6 Best CRM Certification Programs for 2022

Customer relationship management (CRM) certifications provide business owners, companies, and clients with proof an individual has a certain level of acquired skills and expertise to operate specific CRM software. They also help consultants attract new clients and open new opportunities for career advancement. We looked at several options, including their pricing and features, to arrive at the top six CRM certifications.

The top certifications and their best use cases include:

• HubSpot Academy: Best overall for sales professionals looking for free HubSpot-specific credentials
• Salesforce Administrator: Recommended for sales professionals and consultants managing large sales teams who use Enterprise editions of Salesforce
• Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales Functional Consultant Associate (SFCA): Great for consultants working with Material Resource Planning (MRP) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software
• NetSuite Administrator: Excellent option for consultants who build customized enterprise software deployments using NetSuite
• Zendesk Support Administrator Expert: Best for small business sales and customer support administrators who use Zendesk
• Zoho CRM Certified Accountant: Best for CRM administrators, developers, and sales reps using Zoho’s product suite

 Best CRM Certifications Compared

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HubSpot Academy: Best Free CRM Training & Certification

HubSpot Academy earned the top spot in our list of CRM training and sales certification providers because of its free courses, rich content, and easy-to-follow, self-paced video lessons. It offers sales, marketing, service, web design, web development, and data privacy certificate courses. These self-paced courses are broken down into digestible modules, making them easy to understand, especially for beginners.

However, one of its drawbacks is its inability to be accessed via third-party courses, unlike Microsoft Dynamics 365 (SFCA). However, this disadvantage is balanced out by its cost-free certifications. This makes it an ideal choice for small agencies, solopreneurs, and freelance marketing consultants who are using HubSpot CRM.

CRM Training Courses

Here are HubSpot Academy’s CRM courses according to the main categories of its CRM software:

Features & Benefits

HubSpot Academy offers a wide range of free courses to help individuals maximize the use of its software. Below are some of its key offerings:

• All courses and exams are online and free of charge
• Learning materials include online videos, templates, worksheets, e-books, quizzes, and exams
• Downloadable slides and transcripts
• Sales certificate courses cover contact management, inbound sales, and sales enablement
• Marketing certificate courses cover automation, contact management, content marketing, email marketing, inbound marketing, lead generation, reporting and performance, search engine optimization (SEO), social media, and web design
• Service certificate courses cover contact management and inbound service
• Certifications are valid for 13 to 25 months. Once they expire, you need to be recertified by taking the most current version of your course and its respective exam

Certifications from the HubSpot Academy are meant to aid individuals in effectively using the HubSpot CRM platform—a CRM system packed with features for sales, marketing, and service. HubSpot CRM offers users a centralized, user-friendly interface to manage customers and understand their behavior. Learn more about how this software can help your business manage deals and foster better team collaboration in our HubSpot CRM review.

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Salesforce Administrator: Best for Enterprise-level Sales Professionals

The Salesforce Administrator certification is designed for individuals who have experience with Salesforce and want to get a deeper understanding of its features and capabilities. The interactive course allows you to accumulate points each time you complete a task, module, or test project. The text-based lessons are comprehensive and cover topics such as Salesforce customizations, lead management, campaign basics, and data management.

Salesforce Administrator’s exam requires a registration fee of $200 and $100 for retakers (both exclusive of taxes). You must complete a maintenance module each year to maintain your certification’s validity. Its lessons and exams are advanced, making it ideal for those who aim to become a Salesforce CRM expert. Those who prefer a simpler learning program that is free of charge may find HubSpot Academy a better alternative.

CRM Training Courses

Here are the modules to prepare for the Salesforce CRM certification:

Features & Benefits

Being certified as a Salesforce Administrator ensures you have a good command of the software. Below are some of the features and benefits of earning one:

• Courses are free
• Exams can be taken online or in a test center
• Exam registration fee is $200 plus tax for first-timers and $100 plus tax for retakers
• There’s a free yearly maintenance module to maintain certification
• Free certification prep webinar plus coupon code for a $40 discount off any $200 exam for all webinar attendees
• Trailhead Series: gamified online tutorials for beginners and intermediate developers on how to code for the Salesforce platform
• Offers a combination of tasks, text-based modules, and hands-on projects
• Includes interactive study tools and practice tests
• Trailblazer Community connects you to other Trailblazers (learners), user forums, and groups
• Credential status are linked to user accounts
• Certification is valid for one year

Through the Salesforce Administrator certification, you gain a sharper edge in managing Salesforce—one of the most advanced CRM systems on the market. Salesforce’s sophisticated sales tools allow businesses of all sizes to manage sales outreach, marketing, and customer service in a centralized platform. Interested in learning more about how this software can automate your sales processes? Check out our Salesforce review.

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Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales Functional Consultant Associate: Best for IT Consultants & Developers

The Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales Functional Consultant Associate (SFCA) certification is recommended for functional consultants and professionals using Microsoft Dynamics 365. Aside from Microsoft Power Platform configuration, it also covers the management of leads, opportunities, quotes, orders, product catalogs, and price lists. Like Salesforce Administrator, the self-paced modules are largely text-based, and the exams are also proctored.

