HubSpot

Salesforce

Copper

Pipedrive

Freshsales

Insightly

Infusionsoft by Keap

Nimble

Zoho CRM

![review sites and online communities about crm](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/2uwpXg4vvXB5aBhS0YL5Xh/f2c659b43821711ac43b1a1ca773d687/brooke-cagle-WHWYBmtn3_0-unsplash.jpg)

In our digital world, it’s increasingly rare to make a buying decision without consulting reviews and ratings online. This is even more true when choosing an important tech system like a CRM for your business. A whopping 92% of buyers are more likely to purchase B2B business tools after reading a trusted review, say [G2 Crowd and Heinz Marketing](https://learn.g2.com/consumer-reviews).

Taking time to research CRMs is worth the effort. As anyone who has implemented one before will know, it costs time as well as money. If you choose a CRM that isn’t a good fit for your business, it can get unnecessarily costly and complex.

Here’s how to benefit from the valuable online communities about CRM that are right at your fingertips.

----
## Review sites for CRMs

### 1. [G2 Crowd](https://g2.com/categories/crm)

G2 Crowd is one of the best review sites for SaaS tools with 844,500+ validated user reviews to help you make smarter decisions about software and services. It’s also one of the most user-friendly sites to browse and rank SaaS tools for unbiased results. When we want to read up on an app’s user satisfaction, we often head straight to G2 Crowd.

![g2crowdcrm](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/5036UE8LTzu5e5TyQK6LFb/7fd6e5f4ac188f0f285826b6ad555f0d/g2crowdcrm.png)

G2 Crowd has ranked 381 CRM tools that you can view based on user satisfaction, popularity and – most usefully – G2 Score. This is a unique metric based on reviews gathered from the G2 user community as well as data aggregated from online sources and social networks.

----
### 2. [Capterra](https://www.capterra.com/customer-relationship-management-software/)

Capterra has over 970,000 verified user reviews, making it one of the biggest players in the SaaS review space. The review platform prides itself on its rigorous vetting process, 30,000+ fresh reviews every month, and easy access to key purchase decisions and confidence-building insights.

![capterra crm software](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/1wS6y8qb2Hgm4Y3ehQ3YXn/a02605ac36ee577b66d88b6fde99ed31/capterra_crm_software.png)

To help you choose the best CRM system for your business, Capterra ranks a huge number of tools: currently 645, more than any of the other review sites in this list. 

Some tools that won’t tick all your CRM requirements can fall into the mix – and it’s a little more clunky to filter results than other sites – but on the whole, Capterra’s huge number of verified user reviews makes it a site well worth checking.

----
### 3. [GetApp](https://www.getapp.co.uk/directory/230/crm/software?sort=reviews)

GetApp has 860,000+ reviews from trusted software users and a range of handy filters to get the best software recommendations for your business. 

![getapp which crm to choose](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6oNg8kcA1j6bxghT3B2hYg/cfc7fa4a81e4fe3b8b1894f66ada2de4/getapp_which_crm_to_choose.png)

With GetApp’s nifty AppFinder, you can quickly shortlist apps that meet your requirements and budget. If you’re not sure where to start with building your app stack, GetApp also makes it easy to access custom recommendations for your industry and business size.

GetApp is less picky than other platforms about what’s considered a CRM (compared to the well-curated G2 Crowd), so you may need to check that the recommended tools actually do what you need them to. However, we love GetApp’s simple filtering system that enables you to filter by pricing model, supported devices, businesses served and supported locations.

----
### 4.[Crozdesk](https://crozdesk.com/customer-service-crm)

Crozdesk provides a fresh approach to reviewing software tools. In addition to gathering reviews, it’s also a super valuable hub for resources, buyer’s guides and tailored expert advice when you’re upgrading your app stack.

![crozdesk which crm to choose](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/4CObYD9mkWxgZ5RVjUY8I4/e3e883fe4e709f7ba4fde1e52ff68a0e/crozdesk_which_crm_to_choose.png)

A newcomer to the software review scene, Crozdesk doesn’t have as many reviews as top players like G2 Crowd and Capterra. But Crozdesk prioritizes quality over quantity and we love it for this. We recommend checking it out during your search for the best CRM.

Crozdesk shortlists 379 CRM tools and, like G2 Crowd, provides a more curated experience than other review platforms as well as more accurate recommendations. When browsing the site, it asks you if you’re "just getting started with CRM software" or "looking to replace your current CRM software” so it can personalize suggestions.

We also recommend checking out Crozdesk’s other CRM resources, including their [CRM Software Buyer Guide 2019](https://crozdesk.com/customer-service-crm/crm-software/download-report), which includes AI-driven recommendations based on 379 CRM products that are refreshed every 24 hours.


