Last Reviewed: November 13th, 2024

Best Lead Management Software Of 2024

What is Lead Management Software?

Lead Management Software (LMS) is a robust system that handles the lifecycle of potential customer movements, from initial prospecting to eventual conversion into a sale. It systematically tackles the challenge of managing large volumes of leads, ensuring none are lost or overlooked. Key benefits of LMS include streamlined sales processes, improved customer engagement, and an increase in conversion rates. LMS typically encompasses functionalities like lead capture, scoring, nurturing and tracking. On the horizon, we're seeing the integration of AI and predictive analytics take centre stage for more accurate forecasting and decision-making. Users typically include sales and marketing teams, with industries such as retail, tech and financial services seeing the most gains from LMS use. However, the complexity of setting up and optimizing the system can pose some limitations. In conclusion, the value proposition of LMS lies in its ability to enable more efficient lead management, driving better customer interactions and ultimately increased business revenue.

What Are The Key Benefits of Lead Management Software?

  • Improves conversion rates
  • Streamlines sales processes
  • Enhances customer engagement
  • Automates lead tracking
  • Facilitates lead nurturing
  • Enables lead scoring
  • Integrates with CRM
  • Provides detailed analytics
  • Supports targeted marketing
  • Improves team collaboration
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Overall

Based on the latest available data collected by SelectHub for 137 solutions, we determined the following solutions are the best Lead Management Software overall:

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Why We Picked Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a sales and marketing management tool for small and medium businesses. It helps visualize the sales pipeline, track important activities and hold client conversations, with mobile access for greater productivity.

Even with its data exporting difficulties, filter complexity and non-intuitive email integration, the platform overall is easy to use. Integration with third-party software, such as Google Apps, Mailchimp and Zapier, along with a powerful API, increases its usefulness in enhancing business sales processes. Overall, it is a great solution for companies looking to streamline sales processes.

Pros & Cons

  • Sales Pipeline: 80% of reviewers referring to this aspect said the platform is good for keeping a close eye on deals at every stage and tracking individual progress to understand outcomes.
  • User Interface: Of the users mentioning the UI, 60% suggested that it’s functional and easy to use.
  • Mobile Application: 70% of the reviewers mentioning the mobile app stated that it makes Pipedrive easy to use anytime, anywhere.
  • Integrations: The platform helps users work seamlessly, with integrations for customer acquisition, goal achievement, application sync and more, as stated by 40% of reviews about integrations.
  • Data Exporting: Glitches and a lack of control make data querying and extraction slow, according to 50% of those who mentioned the exporting tool.
  • Filters: Filtering is complex, and 40% of users who referenced it stated it could improve in terms of usability and design.
  • Browser Extensions and Email Integration: Email integration, browser extensions and workflow automation are dated and not user-friendly, according to 70% of reviews on these features.
  • Expensive: 60% of users who reviewed pricing suggested that the features are overpriced in comparison to the competition’s products.

Key Features

  • Lead Management: Includes a product catalog, lead import tools and deal probability, in addition to visual pipelines. A color-coded feature called “rotting” uses different colors to represent how hot or cold a lead is, providing visibility into which leads require follow-up or are best to pursue. 
  • Contact Management: Import contacts from a previous CRM or spreadsheets, or sync from Microsoft or Google. Once in the system, contacts are stored as organizations and people, which can be attached to deals. Record and access a history of interactions to clarify where things stand. View contact locations by adding Google Maps integration. 
  • Web Forms: Generate leads via web forms embedded on a company website or shared in emails and on social media channels. Customize fields to capture personal details specific to company needs. Configure where the leads appear (e.g., as a deal or contact). 
  • Leadbooster Chatbot: Collect and qualify leads 24/7. Route leads to a custom destination, such as a stage or sales rep. Calendar syncing lets leads book meetings with sales reps from within the chatbot conversation. 
  • Activity Management: Contains a scheduling tool, reminder notifications and a premade list of activity types, which can be configured based on company needs. 
  • Sales Forecasting: Pursue the best deals and effectively plan strategies for open deals. Access and customize different views: 
    •  Individual views provide in-depth details for sales reps. 
    •  Forecasting views let managers filter deals based on criteria like date started or product. 
  • Integration: Integrates with dozens of other apps, including Asana. Connects with platforms like Zapier and Automate.io, allowing further integration with tools like LinkedIn, Zendesk, Mailchimp, HubSpot, Jira, Salesforce, Dropbox and various G Suite tools like Gmail. 
  • Marketplace: Supports dozens of third-party plugins. Thumbs-up/thumbs-down ratings and user reviews help gauge how an app performed for other users. 
  • User Access Control: Set user permissions and determine how users log in, whether it’s via two-factor authentication or using a single sign-on (SSO) platform. Track the identity and location of anyone who logs in on a dashboard. Receive alerts when an unrecognized device logs in. 
  • Data Security: Features include data encryption, daily backups and GDPR compliance. Also provides a data protection officer and multiple certifications. 
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Why We Picked Zoho CRM

Zoho CRM is a cloud-based CRM solution that serves businesses of all sizes and across various industries. It provides users with real-time data analysis, AI-powered sales performance optimization and extensive automation and customization. You can streamline workflows and improve sales efficiency with lead nurturing, deal management, and third-party integrations.

During our test run of their free trial, we loved working with standout features like the customizable dashboard, automated lead creation via the email parser and drop-down linking for account, product, lead and quote creation.

However, users report a learning curve associated with full feature utilization and customization. Additionally, some advanced features and functionalities require upgrades to higher tiers making it expensive for smaller teams. Overall, Zoho CRM offers an interoperable solution for businesses looking for a customizable, affordable CRM platform.

Pros & Cons

  • Work Offline: Users who mention this feature say the platform functions well even when used in offline mode.
  • Business Management: The system monitors business performance, populates the website with suitable visitors and keeps a tab on productivity and output, eliminating unmatched customers and removing hassle according to users who mention this aspect.
  • Affordable: Users said the software is budget-friendly as compared to other CRM systems and has considerably more adaptive features for the price.
  • Integrations: Reviewers appreciated Zoho’s integration with in-house tools that support unified workflows, flexibility and email functionality.
  • Learning Curve: Users mentioned some features and customization requires additional time and learning to implement.
  • Customer Support: Zoho’s customer support and inquiry resolution isn’t very responsive, according to users who refer to support. However, the chat support is comparatively better.
  • Lags and Delays: Reviewers noted there is sometimes a lag in notifications for email tracking and updates.