This certification is more expensive than Salesforce Administrator since it requires two exams that cost a total of $330. It also does not offer community-based support like the Trailblazer Community for Salesforce users.

CRM Training Courses

These are the courses required to acquire the Microsoft Dynamics 365 SFCA certification:

• Get started using Dataverse (seven modules)
• Manage permissions and administration (two modules)
• Create a canvas app in PowerApps (three modules)
• Create a model-driven application in Power Apps (four modules)
• Create a business process flow in Power Automate (four modules)
• Automate a business process using Power Automate (five modules)
• Get started with Power Automate buttons (five modules)
• Use best practices to secure and govern Microsoft Power Platform environments (eight modules)
• Create and use analytics report with Power BI (six modules)
• Create relationships, business rules, calculations, and rollups in Dataverse (three modules)
• Create bots with Power Virtual Agents (four modules)
• Bring artificial intelligence (AI) to your business with AI Builder (two modules)
• Improve business performance with AI Builder (nine modules)
• Working with Dynamics 365 Sales (seven modules)
• Implement goal management in Dynamics 365 Sales and Customer Service (two modules)

Below are the two exams you must pass to obtain this certification:

Features & Benefits

Acquiring the Microsoft Dynamics 365 SFCA certification underscores your expertise to configure the Microsoft Power Platform and Dynamics 365. Below are some of the program’s features:

• Online courses are free of charge
• Online proctored exams
• Instructor-led courses (starting at $595) include hands-on app experience
• Offers up to 80% discount for verified students and beta exam participants
• Mostly self-paced, text-based modules
• Mini-quiz or knowledge check at the end of every section
• Offers college credit for certification in American Council on Education (ACE) member schools in the U.S.
• Certification is valid for one year and can be renewed online for free

Microsoft Dynamics 365 SFCA certifies you to operate Microsoft Dynamics 365, an enterprise-level CRM that offers various apps for different business departments. These include sales, marketing, support, and human resources. To learn more about this software, read our in-depth Microsoft Dynamics 365 review.

Microsoft Dynamics 365 SFCA

NetSuite Administrator: Best for Professionals Seeking to Customize NetSuite

The NetSuite Administrator certification demonstrates a high level of expertise as an administrator, consultant, or business analyst. Holders are expected to configure, implement, and maintain Oracle’s NetSuite CRM and ERP solutions. This is the most expensive certification on this list, but the steep price is a solid value for its expert-level training and three-year certification. The exam prep course costs $1,600, while the total exam registration fee is $500.

Like the Microsoft Dynamic 365 SFCA certification, NetSuite Administrator also requires two separate exams (Suite Foundation Certification and Administrator Certification). It does not offer free online learning materials, which HubSpot Academy and Salesforce Administrator provide. Instead, it offers paid courses and certifications for individuals.

CRM Training Course

Below are the topics included in the NetSuite Administrator Exam preparation course:

• Setup tasks
• Roles, permissions, and audits
• Custom forms
• Custom records
• Advanced search capabilities
• Formulas in search
• Dashboards
• CSV data import
• Workflow process automation
• Intranet

Below are the subject areas covered by the exam:

• SuiteAnalytics: Understand NetSuite data structure and pulling data from NetSuite using reports, financial reports, and searches functionality
• SuiteBuilder: Form customization, online forms, layout customization, custom fields, and custom records
• SuiteCloud Platform: SuiteFlow, SuiteBundler, and extending NetSuite
• Setup and administration: Manage roles, supporting users worldwide, Sandbox refresh, and CSV import
• Data security: Data access, removing users, and general details
• Working with NetSuite: Notifications, preparing for releases, and troubleshooting in NetSuite

These are the recommended prerequisites and courses for this certification:

Features & Benefits

Getting a NetSuite Administrator certification makes you attractive to companies that use certified professionals for more effective deployments of the software. Below are the features and benefits of the NetSuite Administrator certification course:

• Online self-paced and live group sessions
• Online proctored exams
• Text-based study guide, sample test, and in-person training
• NetSuite professional network and LinkedIn Community of NetSuite Certified individuals
• NetSuite-certified logo and certificate of achievement
• Earn Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits for certification
• Certification is valid for three years and can be renewed by taking the rewritten exam
• Once it expires, the $150 exam retake fee applies

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Zendesk Support Administrator Expert: Best for Support Administrators

The Zendesk Support Administrator Expert certification is for individuals who want to demonstrate their expertise in managing and setting up Zendesk’s help desk and CRM system. It offers an exam prep course and practice test free of charge. Zendesk Support Administrator Expert’s two-year certification validity is longer than most of its competitors.

One of the aspects this provider is missing is the searchable database, which HubSpot Academy and Zoho CRM both have. Its free learning materials on customer support are also not as comprehensive as those offered by HubSpot and Salesforce, which cover sales, marketing, and service.

