, and complex customer management. They adopted Lark Base to build a unified customer hub, integrating sales and customer success teams. Sales tracked leads and commissions, while customer success managed onboarding and follow-ups with tailored views. Automated workflows streamlined onboarding, and reminders improved follow-up punctuality. Custom dashboards provided real-time insights, fostering data-driven improvements. The results included improved customer management efficiency through centralized data and automated processes, enhanced team performance with real-time dashboards, and increased time for customer-focused activities, ultimately driving business growth and customer success.
Pricing
Free plan available for up to 20 users.
Paid plans start at $12/user/month.
2. HubSpot CRM
HubSpot is one the biggest CRM providers in the market, with different services for tracking customer relationships and enhancing marketing, sales, and service processes for businesses of all sizes. Whether you’re a small, medium, or large enterprise, or part of a marketing, sales, customer service, operations, or executive team, HubSpot provides tailored solutions to meet your needs. By integrating multiple modules and dozens of tools, HubSpot helps businesses optimize internal collaboration, improve customer experience, and drive growth throughout the buyer journey—creating a win-win scenario for both businesses and their customers.
Image source: hubspot.com
Key features
Multi-module integration: Includes Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, Service Hub, and Content Hub, catering to the unique needs of different teams.
Comprehensive timeline view: Tracks and records all customer interactions across sales, marketing, customer service, and operations in one place.
Exceptional user experience: An intuitive and easy-to-use interface reduces operational complexity, allowing teams to focus more on customers.
Real-world example
Cold Jet, burdened by a disconnected CRM and ERP system, faced data fragmentation, limited mobile access, and inefficient communication. Implementing HubSpot Sales Hub and Smart CRM provided a unified system, integrating data and automating synchronization. The mobile CRM app empowered sales teams, while personalized communication enhanced customer engagement. As a result, lead response time decreased by 66%, order processing time dropped by 78%, and overall operational transparency improved. Enhanced customer engagement, driven by personalized outreach, strengthened relationships and improved customer retention and satisfaction, transforming Cold Jet's customer interactions and operational efficiency.
Pricing
Free plan: Includes basic CRM features (free for up to 2 users).
Starter Plan: Starts at $15/month.
3. Zoho CRM
One of the top CRM companies in the industry, Zoho CRM offers a powerful and cost-effective platform for businesses of all sizes looking to scale and optimize processes. Its omnichannel support and workflow automation features simplify complex customer management tasks, making it an ideal choice for growing organizations.
Image source: zoho.com
Key features
Omnichannel support: Enables communication with customers via email, social media, and phone, integrating all data into the CRM platform.
Workflow automation: Automates tasks such as reminders, customer assignment, and system alerts.
AI assistant: Help to predict customer needs and provide actionable recommendations.
Real-world example
Zylker Insurance, overwhelmed by high call volumes, sought a solution to automate data logging and feedback collection. Integrating Zoho CRM with their phone system allowed sales reps to make calls directly from the CRM, automatically logging call details and recordings. Automated surveys collected customer feedback, consolidating it within the CRM. Managers gained access to comprehensive reports for performance evaluation. This reduced administrative burden, improved management efficiency, and enhanced the customer experience by using feedback to optimize communication and service quality.
Pricing
Standard Plan: $14/user/month.
Professional Plan: $23/user/month.
Enterprise Plan: $40/user/month.
4. Salesforce
As one of the biggest CRM companies, Salesforce offers businesses a variety of tools and services to optimize customer interactions. By streamlining sales, marketing, and customer service processes, Salesforce CRM helps businesses enhance customer experiences and drive growth. Its robust features enable efficient management of leads, sales opportunities, and customer service, while providing advanced data analytics and reporting to support informed decision-making.
Image source: salesforce.com
Key features
Customer behavior analytics: Real-time insights into customer behavior and trends.
Sales pipeline management: Visualizes customer journey stages and potential opportunities.
Smart assistant tools: Includes Einstein AI to help businesses achieve goals through analytics and task automation.