Key Features

  • Sales Force Automation: Automate tedious sales tasks such as lead generation and routing, data entry, email notifications, field updates and more. Optimize lead management, deal management, account management, contact management, and manage workflow and assignment rules.
  • Process Management: Enable your sales team to follow a standardized sales strategy. Use the blueprint feature to log offline processes such as order management or deal closure, ensuring consistent execution. Create automated approvals for common activities such as vacation time requests, capital expense reports and pricing discount requests. Additionally, you can set rules for assigning leads, escalating cases and validating CRM data.
  • Opportunity Management: Keep everyone’s antennas tuned to the same channel with Zoho’s activity tracking for all customer interactions like emails, calls, tasks and notes. Create deals and associate them with campaigns with drop-down fields and generate multiple pipelines using the standard template or your own personalized fields You can create a custom Kanban view using dropdown options and fields.
  • Multichannel Support: Connect with your email platform to send emails directly from the CRM. Connect your brand’s social media channel to respond in real-time, follow relevant conversations and automate lead generation. Use the Phonebridge integration to enable sales reps to easily log and track information from calls. You can also embed live chat and lead capture forms on your website to facilitate sales, marketing and customer service efforts.
  • Sales Enablement: Aid sales reps in their daily jobs using features like quotes and purchase orders (via integration with Zoho’s Finance Suite), a documents library, integration with Zoho’s presentation and document creation applications, and external-facing portals for partners and vendors. It also offers a calendar, a feature called SalesInbox for prioritizing the most lucrative emails, a web meeting platform through the Zoho Meeting integration, real-time notifications, collaboration feeds and more.
  • Performance Management: Gauge how a product, team or region is performing with forecasting tools. Group customers based on shared attributes (region, product, etc.) with territory management and gamify elements to encourage friendly competition that boosts performance among sales reps. Zia can also help improve performance by helping you target leads that are most likely to generate revenue. Your sales reps can engage with website visitors via chatbots for web and mobile, so every query receives attention even if they’re away from their desks.
  • Marketing Automation: Streamline marketing efforts by segmenting customers using a range of criteria, automating lead nurturing follow-ups, creating code-free web forms to gather customer information, scanning and uploading business cards, and analyzing campaign spending. Use capabilities like end-to-end event management, email campaign capabilities, surveys, and marketing details like budgets and performance metrics. A hierarchy feature lets you hook sub-campaigns to related main campaigns.
  • Team Collaboration: Use Feeds as a central location for collaborating, sharing announcements and offering advice. You can integrate chat functionality to facilitate everyday tasks and automatically send real-time sales updates. Users can leave notes on records or activities and tag other team members. Other features include groups for collaborating around specific events or for specific purposes, as well as project management tools via integration with Zoho Projects.
  • Third-Party Integrations: Connect with more than 50 third-party apps for collaboration, document management, live chat, telephony, messaging, events and meetings, quote management, document signing, lead management, marketing automation, social media, storage and more. Integrations include G Suite, Office 365, Slack, Shopify, Mailchimp, Facebook Ads, QuickBooks, GoToWebinar, DocuSign, Dropbox and Zapier.
  • Security: Store critical business data in secure vaults, choose where you want your data stored (U.S. and EU data centers) and encrypt data fields. Use audit logs to track activity, enable two-factor authentication and designate which IP addresses users can use to log in. Real-time backups on multiple servers ensure you won’t lose data due to a system-based or natural disaster.
Start Price
$159
Monthly
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Why We Picked Infusionsoft

Infusionsoft by Keap is a comprehensive CRM platform that helps SMBs automate processes, connect with prospects and customers, and increase ROI. As many reviews noted, the price is on the high end for a small business, and it has some features that work best for enterprises. It also has a learning curve and limitations with storage and custom fields. However, it provides robust email marketing and campaign management tools, and its wide range of automations can save users a lot of time. There are mixed reviews about customer service, as some find it satisfactory while others believe it’s inadequate. Overall, the product can be a good choice for companies with a large enough budget.

Pros & Cons

  • Process Automation: Every user who mentions this feature notes the system has vast automation scope including automating customer acquisition and marketing processes.
  • Campaign Builder: It offers a robust, flexible and feature-rich campaign builder with excellent controls, as observed by 85% of reviewers who reference campaign management.
  • Email Marketing: According to almost 90% of reviewers who mention email marketing, Infusionsoft by Keap has a responsive, user-friendly interface that aids segmentation, sends mass emails and offers templates.
  • Contact Management: 85% of users who reference managing client databases feel it’s possible to manage databases efficiently with the ability to create, organize and configure contact lists.
  • Learning Curve: The system is confusing to learn, requires a lot of training and has some features that are hard to find, as noted by more than 80% of customers who refer to training.
  • Price: The cost of the software is on the higher side, according to 90% of reviewers who mention pricing.
  • Custom Fields: It’s difficult to search fields and the platform doesn’t support more than 100 fields, according to every user who mentions custom fields and tools.
  • Document Storage: It doesn’t store documents or client information internally or in the cloud, as indicated by each customer who mentions storage.

Key Features

  • Customer Relationship Management: Infusionsoft’s CRM platform acts as the central hub for sales and marketing efforts. From it, you can segment lists, automate lead data entry, sync client emails from your other accounts to the correct contact record and identify the best opportunities with lead scoring tools. 
  • Marketing Automation: Build efficient processes using a variety of marketing automation settings. Campaign sequences are easy to create using the drag-and-drop interface, and you can set up workflows by defining triggers based on user actions. A/B testing is also supported. 
  • Sales Pipeline: The software allows sales reps and managers to nurture leads through the pipeline. The Infusionsoft by Keap app facilitates the creation and management of custom quotes, which customers can accept with a single click. 
  • Online Sales: Using this feature, you can generate unique landing pages. The interface is drag-and-drop, and templates make the process quick and easy. Add elements like text and images, as well as define which products to include. The system is also equipped to process online payments and will send automatic follow-ups to customers based on the sequence you choose. 
  • Integrations: Infusionsoft plugs into a host of third-party apps that extend your capability. E-Commerce integrations include Magento, WooCommerce and Shopify. You can also connect the platform to Zendesk, QuickBooks, Xero, Zapier, Vimeo, WordPress and a host of other tools. 
  • Payment Collection: Simplify the process of collecting payments on time. The system allows you to set up automated reminders and shows which customers have paid and which have outstanding balances. The connected platform removes the need to juggle multiple tools. Infusionsoft offers a flat rate for every transaction. 
  • Analytics: Take the pulse of your business with the analytics dashboard. It tracks a number of KPIs such as email conversions, quarterly sales and number of contacts. This provides insight into every aspect of your marketing and sales efforts, along with informing decisions. 

Pricing

License/Subscription Cost
  • Recurring subscription-based model: per user, per month, plus maintenance, implementation and backup support
  • All plans are billed monthly according to the annual contract
  • All plans come with a mandatory one-time setup fee called Kickstart package for new customers
  • Costs vary depending on the plan selected, based on the level of consulting and implementation help businesses require
Maintenance Cost
  • Included in the subscription cost
Installation/Implementation Cost
  • Included in the subscription cost
Customization Cost
  • Varies depending on the functional requirements added in the product module, such as sales force automation, marketing automation and eCommerce capabilities. This is based on the organization’s business requirements
Data Migration Cost/Change Management/Upfront Switching Cost
  • Cost varies depending on the amount and type of data to be migrated from the legacy system, availability of migration tools, data profiling, data cleansing and audit trail of the migration process
Training Cost
  • Cost is over and above the subscription cost and varies depending on the type of plan chosen
  • Provides an initial training program for first-time users. Users need to enroll and pay for the training course
  • Provides embedded links, including walkthrough features and video tutorials, after initial training is completed
Recurring/Renewal Costs
  • Cost is included in the subscription fee, based on the number of users, additional add-ons and the plan purchased
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Why We Picked Freshsales

Suitable for SMBs, Freshsales provides easy-to-use tools for sales management, customer engagement and lead management. Its hassle-free configurations and intuitive interface are some standout features noted by reviews. Users also appreciate its ability to manage customer information efficiently and its broad lead management capabilities. However, the free plan doesn’t include useful features, adding advanced features gets costly and there are some technical issues that hinder usability. While integrations with other Freshworks products and Zapier are helpful, important third-party integrations such as LinkedIn and Hubspot are missing. Overall, it has a lot to offer and can be a good choice for smaller operations.

Pros & Cons

  • Ease of Use: 97% of reviews talking about usability noted the system is user-friendly.
  • Interface: The user interface is simple, fast and can be navigated easily, as observed by 96% of reviewers who mention this feature.
  • Lead Management: According to 90% of users who talk about this feature, it helps generate, track, upload, convert, research and organize leads effectively.
  • Contact Management: The system helps store client information efficiently and find data quickly, as reported by 94% of users who reference this feature.
  • Configuration: 80% of reviewers who mention configuration asserted the system is easy and quick to set up.
  • Price: Although a free plan is available, it doesn’t include a lot of options, and adding advanced features gets expensive, according to 65% of reviews referencing cost.
  • Technical Glitches: Every user who talks about this aspect observed there are quite a few technical issues with APIs, migration and more.

