Zoho CRM announced a new feature and pricing model this week – they’ve added a Standard tier and enhanced their prior Professional and Enterprise offerings to include several 
popular add-ons (previously available at additional cost). What’s exciting is that the Professional and Enterprise Zoho CRM editions, for only $20 / $35 a month respectively, now include PhoneBridge, Zoho Mail, the MS Outlook and Word Plugins, and Quickbooks integration.
Let”s face it: when it comes to SaaS CRM, Salesforce is the 500 lb gorilla. It’s often the go-to choice by virtue of it’s visibility in the marketplace. It’s dominance is also partly due to their salespeople being extremely effective in closing deals. However, effective isn’t the term I’d use when it comes to how well they align a customer’s needs with features. Aligning those requirements have to be part of the cost justification for a CRM investment. Get Salesforce if it’s right for you, just be sure it will do the job without having to jump tiers – and don’t let high-pressure sales tactics make your mind up for you.
Zoho invests in development, not sales and marketing. Which may be why, even with millions of users, it’s not as well-known as the big kids on the block. As Zoho’s feature set matures and they continue to expand services that integrate with the product, that’s going to change.
Zoho CRM offers the workflow automation, lead and sales tracking, and customization features that most SMB need, without paying for extraneous features they don’t require. Compared to Salesforce and SugarCRM, Zoho CRM is an exceptional value.
You need to consider Zoho CRM as part of your due diligence when researching SaaS CRM. I’m not suggesting that you select any CRM on price alone. But you owe it to yourself and your wallet to align your business needs with the CRM investment you make.