Real-world example
Fisher & Paykel, aiming for personalized customer experiences, faced data silos, customer service inefficiencies, partner needs, and imprecise marketing. By leveraging Salesforce's Sales Cloud, Commerce Cloud, and Service Cloud, they unified customer data, providing employees with a single source of truth. Automation and self-service tools empowered partners and streamlined order processing. AI bots handled 30% of online inquiries, and optimized field service with real-time tracking. The result was improved operational efficiency, saving 3,300 hours monthly, enhanced customer experience with seamless support, boosted marketing effectiveness with a 206% email open increase, and improved partner experience with instant access to inventory and ordering tools.
Pricing
Paid plans start at $25/user/month.
5. Pipedrive
Pipedrive is a sales CRM and pipeline management tool designed specifically for small and medium-sized teams. It uses an activity-based sales model to help businesses streamline their sales processes and improve efficiency. With its visual sales pipeline at the core, Pipedrive allows users to clearly understand each stage of the sales cycle and focus on critical tasks. The platform also offers powerful analytics, customization, and automation features, making it a highly efficient tool for sales professionals.
Image source: pipedrive.com
Key features
Visual sales pipeline: Clearly view the stages where customers are located and adjust strategies accordingly.
Automated task reminders: Automatic reminders for each stage to ensure no critical tasks are missed.
Email integration and customer follow-up: Supports email integration, contact history tracking, and lead nurturing to optimize customer relationship management.
Real-world example
Tiffany Largie, facing organizational challenges with a growing team, sought a better way to manage customer relationships. Choosing Pipedrive for its simplicity, affordability, and lead management capabilities, she equipped her team with iPads. The solution enabled them to effectively manage leads, deals, and multiple revenue streams, leading to over $2 million in sales. This success transformed her business, leading to a profitable sale in 2015. Subsequently, she recommended Pipedrive to her consulting clients, helping other entrepreneurs benefit from its efficient sales management.
Pricing
Essentials plan: $14/user/month.
Advanced plan: $39/user/month.
Professional plan: $49/user/month.
6. Freshsales
Freshsales, part of the Freshworks suite, is a CRM tool focused on intuitive sales management, customer segmentation, and communication features. Powered by AI-driven lead scoring and automation tools, Freshsales helps businesses quickly boost their sales efficiency and streamline processes.
Image source: freshworks.com
Key features
Freddy AI: Provides contact scoring and actionable sales recommendations, optimizing decisions based on customer data.
Chat channels and custom bots: Interact with customers via chat channels and set up custom bots to automatically send messages.
Sales sequence management: Automates sales workflows, manages current and potential customers, and reduces manual tasks.
Real-world example
Blue Nile, an online diamond retailer, faced challenges in building trust, lacking data insights, and high appointment no-show rates. By adopting Freshworks' Freshsales and Freshdesk, they unified customer information and automated personalized SMS reminders for store appointments. This reduced no-show rates from 50% to 20%. Data-driven communication improved sales conversion rates, and personalized recommendations enhanced customer satisfaction throughout the purchase journey, strengthening trust and improving the overall customer experience.
Pricing
Growth plan: $9/user/month.
Pro plan: $39/user/month.
Enterprise plan: $59/user/month.
7. Insightly
Insightly is a software solution that combines CRM and project management functionalities, making it ideal for project-driven businesses. By integrating sales and project workflows into a single platform, Insightly enables businesses to manage the entire process, from customer acquisition to project completion, with ease.
Image source: insightly.com
Key features
Linked contact and project records: Facilitates efficient collaboration between sales and project teams.
Workflow automation: Simplifies task assignment and reminder processes.
Custom dashboards: Generates visual reports on sales and project progress.
Real-world example
Brooklyn Outdoor, facing challenges with fragmented data and inefficient processes, leveraged Insightly CRM to create a unified data source and automate workflows. Replacing Excel with Insightly provided real-time data sharing, facilitating better collaboration and decision-making. Workflow automation reduced repetitive tasks, allowing the team to focus on community networking and customer relationship building. Insightly's data analysis capabilities supported personalized customer experiences, enhancing satisfaction and fostering long-term relationships. The outcome included improved team collaboration, enhanced workflows, and strengthened customer relationship management.