Key Features

  • Smartforms: Automatically create new leads after visitors sign up on a web form, providing data from social media profiles, photos and activities on the website. 
  • 360-Degree Customer View: Access customers’ social profiles, products bought, website, interactions and appointments from a single screen. 
  • Velocity Reports: View the time required to convert qualified leads into customers and understand the stages in which sales reps are stuck. 
  • Revenue Analytics: Identify star performers, successful campaigns and leading territories using detailed revenue metrics.  
  • Push Notifications: Push notifications are sent whenever a new lead, task or deal is assigned to users and also offer reminders of upcoming meetings. 
  • Custom Reports: Track sales managers’ performance and sales figures using custom reports with tables and charts. Schedule reports to be delivered on a given date. 
  • Auto Profile Enrichment: Automatically enriches leads, contacts and accounts with their social and publicly listed information such as photos, company details and social profiles.  
  • Email Tracking: Real-time notifications on email opens and clicks facilitate prompt responses and optimize marketing efforts. 
  • Deal Status: Understand deal status in a better way by tracking deal value and the number of deals under review. 
  • Visual Sales Pipeline: Locate deals across stages and get a better view of the pipeline by sorting and filtering. 
  • Third-Party Integrations: The Marketplace provides third-party apps that can be integrated with Freshsales. Connect with Google Sheets, MailChimp and more via Zapier. 
  • Mobile App: With Android and iOS apps, record voice notes, move leads through pipeline stages, check in to meetings, view calendar, log calls and receive notifications. 
Start Price
$1,080
Monthly
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Why We Picked HubSpot CRM

HubSpot CRM is a free platform that supports the marketing and sales efforts of small to mid-sized businesses with features such as lead intake, deal management, ticket issues and more. It’s easy to use, unified and offers robust workflow management automation. A couple downsides reviewers observed include the limited functionality of the mobile app and the integrations mainly geared toward e-commerce. All in all, businesses looking for marketing and customer management at no cost will find HubSpot CRM is a solid option.

Pros & Cons

  • User-Friendly: 86% of users mentioning this aspect observed that HubSpot CRM is easy to use and install without much hassle.
  • Workflow Management: Well-constructed workflows enable timely follow-ups, according to 76% of users mentioning this feature.
  • Report Generation: It's easy to upload and export reports, as indicated by 53% of reviews referring to reporting.
  • Automation: This feature makes it easy and faster to conduct daily professionals tasks, as noted by 60% of users referencing it.
  • Affordable: 55% of reviews mentioning price suggested the application is inexpensive for the features offered.
  • Unified Solution: A simple, unified dashboard makes it easy to carry out multiple activities, according to 66% of reviews that mentioned this aspect.
  • Mobile Application: 50% of reviews about the app suggested it’s inefficient and limited to monitoring the status of customer requests.
  • Integration: The platform lacks basic third-party integrations, with 63% of reviews on the subject saying the integrations are primarily beneficial for e-commerce businesses.

Key Features

  • Pipeline Tracking: Auto-populates data from new deals and eliminates manual entries in forms. Add, edit and delete stages and properties from entered deals without help from IT. 
  • Lead Management: Helps sort and filter a prospect’s information based on geography, company size and number of visits. Custom views aid tracking prospects for optimum outreach. 
  • Monitoring: Monitors and gives insight on a prospect’s website activity, and identifies new prospects that visit the company’s website. 
  • Email Tracking and Notifications: Tracks sent emails, activities and aligns timed follow-ups for optimum sales growth. 
  • Email Templates: Promotes effective outreach and communication by making it quick and easy to draft emails. 
  • Scheduling: Syncs Google and Outlook meetings, making it easy to pick available time slots. Also helps schedule team meetings with prospects to maintain relationships and increase sales. 
  • Reporting: Generates customizable reports and dashboards that enable sharing metrics with team members, which help stimulate business growth. 
  • Live Chat: Enhances customer experiences and reduces the chances of a prospect slipping through the cracks by enabling support agents and sales reps to solve the queries of existing and interested customers in real time. 
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Why We Picked Less Annoying CRM

Less Annoying CRM’s straightforward design caters to small business users, making it easy to use and eliminating much of the learning curve that comes with more advanced CRM platforms. It’s easy to customize, the customer support is strong and the platform is quite inexpensive as well, as noted by most reviewers. However, it lacks a robust mobile app and some important integrations. Overall, it’s an efficient system for small businesses looking for basic CRM functionality without unnecessary bells and whistles.

Pros & Cons

  • Ease of Use: 99% of reviewers referencing usability mentioned the system is user-friendly, with an intuitive and uncluttered interface.
  • Customer Service: The support reps are easy to reach, patient and informative, as noted by every user who mentioned this aspect.
  • Easy to Learn: Every user who references this aspect noted minimum or no training is required, and there are short, helpful videos to understand the software.
  • Customization: Customizing the system is easy, according to 90% of the reviewers who talk about this feature.
  • Cost: The system is quite affordable, as observed by 95% of the reviewers who mention price.
  • Integrations: The scope of integration is limited, and it lacks integrations with platforms such as Constant Contact and LinkedIn Sales Navigator, as noted by more than 55% of the reviewers who reference this feature.
  • Mobile App: According to 60% of reviewers who mentioned this aspect, the system needs a dedicated mobile app.

Key Features

  • Contact Management: Store all contacts, including individuals or businesses, in a central place. Filter the views to quickly find or group certain types of contacts. Each individual record houses company and contact info, an activity list, files, notes and pipeline status. 
  • Pipeline Management: Includes four default pipeline stages, with the option to add more. Use editable templates for specific pipelines, such as orders, projects, billing and other scenarios. When adding contacts to a pipeline, it’s possible to include a task, such as following up on a specific day. 
  • Workspace: Acts as a summary dashboard, with an overview of all necessary information, from the day’s events and tasks to a pipeline report and an activity feed. 
  • Groups: Segment contacts into different groups, attach them to an existing group or create a new one. To email a particular segment, connect Less Annoying CRM to Mailchimp and then sync an audience in Mailchimp to a specific group. Groups can be public or private. 
  • Built-in Calendar: Create events and tasks within the platform via the calendar feature. Subcalendars permit greater categorization by grouping elements, such as having separate subcalendars for different levels of task priorities. Calendar sharing and sync with Google Calendar are supported. 
  • Email Log and Agenda: Store email conversations and attach them to the corresponding contact records for a complete history of interactions. Choose to receive a daily email with a checklist of any scheduled events and tasks. 
  • Integrations: Connects with third-party apps to add capabilities like lead forms, call tracking and logging, invoicing, and more. Native integrations include Mailchimp, Google Calendar and Google Contacts, while integrating with LeadsBridge and Pie Sync grants access to hundreds more apps, such as QuickBooks, Facebook Lead Ads and Shopify. Using third-party apps or Mailchimp incurs extra costs. 
Start Price
$0
Free, Monthly
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Why We Picked Streak CRM

Built into Gmail, Streak ensures efficient email marketing, as users can check if an email is opened or read, deliver mass emails, send follow-ups, schedule emails and more. Additional strengths include data organization and greater productivity via G Suite integration. However, the free version has restrictions on how many emails can be tracked and doesn’t offer detailed tracking data. Reviewers also noted that the user interface needs improvement and that there are technical issues to address. Overall, it’s a decent software with a number of useful features.

Pros & Cons

  • Email Marketing: Robust features include open and read rates, bulk emails, scheduling and more, according to more than 82% of users who mention email marketing.
  • G Suite Integration: The software ensures efficient process by connecting with G Suite, as noted by almost 90% of reviewers who mention this aspect.
  • Free Plan: Every user who references the free plan indicated it’s very useful and caters to almost every requirement.
  • Centralized Data: The software aids efficient data management, as noted by every reviewer who mentions this feature.
  • Reminders: Every user who refers to this feature liked the ability to frequently follow up
  • Ease of Use: More than 62% of reviewers who reference this feature noted the platform is easy to navigate.
  • Customer Communication: Streak aids effective customer engagement according to all users who mention this feature.
  • Customer Support: According to almost 60% of users who mention this element, the customer service needs improvement, with slow responses and irregular quality cited as a couple issues.
  • Lack of Free Features: While the free plan is useful, 80% of reviewers felt it would be helpful to have more features.
  • Location: Every user who mentions this feature observed that the software doesn’t reflect senders’ geographical location.