----
### The top-ranked CRMs according to review sites:

How do the top CRMs differ among different review platforms? Looking at the numbers, here’s what jumps out at us:

* **Salesforce** is streaks ahead of the competition when it comes to the number of users and reviews (remember, they have [19% CRM market share!](https://www.forbes.com/sites/louiscolumbus/2019/06/22/salesforce-now-has-over-19-of-the-crm-market/)) However, it’s not always the [best CRM for small businesses](https://www.piesync.com/blog/the-best-crms-for-small-businesses-pros-cons-and-what-you-need-to-know/) due to its cost.
* Although it doesn’t have a huge user base, **Freshsales** has really strong user sentiment across the most popular software review sites for CRMs.
* **HubSpot** tends to be next behind Salesforce and close to **Pipedrive** in terms of number of reviews and user popularity.

![IMAGE 11-10-2019 AT 11.20](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/4EFxukjalJlAjOtbFjBBXe/672d3b1b5573ad4f18d329685ce0f262/IMAGE_11-10-2019_AT_11.20.jpeg)

<RelatedPost slug="the-best-crms-for-small-businesses-pros-cons-and-what-you-need-to-know" />

----
## Forums to help you find the best CRM

### 5. [Reddit](https://reddit.com)

The social news aggregation, web content rating and discussion website – or “front page of the internet” – has a tribe of superusers. It’s also a great port of call for researching software, including your next CRM tool. 

Use the search bar to find discussions about your CRM tool contenders and you’ll likely find super relevant information to help you out.

You can also follow these subreddits to keep you informed about the software world:

* [r/CRM](https://www.reddit.com/r/CRM/) (3.2k members) – For all CRM-related discussions. This subreddit does attract a bit of spam though, so we prefer these instead...
* [r/smallbusiness](https://www.reddit.com/r/smallbusiness) (219k members) – Questions and answers about starting, owning and growing a small business.
* [r/startups](https://www.reddit.com/r/startups/) (355k members) – The place to discuss startup problems and solutions.
* [r/sales](https://www.reddit.com/r/sales) (85.2k members) – Everything you need to know about sales, business development, lead generation, prospecting and closing.
* [r/SaaS](https://www.reddit.com/r/SaaS/) (6.2k members) – Discussions and useful links for SaaS owners, online business owners and more.

You can also find CRM-specific subreddits to help you better understand certain tools and solve any issues that come up during implementation, such as [r/hubspot](https://www.reddit.com/r/hubspot/), [r/salesforce](https://www.reddit.com/r/salesforce/) and [r/pipedrive](https://www.reddit.com/r/pipedrive/).

![reddit small business which crm to choose](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/1nUc644m04dQea51NrcFdL/c19a16e4e57cc144de76766ed622c579/reddit_small_business_which_crm_to_choose.png)


----
### 6. [Quora](https://www.quora.com)

Quora is another one of the internet’s best social hubs to get your questions answered. There’s a particularly good range of discussions and experts on Quora to help you choose the best CRM system.


Search for existing answers to your questions about general CRM or specific tools, or ask a new question if you can’t find a quick solution. 

You can also browse by topic on Quora, such as:

* [Customer Relationship Management (CRM)](https://www.quora.com/topic/Customer-Relationship-Management-CRM)
* [Salesforce.com (product)](https://www.quora.com/topic/Salesforce-com-product)
* [Social CRM](https://www.quora.com/topic/Social-CRM)

Quora has also recently introduced Spaces, which are collections and communities created around shared interests and tastes that you can follow. One of our favorites to improve your app stack is [Cloud Daily from SaaStr](https://www.quora.com/q/cloud), curated by the popular software news and learnings platform.

![quora which crm to choose](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/fzdKgB8cVjYMUXKumnNaK/b52a1cfbaaa1f6e5faca12dad24367ba/quora_which_crm_to_choose.png)


----
## 7. Facebook groups to help you find the best CRM

Not just for scrolling mindlessly, Facebook is another great resource for your CRM research and implementation project. 

Here at PieSync, we’ve heard from users who find Facebook groups about CRMs super useful, including the [Infusionsoft by Keap Open User Group (unofficial)](https://www.facebook.com/groups/infusionsoftopenusergroup/) and the [Official LionDesk Community](https://www.facebook.com/groups/liondesk/) for real estate professionals. Have a search and see what groups are relevant to your business type and CRM questions.

----
### Choosing the best CRM for your business

When choosing the best CRM system for your business, you really don’t have to do it alone. Make use of the valuable review sites and online communities like Crozdesk, G2 Crowd, Quora and Reddit and understand what other business owners think before making your choice.

One question you might have about your CRM is how to integrate it with the rest of your app stack, including your email tool, accounting system and other contact management apps. To keep your contacts in sync between your key tools at all times, [check PieSync’s 190+ connections](https://www.piesync.com/connections/).

There are so many CRMs on the market, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Don’t worry – these review sites and communities make your decision much easier.

