SHARE

8 Best Operational CRM Platforms

If you want to automate your sales activities, marketing initiatives, and customer service to make your small business operations more efficient, then you’ve come to the right place. The best operational customer relationship management (CRM) systems offer advanced features, like extensive workflow automation capabilities, that streamline your business and revenue operations (RevOps) processes. We evaluated…

Written By

Lorraine Daisy Resuello

Dec 6, 2024

19 minute read

If you want to automate your sales activities, marketing initiatives, and customer service to make your small business operations more efficient, then you’ve come to the right place. The best operational customer relationship management (CRM) systems offer advanced features, like extensive workflow automation capabilities, that streamline your business and revenue operations (RevOps) processes.

We evaluated dozens of solutions and narrowed them down to the eight best operational CRM platforms in terms of standout features, affordability and scalability of plans, ease of use, and user reviews.

Zoho CRM: Best (overall) for free lead management
Bitrix24: Best free CRM for unlimited users
HubSpot CRM: Best for free revenue management
Pipedrive: Best for sales automation
Insightly CRM: Best for project management
monday CRM: Best for ease of use
Salesforce: Best for business health reporting
Copper CRM: Best for affordable productivity tools

My solid background in sales, customer service, and writing enables me to provide accurate software information for startups and small businesses. This is in accordance with the Fit Small Business editorial policy.

I work diligently to offer clear, unbiased, and objective insights in reviews and buyer’s guides, ensuring small business owners can access the critical information they need to make informed decisions.

When it comes to operating and reviewing different software applications, I have two decades of experience using call center software, communication and collaboration platforms, and CRM systems.

I received in-depth training and was employed in different call centers as a sales and customer service representative at multinational companies like T-Mobile, DirectTV, and eBay.

Over 10 years in writing and research
At least 7 years in customer service
More than 1 year as a sales representative
5 years in digital marketing

Best Operational CRM Platforms Compared
Zoho CRM: Best CRM for Operations Overall With Free Lead Management
Bitrix24: Best Free Operational CRM for Unlimited Users
HubSpot CRM: Best for Free RevOps Management
Pipedrive: Best Operational CRM for Sales Automation
Insightly CRM: Best for Project Management
monday CRM: Best for Ease of Use
Salesforce: Best for Business Health Reporting
Copper CRM: Best Operational CRM Software for Affordable Productivity Tools
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Bottom Line

Best Operational CRM Platforms Compared

Free Plan	Free Trial	Starting Monthly Price per UserBased on annual billing on a per-month basis; monthly billing is available at slightly higher rates, unless otherwise specified.	Our Rating out of 5
✓3 users	✓15 days	$14	4.62
Visit Zoho CRM
✓Unlimited users	✓15 days	$43 for five users	4.59
Visit Bitrix24
✓2 users	✕	$15	4.52
Visit HubSpot CRM
✕	✓14 days	$14	4.48
Visit Pipedrive
✕	✓14 days	$29	4.37
Visit Insightly CRM
✕	✓14 days	$12Three-user minimum requirement (total $36 per month)	4.34
Visit monday CRM
✕	✓30 days	$25	4.24
Visit Salesforce
✕	✓14 days	$9	4.11
Visit Copper CRM

Zoho CRM: Best CRM for Operations Overall With Free Lead Management

Pricing: 5.00 out of 5

General Features: 5.00 out of 5

Advanced/Niche Features: 3.75 out of 5

Help and Support: 5.00 out of 5

Expert Score: 4.13 out of 5

Pros

Its free plan includes tools for generating and managing leads.
Workflow, task, and marketing automations are available across all plans.
It has an omnichannel platform for engaging and nurturing leads via email, chat, phone, and social media.

Cons

It has a steep learning curve because of its robust features and customization options.
AI tools are locked in with higher tiers (starting at $40 per user monthly with the Enterprise plan).
Customer segmentation and profile enrichment require the Enterprise plan ($40 per user monthly).

