Determining The Best CRM Software For Your Organization

Whether you're a large enterprise or an SMB, we've narrowed your search for the best CRM software by comparing both on-premises and SaaS offerings from the top 11 vendors.

Making an investment in a customer relationship management (CRM) product or suite shouldn't be overwhelming, but it does require research. If you've read the articles in this series on choosing a CRM, you should have a clear understanding of your objectives and the issues you hope to solve as well as the must-have features you need in a CRM product. The next step is evaluating the various tools, weighing their strengths and weaknesses, to help you determine the best CRM software for your company.

In this article, we compare the features and functions of CRM products as well as examine the latest trends in CRM. We examine 11 market-leading vendors -- Act-On, Adobe Software, HubSpot, Infusionsoft, Microsoft, Oracle, Salesforce, SAP, SugarCRM, Zendesk and Zoho.

While many of these products cover a similar ground, it's important to evaluate them based on functionality as well as delivery methods, upgrade cycles, service options or pricing models, or overall engagement and interaction. If you're considering a CRM purchase, remember that you aren't just buying a package; you're entering into a relationship with a vendor.

Below we examine full-featured CRM suites as well as applications with specific functionality that you'll want to consider as you begin your search for the best CRM software on which to build your engagement strategy.