7 review sites & communities to help you choose the best CRM

![photo-1517245386807-bb43f82c33c4](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/7GY5fIRY0L3bOgIO5LQjLT/f7a5030de0b7ad7e88dc9d006d2314ad/photo-1517245386807-bb43f82c33c4.jpeg)

Back when you chose your customer relationship management (CRM) system, what did you expect to get out of it? Maybe it was less time spent on admin, a more productive team, more streamlined processes – and even a positive impact on your business's bottom line.

Expectations and reality don't always fully align when it comes to software purchases. Sometimes you can get different results than you expected. But here's the truth about CRM: **it really should help your business perform better**, serve your customers in the best way possible, and bring in more profit. The average ROI for CRM is $8.71 for every dollar spent [(Nucleus Research)](https://nucleusresearch.com/research/single/crm-pays-back-8-71-for-every-dollar-spent/).

A CRM should keep track of the personal information, purchase history, preferences and other information associated with every one of your contacts. It should also provide **one convenient central location** for anyone in your team to access that information immediately. CRM success isn't only down to the software and its features, though... you need to have tip-top business processes in place too.

Here's how to know when your CRM is set up for success and how to increase your chances of getting the highest ROI from it.

### How to know when your CRM is set up for success

If you're following CRM best practices, you'll be able to nod your head reading these:

* Your contacts are the same in every tool
* You get more done in less time
* Your teams use it every day
* You've streamlined your work
* It's replaced other tools (and strengthened those you've kept)
* You have more data on how your business is performing
* You can't imagine not using a CRM
* It's easier for your business to turn a profit

If they sound familiar, congrats! But if you still have some room for improvement, fear not. 

We've compiled **some of the CRM best practices that successful businesses have in common**. Keep reading to identify how to adopt them and adjust your CRM processes to get the best results.

### 7 CRM best practices to get the highest ROI

#### 1. Choosing the right CRM for you

It all starts with finding the best CRM system for your business. Small businesses and large enterprises have different requirements, as do law firms, startups, and non-profits.

Before selecting any piece of software, it's important to **identify what you really need to get out of it** – and keep that in mind during the whole selection process.

<RelatedPost slug="the-best-crms-for-small-businesses-pros-cons-and-what-you-need-to-know" />

#### 2. Train your team

The businesses that get the best results from their CRM tend to have **effective and simple processes** in place. They should be effective enough to boost your ROI and make a real difference to your business, but simple enough for anyone in your team to understand and remember every time. Create crystal-clear processes and make sure your team receives useful training and documentation to answer their questions.

#### 3. Collaborate across departments

One misconception is that CRM is just for customer-facing roles. To get the highest ROI from your CRM, make sure your marketers, management, analytics and operations roles are active users too. Ensure they can locate a customer's record, find out more about them and use the tool to make their job easier without needing rescuing.

#### 4. Set up effective handovers

One of the best advantages of a CRM is the seamless handovers you can set up between departments. From marketing to sales and onboarding, your contacts can flow effortlessly through your business processes. 

Make sure you've **looked at these handovers up close** to ensure there are no bottlenecks to trip you up and create extra work – or worse, give your customers a bad experience.

#### 5. Let automation work for you

CRMs work best when you let them do the heavy lifting. That's easy-peasy when you have automation set up. Take advantage of the automation features that your CRM offers wherever possible; from confirmation emails and nurturing workflows, to creating new tasks and notifications, to live chatbots and help desks. 

**Look closely at how automation can save you time**, reduce the risk of human error, and ensure a seamless and prompt customer experience.

#### 6. Avoid data silos

Data silos are the enemy of productivity, efficiency, and ROI for any business! **A data silo is a collection of information in an organization that is isolated from and not accessible by other parts of the organization**. 

An example of a data silo could be your marketers lacking oversight of your sales leads, or your salespeople not knowing why their closed deals are churning.

To avoid data silos, make sure your tools are in sync. With PieSync, you can [connect your customer data two-ways across hundreds of tools](https://www.piesync.com/connections/) and ensure that when one tool is updated, others catch up straight away.

#### 7. Make use of the data at your fingertips

The top CRM systems on the market all offer valuable analytics and reporting features. To get the highest ROI from your CRM, make sure to **pay attention to the data it gives you** – and act on it. 

Dashboards are one way to make trends easier to identify and do something about. Set them up to show the data you care about, such as conversion rates or efficiency across stages of key business processes.

----
### Get the best results from your CRM

The best practices we've shared above require:

* Setting up your CRM thoughtfully and focusing on the most important features for your business
* Creating simple and efficient processes
* Training and collaborating with your entire team
* Making use of automation and [two-way data syncs](https://piesync.com) to save time and get better results

But your CRM isn't something you can set and forget about, either – **every quarter or so, take a quick look at any stumbling blocks** that are affecting your team's productivity and performance. 