You need a CRM with free or low-cost AI tools: Zoho CRM offers AI tools in the form of its voice assistant, Zia. This tool provides you with intelligent automations, smart recommendations for sales activities, predictions based on sales trends, and suggestions for email content. Unfortunately, Zia is only available for higher tiers, starting with the Enterprise plan ($40 per user monthly).
- Alternatives: If you want more affordable yet comprehensive AI features, go for Pipedrive’s Essential plan ($14 per user monthly). Its AI Sales Assistant provides automated task updates, reminders, forecast assistance, and tips for performance improvement. Bitrix24’s Copilot for deal and lead autofilling, transcribing calls, and creating quality email content is available on its free plan.
You’re looking for a more affordable CRM with segmentation tools: Zoho CRM’s customer segmentation feature is locked in with its Enterprise plan ($40 per user monthly). For small businesses, this could be a steep price.
- Alternatives: HubSpot CRM’s free plan and Salesforce’s Starter Suite ($25 per user monthly) both offer customer segmentation. Bitrix24’s Basic plan ($43 per user monthly) also offers sales and marketing automation with customer segmentation. While it’s more expensive at first glance, it’s cheaper per user ($8.60 per user monthly).

You need a CRM with free or low-cost AI tools: Zoho CRM offers AI tools in the form of its voice assistant, Zia. This tool provides you with intelligent automations, smart recommendations for sales activities, predictions based on sales trends, and suggestions for email content. Unfortunately, Zia is only available for higher tiers, starting with the Enterprise plan ($40 per user monthly).
- Alternatives: If you want more affordable yet comprehensive AI features, go for Pipedrive’s Essential plan ($14 per user monthly). Its AI Sales Assistant provides automated task updates, reminders, forecast assistance, and tips for performance improvement. Bitrix24’s Copilot for deal and lead autofilling, transcribing calls, and creating quality email content is available on its free plan.
You’re looking for a more affordable CRM with segmentation tools: Zoho CRM’s customer segmentation feature is locked in with its Enterprise plan ($40 per user monthly). For small businesses, this could be a steep price.
- Alternatives: HubSpot CRM’s free plan and Salesforce’s Starter Suite ($25 per user monthly) both offer customer segmentation. Bitrix24’s Basic plan ($43 per user monthly) also offers sales and marketing automation with customer segmentation. While it’s more expensive at first glance, it’s cheaper per user ($8.60 per user monthly).

Zoho CRM Pricing Plans*

Cost: $0 for three users

Key Features:

Lead, account, contact, and deal management
Recurring activities
Tasks, meetings, and calls
Standard reports
Marketing campaign management
Custom email templates
Customization for the home page and tabs
Automation for workflow rules, tasks, email notifications, and records
Web forms for leads and contacts
Integration with Zoho apps like Sales IQ, Projects, Analytics, Desk, and Campaigns

Zoho CRM Add-ons:

Additional File Storage: $4 per month for 5GB (paid plans only)
Additional Data Storage (up to 200 users): $4 for 100MB per month (for Professional and up)
Additional Data Storage (over 200 users): $2 for 100MB per month (for Professional and up)
Data Backup: $12 per request

*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-month breakdown of the plans. Monthly billing is available for a higher cost. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.

An example of Zoho CRM's lead management system with filters for name, status, and source.

Zoho CRM offers affordable, robust tools like web and social media data capturing to streamline lead management. (Source: Zoho CRM)

Our Expert Opinion

Zoho CRM’s free plan includes tools for lead management, including web forms for lead generation, marketing campaigns for lead nurturing, and standard reports for lead tracking. You can track lead sources, statuses, owners, and conversions. In addition, all plans allow you to automate mundane tasks, such as emailing, lead follow-ups, and data field updates. Workflow automation helps improve the productivity of your sales and marketing teams.

Bitrix24: Best Free Operational CRM for Unlimited Users

Pricing: 5.00 out of 5

General Features: 5.00 out of 5

Advanced/Niche Features: 4.38 out of 5

Help and Support: 4.50 out of 5

Expert Score: 3.75 out of 5

Pros

Its Free plan allows unlimited users with duplicate data detection, e-signatures, and live chat engagement.
It has a great collaboration system with a shared team calendar, company drive for sales resources, and internal chat tools.
It offers unlimited invoices with a convert deal-to-invoice function on its Basic plan for $43 for five users.

Cons

It has a high learning curve for operating the features and navigating the interface.
Mass text and email require the Standard plan ($87 per month).
There’s a huge price gap between tiers (e.g., free to Basic at $43 per month).

You need a free operational CRM for unlimited users: Bitrix24 is the only CRM software on this list offering free-forever tools for unlimited users. Its free plan includes many helpful sales tools like duplicate data detection, e-signatures, and live chat engagement. These capabilities are usually offered as paid options in other CRMs.
You need robust data management tools: Bitrix24 offers users a high storage capacity on the free plan, including unlimited contacts and deals. It also stores different record types like clients, inventory, projects, products and services, and leads. Finally, Bitrix24 has excellent data management tools, like free automated duplicate detection, custom fields, and file editing within the CRM.