Key Features

  • Pipelines: Streak CRM lets you create an unlimited number of pipelines, and with a Professional or Enterprise plan, you can also create unlimited rows (called items) within each pipeline. Filters, groups, sorting and search features let you configure pipelines based on the view you need and then save that view to share with team members. You can also link related pipeline items for quick navigation between the two. 
  • Boxes: Each box represents a contact, lead or whatever else you want to track. They act as the building blocks of your pipeline and are what you move through the stages. Boxes can contain information like emails, contacts, comments, notes, tasks, file attachments, data fields and more. 
  • Customizable Workflows: The software allows you to configure your workflow to fit your processes. You can add, delete or move pipeline stages, as well as color-code them for easy tracking. 
  • Alerts: The view tracking feature sends a notification when a recipient reads your message. You can sort emails in your Sent folder based on whether they’ve been viewed or not, so it’s clear which contacts require follow-up. 
  • Mail Merge: If you need to send mass emails that include personalization, this feature has the necessary capabilities. You can pull data from your pipeline to personalize elements like company info or recipient name. The preview mode lets you proof emails before sending. 
  • Send Later: You can schedule emails to send at a predetermined time and edit or cancel them from the draft view. 
  • Snippets: With this feature, which acts as a template, you can create a library of most-used emails to reuse whenever needed. Shortcuts allow you to insert the content quickly. The templates are shareable among team members. 
  • Reporting: Available with the Professional and Enterprise plans, this feature lets you generate reports based on the data in your pipelines. The system offers built-in sales and pipeline reports that can be customized, downloaded and shared via email. Sales reports let you track information like the total value currently in your pipeline, the value per stage, close rate, projected close value and more. Pipeline reports include total interactions, stage flow, the number of boxes assigned to each user and the number of boxes in any given stage. 
  • Permissions: With a Professional or Enterprise plan, you can control who views and edits information in the system. Owners act as the administrators, with the ability to edit teams, roles, pipelines and other settings. Members are limited to viewing pipelines and contacts, and can’t change user roles or team members. 
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Why We Picked Dynamics 365 CRM

A mix of praise and critique defines 2023 user reviews for Dynamics 365 CRM. Fans champion its robust customization, enabling precise tailoring to diverse business needs, like adding fields to track specific equipment rentals or crafting workflows for complex approval processes. This flexibility, some say, surpasses competitors like Salesforce, where out-of-the-box options might constrain unique workflows. Yet, this very strength can be a double-edged sword. Detractors find the customization curve steep, requiring significant IT expertise or costly consultant guidance, unlike the more user-friendly setup of HubSpot. Integration shines as a clear win for Dynamics 365. Seamlessly blending with Microsoft's ecosystem, including Outlook and Teams, streamlines communication and boosts collaboration. Imagine pulling CRM data directly into an email or setting up team meetings from contact records – a breeze for Dynamics users, while competitors often require clunky workarounds. However, pricing structure remains a sore spot. While subscription fees are competitive, the extensive customization often necessitates additional add-ons and consultancy, potentially inflating costs compared to more all-inclusive options like Zoho CRM. Ultimately, reviews suggest Dynamics 365 excels for businesses seeking in-depth customization and Microsoft integration, willing to invest time or resources in setup. For those prioritizing ease of use or budget-friendliness, alternatives might be a better fit. The key takeaway? Choose the CRM that complements your unique needs and technical capabilities.

Pros & Cons

  • Easy to Use: 98% of reviewers referencing usability felt the software is user-friendly.
  • Improved Productivity and Efficiency: The system aids efficiency and productivity, as observed by every user who talks about this aspect.
  • Customer Relationship Management: 95% of the reviewers who reference this aspect noted that it aids a positive customer experience.
  • Customization: Adding or removing fields is simple and doesn’t require technical help, as observed by more than 85% of reviews mentioning this feature.
  • Integration: Important integrations such as Power BI, Cortana, Azure and Office are of great help, as noted by 92% of the reviewers who refer to this element.
  • Learning Curve: According to 90% of the reviewers talking about this factor, new customers require a bit of training, which is time consuming.
  • Pricing: Microsoft Dynamics 365 is expensive, as observed by every user mentioning cost.
  • Slow Performance: At times, the platform takes time to sync and perform simple tasks, as observed by almost 70% of reviewers referring to this aspect.
  • Navigation: 90% of the reviews about this feature mentioned the navigation is complicated, especially for new users.

Key Features

  • Campaign Builder: Set up and execute campaigns via a visual building tool, and design customer journeys by arranging templates using the drag-and-drop interface. It’s also possible to set triggers based on a range of rules, choose segmented groups, assign emails, include events or surveys, and more. 
  • Dashboards: Access a host of metrics related to leads, revenue and other data sources from dashboards and customize them to show the most important KPIs. Dashboard types include: 
    • User Dashboards: Visible to and controlled by individual users. 
    • System Dashboards: Visible to everyone, with the option to reduce visibility to certain roles. Customized and controlled by system admins. 
  • Lead Nurturing: Account-based marketing features provide capabilities such as customer segmentation, personalized email content and performance metrics. Build buyer journeys and set rules that define a lead’s score based on the individual lead record, the related contact or the related account. 
  • Integrations: Apart from the Dynamics 365 toolset and other MS applications, the platform integrates with partner systems. Integration with Zapier offers access to more than 1,500 apps, ensuring greater extendability. 
  • Event Management: Control all aspects of events, from registrations and speakers to sessions and venue logistics from an event portal. It integrates with ON24 and other providers to support running webinars. 
  • Customer Service Insights: Powered by AI, machine learning and BI tools, this feature helps track KPIs visually for at-a-glance insights. Monitor: 
    • Customer satisfaction levels
    • A range of case metrics
    • Backlog trends
    • Incoming support topics
    • Engagement patterns
    • Support agent performance
  • Customer Insights: This add-on feature uses AI to support marketing efforts. 
    • Use Microsoft Graph to input audience intelligence.
    • Build triggered workflows with Microsoft Flow.
    • Customize reports and dashboards with the Power BI connection.
    • Microsoft PowerApps enables custom app creation.
    • Governance tools and security features ensure GDPR compliance and data privacy.
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Why We Picked Salesforce Sales Cloud

Based on our research and user feedback, Salesforce Sales Cloud turned out to be a powerful and flexible CRM solution, capable of accommodating businesses of any size.

Its AI-powered features, especially Einstein, truly set it apart. This tool provides predictive analytics, lead scoring, opportunity scoring and sentiment analysis to improve sales efficiency.

We found the mobile app to be feature-rich, offering full functionality for sales teams on the move, including forecasting and account management.

Yet, some users reported a learning curve for advanced features. While the basic functionalities are user-friendly, leveraging the full potential of Sales Cloud may require proper training. Additionally, smaller organizations might find the pricing structure challenging, as costs can accumulate quickly with add-ons and advanced features.

Integration capabilities are generally strong, but we observed that some key functionalities, such as event tracking and eCommerce integrations, rely on third-party providers. This could add complexity and cost for businesses requiring these features.

Overall, Salesforce Sales Cloud is well-suited for organizations seeking a reliable, AI-enhanced CRM with extensive customization options and analytical capabilities. It's particularly valuable for businesses expecting growth, as the platform can scale effectively. However, potential users should carefully consider their budget, required features and available resources for implementation and management when assessing this CRM.