With **thoughtful implementation and occasional small adjustments**, you can get the highest ROI from your CRM and the rest of your tech stack.

The verdict is in: using a CRM really can help your business perform better and serve your customers in the best way. Here’s how to ensure it.

Contact Management

7 best practices to get the highest ROI from your CRM

Business Process Automation

Customer Care

Process Improvement

KWCommand

KW Control Panel

myKW France

![MyKWFrance-+-KW-Control-Panel](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/67u4lbKpNHJxnPz0UWAVsj/8fe15af2e9f22fc14a31044fd4f47ffd/MyKWFrance-_-KW-Control-Panel.png)

__KW Command__ is a real estate application available for the 180,000+ agents that are part of the Keller Williams’ family. This centralized environment covers everything a Keller Williams agent needs to optimize, manage, and run your real estate business with unprecedented simplicity and insight, inside Keller Cloud. Realtors can manage their calendar, inbox, pipeline, real estate contacts and business goals in an easy-to-use platform. 

Are you already using KW Command and enjoying every minute of it? Well, it just got better! __Now you can have your contacts and prospects in sync with myKW France and KW Control Panel via PieSync. It works 2-way and in real time.__  

__*Note: These applications are only available for KW Agents*__

### About  KW Control Panel


__KW Control Panel__ is a global lead-to-close real estate management solution powered by Phoenix Software. Trusted by KW regions worldwide, KW Control Panel is a comprehensive Real Estate Platform (REP) that is uniquely configured to meet your needs and grow your business. REP is cloud-based, localized, mobile-friendly, multilingual, multicurrency and responsive, offering the flexibility needed to support a wide array of global requirements. 


### About KW France 

Keller Williams agents in France are using __myKW France.__ With this seamless platform, the realtors can gather prospects’ information and manage certain tasks like reminders of the day, emails and campaigns. 

## About PieSync 

PieSync is the fastest growing two-way customer data synchronization platform. This complete integration solution is included inside KW Command’s dashboard to connect it with over 190+ other cloud-based applications. As of today, myKW France and KW Control Panel are available for sync. 

<Widget type="piesync-widget" left="kwcommand" size="compact" />

__Wait… What’s a 2-way sync?__ 

A 2-way or bi-directional sync implies that if you update or modify your customer data in one app, it will be automatically changed in the other app and vice versa, making sure your customers’ information is always up-to-date and available across your different business tools.  
PieSync provides a perfect contact integration between cloud-based apps, solving your isolated data problems.  After a 5 minute setup, the service will work in the background, so you’ll never have to import/export CSV files or worry about duplicates. Just set it and forget it!

## How to set it up

Inside of  KW Command’s settings, agents can choose to deploy PieSync’s dashboard and configure a their own connection with their selected software. 

__Learn about how to setup [myKW France](https://help.piesync.com/connector-apps/kw-france/) or [KW Control Panel](https://help.piesync.com/connector-apps/kw-control-panel) at PieSync’s Support Center__

![kwcommand-settings](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6Hsmm6Ndo3A7IMAzh3Vcfl/a12e31e8b6be4099805b9a7a04acad28/kwcommand-settings.png)

__Meanwhile, take a look at some of our top features: __

### Create your own workflow 

Thanks to very intuitive [“if-*this*-then-*that*” rules](www.piesync.com/blog/introducing-intelligent-syncing/), you can personalize the way your contacts or prospects data flows between KWCommand, myKW France and KW Control Panel! 


### “Automagic” Field Mapping

By default, standard fields are mapped (name, last name, phone number, etc.) but you can modify them if you need to. 

__ So what are you waiting for? [Go to your KW Command](https://agent.kw.com/command) app and start syncing!__ 



Are you already using KW Command and enjoying every minute of it? Well, it just got better! Now you can have your contacts and prospects in sync with myKW France and KW Control Panel via PieSync. It works 2-way and in real time.

Real Estate

Have KW Command in sync with KW Control Panel and myKW France 

Phone sync

Time saving

Audience segmentation

Contact sharing

Mailchimp

![tools to boost business growth](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/shCuBRRmHqwDehBw5Xg7r/336d82752e6979669e7fd1dabfe93ac7/you-x-ventures-Oalh2MojUuk-unsplash.jpg)

With the evolution of technology and the rise in competition for identical products, companies are in desperate need of some extra support. The good news is that there are tons of tools out there designed specifically to help businesses grow - however, the question is not just how tools will help companies, but which tools are the best for each business.

Here are some handpicked tools that are sure to make your business more efficient and productive.

## 1. [Hubspot](https://www.hubspot.com/)

![HubSpot-Logo-PNG](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/39w1nEw4flprfND9ghsiqZ/96ad9eb61d8295082dba3c3a679f2c60/HubSpot-Logo-PNG.png)

HubSpot has a broad range of applications: it enables small and medium-sized businesses to manage marketing automation, CRM and customer support activities. Whether you are from a marketing or sales department, this is an excellent solution to fulfill essential business needs.