You need a simpler CRM solution: While it comes with great features, Bitrix24 gets poor reviews for product usability. Users find the interface difficult to navigate, and the built-in tools have a steep learning curve.
- Alternatives: monday CRM takes the crown for the best operational CRM for ease of use. It has a simple interface that appeals even to true beginners. On the other hand, Copper CRM has a familiar interface similar to Google apps, which is highly intuitive.
You want lower-priced email marketing features: While users can access email integrations on the Basic plan, deploying bulk email campaigns is not included until the Standard plan for $87 per month.
- Alternative: HubSpot CRM can save sales reps and marketing teams a lot of time by allowing them to send bulk emails on the free-forever plan.

Bitrix24 Pricing Plans*

Cost: $0 for unlimited users

Key Features:

Unlimited contacts, deals with sales pipeline, and activity tracking
Client management module with task planning, tracking, reminders, and an autodialer
Bitrix24.Sign tool for creating, sending, and getting digital signatures for documents
Automatic duplicate detection
Contact Center with CRM forms, live chat engagement, and social media messaging
Sync with external calendars (Google Calendar, Apple iCloud, Microsoft Office 365)
One sales pipeline and unlimited tasks, statuses, and reminders
Ecommerce module with order, product, inventory, and payment tools
CoPilot AI assistant in CRM, tasks, chat, feed, email, and texts on websites
Sales intelligence with report builder (1,000 contacts max) and automatic customer journey tracking

*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-month breakdown, though monthly billing is available for a higher cost. Bitrix24 offers a 15-day free trial on paid plans. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.

Bitrix24 contacts page showing the automated duplicate detection configuration options.

Bitrix24 helps you find duplicate data for better lead database management. (Source: Bitrix24)

Our Expert Opinion

Bitrix24 offers free operational CRM tools for unlimited users. It provides a centralized system with plenty of free tools like duplicate data detection, e-signatures, and an AI assistant, perfect for startups. It’s an excellent free solution for optimizing sales operations while aligning sales teams with those responsible for client services. You also can’t miss the collaboration tools that streamline communication, reporting, and internal scheduling.

HubSpot CRM: Best for Free RevOps Management

Pricing: 4 out of 5

General Features: 4.38 out of 5

Advanced/Niche Features: 4.38 out of 5

Help and Support: 5.00 out of 5

Expert Score: 5.00 out of 5

Pros

The Customer Platform includes all-in-one sales, marketing, and service features ideal for RevOps.
It has a robust free plan with custom quotes, Slack integration, and document storage.
It has a highly acclaimed system for its simplicity and ease of use.

Cons

There is a huge price jump from Starter ($15 per user monthly) to Professional ($1,170 per month for five users) tiers.
Forecasting is not included until the Professional plan ($1,170 per month for five users).
It has no free automation features.

You need an all-in-one CRM for RevOps: Evolved from traditional sales operations, revenue operations (RevOps) is becoming a popular structure that combines sales, marketing, and service into one business unit. HubSpot CRM is excellent for aligning strategies and sharing resources across these teams as this CRM system includes a Sales, Marketing, and Service Hub in its suite.
You’re looking for a free operational CRM: HubSpot CRM is considered the best free CRM that can fulfill many day-to-day operational needs while allowing you to scale efficiently. Users get no-cost access to quote generation, document storage, email marketing, meeting scheduling, and a products library module. The Free plan also allows for third-party integrations, including Slack for collaboration and task updates.

You want more affordable sales forecasting tools: For a sales manager, forecasting is crucial to properly planning rep capacity and a growth strategy. Unfortunately, HubSpot does not include forecasting tools until the Professional plan, which costs $1,170 per month.
- Alternative: Zoho CRM offers much more cost-friendly forecasting that’s just $14 per user monthly under its Standard plan.
You need affordable workflow customization and automation: There’s no better operational productivity hack than workflow automation that autocreates or updates CRM records, assigns tasks, or sends communications based on triggers. While you’ll find these in HubSpot CRM, you’ll need the Professional plan to access these features for $1,170 per month for five users.
- Alternative: monday CRM offers workflow automation with low-code design and custom sales activity logging in its Standard plan for only $17 per user monthly. Even with a three-user minimum requirement for a total of $41, it’s way cheaper than HubSpot CRM’s Professional plan.