Pros & Cons

  • Easy To Use: Many users report that Salesforce has a user-friendly and intuitive interface, making it accessible to both beginners and experienced users.
  • Good Vendor Support: Salesforce offers quality support. Users often mention that the company treats them more like partners than just customers.
  • Highly Customizable: Developers find that the level of customization provided by Sales Cloud helps them extend Salesforce's features effectively.
  • Scalability: Salesforce is suitable for companies of all sizes. It's a long-term solution that can adapt to evolving organizational needs.
  • Learning Curve: While the interface is user-friendly, users need proper training to use Salesforce efficiently, especially for more advanced features.
  • Cost: Several users, particularly from smaller organizations, point out that the overall price can be a concern for businesses with limited budgets.
  • Resource Intensive: While Salesforce can do almost anything, it often requires a dedicated team and skilled resources to manage it effectively.

Key Features

  • Sales Forecasting: You can build accurate sales projections and custom forecast types based on various data points, measures and dates to get a clear picture of your future sales performance.
  • Lead Management: With Sales Cloud, it’s easy to capture leads, manage campaigns and convert opportunities into sales. You can create forms on your website, use LinkedIn ads or have AI chatbots talk to potential customers.
    • AI-based Lead Conversion: The Einstein Lead Scoring tool analyzes past conversion patterns to predict which current leads are most likely to convert, helping you prioritize the most promising prospects.
  • Integration Capabilities: Connect Salesforce with your favorite tools and platforms. A wide range of plugins is available, enabling you to create a smooth workflow across all your applications.
  • Reporting and Analytics: While the reporting system is user-friendly, quick and can generate real-time reports, it also offers flexibility for more advanced users who want to customize their reports. You can also create reports for territories and collaborative forecasts.
  • Mobile App: Salesforce’s mobile app lets you create, edit and view records for accounts, campaigns, cases, contacts, forecasts and leads. Additionally, you can use Salesforce Chatter to see feeds, groups and people. What data you can access depends on your organization's settings.

Pricing

License/Subscription Cost
  • Based on a recurring subscription-based model: per user, per month (billed annually)
  • All products require an annual contract
  • Cost varies depending on the package selected — Lightning Essentials, Lightning Professional, Lightning Enterprise or Lightning Unlimited (refer to the pricing section for details)
Maintenance Cost
  • Included in the subscription cost
  • Users aren’t required to pay server fees or annual maintenance charges
  • Provides technical support and Help Center to resolve issues.
  • Streamlines the implementation process through videos, training and certification, a customer community, documentation, interactive tutorials, and webinars
Installation/Implementation Cost
  • The cost is over and above the subscription cost
  • Salesforce implementation can cost anywhere between $2,000 and $20,000, delivered within 2-3 weeks or 2 months
  • Salesforce implementation partners/contractors handle implementation, charging anywhere from $16/hour to over $190/hour
Customization Cost
  • Cost varies depending on the selected plan and any functional requirements added to the basic business requirements
  • Add-on charges include $50/user/month for knowledge base access and $250/GB/month for additional data storage capacity
Data Migration Cost/Change Management/Upfront Switching Cost
  • Cost varies depending on the amount of CRM data to be migrated, such as opportunities, cases, activities, contracts, orders, invoices, data duplication, data archiving and restoration
Recurring/Renewal Costs
  • Renewal cost is included in the subscription fee
  • Users may incur additional costs for premium support services, application administration, data archiving and restoration services chosen, if any
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Why We Picked Zendesk Sell

Zendesk Sell, a customer relationship management (CRM) software, has elicited a range of user feedback over the past year. While some users appreciate its user-friendly interface and seamless integration with other Zendesk products, others express concerns about its limitations and cost. The software's strengths lie in its intuitive design, making it accessible even for those new to CRM systems. Its integration with Zendesk Support and Zendesk Chat streamlines workflows and enhances team collaboration. However, some users find the features offered by Zendesk Sell to be less comprehensive compared to other CRM solutions, particularly in areas such as marketing automation and advanced reporting. Additionally, the pricing structure may pose a challenge for smaller businesses or those with limited budgets.

Zendesk Sell appears well-suited for businesses already invested in the Zendesk ecosystem, as it complements existing workflows and leverages familiar interfaces. Its ease of use makes it a viable option for small to medium-sized businesses seeking a basic CRM solution. However, larger enterprises or those requiring advanced functionality may need to explore alternative options that offer a broader feature set. Ultimately, the decision of whether Zendesk Sell is the right fit hinges on a business's specific needs, budget, and existing software infrastructure.

Pros & Cons

  • Easy to Use: Users appreciate the intuitive interface and straightforward navigation, making it simple to learn and use effectively without extensive training.
  • Customization: The platform offers a high degree of customization, allowing businesses to tailor the system to their specific workflows and sales processes.
  • Integrations: Zendesk Sell integrates seamlessly with various third-party applications, such as email marketing tools and customer support platforms, enhancing overall efficiency.
  • Mobile App: The mobile app enables sales teams to access crucial information and manage deals while on the go, promoting productivity and responsiveness.
  • Reporting and Analytics: Robust reporting and analytics tools provide valuable insights into sales performance, helping businesses track progress, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions.
  • Limited Customization: Users have expressed frustration with the inability to tailor Zendesk Sell to their specific workflows, especially when it comes to building custom objects and modifying existing fields. The platform's rigidity can hinder efficiency for businesses with unique processes.
  • Reporting Challenges: Generating customized reports and extracting meaningful insights from data can be cumbersome. Users often find the reporting tools to be inflexible and lacking the depth needed for comprehensive analysis.
  • Mobile App Limitations: The mobile app's functionality falls short of the web version, with limited features and occasional performance issues. This can be a significant drawback for teams that rely on mobile access to customer data.
  • Learning Curve: Zendesk Sell's interface, while generally considered user-friendly, can present a learning curve for new users due to its extensive features and functionalities. This initial complexity may require additional time investment for onboarding and training.

Key Features

  • Database Management:  Zendesk Sell saves contacts and lead data in a simplified visual manner. Users can also import and export data sets, use advanced search and filtering options and segment data on custom parameters for better targeting.  
  • Opportunity Management:  Users can manage opportunities with layered segmentation based on filters like demographic, deal size, rate of engagement and more. Leads are also scored to predict their probability of conversion, helping users focus their efforts on closing deals faster. 
  • Pipeline Management:  The platform offers a visual representation of the sales pipeline, with details like the number of leads across each stage in the buyer journey, the deal size, estimated revenue, current revenue, number of deals won and more. 
  • Quota Management:  Managers can view lead quotas assigned to each team member and their progress toward goal. They can also assign leads to the team members on a round-robin basis or on rule-based engines to match each lead’s best fit. 
  • Activity Tracking:  Zendesk Sell offers activity tracking and calendar integration so that important tasks like calls, meetings, appointments and scheduled communications are copied to the calendar with timely reminders. Managers can also set up tasks and goals for team members, track their progress against deadlines and follow up on subsequent actions when required. 
  • Performance Management:  Managers can track all team members’ performance against goals, deadlines and assigned leads. 
  • Collaboration Management:  Zendesk Sell helps teammates and team leaders collaborate on projects through tagging and sharing contacts, templates, documents and notes. 
  • Document Management:  Users can store, organize and share documents in various formats such as texts, presentations, images and audio with other team members. 
  • Workflow Management:  Users can standardize their sales process and automate parts of it through rule-based engines that initiate event-triggered actions. This helps the salesperson focus on closing the deal rather than managing data and scheduling communication manually. 
  • Call Management:  Users can call leads and prospects using an automatic dialer. The software also enables call scripting and records calls for further analysis and iterations. 
  • Chat and Training Support:  Zendesk Sell offers a chat portal to help users resolve customer queries. Users can also create a knowledge bank for their customers with frequently asked questions, video tutorials, presentations and supporting documents. 
  • Email Marketing:  Users can sync their existing email accounts with Zendesk Sell to send targeted and personalized emails to their clients. With pre-built templates to cater to contacts across the buyer journey and retention cycle, email tracking for open-rate, click-rate and response-rate and detailed reports for mass mailing campaigns, Zendesk Sell offers full email marketing support to its users. 
  • Custom Forms:  Zendesk Sell offers customizable web forms that can be integrated into the website, landing pages and social media campaigns for customer surveys and lead generation. 
  • FEATURE: Sales Forecasting: The platform provides detailed insights on current and past sales trends and key metrics and uses predictive analysis to forecast current versus expected revenue. 
  • Reporting and Statistics:  Zendesk Sell offers various reports on funnel movement, employee activity and performance management, sales performance and marketing effectiveness. These reports can be further customized to parameters like date ranges, sales rep, source and more. 
  • Dashboard:  Zendesk Sell has a visual dashboard depicting all key metrics with accessible drag-and-drop features. Users can customize the way their dashboard looks and prioritize to-do lists, sales pipeline, performance charts and more as per their requirements. 
  • User Management:  Admins and managers can prepare an organizational chart, share it and grant role-based access to users. 
  • Offline Access:  Zendesk Sell offers limited offline access so that users can view all details, update progress against their task lists and attach notes and documents. Changes are synced to the platform once the network is connected again. 

