Zoho CRM Review 2023: Real Review for SMBs

What are the Limitations of Zoho CRM?

As a leading customer relationship management (CRM) software, Zoho CRM offers countless benefits for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs).

However, even the most advanced software solutions have their limitations.

Here are two key limitations of Zoho that SMBs should be aware of:

• The free plan lacks advanced features: Zoho CRM offers a free version of its software, which is great for businesses who are just starting out and don’t want to commit to a paid subscription just yet. However, it’s important to note that the free plan is quite limited in terms of features. Additionally, the free plan only allows for up to 3 users, so if you have a larger team, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan.
• Zoho lacks some advanced marketing capabilities: While the CRM software is a versatile tool for managing customer relationships, it may not be the best option for businesses looking for extensive marketing capabilities. For instance, Zoho CRM doesn’t have built-in ad campaign creation or landing page creation tools, which means businesses will need to use additional software solutions to create and run effective ad campaigns.

What Sets Zoho CRM Apart from the Competition?

In most of the metrics we use to measure success at SBB, Zoho CRM is head and shoulders above the competition.

Here are some specific reasons Zoho stands out in a crowd:

• Zoho CRM is fully customizable – Whether you need to create custom fields, automate workflows, or integrate with other tools, Zoho has got you covered. With its drag-and-drop interface, you don’t need to be a coding expert to tweak Zoho CRM to your liking.
• It has automation with every pricing plan – This means you can automate repetitive tasks like data entry, lead management, and email tracking without having to pay extra. This not only saves you time but also ensures consistency in your customer interactions.
• It’s extremely easy to use and learn on – The user interface is intuitive, with clear navigation and simple workflows. Plus, Zoho provides ample documentation and support to ensure you can get the most out of the system.

How to Get Started with Zoho CRM

Getting started with Zoho was a breeze!

We’ll walk you through the entire process to clear up any ambiguity you may have about onboarding with Zoho.

To begin, we navigated to their sleek and stylish homepage, complete with the following fields:

• Name
• Email
• Password
• Phone number

After filling out the fields, we were drawn to the bright red call-to-action (CTA) button to get started.

From there, we were tasked with entering the name of our business (shown below).

Then, we were treated to a helpful setup process that included the following tasks:

• Invite your team
• Configure your deals pipeline
• Connect to your email account
• Migrate your existing data
• Integration

This section of the onboarding process was complete with a great video, some awesome graphics, and a cool design (as sort of the cherry on top).

We’ve tested a lot of CRMs over the years at Small Business Bonfire, and I’d venture to say that Zoho is among the best looking in the biz (which is saying a lot).

Once we finished these steps, we were good to go! The world (or Zoho, at least) was our oyster.

Overall, the onboarding process was a 10/10 in our book.

If you’re on the fence about getting started, we’re here to let you know getting started with Zoho was a dream!

Is Zoho CRM Easy to Use?

Zoho CRM is incredibly easy to use.

Zoho CRM takes the hassle out of managing your customer relationship processes.

Firstly, Zoho CRM offers an intuitive and user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate. Even if you’re not a tech-savvy person, you’ll find that the software is straightforward to use.

Additionally, the platform has a tutorial system that guides you through the entire setup process. It’s like having a personal assistant that walks you through every step!

Zoho CRM Integrations

When it comes to integrations, Zoho’s got the goods.

They offer a helpful marketplace (shown below) that makes it easy to find what you’re looking for.

Some popular native integrations that they offer with the Zoho Marketplace include:

• Slack
• QuickBooks
• Google Sheets
• Zoom
• Zapier
• Xero

Basically, whenever we searched for a specific integration during our testing, we found it—like magic.

For example, at Small Business Bonfire, we use Slack for the majority of our communications.

So, of course, we searched for it (just to see), and voila—it was right there.

We were up and running with just a few clicks, using Slack to create reminders and triggers, and send messages back and forth across our teams.

Our takeaway from Zoho CRM’s integrations was that they’re fantastic!

Zoho CRM Customer Service Review

We went into this section not expecting a ton from Zoho.

We’ve read some other Zoho CRM reviews saying that their customer service is less than stellar.

However, that was not our experience at all!

In fact, Zoho’s customer support was some of the best we’ve seen. We reached out multiple times (over a three-month period) to ask some basic questions about the site’s capabilities, and we typically heard back in under a minute.

To fully test the responsiveness of their support team, we posed a simple question about native Slack integration.

Within 30 seconds, we received a super helpful response and a link that answered our question completely.

So despite what you might read in other reviews, our experience with Zoho’s customer service was nothing short of exemplary!