HubSpot CRM Pricing Plans*

Cost: $0 for two users

Key Features:

Contact, company, and deal management with list segmentation and activity tracking
Email integrations with email templates to automate email campaigns
Quote generation and a product library
Stripe payment processing
Activity and performance reporting plus real-time dashboard metrics
Document storage in the CRM or within records
Built-in appointment scheduling
App marketplace access for third-party integrations, including VoIP providers
Canned snippets to answer prospects’ or customers’ common questions
Customer service ticketing with routing to an artificial intelligence (AI) chatbot

*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-month breakdown of the Customer Platform. Monthly billing is available for a higher cost, except for the Enterprise tier. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.
**Customer Platform includes sales, marketing, customer service, content, operations, and commerce software bundled in one plan. Individual modules can be purchased for lower prices.

HubSpot CRM's form showing quote details.

Sales teams can use HubSpot CRM to generate quotes for free. (Source: HubSpot)

Our Expert Opinion

HubSpot CRM is our best CRM for small businesses and the top operational software on this list. As an all-in-one sales, marketing, and customer service management system, RevOps teams can align their resources and strategies to scale efficiently. Many vital RevOps features, including quote generation, document management, email communications, and appointment scheduling, are free.

Pipedrive: Best Operational CRM for Sales Automation

Pricing: 4.25 out of 5

General Features: 5.00 out of 5

Advanced/Niche Features: 3.13 out of 5

Help and Support: 5.00 out of 5

Expert Score: 5.00 out of 5

Pros

It has a robust sales system for tracking deals, managing leads, and generating proposals.
It includes the Smart Docs feature to automate proposal generation and Smart Contact to autoupdate lead records.
It has excellent AI capabilities for enhancing productivity.

Cons

It has no free plan, only a 14-day free trial.
Project management tools require a Power plan ($64 per user monthly) or an add-on fee of $6.70 per user monthly.
Essential operation features like email integrations, appointment scheduling, and workflow automation require the Advanced plan ($34 per user monthly).

You need a free CRM system: Pipedrive, though not too expensive, does not come with a free-forever plan. Therefore, if you’re bootstrapping or simply want to try CRM software for free, you may want to consider other options.
- Alternatives: HubSpot CRM, Zoho CRM, and Bitrix24 are excellent operational CRMs with freemium plan options. HubSpot offers free-forever tools for two users, whereas Zoho CRM has a three-user allocation for its free plan. And Bitrix24 offers a freemium plan for unlimited users.
You want more affordable project management features: Project management is convenient for overseeing sales deals and client deliverables in one interface. While Pipedrive recently started offering a project management module, it requires a higher plan (Power for $64 per user monthly) to use.
- Alternative: Insightly CRM is the best alternative with affordable project management capabilities. It is a solid pick, especially if you want to combine contact and project management in one space. These features are available in the Plus plan for only $29 per user every month.

You need a free CRM system: Pipedrive, though not too expensive, does not come with a free-forever plan. Therefore, if you’re bootstrapping or simply want to try CRM software for free, you may want to consider other options.
- Alternatives: HubSpot CRM and Freshsales are two excellent operational CRMs with freemium plan options.
You want more affordable project management features: Project management in a CRM system is convenient for overseeing sales deals and client deliverables in one interface. While Pipedrive recently started offering a project management module, it requires the Power plan for $64 per user, monthly.
- Alternatives: Bitrix24 is the best alternative with free project management capabilities. Insightly CRM is another solid pick, especially if you want to combine contact and project management in one space.

Pipedrive Pricing Plans*

Cost: $14 per user

Key Features:

Deal management with rotting indicator alerts and deal progress reporting
AI sales assistant for automated task updates, sales forecast assistance, etc.
Company and user sales goals tracking
Lead and contact management with activity tracking and document storage
Custom data fields and pipeline stages
Products and services catalog
App marketplace for third-party integrations
Duplicate data detection and merge
Comments and user mentions on CRM records for collaboration
Calendar view and activity management with activity reminder notifications

Pipedrive Add-ons:

Projects managementFree with Power and Enterprise plans : Starts at $6.70 per user monthly
Email campaigns: Starts at $13.33 per company monthly
LeadBoosterCopy: Lead generation tool set (chatbot, live chat, prospector, web forms, and appointment scheduler) : Starts at $32.50 per company monthly
Smart DocsTrackable quotes, proposals, and contracts; free with Professional, Power, and Enterprise plans : Starts at $32.50 per company monthly
Web tracking and lead ranking: Starts at $41 per company monthly

*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-month breakdown. Monthly billing is available for a higher cost. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.

