Account management is a function of customer relationship management (CRM) software intended to help businesses organize their sales efforts with multiple divisions, locations, and points of contact. We evaluated dozens of CRM-related software options to find the best for account management based on their account hierarchies and how well they facilitate the overall sales process.
Top 6 Account Management Software 2020
| Account Management Software | Best For |
|---|---|
(Best Overall) Companies wanting an affordable and customizable solution designed for B2B sales teams | |
Businesses looking for a solution with inventory management and invoicing tools | |
Companies needing account management software for both sales and customer service teams | |
Sales teams wanting a powerful mobile CRM for field account management | |
Businesses needing account management software to manage customer projects and recurring invoicing | |
Retail and ecommerce businesses that want customer payment processing along with account management tools |
How We Evaluated Account Management Software
Account management software is a feature set of larger customer relationship management (CRM) tools. To determine the best general and industry-specific CRM solutions, we looked at how CRMs handled multiple contacts within a company, which have reporting features to let reps better understand which accounts are most valuable, and the overall control the software gives users to define accounts and territories. We also looked at pricing as well as overall ease of use.
Overall, we evaluated this type of software based on the following factors:
- Price
- Ease of use
- Contact and deal management tools
- Reporting
- Segmentation and territories
- Business app integration
- Customer support
Based on this criteria, we recommend Freshworks CRM as the best account management software for small businesses. It offers the best value when you consider the combination of features and price, especially its ability to associate accounts and contacts, and generate reports about which accounts are performing best. Freshworks CRM offers a free-forever plan for unlimited users, and paid plans that begin at $12 per user, per month.
Freshworks CRM: Best Overall Account Management Software for Small Businesses
Freshworks CRM contact landing page (Source: Freshworks CRM)
Since we last updated:
Freshworks CRM, formerly Freshsales, recently rebranded with a new name, new service plans, and access to Freshmarketer automation software. Forever-free plans are still available and include mobile apps, 24×5 support, live chat, and more.
What it is: Freshworks CRM is a fully-featured CRM that includes robust contact and deal management tools that make it easy for users in any type of industry to manage hierarchical customer accounts.
What makes it great for account management: Freshworks CRM features an intuitive interface that is easily customized for any sales organization, which makes it effortless for agents to input data. Freshworks CRM is the best choice for businesses looking for an affordable CRM with solid account management features and a short learning curve.
Freshworks CRM Pros | Freshworks CRM Cons |
|---|---|
Highly configurable fields, pipelines, and workflows | Doesn’t include order management or invoicing tools |
Intuitive user interface | Limited customizable reporting on lower tiers |
Robust territory management features | Free plan doesn’t offer account management necessities like hierarchies |
Freshworks CRM Pricing
- Free: Supports unlimited users; includes contact management, deals, and mobile apps
- Blossom: $12 per user, per month; adds pipeline management, lead scoring, and email tracking
- Garden: $25 per user, per month; adds advanced reporting, lead assignment, and account hierarchies
- Estate: $49 per user, per month; adds smart forms, automatic profile enrichment, and a reporting dashboard
- Free trial of paid plans: 21 days
Freshworks CRM Features
- Pipeline and contact management
- Lead assignment
- Email scheduling and tracking
- Automatic profile enrichment
- Smart forms
Zoho CRM: Best Account Managing Tool for Product Sales
Zoho CRM account management module
What it is: Zoho CRM is customizable contact relationship software featuring tools like product books and invoicing, along with a flexible sales pipeline and social media integration.
What makes it great for account management: Zoho CRM’s core contact management features integrate with invoice, inventory, and order management tools that allow teams to oversee accounts from quote to delivery. With a free-forever plan as well as affordable paid plans, this is a great solution for businesses that sell standardized products and services, like IT support consultants and landscape designers.
Zoho CRM Pros | Zoho CRM Cons |
|---|---|
Social media integration with all plans | Lacks advanced pipeline customization |
Straightforward interface and navigation | Limited integration with third-party tools on lower-tier plans |
Offers a forever-free plan | Free plan limited to three users |
Zoho CRM Pricing
- Free: Includes core contact management, search filters, and email templates for up to three users
- Standard: $12 per user, per month; includes scoring rules, web forms, and custom dashboards
- Professional: $20 per user, per month; includes validation rules and inventory management
- Enterprise: $35 per user, per month; includes advanced customization and multi-user portals
- Free trial for paid plans: 14 days
Zoho CRM Features
- Email templates
- Workflow automation
- Web-to-lead and web-to-contact forms
- Quotes, orders, and invoice management
- Website visitor tracking
Salesforce Essentials: Best Account Management Software for Sales & Support
Salesforce Managing Customer Support Cases
What it is: Salesforce Essentials is a powerful CRM that integrates with the overall Salesforce ecosystem of marketing automation, ecommerce, and analytics apps.