Apart from its CRM system, HubSpot also offers three hubs:

### Marketing hub

With the marketing hub, marketers can boost web traffic and get more leads with inbound marketing campaigns.

### Sales hub

The lead qualification process can be quite tiresome for salespeople. The sales hub accommodates lead nurturing and helps you close deals more efficiently.

### Customer service hub

Winning new deals and on-boarding new customers can’t be the end of the sales cycle. If agents do not support their loyal customer base, that can lead to a higher churn rate.

That’s where HubSpot’s customer service hub comes into the picture: it enables you to receive customer feedback, assign tickets and resolve issues instantly.

__Pricing:__ HubSpot CRM is free, but the marketing, sales and customer service hubs start at $50 per month.

## 2. [Acquire](https://acquire.io/)

![acquire logo](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/ccQB2kzDiYerOEgdO9duX/336a880c6c0340c65463ec21a5589322/acquire_logo.png)

Acquire is a customer support platform that delivers real-time communication solutions. Their set of tools is designed to improve customer experience by providing instant support to users, and Acquire’s solutions can solve customer queries across all stages of the customer journey.

### Live chat software

Your customer support team can use this live chat software for real-time communication with customers. For example, if the user is searching for something but can’t find it by navigating the site, they can talk directly to agents through the live chat feature on your website. It makes things easier for both your customers and your team, as well as speeding up query resolution.

### Co-browsing software

With co-browsing software, agents can interact with customers in real time by sharing a web browser in order to solve queries and facilitate smoother web navigation.

Whenever a user is stuck at an online process or e-commerce shipping procedure, they can request co-browsing support to get the problem solved.

The tool also hides customers’ sensitive information from agents thanks to a masking feature, and the agent can guide users through a website with highlighting tools.

### Chatbot

The AI-powered chatbot answers general and frequent questions regarding your product, which frees up a lot of your support team’s workload and enables them to focus on more complex tasks. 

In addition, a chatbot also provides users with quick answers to their queries, without having to go through lengthy helpline calls or a complex site navigation process.

__Pricing:__ Their basic plan starts at $300 per year, plus $40 per agent per month.

## 3. [Salesforce](https://www.salesforce.com/)

![salesforce logo](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/Qx6DYrks9ufMWHdOAHWY6/fd40b3c962e547eb657acf60ac6a4a5b/salesforce_logo.png)

A leading CRM, Salesforce has grown to offer a multitude of other solutions, from marketing and sales to customer service and e-commerce. 

The CRM is built to provide an integrated, shared view of your customers across all of your departments, so it’s a great port of call for all your teams. 

There is no need to go through chains of emails or sales data separately, since this software provides ease of data delivery and analysis - and ensures that all your teams have access to the same information. 

In addition, its features allow you to streamline your sales process with automation, connect e-commerce channels, provide better customer support, boost lead generation and use data to create a more personalized and engaging marketing approach.

__Pricing:__ Salesforce offers multiple different solutions, each with unique pricing plans. Many of them start at $25 per user per month.

## 4. [Slack](https://slack.com/)

![1280px-Slack Technologies Logo.svg](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/6S0URe9cARoZy2E64tj1iK/4bb926a29140e1521a9ba80e394673ee/1280px-Slack_Technologies_Logo.svg.png)

Slack is an excellent platform for communication and collaboration within an organization. This platform enables real-time direct messaging to channels and individuals, eliminating the need for countless follow-up emails and confusing email chains. Companies can create channels for different departments, topics, clients, suppliers, internal stakeholders and many more.

Slack also works as a knowledge directory for new employees, as they can search previous conversations to find information and details on various topics. 

It also allows video and voice calls between team members, file sharing and third-party integrations.

__Pricing:__ Plans start from $6.25 per person per month, with free options also available. 

## 5. [Mailchimp](https://mailchimp.com/)

![mailchimp-product-image](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/LjuZZnTQ4qsDBoypVBJVN/09a298ec88da647f7f285833c5bdad37/mailchimp-product-image.png)

Mailchimp is a leading email marketing and marketing automation platform. This powerful tool can fulfill a lot - if not all - of your company’s marketing needs and boost growth. 

It allows you to build digital, email and social media campaigns, gather campaign and audience insight, create landing pages, build social posts and ads, analyze customer data and engagement, use third-party integrations and much more.

__Pricing:__ Mailchimp offers a free plan for businesses that are getting started. The paid plans start at $9.99 per month.

As companies grow and technology develops at breakneck speed, it is vital for businesses to understand which applications can support them in the long run. Here are five handpicked tools that are sure to make your business more efficient and productive.