Pricing
Plus plan: $29/user/month.
Professional plan: $49/user/month.
Enterprise plan: $99/user/month.
8. EngageBay
EngageBay is a comprehensive cloud-based CRM platform designed to help small and medium-sized businesses manage customer relationships, sales processes, and marketing campaigns. It integrates sales, marketing, customer support, and live chat functionalities into a simple, affordable, and easy-to-use solution.
Image source: engagebay.com
Key features
Sales automation: Offers a visual sales pipeline with drag-and-drop functionality and supports multiple pipelines to track various sales processes.
Customer scoring system: Scores leads based on customer behavior, enabling businesses to prioritize high-value prospects.
Live chat module: Provides real-time chat functionality, supports website integration, and delivers analytics such as first response time, chat duration, and total chat count.
Real-world example
A+ Test Prep and Tutoring, struggling with tool fragmentation and data silos, consolidated its operations using EngageBay. Replacing six standalone tools, EngageBay unified marketing, sales, and customer support functionalities into a single platform. This centralized customer data, eliminating data silos and providing a 360-degree customer view. Automation improved efficiency, resulting in a 6x increase in application conversion rates and a 50% improvement in First Contact Resolution (FCR) rates, significantly boosting customer satisfaction.
Pricing
Free plan available.
Basic: $11.95/user/month.
Growth: $45.99/user/month.
Pro: $73.59/user/month.
9. ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign is a cloud-based customer experience automation platform and CRM system that provides businesses with solutions for automating sales and marketing processes. It focuses on delivering personalized customer experiences through automation while helping teams efficiently manage marketing and sales tasks.
Image source: activecampaign.com
Key features
Process automation: Automates workflows from lead nurturing to sales follow-ups.
Advanced segmentation and tagging: Analyzes customer purchasing preferences, interaction behaviors, and personality traits for highly personalized classification and management.
Multi-functional integrations: Supports over 300 integration tools (e.g., Shopify, Facebook, and WordPress) to meet specific business needs.
Real-world example
Internet Strategy Labs (ISL), facing isolated teams, fragmented tech stacks, and inefficient lead management, leveraged ActiveCampaign's CRM and automation features. They created custom fields to capture franchise-specific data and integrated tools to automate tasks. Automated lead qualification filtered unqualified leads, reducing manual tasks by 50%. As a result, lead conversion rates increased by 40%, lead qualification time reduced by 35%, and ISL achieved 25% annual revenue growth, primarily driven by ActiveCampaign’s automation and data integration capabilities.
Pricing
Starter Plan: $15/month
Plus Plan: $49/month
Professional Plan: $79/month
10. Zendesk Sell
Zendesk Sell is a CRM software offered by Zendesk, designed to help businesses improve customer support efficiency, reduce churn, and increase customer satisfaction. It is ideal for customer service-focused businesses aiming to streamline operations and deliver exceptional customer experiences.
Image source: zendesk.com
Key features
Sales process management: Centralized view of all sales opportunities, enabling teams to follow standardized sales processes for communication and collaboration.
Call analytics and recording: Equipped with a robust dialer to record and analyze calls, helping businesses optimize outreach strategies.
Data analysis: Provides detailed reports on service response times and customer satisfaction metrics.
Real-world example
Auctane, a logistics solutions company with fragmented brands and inconsistent customer experiences, leveraged Zendesk's CRM platform to unify its tech stack. Consolidating brands onto Zendesk and using Sunshine Conversations reduced phone and email traffic. Zendesk was used to collect customer history and create personalized customer journeys. They achieved a 79% first-touch resolution rate with a 1-hour median first response time. AI and automation optimized workflows, supporting Auctane in achieving a 25% business growth target while enhancing customer satisfaction.