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All Lead Management Software (137 found)

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Salesforce Sales Cloud

by Salesforce.com
Salesforce Sales Cloud
Salesforce Sales Cloud is a customer relationship management (CRM) solution designed to help businesses of all sizes manage their sales processes more effectively. It offers a range of features to simplify lead management and boost sales.Key benefits include AI-powered lead scoring, customizable dashboards, reporting tools and mobile access for on-the-go sales teams. Sales Cloud stands out for its scalability, making it suitable for businesses ranging from small startups to large enterprises. Users appreciate Sales Cloud for its user-friendly interface and extensive customization options. Many find Einstein’s AI capabilities to be game-changing for their sales strategies. However, some users note that there can be a steep learning curve for advanced features, and costs can add up quickly with additional modules and user licenses.Its pricing starts at $25 per user per month for the Starter plan, suitable for small teams. More advanced plans range from $100 to $500 per user per month, offering more refined features. While not the cheapest option on the market, Salesforce can be a worthwhile investment for its comprehensive toolset and scalability Salesforce provides.Salesforce Sales Cloud is a good choice for businesses looking for a flexible solution, provided they're able to handle the potential complexity and cost associated with a top-tier CRM platform.
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: great
Cost Breakdown
$10 - $100
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Siebel CRM

by Oracle America
Siebel CRM
Siebel CRM is a comprehensive software solution designed to manage customer interactions and relationships. It caters to mid-sized and large enterprises across various industries, particularly those with complex sales and service processes. Key benefits include improved customer acquisition, retention, and satisfaction through automated workflows, data-driven insights, and personalized experiences. Popular features include sales opportunity management, contact management, service request management, and reporting and analytics. User reviews highlight the platform's robust functionality, scalability, and customization options. However, some users report a steeper learning curve compared to other CRM solutions. Pricing varies depending on the deployment model, number of users, and additional modules required. Annual subscription fees typically range from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Overall, Siebel CRM offers a powerful and comprehensive solution for managing customer relationships, particularly for larger organizations with complex needs. However, its steeper learning curve and higher price point might not be suitable for small businesses or those with simpler requirements. Pros Robust functionality Scalable and customizable Data-driven insights Improved customer satisfaction Automated workflows Cons Steeper learning curve High price point Complex for simple needs Limited mobile functionality Customization can be time-consuming
User Sentiment User satisfaction level icon: good
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Buyer's Guide

Lead Management Software Is All About Tracking and Nurturing Leads

Lead Management Software BG Intro

An efficient lead management system is the grease to your business engine that ensures smooth operations and maximizes the speed and quality of your lead conversions.

No business can succeed without leads for clients, distributors, customers or retailers, no matter the industry. While some leads convert to customers quickly, some might take weeks or months, and some of them never convert. A robust lead management tool lets you generate and nurture leads by tracking them throughout the lifecycle.

Whether you’re aware of the pros and cons of a lead management solution and planning to invest in a new one or it’s relatively a new concept to you, this detailed guide will help you make the right business decision.

Executive Summary

  • Lead management platforms help improve conversion chances by nurturing promising leads.
  • Businesses can receive significant insights on campaigns and customer behavior to optimize marketing efforts.
  • Key features include automated data collection, data management, process automation, and lead scheduling and tracking.
  • These tools help create targeted, personalized content at critical stages in a customer’s journey.
  • Marketing and sales teams can coordinate better, ensuring seamless collaboration.
  • Make sure to ask potential vendors specific questions about the software and their support before committing to a purchase.
What This Guide Covers:

What Is Lead Management Software?

Lead management software is a system that captures, tracks and nurtures leads and engages them throughout the sales funnel. It monitors and stores information from various touch points where leads interact with your business via calls, chats, emails and website pages. You can combine the tedious process of managing multiple incoming leads in a single-view solution.

A good lead management system can personalize your customer journeys and segregate leads based on crucial information like demographics and lead scores. It automates repetitive manual tasks so you can focus on your leads and give them the attention they deserve.

Your teams get instant access to view, edit and save valuable lead data, thus improving collaboration and clarity. Equipped with capabilities like lead generation, lead filtering, lead scoring and lead nurturing, the platform gives precise solutions to maximize productivity. Effective lead management systems ensure high-quality leads, critical to your sales team’s success.

Let’s take a look at how lead generation differs for B2B and B2C.

Lead Generation for B2B

When catering to other businesses, you’ll be dealing with a small cross-section of customers. These niche markets often demand complex value propositions and require a complicated and involved sales process.

The purchasing process for a business is usually slower and more stakeholders are involved, leading to longer sales cycles. While a business might take months to reach a consensus about purchasing a particular product, an ordinary customer might make the decision in a few minutes.

Software helps you stay engaged with prospects across the various stages of their journey. The more complex the buying cycle, the greater the need for a system that can handle the nuances.

Lead Generation for B2C

B2C is a different story. While businesses usually think of how a product can benefit them, a consumer focuses on what they think of a brand. Creating emotional connections and meaningful conversations with consumers is a key part of generating B2C leads.

These sales processes are transactional, and therefore shorter and easier to complete. You need to approach customers in an engaging but less formal way. For example, with videos and infographics.

B2C typically targets a broad audience, making it important to craft a lead generation plan that attracts customer attention quickly. Common channels include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and even LinkedIn.

When it comes to B2C, transactions are meant around perception and quality. In most cases, you wouldn’t know your customers individually and therefore, you must focus on building a quality-driven perception in their market space.

In summary, B2C depends more on branding, advertising, promotions, and anonymous and impulsive sales. On the flip side, B2B sales are about complex business calculations and personal relationships. Evaluate lead management software with those differences in mind so you end up getting the right tool for the job.

Lead Management System vs. CRM

To put it simply, lead management is a subset and one of the many things CRM software offers. The two are closely related but separate processes, each having its own importance.

Lead management platforms focus mainly on the pre-conversion part of sales. Though CRM software offers many of the same solutions as a lead management system, it focuses on the entire customer lifecycle. With CRM solutions, you can not only engage new leads but also prioritize customer retention and opportunities to upsell. Another key difference is that sales teams mainly use lead management solutions, while both sales and marketing use CRM.

CRM software is a good choice for taking care of customer journeys throughout the sales funnel. While in other cases, you can benefit from a dedicated standalone lead management system. Using CRM software with lead management capabilities is a smart solution that integrates both powerful tools in a streamlined and affordable way.

Deployment Methods

Determining the deployment method is an integral part of installing a lead management platform. Cloud-based solutions, which you can host on vendor servers and access online, have become quite popular in recent years. Contrarily, you can install on-premise software locally on business servers.