5 essential tools to make your business more efficient

![what is ipaas integration platform as a service](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/2r5NpmcxTb3gGozGD5fmvh/ae0ba1b78c5b45bb489a6f61bbed7fd7/mimi-thian-vdXMSiX-n6M-unsplash.jpg)

You're probably familiar with SaaS, or Software as a Service. SaaS tools like Slack, HubSpot and Mailchimp are accessible over the internet, don't require a physical or custom installation, and are instantly updated when a new version is released. They've become the norm for digital businesses.

But what about iPaaS?

iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service) is also a cloud-based solution. It connects and integrates your business apps so you can keep your data updated across multiple tools or centralized in one place.

[PieSync](https://piesync.com) is an example of an iPaaS solution. With our tool, you can sync your contact data two-ways between your favorite apps and keep everything updated in real time.

Our users think our integration platform is pretty great. In fact, [G2 Crowd named PieSync the top iPaaS product](https://www.piesync.com/blog/piesync-top-ipaas-software-2019-g2crowd/) based on user satisfaction!

- [Why is iPaaS so valuable?](#ipaas-valuable)
- [Benefits of iPaaS](#benefits-ipaas)
- [iPaaS best practices](#ipaas-best-practices)
- [iPaaS trends for 2020](#ipaas-trends-2020)
- [Get started with iPaaS](#get-started-ipaas)

## Why is iPaaS so valuable?{#ipaas-valuable}

Organizations rarely use one tool to satisfy all of their needs. Most businesses run on several different applications, especially across their sales, marketing, support and operations teams.

In 2017, [Cisco shared](https://chiefmartec.com/2017/04/cisco-shares-marketing-stack-39-marketing-technologies/) they had 39 marketing technologies in their stack, while [other data](https://chiefmartec.com/2017/06/average-enterprise-uses-91-marketing-cloud-services/) suggested that the average enterprise uses a whopping 91 marketing cloud services. That's without counting tools for collaboration, CRM, cloud storage, social media and more. 

Since a single organization often handles tremendous amounts of data, it's easy for data silos to arise, duplicates to come up and confidence in data accuracy to plummet. Departments can quickly become disjointed, often leading to misunderstandings. You lose faith in your reporting and wonder, *how did this mess happen?*

As a business today – especially one using many SaaS products – you **must have an integration plan**.

iPaas offers the best solution.

When you sync your tools with an iPaaS solution, you can get away with using multiple systems as your **data always flows to all the right places** in your organization.

![expirable-direct-uploads 2F36c77edd-1449-4ca2-acaa-3b718832ac55 2FScreen Shot 2017-06-06 at 12.02.22](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/54AAD5066PJOg0Dm1fg3o9/b4eae55d937d95f9d3589e2453c29491/expirable-direct-uploads_2F36c77edd-1449-4ca2-acaa-3b718832ac55_2FScreen_Shot_2017-06-06_at_12.02.22.png)

## Benefits of iPaaS{#benefits-ipaas}

### 1. Centralized contact data

By syncing your CRM with all contact data channels, you know exactly where to find what you're looking for. You instantly have a more organized and efficient team – and you can spend less time hunting down data and fixing mistakes.

### 2. No more silos

By eliminating data silos, you break down barriers between departments. Instead of battling with data being difficult to access and scattered between tools, everyone in your company can find key insights and numbers. iPaaS makes for a more transparent organization.

### 3. Improved communication

With an iPaaS tool keeping everything in sync, you know what needs to be discussed across departments: for example, your salespeople will know your marketing numbers and your marketing team can stay on top of sales performance. By looking at the same data, your whole team can chip in with new perspectives and notice problems that could otherwise be overlooked.

### 4. Less tool-switching

With an integration platform in place, you don't need so many tabs open – you can do more work in your central tool and quickly find the data you need. iPaaS also eliminates the need for manually updating several apps – after updating one tool, it's instantly reflected in others.

![expirable-direct-uploads 2F36c77edd-1449-4ca2-acaa-3b718832ac55 2FScreen Shot 2017-06-06 at 11.41.48](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/3V7DwAkik9iQ6hieUCWEVR/d943caf8fb5d53f9b951b32f09f5cb79/expirable-direct-uploads_2F36c77edd-1449-4ca2-acaa-3b718832ac55_2FScreen_Shot_2017-06-06_at_11.41.48.png)

### 5. Better customer experience

[Nearly 80% of customers](https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2019/06/customer-engagement-trends.html) expect consistency when interacting with multiple departments of the same company. For this to happen, **all departments need access to the same data**. By syncing relevant tools to your CRM – including your support software, ticketing tool and phone apps – you create a centralized data trail for every customer. 

With an iPaaS solution in place, you know that when a customer calls, anyone who picks up the phone will be able to see the full picture and provide the best service.

You can also use data from all customer touchpoints to create more personalized workflows and **get better results from automation**.

### 6. A comprehensive bird’s-eye view of performance

While you need an overview of your customer data, your management team needs a crystal-clear view of business performance. iPaaS enables your business leaders to know exactly where the important data is – and they can be more confident in its accuracy, too.