Pipedrive’s Smart Docs feature showing a test template.

Pipedrive’s Smart Docs helps sales teams generate proposals by populating prestored documents with contact data. (Source: Pipedrive)

Our Expert Opinion

Pipedrive can convert a sales operation into an automated machine if you deploy all it offers. The system stands out by providing specialized advanced tools, such as Smart Docs, Smart Contact Data, and the AI sales assistant, in addition to traditional workflow automation features. Combine everything, and you can put nearly your entire sales process on autopilot.

Insightly CRM: Best for Project Management

Pricing: 4.25 out of 5

General Features: 5.00 out of 5

Advanced/Niche Features: 3.75 out of 5

Help and Support: 4.50 out of 5

Expert Score: 4.13 out of 5

Pros

It has built-in project management tools to convert won opportunities into projects and automated workflows on CRM processes.
It has solid contact management capabilities with custom fields and third-party cloud-based recordkeeping.
It has data synchronization with the mobile app.

Cons

It has no free plan, only a 14-day free trial.
Telephone features require an additional cost ($35 per user monthly).
Products, price books, and quotes management tools are locked in the Enterprise plan ($99 per user monthly).

You need built-in project management tools: Insightly CRM is equipped with a project management module. You can seamlessly turn opportunities into projects after closing a deal. Sync all data and tailor projects using custom fields and page layouts for the best operational outcomes. Plus, enhance cross-team communication using pipelines and milestones—all in the Plus plan for only $29 per user monthly.
You want a robust contact management system: Insightly CRM provides recordkeeping attributes, including contact linking to organizations, record classification, contact communication history, and batch updating. It also has lead qualification, tracking, and contact management tools that make sales operations and pipeline stage movement more efficient.
You prioritize real-time data sync on the field: Sales teams looking for an operational CRM on the go will find Insightly CRM a great choice for its up-to-date synchronization of contact data in its mobile app. You can access information on leads and clients anywhere, anytime, making it easier to carry out sales activities without complex logistics.

You need free operational CRM: Insightly CRM doesn’t offer a free plan. If you’re a small business with more team members, consider options with free-forever plans.
- Alternatives: HubSpot CRM offers a robust free plan for two users, including an intuitive lead management system. Bitrix24 is another solid free option with unlimited user allocation, especially if you want access to project management tools.
You need a built-in telephone: Many sales teams continue to employ cold calling and telephonic communication as part of their sales processes. Unfortunately, with Insightly CRM, you’ll need to subscribe to its Insightly Voice product ($35 per user monthly) to access these features.
- Alternative: HubSpot is our top pick for operational CRM with a built-in telephone. You can place outbound calls from your CRM account and receive calls in your browser or forward them to your device for up to 500 monthly minutes per account starting with its Starter plan ($15 per user monthly).

Insightly CRM Pricing Plans*

Cost: $29 per user

Key Features:

Project and task management and relationship linking of contacts and organizations
Lead, opportunity, contact, and organization management
Web-to-lead capture, Kanban view, and other project management features
Batch update records and attach files from the cloud
Built-in business intelligence dashboards with customizable reports
2,500 daily mass emails with automated deployments and stored email templates
Convert won opportunities to projects and automated workflows on CRM processes
Mobile app with real-time data sync and integration with Google Workspace
100,000 record limit, 10GB file storage, and 25,000 records per import
50 custom fields, two role-based permissions, and two configurable page layouts

Insightly CRM Add-ons:

Premier Support and SuccessIncludes personalized support, proactive insights, and one-on-one technical guidance : Contact provider for a quote
Guided OnboardingIncludes guided CRM implementation, training, adoption, and consultation : $1,500 one-time fee
Insightly VoiceIntegrated phone dialer with click-to-call, call logging, call recording, and call analytics; available to Professional and Enterprise plan subscribers. : $35 per user monthly

*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-month basis. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.

Insightly CRM's pipeline page showing area to convert an opportunity to a project.

