Top 10 Best Enterprise CRM Solutions for 2021

 

As businesses grow, their software requirements grow as well.

An enterprise-level company deals with more complexity in its internal processes, has to manage more people and roles, and needs more data to make informed decisions. A simple CRM can’t handle this level of complexity. At this point, a business needs to look for an enterprise solution that can support its growth.

As businesses grow and adapt, software shouldn’t hold them back. In fact, they need to pick the right solution that simplifies processes and helps reps build relationships. It might sound like a simple task, but choosing an enterprise CRM solution is difficult. More often than not, companies end up with overly complicated systems that actually add more friction and complexity to the company.

That’s why we compiled a list of some of the most popular enterprise CRM solutions out there. See what the top 10 platforms you should be looking at in 2021 are to make an informed decision for your business needs.

Looking for the TL;DR? HubSpot and Salesforce are top two enterprise CRM solutions, according to user ratings and reviews on G2, Capterra, and Software Advice.

Still, we recommend checking out all of the 10 top options listed below. Each has its unique benefits that might make it the right enterprise tool for your business.

 

Before we dive into more details, let’s look at a few definitions.

What is an enterprise CRM software?

If you’re familiar with what a CRM is already, then you intuitively know that an enterprise CRM is basically a CRM solution tailored to larger (enterprise-level) companies with complex processes and large sales teams. Most enterprise CRMs offer more features than simple CRMs and can support complex sales operations with advanced reporting capabilities, product libraries, sales enablement and tools, and more.

Enterprise CRM vs. SMB CRM

But what exactly makes a CRM ideal for a large company? There are a number of features that smaller CRMs don’t usually have, but that are necessary when dealing with that level of sophistication.

Here are just a few features that are specific to enterprise-level CRMs:

  • Custom objects
  • Analytics and forecasting
  • Sales enablement
  • Advanced permissions
  • Automation

Additionally, unlike small CRMs, enterprise CRM platforms are usually able to connect with many other tools. Large companies either have legacy solutions or use certain point-solutions, like Slack, Zoom, or Quickbooks, and their CRM has to be able to “communicate” with all of them.

Lastly, an enterprise CRM platform is able to support more than just the sales organization. For such a complex system to run smoothly, all departments: sales, marketing, support, and accounting need to be connected and communicate in real-time.

Now that you know the difference between the two, let’s look at the specific features that you should verify when evaluating an enterprise solution.

What to look for when choosing an enterprise CRM

  • Ease of use: A great solution should be easily adopted by your team. You shouldn’t need constant support or admin work to figure out how to use the platform or make simple customizations.
  • Total cost of ownership: If you’re comparing a few solutions that have about the same functionalities and licensing costs, always look at “hidden” costs as well: maintenance and support costs, additional users, etc. All of these represent the total cost of ownership of a solution and it can have a big impact on your expenses on the long term.
  • Customization and flexibility: Your organization has its unique processes and the ideal CRM can be fully tailored to your needs. Ideally, look for solutions that can be customized by reps and managers without much dev or admin work.
  • Onboarding: When choosing a new enterprise CRM, look how easy it is to transition from your old solution and what does that onboarding process looks like.
  • Support: Check for extra costs related to customer support, whether or not they offer support in your language (if you’re running a global sales team), and how you can get in touch with the CRM’s support team (via phone, email, etc.)
  • Reports and dashboards: Reporting is crucial for large companies, so make sure you check the sales analytics capabilities of your potential CRM.
  • Forecasting: This feature lets you see if your sales team is on target and you can use this data to inform future campaigns.
  • Automation: One of the wins a great CRM can bring to your organization is automation. If you can automate repetitive tasks, follow-ups, and manual data entry, then you can free up more of your team’s time so they can focus on the really important projects.
  • Mobile app: Before choosing a CRM, check if their mobile app offers your team the necessary information when they’re on the go.

10 best enterprise CRM solutions for 2021

Now it’s time to take a deep-dive and discover the ten best Enterprise CRM solutions, according to users’ average ratings and the total number of reviews from G2, Capterra, and Software Advice.

