If your company wants to increase sales and nurture existing customers, account management software could be the perfect tool to propel you to success.
This guide will discuss what account management software can offer you, the main benefits and features to look for, and our assessment of the best solutions on the market.
That way, you can make an educated choice about which suits your requirements the best.
Key takeaways
- Account management software keeps all your data on customers and ongoing sales in one single unified database so that you can access relevant details easily.
- It can help businesses attract and retain more customers, especially ones that plan to adopt an omnichannel approach.
- Account management software can allow you to personalize every customer’s experience, boosting your customer relationships.
- The best account management software solution will vary depending on your business’s specific needs.
- While they sound similar, account management software in this context is unrelated to either accounting or social media account software.
What is account management software?
Sometimes also called account managing software, account management software is a tool created to help you unify your customer data and business processes.
More specifically, an account management system will typically let you do most, if not all, of the following:
- Input all your data on all current customers, including documents.
- Link this data so you can create complete profiles of each customer.
- Monitor which customers have been interacting with you and across which channels.
- Monitor your sales team’s communications with customers.
- Upsell to customers once they’ve shown interest in buying something.
- Nurture existing clients so you can increase their CLV (customer lifetime value).
- Automate business processes related to your sales process so you can complete sales more efficiently.
- Generate forecasts based on current data.
These are just the main points — in general, account management software is quite flexible in its uses and helps you perfect your customer communications in all kinds of ways.
That’s why many account management tools are also CRM solutions or have built-in CRM tools available.
It’s also important to note that account management software can offer a wide range of features depending on which supplier you opt for.
Depending on what you need it for, you may want to try out a few different options to find the one that suits you best.
We’ll explore the topic of finding the right solution shortly.
First, however, it’s time to look at what makes these solutions so great.
The benefits of account management software
Modern businesses like yours have to keep up with a fast-paced world and an even faster economy that changes all the time.
What that means is that you’ve only got time for the best solutions that are really worth the effort.
Account management software falls into that category.
The following advantages demonstrate exactly what makes account management software such a worthwhile solution.
Organizing your internal processes
Keeping your sales-related workflows fully organized can be difficult when they’re not brought together in one app.
This is where account management shines.
By using account management software, you can ensure your relevant processes are all stored in one place.
This also makes it much easier to train new employees since you’ll be able to walk them through each process without having to show them how to use multiple new apps first.
Planning sales strategies
Mapping out how you want to structure a new sales strategy is simple when using account management software.
That’s because it helps you keep your information and analytics (more on this shortly) in one place so you can tailor your approach to your observed facts.
Supporting omnichannel sales
Thanks, in particular, to its capacity for unifying data gathered across platforms, account management software is very well suited to an omnichannel approach.
It helps you combine your separate sales channels into one central app.
This makes it far easier to provide a seamless experience across those channels, as per the omnichannel strategy.
Increasing CLV
The better your customers’ lifetime value (CLV) is, the more worthwhile it becomes to invest time and effort into driving conversion.
For this reason, it’s crucial that your account management software helps you increase that CLV across the board.
In making it faster to upsell and suggest new products to existing customers, account management software helps sales professionals get more value from each customer.
Boosting productivity
Thanks to account management software, your sales professionals no longer have to spend time switching between apps, searching for that one critical piece of data.
Instead, they can find everything they need with a single click, without ever having to double-check that they’re searching in the right place.
This increases their productivity, both by saving time that they would otherwise spend going from app to app searching and reducing the chances of getting distracted during those switches.
Accelerating your sales cycle
Moving customers down your sales pipeline becomes a lot easier when you’re able to create meaningful connections with them.
That, in turn, is made possible by keeping all their information in one readily accessible location, so you always have the tools you need at your disposal.
Automating processes
Another way to speed things along in your sales department is to hand repetitive tasks over to an AI to automate, which account management software lets you do.
Automation creates more time in employees’ days.
It also improves morale by taking the burden of completing the same task many times off team members’ shoulders.
Tracking metrics
Using account management software, you can automatically gather data and keep track of your customer success metrics.
This lets you see how your performance stacks up to your expectations and how your customers feel about you as a brand.
Plus, you can use metrics to determine exactly how to improve in the future.
Analytics and insights
Another critical advantage of using account management software is its ability to generate analytics and insights for you based on the data you gather.
These help you understand your customers more closely so you can tailor your approach to each one.
The 7 best pieces of account management software for businesses
Your needs and requirements when it comes to account management tools may vary greatly depending on your account management strategy.
That’s why we’ve compiled a list of the seven best options to choose between.
We’ll give you a quick overview of each one, complete with their pricing options and the unique perks that make each one valuable to customers.
1. Zendesk Sell
This account management app is well-suited for both B2B and B2C sales.