CRM Training Courses

Below are the on-demand courses under Zendesk Support Administrator Expert certification. These prerecorded videos can be accessed for free:

• Zendesk Support Administrator Certification Practice Test
• Zendesk Support for Admins, I
• Zendesk Support for Admins, II

There are also private company training sessions that are held live via Zoom by a Zendesk training specialist. These sessions can accommodate two to 12 participants:

• Zendesk Support for Admins, I ($1,000)
• Zendesk Support for Admins, II ($1,500)
• Zendesk Support for Admins, I and II ($2,800)

These are the recommended qualifications for the Zendesk Support Administrator Expert exam:

• At least three months as a Zendesk Support Administrator
• Successfully completed Zendesk Support Administrator Certification Practice Exam
• Successfully completed Support for Admins, I and Support for Admins, II

Features & Benefits

Zendesk’s CRM certification provides in-depth training on the use of the core features of Zendesk Support. It teaches the key features configured by admins and builds a foundation for continued learning. Below are some of its features and benefits:

• Free on-demand video lessons feature subtitles in Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, and Japanese
• Testing center or online proctored exam
• Private live training sessions include PDF copies of course slides and recordings upon request
• Private training sessions can be delivered in English, French, German, Portuguese, Dutch, and Spanish
• Certification is valid for two years; the $350 exam registration fee applies in recertification

The Zendesk Support Administrator Expert certification allows you to effectively use Zendesk Sell, a popular CRM platform. It enables businesses to organize, manage, and optimize sales processes. It also lets users easily track leads and sales tasks while allowing them to communicate via various channels, including email, phone, and chat. Read our comprehensive Zendesk Sell review to learn more about what it can do for your business.

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Zoho CRM Certified Consultant: Best for CRM Administrators, Developers & Sales Reps Using Zoho Product Suite

The Zoho CRM Certified Consultant certification may be obtained through Zoho’s training program, Spark. The training and certification used to be free and had no expiry; however, Zoho now offers training, exams, and a paid certification valid for two years. Its training and certification programs are designed for CRM administrators, developers, sales representatives, and sales managers.

One of the downsides of the Zoho Certification is its limitation to English, unlike other providers who offer courses in multiple languages, such as Zendesk Support Administrator Expert.

CRM Training Courses

Below are the modules included in the Zoho virtual training for CRM to prepare for the certification:

• General Usage
• Sales Process Automation
• Support
• Users and Control
• User Interface
• Basic Customization
• Advanced Customization
• Channels
• Automation
• Process Management
• Data Administration
• Marketplace
• Developer Space
• Mobile Apps

Features & Benefits

Being a Zoho CRM Certified Consultant demonstrates you have sufficient and proven knowledge to assure effective use of Zoho’s products and services. Below are some of its features and benefits:

• Access to Partner Portal and online forums
• Online proctored exam
• Invitation to Zoho events worldwide
• Dedicated product support
• Early updates on Zoho’s new products and strategy
• Access to online training and learning materials
• Certification is valid for two years

The Zoho CRM Certified Consultant certification underscores your knowledge of using Zoho CRM, a system that lets users manage their sales, marketing, and customer service needs. Explore what it can do for you in our full Zoho CRM review.

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How We Evaluated the Best CRM Certification Options

CRM software certifications serve as validation tools for sales and IT professionals’ skills and demonstrate expertise in operating specific software platforms. The motivation for obtaining them includes career promotions or attracting new clients. When evaluating certifications, we looked for those that offer the best value for money in terms of content and features. We also examined their pricing, completion time frame, and industry recognition.

We recommend HubSpot Academy as the best certification because it offers highly recognized credentials, comprehensive online learning materials, and access to a vast network of business partner resources. Moreover, their certifications are free, making them more accessible to small businesses compared to options that offer paid training and exams.

Below are the criteria we used to evaluate the best CRM training and certifications:

• Industry recognition: Most of the value in a CRM certification comes from its acceptance by businesses and organizations. The certification represents a validation of your expertise in that software.
• CRM market share: CRM certifications are often sought by professionals who would like to advance their career within their existing organization or to become more marketable to other companies. The most useful certifications reflect experience with well-known CRM solutions.
• Training materials: We evaluated what certification training materials are available and whether they are proprietary to the software provider, or if there are alternatives available from third parties.
• Cost: For a certification to be valuable, it has to be affordable. Moreover, it should offer a positive return in terms of increased opportunities either in employment or consulting. We factored in the cost of training, lessons, and exams, as well as the availability of free options.
• Completion time: We looked at the time investment needed to finish each course and whether there are additional requirements involved that take extra time.

Bottom Line

CRM certifications are a proven way to showcase your legitimate expertise in managing and implementing CRM systems. It is also a good component to add in your team’s CRM training program. When looking to get CRM certifications, factor in the software you are using, your objectives for obtaining that designation, and your budget. Take into account the time it will take to complete the course—as well as passing the exams. Consider HubSpot Academy if you want a free certification with extensive learning materials and wide industry recognition.