Cloud-based platforms are cost-effective as you have to purchase a license per user without any upfront installation cost. They ensure data security and facilitate quick implementation. Cloud systems are less customizable but ensure great stability.

On-premise solutions include higher hardware and IT investment but lesser recurring costs. However, this deployment method isn’t common for lead management systems.

Primary Benefits

Lead Management Software Benefits

Easier Collaboration

Lead management software offers valuable data on your campaigns and gives a wide-ranging view of your leads. Your sales and marketing teams can work harmoniously using and referring to the same data sets on the system. They can also add or update information on the same platform, leading to better clarity and coordination.

Many lead management solutions also offer visual, intuitive interfaces and customizable platforms, making complex data easier to understand. This reduces chances for mistakes or miscommunication and helps your team stay on the same page.

Better Lead Filtering

It can be time-consuming to weigh one lead against another and evaluate which one is more likely to convert. With the help of lead management software, you can create a lead scoring system and set up filters and restrictions to better segment your leads. It ensures you target the highest-quality leads first, saving you a lot of time.

You can also group leads according to their interests and behavior-related data and add specific tags to streamline the process. This capability takes lead management systems from a mere contact management tool to a dynamic well-rounded solution that improves your lead conversions.

Effective Lead Nurturing

Lead nurturing, i.e., engaging and building relationships with leads to convert them into buyers, is critical for any business. Many lead management platforms come with follow-up reminders, email templates, and scheduled communication and calls. This component establishes engagement with your leads and ensures you don’t overlook them.

With forecasting tools and reports, you can optimize your sales process and anticipate the needs of your leads. Lead management systems automate lead nurturing, which builds consistent communication, trust and sustained interest.

Optimized Experience

You can ensure user satisfaction by monitoring promising leads closely and optimizing their experience. Keep track of every lead to prevent losing the high-quality ones and categorize them according to conversion chances.

Valuable Insights

Convert leads and create roadmaps for prospects using insights about high-quality leads with tracking capabilities. You can follow leads throughout the customer lifecycle and get new perspectives into decision-making.

Implementation Goals

If you’re wondering what you can accomplish with a lead management platform, here’s a quick reference:

Goal 1

Maintain Customer Base

Convert your customers into repeat buyers as they help generate future leads through word-of-mouth marketing. You can find the underlying pattern at every stage of the customer acquisition process.

Goal 2

Streamline Workflows

Enable your team members to automate repetitive tasks, work smart, save time and stay focused.

Goal 3

Increase Conversions

Recognize leads that need more attention and ask your sales reps to work on them to increase conversion chances.

Goal 4

Ensure Security and Scalability

Build robust security measures using a customized lead management solution. Scale according to your organization’s needs.

Basic Features & Functionality

Lead Capture

Identify leads across different sales channels and collect their information to optimize the nurturing process. Create post-click landing pages, forms and other types of data to attract website traffic.

Lead Scoring

Find hot leads based on predefined metrics so that sales reps can prioritize them, improving process efficiency and increasing conversion rate.

Lead Reporting

You can analyze lead quality through accurate reports and track their impact on your business. Monitor conversion statistics, sales reps’ productivity, acquisition rates and other vital metrics.

Integrations

This feature ensures the lead management platform you choose plays well with your existing business tools. Find a system that offers REST API, open API, custom application builders or open source solutions.

It should support an extensive range of add-ons, widgets and third-party apps.

Lead Nurturing

Keeping leads engaged throughout a sales pipeline is tough yet important. Establish rapport with customers right from the first interaction up to the time of conversion using nurturing tools.

You can categorize leads based on location, interests, age and more, and set email marketing campaigns.

Data Management

Store, organize, manage and maintain lead data for better business planning and decision-making.

Businesses are tasked with managing mountains of data, making good data management key in reducing errors and data deduplication and increasing data accuracy.

Campaign Management Dashboard

Get a 360-degree view of lead generation, nurturing and scoring efforts. You can identify the most lead-generating campaigns, monitor key metrics, determine qualified leads, check the average customer lifecycle and track performance and productivity.

Process Automation

Automate repetitive tasks to save time and resources that your sales team can use to prioritize more critical tasks. This ensures good customer experiences through quick responses in a time-sensitive environment.

Advanced Features & Functionality

Scheduling and Tracking Leads

Since your sales team is usually on the go, it’s not easy to track every lead all the time. You can schedule email communication and set up reminders, meetings and follow-up calls to prevent prospects from falling through the cracks and engage them regularly.

Lead Routing

Assign leads quickly and smartly to the right personnel so they can reach out at the right moment with apt messages, accelerate follow-ups and maximize conversion chances.

Offline Access

This functionality enables sales reps to capture and convert leads even while working offline.

Built-in Communications

Choose a system equipped with email integration, SMS tools, built-in voice communication and live chat to help sales reps and marketers interact smartly, ensuring better client conversations.

Automated Data Collection

You can collect potential customers’ information through Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, emails and other public channels.

This feature also collects data from contests, surveys and polls and tracks how your leads engage with your content. Get valuable insights into your lead’s business needs and behavior.

Current & Upcoming Trends

Top Trends in Lead Management Software

Digitalization of Lead Generation

With the introduction of digital lead resources, such as social media, email marketing, content marketing and website, B2B buyers and sellers are moving from conventional sales-centric business models to digital methods.

In the post-COVID-19 era, B2B decision-makers have begun to prefer digital communication over personal interactions. This shift is primarily for safety reasons, easy scheduling and minimal travel expenses.

Influencer Marketing

Influencers such as brands, persons or digital entities help draw in potential customers based on analytical insights through lead generation. Collaborating with influencers enables you to understand your business niche better.

You can employ a performance-based marketing scheme to save money and resources. It allows you to access different digital platforms, leading to increased reach and engagement, better volume, and enhanced quality.

Voice Search

With significant improvements in voice search technology in recent years, marketers should consider optimizing their voice search strategy. Over half of U.S. adults have smart home devices and nearly 30% use voice assistants with them, as of 2022. The numbers are set to keep increasing with 5G. Optimizing reviews, listings, content and voice search snippets can help you tap into this growing audience.

Lead Generation on Social Media

Businesses can generate more leads through social media platforms by personalizing content. You can modify posts to attract targeted leads on a personal level. Explore their areas of interest and identify the platforms they’re more active in.

Another trick is to adopt AI and machine learning that can automate lead generation strategies to make the process more efficient based on algorithms.

Video Content Marketing

In 2021, the U.S. became the biggest digital advertising market with $190.4 billion in revenue, accounting for more than one-third of the global expenses in the sector. China and Europe came in a distant second and third with 22.5% and 18.9% market share respectively. Video advertising is an integral and fast-growing segment contributing to this growth as YouTube is the most popular online platform in the US for 74% of adult users.

Businesses will adopt video content marketing to increase reach, sales and engagement on different channels. Apart from using YouTube, marketers might gradually focus on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Other Upcoming Trends

Automated Chatbots: Take your process automation one step further with automated chatbots that solve queries to your visitors’ most common questions. This hands-off approach saves time and resources.

Buyer Intent Data: Latest CRM technologies focus on buyer intent data through information collected from what they look at on your site. This lets you zero in on your leads with a laser-targeted approach.

Customer-centric Marketing: It helps you create campaigns that resonate the most with your leads. Your team can yield the highest quality lead conversions through this feature.

Software Comparison Strategy

A quick internet search will present you with hundreds of lead management systems. It can get overwhelming to narrow down your choices, let alone pick the best one.

Start by evaluating what your business needs are. How well does your current software perform at lead management? Where does it fall short? Once you analyze what your present platform lacks, you can pick a lead management solution that serves you better.

Define your budget and research your options. Some lead management systems offer free trials for their less advanced versions. Test drive your top choices and see if they work for you. You can read online reviews and industry guides or ask your colleagues for recommendations to guide this process.