After centralizing all data in your CRM, it's simpler to set up an all-in-one reporting dashboard for management to keep an eye on key insights and trends.

### 7. Scalability

The sooner you set up iPaaS, the better. As your organization grows, you don't need to worry about which custom integrations you should get to deal with the added complexity. If your iPaaS tool offers connections between all the tools you're using, your business is sorted for life. In addition, when you start using a new tool or migrate apps, you can easily sync all contact data to the right places, so you won’t have to worry about manual import/export.

## iPaaS best practices{#ipaas-best-practices}

### Evaluate your app stack as a whole

When you set up your iPaaS solution, take this opportunity to look at your overall marketing, sales and support app stack. While most teams use many apps to power their work – and that's OK – you can still benefit from simplifying your tools where possible. Maybe your CRM has introduced a new feature that you can try instead of getting a separate tool, or you don't really need a fancy analytics app anymore. A simple and connected stack can be the most powerful option for your business.

Read more: [10 of the best sales & marketing tech stacks](https://www.piesync.com/blog/10-of-the-best-sales-and-marketing-tech-stacks/)

### Choose the best iPaaS for you

To get started with an integration platform, first find the best iPaaS for your business. 

Some of the best iPaaS solutions for **more tech-savvy users** include [Dell Boomi](https://boomi.com/), [Informatica](https://www.informatica.com) and [MuleSoft](https://www.mulesoft.com/). 

However, iPaaS doesn't need to be super technical. [PieSync](https://piesync.com) is designed to be the most user-friendly iPaaS solution on the market to connect your apps, with zero coding skills required. 

![Screenshot 2019-09-26 at 11.30.58](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/4ffZFt3qtvZ6lj5sjcZSuJ/d93d520e575b241cb54b06b449f51967/Screenshot_2019-09-26_at_11.30.58.png)

### Set aside time for set-up

For your iPaaS solution to be a success, you need to make sure it's set up correctly. Take some time to map out the tools you're using and where your data should flow.

Next, [set up your integrations](https://piesync.com). Check that everything syncs to the right places from the start. Make sure you sync associated labels and properties so you know which tool a contact comes from, their original source and any other important information needed across departments.

### Don't forget about maintenance

Every so often, set aside an hour or two to check up on your integrations. Check that all your syncs are running correctly, ensure your data is labeled and organized beautifully in all apps and ask yourself if there are any new tools to connect. With quick and regular checks, you can be sure you're getting the most from iPaaS.

![expirable-direct-uploads 2F36c77edd-1449-4ca2-acaa-3b718832ac55 2FScreen Shot 2017-06-06 at 11.57.59](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/7CAgjtHQTLF6eX8um7L1Li/0ba1f9388dcc6b7b433d9458da0b84f1/expirable-direct-uploads_2F36c77edd-1449-4ca2-acaa-3b718832ac55_2FScreen_Shot_2017-06-06_at_11.57.59.png)

## iPaaS trends for 2020{#ipaas-trends-2020}

As more businesses recognize the need to integrate their app stacks and optimize their organization's data flow, we predict a few iPaaS trends for 2020 and beyond:

1. **Increasing popularity of iPaaS** and greater adoption of integration platforms.
2. **Simple and connected SaaS stacks** that are constantly optimized and upgraded.
3. Companies **paying more attention to data flow** through their organization to integrate data from sales, marketing and support.
4. More organizations launching **projects to get their data under control** and eliminate silos.

## Get started with iPaaS{#get-started-ipaas}

As organizations continue to use more SaaS tools across marketing, sales and support, iPaaS is becoming a must-have instead of a nice-to-have. It's the easiest way to keep your business connected and silo-free.

[Get started with a free trial of PieSync](https://app.piesync.com/signup/) and see how a two-way contact data sync can organize your data and help future-proof your business as it scales.

Using hundreds of tools to run your business? You’re not alone. iPaaS is your secret to keeping everything in sync, eliminating silos… and staying sane.

What is iPaas? A guide to getting started & best practices

ActiveCampaign

![sales process automation and collaboration](//images.ctfassets.net/f2ysq090txql/4XaB8I9SHjQHBKeNrssVz5/e1a8c62989d2515ae1f395ee4c670e57/austin-distel-jpHw8ndwJ_Q-unsplash.jpg)

[Over 25% of sales cycles](https://www.pardot.com/whitepapers/accelerate-pipeline-marketing-automation/) take 7 months or longer to close. That's why it's so important for salespeople to maintain a healthy pipeline and gently nurture leads until they're sales-ready. **Sales automation is the best solution** for handling a busy pipeline, freeing up time and getting more work done.

**What is sales process automation?** Sales automation involves streamlining manual, repetitive and time-consuming tasks like admin and data entry to save time. It can also make other sales tasks easier by facilitating data collection, client insights  and handovers to other departments.