CRM solutions average reviews

1. HubSpot Sales Hub Enterprise

Average Rating: 4.43

Total Reviews: 6,657

HubSpot Sales Enterprise is one of the top enterprise CRM choices because it combines powerful features with ease of use.

Many alternative solutions require teams to put together specific point-solutions to get the features they need. This is a challenge to maintain long term, and it often increases the complexity of the processes instead of simplifying it.

What makes HubSpot Sales Enterprise stand out is that it was built from the ground up with natively integrated features to support the sales, marketing, and service operations of a large company.

Another thing that’s worth mentioning about HubSpot is the pricing. The Enterprise plan, which is $1200/mo for 10 users includes all the features. Unlike with other enterprise tools, there are no add-on upgrade costs that you need to worry about. The only extra costs you might forecast are for additional users.

Also, according to an in-depth analysis, HubSpot’s total cost of ownership is significantly lower than Salesforce when looking at a company with 50 users.

Key features:

  • All-in-one CRM platform with sales, marketing and support capabilities
  • Automatically rotate leads and create deals using workflows, move deals through the sales pipeline, create tasks, trigger notifications, send email sequences etc.
  • Use custom objects to create complex reports
  • Track your recurring revenue, upgrades, downgrades, and churn
  • View the forecasted revenue of your deals by rep or by team
  • Chat with prospects in real-time using Conversations
  • Build and maintain a complete product library
  • Create and send proposals using quotes
  • Build sales playbooks: competitive battlecards, call scripts, positioning guides, and more

Price: HubSpot Sales Hub Enterprise starts at $1200/month (for 10 users)

2. Salesforce

Average Rating: 4.37

Total Reviews: 26,128

Salesforce is another top enterprise CRM solution for 2021. And it’s no surprise since Salesforce has been the CRM for large companies since the late 90s due to its powerful features and nearly unlimited options in terms of customization.

The Salesforce platform also comes with a robust API which allows you to integrate it with any tools you’re already using. This is a great advantage especially for large companies that use a lot of point solutions and want to keep them after adopting a new CRM.

There’s also their AI CRM assistant: Einstein AI. This feature is designed to predict which sales leads are more likely to convert, churn risk, lifetime value, delayed payment, and more trends and patterns that managers can use to inform decisions. This is a particularly useful feature for enterprise businesses who run a complex sales organization.

The problem with Salesforce is that it comes with a steep learning curve and the interface is often reviewed as “outdated” and that it “doesn’t look appealing”. This may create friction within your sales team who might find it difficult to adapt and learn the new CRM.

On the other hand, the features and flexibility of the platform make it a first choice for many large companies, who want a solution that can be fully tailored to their unique process. Just be ready, because a full customization is usually a long-term project with Salesforce and it requires extensive admin work.

Key features:

  • Highly customizable, scalable CRM platform, with industry-specific capabilities
  • Uses artificial intelligence (AI) to provide recommendations specific to your business
  • Mobile-first design, including offline functionality
  • Highly customizable reports
  • Powerful ecosystem: AppExchange
  • Powerful workflow automation and task management features
  • Integrates well with almost any current infrastructure due to its robust API

Price: Salesforce Sales Cloud Enterprise is $1500/month for 10 users (billed annually)

3. Zoho CRM

Average Rating: 4.07

Total Reviews: 6,311

Zoho is another leading CRM provider used by many popular brands like Amazon, Netflix, Suzuki, and Bose. In fact, the company claims that Zoho CRM is used by over 150,000 businesses in more than 180 countries.

This is no surprise since Zoho CRM comes with a very affordable price tag: £30/user/month for the Enterprise plan and only £35/user/month for the Ultimate plan. Plus Zoho CRM includes many high-end features such as predictive analytics, lead scoring, advanced reporting, mobile app and more.

Similarly to Salesforce, Zoho CRM offers an AI-powered assistant, Zia, which is designed to help sales leaders see which deals are more likely to close, what’s the expected churn, which leads should be assigned to which sales rep, based on performance history, and so on. Zia can also suggest improving or creating new workflows based on patterns.