Insightly CRM lets sales teams create custom pipelines and convert opportunities to projects for a revenue boost. (Source: Insightly)

Our Expert Opinion

We find Insightly CRM an excellent operational CRM for businesses prioritizing an affordable project management system. We love this CRM’s relationship linking, custom fields, data entry automation, lead qualification, and web-to-lead capture that help identify sales opportunities. It’s an ideal option for business-to-business (B2B) sales teams and client-based operations.

monday CRM: Best for Ease of Use

Pricing: 4.25 out of 5

General Features: 4.38 out of 5

Advanced/Niche Features: 3.75 out of 5

Help and Support: 4.50 out of 5

Expert Score: 5.00 out of 5

Pros

It is highly intuitive to operate and leverages spreadsheet style format for data entry and low-code design for automations.
It offers sales ops management features for rep capacity planning, onboarding, and sales material storage.
It includes great team collaboration tools like a shareable whiteboard, file sharing and editing, and user task assignment with alerts.

Cons

It has no free plan (just a 14-day free trial) and misleading cost of paid plans with a three-user minimum requirement.
Data duplicate management requires a custom-priced Enterprise plan.
Email automation and sales forecasting features are locked behind the Pro CRM plan ($28 per user, monthly).

You need a simple operations CRM: monday CRM has a minimal learning curve since it uses a familiar spreadsheet-style format for data entry, updates, and custom fields. Once added, users can quickly toggle between different viewing options to evaluate data. monday CRM also has low-code automation options that let teams create if/then workflows with dropdown options.
You want a dedicated operations management module: monday CRM is unique in that it comes with dedicated tools for sales operations. These include rep headcount and capacity planning, employee onboarding tracking, sales collateral storage, and an internal knowledge base. There’s also a feature for obtaining approval from legal or security teams on contract terms.

You need a free CRM for sales operations: While monday CRM has a 14-day free trial, it currently does not offer a free-forever plan. Instead, you can start using the platform by shelling out $12 per user monthly, with a minimum of three users.
- Alternatives: Zoho CRM, HubSpot CRM, and Bitrix24 are great CRMs for sales operations that offer free-forever plans. Zoho CRM offers free tools for up to three users, while HubSpot has a two-user allocation for its freemium plan. Bitrix24 offers a free plan for unlimited users.
You want lower-priced data deduplication: Duplicate data management allows you to keep a clean database by finding and merging redundant records automatically. While monday CRM has this capability, it requires the Enterprise plan, which uses tailored pricing based on users and feature requirements.
- Alternative: Bitrix24 is the best alternative, offering automated duplicate management on its free plan.

monday CRM Pricing Plans*

Cost: $12 per userThree-user minimum requirement (total $36 per month)

Key Features:

Unlimited contacts, companies, and items stored in the database
Unlimited, customizable pipelines, work boards, and free viewers
Create a dashboard based on one board
Web forms for lead capture
Premade CRM templates for storing lead, contact, account, and deal data
Document attachments in CRM items
Kanban view of CRM boards
Web-to-lead capture
Custom notifications and collaboration features like file editing and whiteboards
iOS and Android apps

*Pricing is based on annual billing on a monthly breakdown. Monthly billing is available for a higher cost. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.

monday CRM contact list from spreadsheet data.

monday CRM lets you easily find contacts, leads, and records using its color-coded labels, search tool, and filters. (Source: monday CRM)

Our Expert Opinion

monday CRM is the best option if your top priority is product usability. From an operations perspective, it offers a simple database for reps to access records—using a spreadsheet format familiar to most software users. We also can’t tout the automation capabilities enough. The low-code designer tools allow users to easily put sales tasks and pipeline stages on autopilot, regardless of technical skill.

Salesforce: Best for Business Health Reporting

Pricing: 3.25 out of 5

General Features: 5.00 out of 5

Advanced/Niche Features: 3.75 out of 5

Help and Support:: 4.50 out of 5

Expert Score: 4.63 out of 5

Pros

Customizable reports and dashboards show real-time views of business health.
It has integrated tools for sales, email outreach, customer service, and commerce in one platform.
It can create a payment portal and direct payment links for opportunities to boost sales productivity.

Cons

It has no free plan, only a 30-day free trial; there is a huge price jump from Starter Suite ($25 per user monthly) to Pro Suite ($100 per user monthly).
Forecast and quote management tools are locked in with Pro Suite plan ($100 per user monthly).
It has a sharp learning curve because of its robust and advanced features.

You need a CRM to track your business health: Salesforce is known for its robust and advanced out-of-the-box reporting and analytics features. Across all plans, you can access prebuilt and customizable reports and dashboards to get a real-time view of your business health. These reports allow you to monitor key success metrics, such as opportunities won, sales performance, top accounts, and revenue pipeline.
You want an AI-powered CRM for managing deals: With Salesforce, you get smart suggestions and next-best recommendations to help you move deals along the pipeline faster. Plus, you can create a payment portal and send embedded payment links for deals in your CRM. Salesforce also has AI-powered features like automated lead qualification, lead and deal scoring, and Einstein forecasting.