What makes it great for account management: Salesforce Essentials is highly customizable, so sales teams can set up contact management, sales opportunities, mass emails, and customer service ticketing to match existing needs and workflows. This is a great choice for established businesses that want to support accounts with unified sales and service.
Salesforce Essentials Pros | Salesforce Essentials Cons |
|---|---|
Customizable sales process | Only supports up to 10 users |
Access to the entire Salesforce platform | Upgrades can be expensive |
Powerful email client connector | Lacks social media management features |
Salesforce Essentials Pricing
- Salesforce Essentials: $25 per user, per month for up to 10 users; includes both the sales and service modules
- Salesforce Professional: $75 per user, per month; includes advanced features like lead scoring, forecasting tools, and campaigns
- Free trial: 14 days (Essentials plan only)
Salesforce Essentials Features
- Contact management
- Lead capture
- Customer support cases
- Mass emails
- Task automation
Zendesk Sell: Best for Field Sales Account Management
Zendesk Sell company hierarchy
What it is: Zendesk Sell is a comprehensive, fully featured CRM with a well-designed mobile app that makes it easy for sales agents to manage accounts in the field.
What makes it great for account management: Zendesk Sell includes in-app voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) calling, sales forecasting, task management, and account hierarchies with plans ranging from $19 to $99 per user, per month. The voice calling, recording, and call log features make this solution one of the best choices for reliable field sales account management.
Zendesk Sell Pros | Zendesk Sell Cons |
|---|---|
Robust mobile apps | No free plan |
Prebuilt reports | Lacks social media management tools |
Variety of automation tools | Limited productivity features |
Zendesk Sell Pricing
- Team: $19 per user, per month; includes contact management, email integration, and deals
- Professional: $49 per user, per month; adds bulk email send, sales goals, and sales forecasting
- Free trial: 14 days
Zendesk Sell Features
- Unlimited email templates
- Supports sales goals and forecasting
- Multiple sales pipelines
- Unlimited activity reports
- Lead and deal scoring
Bitrix24: Best Account Management Software for Customer Projects
Bitrix24 deal pipeline interface
What it is: Bitrix24 is a flexible account management software application with Gantt and Kanban-style project management tools.
What makes it great for account management: Bitrix24’s combination of account hierarchies and project management tools help teams continue to manage customer accounts long after the deal is closed. This software is the best option for contractors, consultants, and freelancers who manage account-based customer projects.
Bitrix24 Pros | Bitrix24 Cons |
|---|---|
Project management features | Limited territory management tool |
Social integration tools | No lead scoring |
Customizable fields | Complex user interface |
Bitrix24 Pricing
- Free: Supports unlimited users and includes 5GB of storage, project management features, and a live chat tool
- Start+: Supports two users for $19 per month; adds increased storage space, reports, and external email integration
- CRM+: Supports six users for $55 per month; adds marketing features, bulk email send, and role and permission settings
- Project+: Special pricing that supports 24 users for $55 per month; includes unlimited tasks and projects, calendar integration, and collaboration tools
- Free trial of paid plans: 30 days
Bitrix24 Features
- Searchable filters
- Unlimited shared inboxes
- Business automation tools
- Collaboration
- Gantt and Kanban-style charts
Apptivo: Best Account Management Software With Built-in Payment Processing
Apptivo account management interface
What it is: Apptivo is a comprehensive account management application that includes lead, contact, and deal management tools, as well as integrations with Stripe, Authorize.net, and PayPal.
What makes it great for account management: Apptivo’s built-in payment processing tools allow users to invoice and collect customer payments from within the CRM, rather than maintain two separate business applications to meet customer needs. This solution is best for account managers who need the ability to create orders, send invoices, and collect payments within an all-in-one solution.
Apptivo Pros | Apptivo Cons |
|---|---|
Offers free plan | Lacks advanced marketing integrations |
Customer loyalty tools | No mobile apps on free plan |
Payment processing | Limited customization options |
Apptivo Pricing
- Free: Supports three users and includes a product catalog, proposal tools, and standard reports
- Premium: $10 per user, per month; adds multiple sales pipelines, mass email, and marketing automation
- Ultimate: $20 per user, per month; adds territory management and 24/7 phone support
- Free trial of paid plans: 30 days
Apptivo Features
- Tasks and notifications
- Deals
- Contact management
- Built-in contract management
- Mobile apps
Bottom Line
Account management software is a valuable tool for managing multiple customer relationships within different departments, divisions, or locations at a single company. These software providers represent the top six account management software options for small businesses.
We chose Freshworks CRM as the top choice for businesses that manage customer accounts because it is an affordable CRM that helps teams maximize their sales efforts, and the easy-to-use interface makes it a powerful tool to manage customer accounts. Freshworks CRM offers a free-forever plan as well as a 21-day free trial of any plan.
Submit Your Comment
You must be logged in to comment. Click a "Log in" button below to connect instantly and comment.
LOG IN