Key features:

  • AI-powered insights provide predictive analytics and automatically assign tasks and leads to the right sales reps
  • Extensive customization capabilities (page layouts, buttons, web tabs etc.)
  • Workflows and email automation
  • Real-time customer notifications
  • Inventory management capabilities: price, quotes, invoices, purchase orders
  • The Ultimate plan includes AI capabilities, data enrichment to reduce manual data entry, territories and rules to help manage a large, global sales team

Price: Zoho CRM starts at £300month for 10 users for the enterprise plan

4. Microsoft Dynamics 365

Average Rating: 4.17

Total Reviews: 5,427

Microsoft Dynamics 365 combines Microsoft’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) tool and CRM into one cloud-based solution.

Microsoft Dynamics offers many enterprise-level features and customization options. It includes marketing automation, custom dashboards, lead scoring, and A/B testing, plus other advanced features like sales playbooks, sales enablement content, advanced forecasting, and AI-driven insights. The only lowlight is that though there are many customization capabilities, they are difficult to implement by the average user and must be executed by technical administrators.

Another reason for choosing Microsoft Dynamics is that it integrates seamlessly with other Microsoft tools like Outlook, Office 365, and LinkedIn Navigator.

All in all, Microsoft Dynamics is an extremely powerful and robust platform that’s great for enterprise level companies. It’s no wonder that it’s also one of the most expensive solutions on the market.

Key features:

  • Forecasting
  • Lead and opportunity management
  • Marketing lists and quick campaigns
  • CPQ and data enrichment solution discovery
  • Email intelligence (email engagement and auto-capture)
  • Sales playbooks
  • Competitors, sales goals and territory management

Price: Microsoft Dynamics 365 starts at $135/month/user

5. SAP CRM

Average Rating: 3.97

SAP CRM is a very robust platform that covers everything from sales automation to marketing automation, customer support and channel management. In fact, a frequent mention in SAP reviews is that it covers everything users need. It can be used by everyone in the company, from the sales team to leadership to inventory tracking. It’s no wonder that it’s used by many enterprise businesses worldwide.

It’s important to note though that SAP is still a legacy product, in terms of UX and the design of the platform. While it’s obviously extremely robust and rich in capabilities, it’s lagging behind when it comes to offering a friendly, easy to adapt interface. Many negative reviews highlight that the platform is “not intuitive and easy to use”.

Key features:

  • Territory and quota management
  • Quote and order management
  • Product and price list management
  • Knowledge base
  • Forecasting and reporting

Price: SAP CRM offers a free trial after which is $58/month (according to Capterra)

6. Oracle NetSuite CRM

Average Rating: 3.77

Oracle NetSuite is a great option for enterprise businesses that are looking to manage everything on one platform. Oracle offers a wide range of capabilities, from ERP to CRM, inventory management, accounting, manufacturing, retail, and more.

NetSuite CRM is a cloud-based CRM that includes sales automation, customer service, e-commerce, marketing, and advanced analytics. Plus, as many user reviews mention, the platform is highly customizable and offers useful reporting features.

As with many robust platforms, NetSuite CRM is relatively complex and it takes some time for the average user to learn how to use it. Many of the cons mention that the interface isn’t user friendly and it can be confusing if you’re not familiar with the system.

Key features:

  • Quote and order management
  • Incentive compensation management
  • Sales forecasting
  • Opportunity management
  • Multiple forecasts
  • Campaign and email management
  • Lead reporting and analytics

Price: For accurate pricing options, schedule a free consultation.

7. Pipedrive

Average Rating: 4.45

Pipedrive is a popular CRM, widely known for its friendly interface and ease of use. The company started as a tool for small sales teams, but it now caters to larger companies as well. According to the company’s website, it’s now used by well-known enterprises like amazon and SkyScanner.

Some of the core enterprise features are the progress tracker, the forecasting tool, sales coach, and the sales action playbook. The sales coach feature helps users identify success patterns so that they can replicate those into a successful playbook.