You want a free or low-cost CRM for operations: While Salesforce offers a 30-day free trial, it does not have a freemium option. In addition, there is a huge price jump from the Starter Suite ($25 per user monthly) to the Pro Suite ($100 per user monthly).
- Alternative: Bitrix24 offers free and cost-scalable plan options for small businesses. Paid plans start at $43 per month for five users. Pipedrive is another excellent option because it has scalable plans with a low starting price (Essential plan at $14 per user monthly).
You’re seeking more affordable tools for forecast and quote management: Salesforce’s sales forecast and quote management features come at a steep price of $100 per user monthly with its Pro Suite plan. This could be too expensive for small businesses with limited resources for CRM software.
- Alternatives: Zoho CRM’s Standard plan ($14 per user monthly) includes sales forecasting tools. Its Professional plan ($23 per user monthly) has an inventory module with quote generation tools. HubSpot CRM, on the other hand, lets you create and send quotes using its freemium plan.

Salesforce Sales Cloud Pricing Plans*

Cost: $25 per user

Key Features:

Custom reports and dashboards and customizable sales process
Account, contact, lead, and opportunity management
Files and case management for collaboration
Task management and activity feed
Salesforce mobile app
Einstein activity capture to sync email and calendar content and CRM data automatically
Lead assignment and routing
Web-to-lead capture and duplicate blocking
Mass email, email templates, email productivity tracker, and Gmail and Outlook integration
Products and price books

*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-month breakdown of the Sales Cloud plans for SMBs. Monthly billing for the Starter Suite is available for a higher cost. It comes with a 30-day free trial. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.

Salesforce report showing expected revenue by account.

Salesforce facilitates sales and revenue tracking across the entire business operation. (Source: Salesforce Admins)

Our Expert Opinion

Salesforce’s ready-to-use, customizable reports and dashboards provide an accurate view of your business health in real time. AI-powered insights help you zero in on where your business is struggling so that you can take action to help you achieve your revenue goals. More than just a sales CRM, it offers marketing, service, and commerce tools on one platform to create a more seamless experience for your customers.

Copper CRM: Best Operational CRM Software for Affordable Productivity Tools

Pricing: 4.25 out of 5

General Features: 4.38 out of 5

Advanced/Niche Features: 3.44 out of 5

Help and Support: 4.00 out of 5

Expert Score: 4.50 out of 5

Pros

Users can access the CRM in their productivity tools like Gmail or Google Calendar for only $9 per user monthly.
It has a solid set of team collaboration tools like file sharing, user comments and mentions, and task assignments.
It has a highly intuitive interface similar to Google apps.

Cons

It has no free plan, only a 14-day free trial.
There is a tier-based limit on contacts and custom fields.
Mass email feature is not available until the Professional plan ($59 per user monthly).

You want to use affordable productivity tools: Copper CRM is a Google CRM system designed to look like and integrate with Google apps. As a productivity hack, users can access the Chrome extension and put the CRM directly in their Gmail or Google Calendar interface—often the most commonly used apps for sales reps. From there, you can add or update records, manage tasks, and find files in one system.
You need a simple team collaboration tool: Copper CRM is a highly intuitive CRM that looks and feels like a Google app. It also comes with a great set of team collaboration features. Users can mention one another in CRM records, assign tasks, share files, and log activity, allowing sales teams to coordinate on opportunities and ensure nothing slips through the cracks.

You need a lot of custom data fields: A key operational challenge with Copper CRM is that you only get up to 10 different customizable data fields on the Basic plan. Unlimited custom fields require the Professional plan for $59 per user monthly.
- Alternative: Bitrix24 offers free custom data fields with no limits on the number of unique, tailored fields.
You want free access to mass emailing capabilities: Copper CRM’s mass emailing features do not come in until the Professional plan ($59 per user monthly), a relatively high cost compared with other options.
- Alternative: HubSpot CRM offers free-forever plans that include bulk emailing capabilities and email templates.