By automating sales processes, your sales team can focus on what's most worth their time: personalized, one-to-one contact instead of a rushed and pushy sales pitch.

----

## The best sales processes to automate

### 1. Attach useful data about leads to contact records

When a lead is assigned to your sales reps, do they receive any background information? Don't expect them to fly blind or waste time trying to find information you already have: automatically attach valuable details to new contact records and speed up your sales process.

Many of the best automation tools allow you to create workflows that trigger internal **notes or emails with a list of known customer properties,** such as industry type, company size, goals, pain points and inquiry details. Compiling prospect information is one of the most helpful sales processes to automate for any busy salesperson.

----

### 2. Automate tasks and deadlines

On average, today’s sales professionals [spend just 34% of their time selling](https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2017/11/15-sales-statistics.html) – with most of the remaining 66% going to data entry, quote generation and other admin that distracts them from what they're best at.

With a CRM or automation tool like ActiveCampaign that offers [task management features](https://www.activecampaign.com/blog/introducing-task-assignment), you can use **workflows to automatically assign common tasks** and deadlines for each new contact depending on their stage in your pipeline.

Automated task management enables salespeople to take one glance at their to-do list and know exactly what they need to do right now, rather than needing the full morning to get organized.

----

### 3. Send automated emails to nurture unengaged leads

Strong sales teams can immediately identify unengaged leads and have a **clear process for recapturing their interest**.

To get there, first define the period of inactivity that determines disengagement. Next, create nurturing workflows that have the best chance of capturing their interest. It's also worth determining when a prospect should be considered closed lost. 

This automation will take up the task of reengaging contacts, freeing up your salespeople's time for closing engaged leads.

----

### 4. Let prospects book into your calendar

You're busy, they're busy... and the back-and-forth of setting up a meeting quickly gets frustrating. To eliminate this, use a tool like [Calendly](https://calendly.com/) or your CRM's meeting scheduling feature to let qualified prospects book time directly in your calendar.

----

### 5. Prioritize prospects with automated lead scoring

Sales teams are [33% more likely](https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2017/11/15-sales-statistics.html) to prioritize leads based on data analysis of “propensity to buy” rather than on intuition (16%).

Lead scoring enables you to **calculate how likely a prospect is to buy** based on certain criteria that adds or deducts points from an overall score. You might give higher points to prospects in Nordic countries, or deduct points if they speak a language your team can't service. You can also include business size, industry and budget in the equation.

When you automatically collect this data for all new prospects, your salespeople can **filter their pipeline by lead score,** reaching out to the highest-scoring leads first to increase the chances of closing.

----

### 6. Use personalization tokens for tailored communication

Some companies avoid sales automation because they worry it'll make their messages sound robotic and impersonal. But the thing is, *automated emails only sound robotic if they're done badly*. There are so many **personalization tokens you can use to make automated communication more authentic**, including mentions of their business name, industry, content conversions (e.g. ebook downloads and webinar signups) and when you last spoke.

<RelatedPost slug="9-ways-to-automate-your-business-processes-in-an-hour" />

----

### 7. Streamline invoicing and admin

Your salespeople should help out after a deal is closed, but don't let them get bogged down by admin when they can be selling. One of the most valuable sales processes to automate is the **handover to invoicing and admin**, which you can set up with a [two-way contact sync between your CRM and invoicing tool](https://www.piesync.com/connections/). With the right contacts in the right tools, both teams will know exactly what they're working with.

----

### 8. Automate the handover to onboarding

[73% of sales teams](https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2017/11/15-sales-statistics.html) say collaborating across departments is absolutely critical or very important to their overall sales process. Sales collaboration is never more important than with the account managers and onboarding specialists that will look after new customers.

As soon as a salesperson moves a prospect to closed won, you can use automation to **trigger internal emails to the relevant teams and people who will take care of the customer**. These messages can be configured to include all of the information they need to move forward.

----

### 9. Collect customer satisfaction data by salesperson

The strongest sales teams know that **sales metrics aren't just about revenue**. The most important metric of all is whether the right customers buy your product and stay long-term. [66% of sales teams](https://www.salesforce.com/blog/2017/11/15-sales-statistics.html) get this right by tracking **customer satisfaction (CSAT) as their top KPI**, edging out “team quota met” (65%) by a small margin.

----

### 10. Sync contact data between all tools

If your sales team uses multiple apps, a major pitfall is not syncing data between them. With PieSync's two-way contact syncs between hundreds of apps, you can save time on manual updates, reduce the scope for human error and be **in the best position for sales automation**, as your data is certain to play nicely together across all apps.

[Check the apps you can connect](https://www.piesync.com/connections/) with PieSync and find out how to free up your sales team's time for what really drives revenue.

The most effective salespeople spend most of their time on what really gets results. And the other stuff? They automate it. To get started, read on...

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