Make a list of requirements you’re looking for in a lead management solution. Which features would you prefer? Would a cloud-based platform be more suitable than an on-premise one? Consider how your team collaborates and passes on information. A lead management software with a mobile app is a good choice if your team works remotely. It’s a bonus if you can operate the platform offline, something incredibly helpful in cases of spotty service.

It’s also important to evaluate whether a standalone lead management system or CRM software with lead management capabilities would fit your bill. It’s a good idea to go with a top-rated CRM software specializing in lead tracking, filtering and nurturing. Which automation does the system offer? Automated data collection is a must-have feature.

Think about what you want the platform’s interface to look like. How customizable is it? Does it come with any pre-built templates? Selecting a user-friendly, visual and intuitive system is always a plus.

Take note of apps you use regularly. Do your top choices offer your desired app integrations? If you want to stay ahead of the curve, lead management systems with AI are the next big thing.

Another thing to consider is vendor support. Do they respond quickly or have a 24/7 live chat? Do they provide implementation support? What are their security measures? Whichever software you pick, make sure it’s scalable so your business doesn’t risk outgrowing your software’s capabilities.

Cost & Pricing Considerations

Lead Management systems come in all shapes and sizes — there is something for everyone. Many lead management platforms have monthly, annual or one-time subscriptions. The price starts from as low as $2 and goes all the way up to $30,000.

Basic low-cost lead management solutions include data storage and lead tracking features. You may have to pay extra for any advanced features and customizations you want.

Another point to keep in mind is the number of your generated leads. Consider how many leads you need to track and manage, as few systems have restrictions on the number of calls and leads you can track.

Some vendors charge per user. More users mean the lead management system will cost higher. Many platforms offer free trials and even free versions for their less advanced systems.

Some companies offer CRM with lead management capabilities and useful features like lead generation and pay-per-click advertising. With the added features, you may pay more overall, but you will pay less for the lead management system itself, making it a valuable investment.

Most Popular Lead Management Software

Now that you know what lead management systems can do, how do you pick the right one for your business? Let’s take a look at our top recommendations to help in your search.

HubSpot Sales

HubSpot Sales stores all your leads’ data and activity in a centralized platform. It saves time through process automation, enhances team coordination and facilitates pipeline management.

With its reliable lead scoring tools, you can segment leads into targeted lists and improve lead conversion rates. Key features include sales automation, email tracking, quote generation and automated reminders.

HubSpot Sales

View of lead information in HubSpot.

Zoho CRM

Used by over 13,600 companies around the globe, Zoho CRM ensures proper follow-up with your leads throughout the sales funnel. Zoho’s platform helps your sales team with lead generation, scoring, conversion and the overall customer lifecycle — making it an excellent choice for businesses of all sizes.

It seamlessly integrates with 500 widely used apps and offers a mobile version. Zoho’s robust lead-tracking features, targeted email campaigns and AI-powered conversation assistant make it one of the best in the market. It also provides great vendor support, making it a value-for-money investment.

Zoho CRM

Lead management data in Zoho CRM.

Freshsales

Freshsales provides cloud-based customer engagement capabilities alongside extensive lead and deal management that give a 360-degree customer view. As part of the Freshworks ecosystem, it offers a wide range of integrations and can also connect with third-party tools such as Mailchimp. Notable features include smartforms, deal status, several types of reports and a mobile app.

Freshsales

Lead management dashboard in Freshsales. Source

Dynamics 365 for Sales

Equipped with AI, Microsoft Dynamics 365 for Sales helps improve sales activities, enhance marketing efforts and increase productivity. You can leverage prescriptive insights, a real-time, 360-degree customer view and recommended actions. Contact management, interactive dashboards, partner relationship management and sales insights are other notable features.

Dynamics 365 for Sales

Manager View in Dynamics 365 Sales.

Creatio

Creatio is an all-purpose platform that combines CRM and BPM capabilities using a low-code approach. Creatio Sales offers lead enrichment and distribution. With dashboards, users can track key indicators such as conversation rate, lead quality and more. Marketing and service modules are available as well, offering campaign and event management, change management, a contact center and more.

Creatio

View of lead info in Creatio.

 

 

Questions To Ask Yourself

Selecting a sound lead management system is complex and time-consuming. It’s vital to gain clarity on your requirements and ask yourself and your vendors some key questions to help you make the right decision.

Use these questions as a starting point for internal conversations:

  • Would a standalone lead management system or CRM software specializing in lead management suit you better?
  • What is your short and long-term budget?
  • Which deployment method is suitable for your business?
  • Do you have any industry-specific requirements?
  • Who will be the exact users in your organization, and if they’re comfortable with the UI?

Lead Management Software Key Questions To Ask

 

 

 

Questions To Ask Vendors

Use these questions as a starting point for conversations with vendors:

About the Software

  • How automated or customizable is the software?
  • What industry does the solution cater to?
  • How scalable is the platform?
  • What are its integration capabilities?
  • Are there any additional features not included in the basic package?
  • Does it cost extra for the additional features? If yes, how much?

About the Vendor

  • What sort of customer support do they offer? Does it involve any extra charges?
  • Which type of businesses do they serve - SMBs or large organizations?
  • Do they offer migration and setup services?
  • How long does the implementation and onboarding process take?
  • What security and redundancy protocols are in place to prevent data theft?
  • Do they have a proven track record of customer success?

In Conclusion

The right lead management tool helps gather relevant data, automate processes for maximum efficiency, increase cross-selling activities, improve productivity, enhance customer satisfaction and retention, and increase revenue.

In order to create an effective lead generation strategy, you need comprehensive knowledge of the process. This guide is a helpful starting point. We recommend that you go deeper into these topics, particularly requirement gathering, to choose the best solution for your business. The more intentional you are throughout every stage of the journey, the better result you can expect.

Still feeling overwhelmed and can’t decide which software is the best for you? Check out our comparison report to gain insight into top software vendors. Good luck!

Product Comparisons

Additional Resources

About The Contributors

The following expert team members are responsible for creating, reviewing, and fact checking the accuracy of this content.

Technical Content Writer
Manogna Matta was a Technical Content Writer at SelectHub who delivered content for CRM, mental health, marketing and fundraising. An alum of the University of Hyderabad, Manogna did Communication and Psychology courses in her B.A. and M.A. She's also an avid coin collector and a fashion enthusiast. When not typing away on the keyboard, Manogna plays mother hen to her tiny birds, watches sitcoms and makes bad-quality dad jokes.
Technical Research By Joan Akash
Senior Analyst
Joan Akash, a Senior Research Analyst at SelectHub, holds a Post-Graduate Diploma in Management with a specialization in Marketing. Her expertise as a researcher and reviewer spans diverse software categories, including Project Management, Customer Relationship Management, Live Chat, and Help Desk. Beyond her professional pursuits, Joan is spiritually driven, with a passion for teaching children and a penchant for reading biblical blogs and crafting poetry.
Technical Review By Manan Roy
Principal Analyst
Manan is a native of Tezpur, Assam (India), who currently lives in Kolkata, West Bengal (India). At SelectHub, he works on categories like CRM, HR, PPM, BI, and EHR. He has a Bachelor of Technology in CSE from The Gandhi Institute of Engineering and Technology, a Master of Technology from The Institute of Engineering and Management IT, and an MBA in Finance from St. Xavier's College. He's published two research papers, one in a conference and the other in a journal, during his Master of Technology.
Edited By Pooja Verma
Content Editor
Pooja Verma is a Content Editor and Senior Market Analyst at SelectHub, who writes and edits content for endpoint security, legal, CRM, fundraising software, eCommerce, and mental health software. She earned a literature degree from Miranda House, DU and also holds Master’s in Journalism from Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication in India. In her free time, you can spot her reading a book or binge-watching the latest web series and movies.