Some of the common issues raised by users are regarding reporting and lack of sophisticated customization. Reporting said to be fairly basic for an enterprise-level company. The customization issue is more of an issue for scaling companies, who need a solution that can grow with them.

But one great thing about Pipedrive is that you can see for yourself how you feel about their reporting, customization, and all the features in general. Their free trial gives you access to the full range of features that are normally available to paying customers.

Key features:

  • Automated follow-ups
  • Visual dashboards
  • Forecasting
  • Sales coach
  • Sales playbooks
  • Mobile app (Android and iOS)

Price: Pipedrive Enterprise is €990/month for 10 users (billed annually)

8. Freshworks

Average Rating: 4.57

Total Reviews: 1355

Freshworks CRM is an integrated sales and marketing platform that is built to support scaling and enterprise companies. Freshworks is also viewed as a very user friendly and intuitive tool, which makes for an easy onboarding experience.

What stands out in Freshworks’ Enterprise plan is their enterprise-grade AI engine called Freddy AI. This AI and ML tool is designed to automate many of the sales team’s tasks like lead generation and lead qualification. Also, Freddy AI powers the tools chatbot to support marketing better qualify visitors that engage with the website.

It also learns from the existing data and provides insights into prospects and deals, offers predictions and recommendations. Freddy AI scores contacts based on history and engagement and identifies priorities for the sales team. It also helps prioritize deals that are more likely to close helping both reps and leadership with more accurate predictions.

Key features:

  • Contact data enrichment
  • Sales forecasting
  • Automated workflows
  • Behavioral segmentation
  • Territory management
  • Mobile app
  • Access to Freshdesk Marketplace for app integrations

Price: Freshworks CRM Enterprise is €1250/month for 10 users (billed annually)

9. Sugar Sell

Average Rating: 3.83

Sugar Sell (former Sugar CRM) is a powerful sales automation tool.

Automation is actually at the heart of the Enterprise plan of Sugar Sell. It allows customers to automate complex business processes using an automation engine. This can be done by the average user through a visual interface via drag-and-drop. This feature can help route leads, get quotes reviewed, and generally save time and improve team productivity.

Sugar Sell also automatically gathers information about contacts – saving time that’s usually spent on manual research and data entry. This feature can also trigger notifications based on the important activity of deals and contacts that matter the most.

Key features:

  • Lead nurturing
  • Customer journey mapping
  • Subscription-based sales automation
  • Drag-and-drop process automation

Price: Sugar Enterprise is $850/month for 10 users (billed annually)

10. Zendesk Sell

Average Rating: 4.37

Zendesk Sell (formerly known as Base) is a CRM platform that can serve a wide variety of companies, from small businesses to enterprise-level customers. The platform is known to be intuitive and fairly easy to use, even for novice reps.

As a CRM platform, Zendesk Sell covers all essential features that a business might need to manage their day to day: pipeline management, live chat, email automation, reporting dashboards, data enrichment, and more.

For larger companies, Zendesk Sell offers two plans: Enterprise and Elite. The difference between them is subtle, but it might be very meaningful, depending on your company’s requirements. Zendesk Sell Elite includes advanced sales insights reports, a rep performance dashboard, API, and premium customer support.

Key features:

    • Automated lead distribution (Round Robin)
    • Unlimited sales pipeline (only in the Elite plan)
    • Lead and deal scoring
    • Bulk emailing and tracking
    • Unlimited email templates
    • Sentiment analysis
    • Call tracking and recording
    • Sales forecasting

Price: Zendesk Sell’s Elite plan is €1990/month for 10 users (billed annually)

Conclusion

Finding the right CRM for your business is never an easy task. For an enterprise-level company, the decision is even more complex.

At the end of the day, it’s important to know what are your team’s core values and what they expect from a CRM. Is user friendliness an important feature? Do you have a number of processes that you’d like to automate? Do you want a standalone CRM, or do you want to manage your entire company on one platform?

Depending on your team needs, this guide will help you make more informed decisions about the right solution for your business.

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