Zendesk Sell comes with built-in automation features, so you can manage your channels more quickly and efficiently, and it gives you an overview of the full sales pipeline.
Users list its affordability, intuitive layout, and mobile app as major positives in Zendesk’s favor.
On the other hand, they mention that customer support would hold them back from recommending Zendesk to others.
Although it doesn’t offer a free trial, Zendesk’s base price of $19 per month makes it a cost-effective option regardless. It does come with a free version.
2. Zoho CRM
Whether you’re a small business or a global enterprise, Zoho CRM is flexible enough to meet your needs.
Thanks to their built-in analytics tool, automation functionality, and in-house customer service, Zoho can cater to most account management requirements.
According to reviewers, Zoho CRM is a good option for first-time CRM users thanks to how easy the setup is.
They also mention customer service as a negative point, which is important to bear in mind if you’re less familiar with account management software.
Its pricing plans start at $20 per month, following a free trial period. Zoho also offers a free version with some core features.
3. Monday sales CRM
Primarily created for small and medium-sized businesses, monday sales is an account management tool with a focus on helping teams optimize their planning. Its high degree of customizability and user-friendly UI make it a popular choice.
monday sales CRM enjoys near-perfect average review scores across the board.
Users call it efficient and easy to modify — and they’re very happy with customer service. Some are decidedly less happy about its ‘clunkiness,’ and call it a confusing piece of software.
Pricing begins at $10 per month once the trial period elapses, with a free version available for two users. This further cements it as a solution for smaller businesses over enterprises.
4. Bitrix 24
Bitrix24 is available both as an on-premise and cloud-based solution.
It’s a data management solution that helps you track and nurture leads, communicate with customers, and create personalized invoices when sales go through.
Customers praise Bitrix’s capacity for automating sales processes, as well as the fact that just about every feature comes with a user guide.
They also enjoy the fact that Bitrix offers them many options for streamlining workflows outside of CRM — although others call it ‘full of bugs’ and criticize some integrations.
As for pricing, Bitrix’s on-premise solutions come with a one-time license fee that makes them a one-off investment. The cloud version has a 15-day free trial, after which pricing begins at a $61 monthly flat rate.
5. Pipedrive
Marketed as a pipeline management and sales CRM solution, Pipedrive aims to help you streamline the entire conversion process.
Its UI clearly shows you the progress that each sale has made down your pipeline so you can optimize your approach accordingly.
According to its users, Pipedrive’s simplicity and ease of use are major points in its favor.
They also praise its ability to help you move sales forward and customize processes on the way.
However, Pipedrive’s integration with third-party tools is reported to be confusing and not for those who struggle with tech.
Prices start at $14.90 monthly, with a free trial version available. Pipedrive doesn’t come with a free version.
6. HubSpot
As far as account management systems go, HubSpot is great at helping you nurture leads and draw up custom analytics.
The provider offers a wide range of services, including HubSpot CRM, Marketing Hub, and more, meaning you can build the exact solution you’re after.
Reviews commend HubSpot as user-friendly and praise its functionality.
They also list customer service as a plus point, with complaints mainly focusing on the fact that the software appears to be designed primarily for enterprises.
HubSpot’s free version is quite expansive, making it a good choice for small businesses. Its paid plans start at $50 per month.
7. Freshsales
Its focus on automation and streamlining makes Freshsales a great option for businesses of any size.
You can use it to create bespoke sales pipelines, and it comes with a wide array of native features to optimize your CRM and account management processes.
Customers cite Freshsales’ customer support as a major bonus and call it a more cost-effective version of pricier CRM solutions.
They also describe it as accessible and easy to use.
The biggest drawback listed is the fact that the charges are ‘auto-billed,’ meaning they’re often harder to amend or dispute.
Freshsales’ pricing starts at $15 each month, though a free version and a trial demo are both available.
How we get our data
When compiling our content, our team looks at a huge collection of information, including:
- Business websites.
- Independent publications.
- Customer reviews and feedback from sources such as Capterra.
In addition to the data we find in our research, we also strongly consider the source of that data based on key factors like reputability, reliability, and topical relevance.
Our goal is to provide accurate and trustworthy information to readers so that you can make an accurate and informed decision.
Improve your customer relations with account management software
Between their fantastic capacity for CRM account management and the fact that they’re ideally suited to companies that gather a lot of data on their customers, account management solutions are the perfect tool for anyone looking to boost their customer relationships.
When you use account management, CRM, and other similar tools, it’s easier to stay on top of all the information concerning your customers.
This helps you create deeper and more personal connections with those clients.
And those improved relationships are both profitable for you and comfortable for your customers.
That’s why account management software is well worth your while and why it’s a great idea to start using it in your company.
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