Copper CRM Pricing Plans*

Cost: $9 per user

Key Features:

Productivity tools like notes, reminders, team collaboration, suggestions, and activity feed
Google Chrome extension
Google Workspace integrations (except for Google Sheets)
1,000 contact limit and up to 10 custom data fields
Tasks plus activity feed
Email templates and merge fields for consistent inquiry responses
Zapier integration
Online forms
Mobile apps for iOS and Android
Support includes live chat, help center, Copper community, how-to webinars, and office hours

*Pricing is based on annual billing on a per-user monthly breakdown. Monthly billing is available for a higher cost. While we update pricing information regularly, we encourage our readers to check current pricing.

Copper CRM Chrome extension lets sales reps manage CRM records in Gmail or Google Calendar to boost productivity. (Source: Copper)

Our Expert Opinion

Copper CRM can optimize productivity thanks primarily to its unique Google Chrome extension. Because sales reps do most of their work through an email or calendar app, it would be ideal for them to be able to view and manage their CRM records from those systems. Copper’s extension gives you full CRM accessibility within Gmail and Google Calendar to stay organized and maintain work centralization.

How We Evaluated the Best Operational CRM Platforms

To determine the best operational CRM, we evaluated the essential features for managing a day-to-day sales team and improving its efficiency. These features cover forecasting, internal communication, and task automation. General CRM features were also considered when choosing the top CRMs for this list. We also looked at other critical product attributes, including price and user experience, in terms of product usability and solid customer support.

Methodology weights

General Features 25%

Advanced or Niche Features 20%

Pricing 20%

Help and Support 20%

Expert Score 15%

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

An operational CRM system is a sales software with features for improving productivity, organization, scalability, and efficiency. It automates workflows to put specific tasks on autopilot and track tasks. A CRM for operations provides internal communication tools for collaboration and capacity planning capabilities, such as sales and revenue forecasting for strategic decision-making.

An operational CRM is one of three types. Collaborative CRM systems align departments, such as sales, support, and marketing teams, by sharing data resources and coordinating activity. Analytical CRMs prioritize finding insights and trends in customer data, pipeline activity, and the sales funnel to help improve operations and product offerings.

Choose operational CRM software to streamline and automate your day-to-day customer interactions and sales activities, reducing repetitive tasks. This tool can also help you launch email marketing campaigns and advertising initiatives quickly. Synchronize your data by integrating your CRM with other business apps you use to improve your operations further.

An operational CRM system automates sales, marketing, and customer service processes. Create workflows, such as rules for lead capturing, based on your operation’s needs. On the other hand, analytical CRMs provide deeper insights into customer behavior for strategic decision-making.

Bottom Line

Operational CRMs boost the efficiency and productivity of sales teams by providing tools for effective data management, automation, forecasting, and collaboration. Improve your day-to-day business operations by choosing the best operational CRM depending on your budget, feature priorities, and interface requirements. For example, monday CRM is great for ease of use, while Pipedrive can automate your sales activities. Zoho CRM, however, ranks the highest for its free lead management tools.

Visit Zoho CRM

Lorraine Daisy Resuello

Lorraine Daisy Resuello is a specialist at Fit Small Business who focuses on Sales and Customer Service topics and she has experience in customer service in business process outsourcing (BPO). At present, she uses her decade-long writing experience to provide FSB readers with the best answers to their questions.

8 Best Operational CRM Platforms

Why You Can Trust Fit Small Business

Best Operational CRM Platforms Compared

Zoho CRM: Best CRM for Operations Overall With Free Lead Management

Zoho CRM Pricing Plans*

Our Expert Opinion

Bitrix24: Best Free Operational CRM for Unlimited Users

Bitrix24 Pricing Plans*

Our Expert Opinion

HubSpot CRM: Best for Free RevOps Management

HubSpot CRM Pricing Plans*

Our Expert Opinion

Pipedrive: Best Operational CRM for Sales Automation

Pipedrive Pricing Plans*

Our Expert Opinion

Insightly CRM: Best for Project Management

Insightly CRM Pricing Plans*

Our Expert Opinion

monday CRM: Best for Ease of Use

monday CRM Pricing Plans*

Our Expert Opinion

Salesforce: Best for Business Health Reporting

Salesforce Sales Cloud Pricing Plans*

Our Expert Opinion

Copper CRM: Best Operational CRM Software for Affordable Productivity Tools

Copper CRM Pricing Plans*

Our Expert Opinion

How We Evaluated the Best Operational CRM Platforms

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How does an operational CRM system work?

What are the three types of CRM systems?

Why choose operational CRM?

What is the difference between operational and analytical CRM?

Bottom Line

Lorraine Daisy Resuello

Company

Categories