Pricing
Sell Team: $19/agent/month (billed annually)
Sell Growth: $55/agent/month (billed annually)
Sell Professional: $115/agent/month (billed annually)
How to choose the right CRM tool for your business
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the essential steps to choose the right CRM for your business. From identifying your goals to evaluating features, team needs, and budget, we’ll help you make an informed decision that aligns with your unique requirements. Let’s get started!
Start with your business goals
The first step in choosing the right CRM software for your business is clarifying why you need one in the first place. Ask yourself: What problems am I trying to solve? Do you want to:
Manage customer leads more effectively?
Automate repetitive workflows to free up your team’s time?
Improve collaboration across departments?
Your business goals should directly shape your CRM decision. For example, if collaboration is a priority, platforms like Lark offer seamless integrations to enhance team productivity. On the other hand, if lead management is your focus, tools like HubSpot provide excellent tracking and nurturing capabilities.
Evaluate your team size and technical expertise
The size of your team and its familiarity with technology are crucial factors when picking a CRM. Small teams or startups may benefit from CRM softwares that are easy to set up and use, like Zoho or Lark, as they offer intuitive interfaces and require minimal technical expertise.
Meanwhile, larger teams or businesses seeking advanced features might look for customizable solutions like Salesforce, which allows extensive tailoring to match your specific business needs, albeit requiring more technical know-how. For organizations prioritizing collaboration-friendly CRM software, Lark offers tools tailored to enhance communication among distributed teams, ensuring productivity remains high no matter the size.
CRM software spans a wide budget range—from free tools to enterprise-level solutions. Budget planning is critical when choosing the best fit for your business.
If affordability is your goal, Zoho CRM provides a cost-effective starting point for businesses that want robust functionalities without breaking the bank.
For startups or small businesses, HubSpot’s free CRM plan might be the ideal choice, offering essential features at no cost.
Platforms like Lark combine affordability with collaboration tools, helping businesses save on additional software subscriptions. Plus, Lark offers a free plan that accommodates a larger number of users, making it an ideal choice for growing teams.
Choosing an all-in-one CRM software can also save you money by eliminating the need for multiple tools for tasks like communication, automation, or analytics.
Must-have features checklist
To ensure you pick the right CRM, focus on the features that will have the most impact on your business goals. Here’s what to check off your list:
Customer data tracking: Manage leads, track communication, and gain insights into client interactions.
Workflow automation: Eliminate repetitive tasks and improve efficiency across departments.
Multi-channel communication: Engage customers through email, chat, social media, and more, all in one platform.
Integration capabilities: Ensure your CRM integrates with tools you already use, like accounting software or project management platforms.
Reporting and analytics: Make data-driven decisions by visualizing performance metrics with ease.
When comparing CRM softwares, ensure your tool includes these key features for maximum impact on your business operations.
Test through free trials or demos
One of the most effective ways to choose the right CRM software is to experience it firsthand. Take advantage of free trials or demos offered by platforms like Lark, HubSpot, or Zoho. This allows your team to interact with the tool and assess its compatibility with your processes. Use this trial period to test features, determine usability, and gauge how much the CRM can simplify day-to-day operations. Trusting your hands-on experience will make decision-making far easier.
Final thoughts
Companies that use CRM see a range of benefits, from better customer retention to more efficient sales operations. Just looking at the features from a long list of CRM software companies can feel too abstract, which is why we dived examples of customer relationship management software to give you a feel of how they work in practice.
CRM softwares like Salesforce and HubSpot are industry leaders with advanced features and scalability, making them perfect for businesses looking to grow significantly. On the other hand, collaboration-focused platforms like Lark can transform team communication and workflow management for businesses prioritizing productivity. With 11 powerful products for up to 20 users, Lark is a powerful free CRM tool that even top CRM providers cannot match.
Remember, the best CRM software for your business is the one that fits your unique needs. Assess your goals, consider your budget, test the platforms, and compare options. With free trials available for many tools, you have the opportunity to explore features before fully committing.
Investing time in choosing the right CRM sets your business up to build lasting customer relationships, streamline operations, and ultimately, grow with confidence.
