Is your customer relationship management (CRM) system working for you or against you? Whether you’re a boutique firm or a member of the Big Four, you need the best CRM for consultants for your team. 🙌
According to the Global Management Consulting Market 2024 report, the consulting industry was valued at $307.62 billion in 2022, a figure expected to rise to $511.88 billion by 2028. And while big numbers often translate to big sales, it can also lead to big burnout (read: late nights, working weekends, multiple cups—er, pots?—of coffee). ☕
To help your consulting team work smarter, not harder, you need a CRM system that automates tasks, makes follow-up a no-brainer, logs sales activities, and ultimately makes it easier to close deals.
Fortunately, we’ve done the leg work for you. Below, find our list of the top 10 CRMs for consulting firms.
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Should You Look for in a CRM for Consultants?
Before you transform this top 10 list into your top pick, you need to know what to look for. Throughout the selection process of a CRM, keep these must-have features top of mind:
- Native integrations: The purpose of a CRM software system is to simplify the sales process and overall business processes. Therefore, your system will need to integrate with your email marketing, e-commerce, accounting, or help desk platforms
- Custom account features: CRM software systems can be quite rigid out of the box. Look for systems that meet your unique needs through custom fields, reports, and views
- Support teams: If you don’t have an in-house CRM administrator, you’ll need a platform that offers chat, phone, or email support to help customize your solution
- Automated workflows: The right CRM strategy can save countless hours for your business. Look for a platform that can automate sales activity creation, follow-up tasks, or contract approval processes. CRM systems are even better if they offer marketing automation features that connect sales processes with the marketing team.
Summarize this article for me pleaseThe 10 Best CRMs for Consultants
Looking for the best CRM platform for your consulting firm? Use this list to find a solution that fits your unique needs.
1. ClickUp
ClickUp offers a highly customizable CRM tool for consulting companies of all sizes. As an all-in-one productivity hub where consultants can collaborate via Docs, Chat, and Whiteboards, ClickUp allows you to close more deals while better serving existing clients. 🤩
Consulting firms can leverage ClickUp’s CRM tools for generating leads, providing customer support, and upselling existing customers. To get started, your consulting team can download ClickUp’s CRM template, then customize views, statuses, and fields to fit your unique business.
With extensive dashboard widgets, consultants can easily collect data on individual accounts or their sales pipeline as a whole for quarterly check-ins with the executive team. To save time on client management, team members can assign tasks, create proposals, and get executive sign-off using customizable, automated workflows.
ClickUp best features
- Understand your audience at a glance using 10 customizable views
- Easily present customer data to your executive team using 50+ dashboard widgets, including customer lifetime value, deal sizes, and other analytics
- Integrate web forms to capture data for new prospects and automatically assign tasks
- Easily manage clients and prospects while traveling using ClickUp’s Mobile CRM
- Track sales activities with built-in consulting templates
- Fast-track client communication and keep team members on the same page through seamless email management
- Close deals faster through automated workflows that assign tasks, trigger status updates, alert teammates, and ultimately close deals faster
- Keep your accounts organized and better serve your clients through the use of custom tags
- Create Custom Fields for client information, project details, and other relevant data for your consulting work
- Save time by integrating your CRM software with 1,000+ popular tools, such as Dropbox, Slack, Zoom, Loom, and others
- Automate the sales process for your consulting business by adding custom statuses, so you know which deals are in progress, receiving a quote, or nearing the finish line
ClickUp limitations
- The vast number of features may be too overwhelming for those looking for a simple project management tool
- It may take several days to onboard new consultants on the CRM system
- Not all CRM templates are available on the mobile app (yet!)
ClickUp pricing
- Free Forever
- Unlimited: $7/month per user
- Business: $12/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
- ClickUp Brain: Available on all paid plans for $5/Workspace member/month
ClickUp ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (8,500+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (3,700+ reviews)
2. HubSpot
With over 100,000 customers worldwide, HubSpot moves prospects further down the pipeline.
Built for boutique to enterprise consulting firms, HubSpot’s CRM platform simplifies the customer experience by automatically logging data. HubSpot CRM integrates with consultants’ business emails to track sales activities across the organization. Consultants can communicate with prospects through snippets, email replies, or automated campaigns.
HubSpot CRM suite comes complete with HubSpot’s marketing tools, allowing you to launch email marketing campaigns, analyze web traffic, and build custom web forms to simplify lead generation. With ad management, email reply tracking, and live chat tools, HubSpot makes your marketing and sales teams run more smoothly.
HubSpot best features
- Streamline your consultants’ everyday tasks by keeping your task management and CRM functionality all in one place
- Integrate with your Gmail or Outlook to log activity automatically for your consulting businesses
- Keep your consultants productive on-the-go through the mobile app
- Simplify customer support through the use of snippets—short, reusable blocks of text
- Easily collect prospect data through custom forms with a drag-and-drop builder
HubSpot limitations
- Lower pricing tiers don’t come equipped with some must-have features
- There can be a lack of customization with some features, such as views
- The professional plan can be too expensive for boutique consulting firms or independent consultants
HubSpot pricing
- CRM Suite Free Tools: $0
- CRM Suite Starter: $20/month per user
- CRM Suite Professional: $1,600/month per user
HubSpot ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (10,000+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (3,000+ reviews)
3. Zoho CRM
Zoho’s user-friendly CRM platform makes it easy to conduct lead management, deal management, and contract management all in one place. Consultants can score leads to identify deals with the best chance of conversion. From there, Zoho CRM’s automation tools make it easy to streamline customer communication and gain executive sign-off.
Zoho CRM syncs with Zoho’s built-in marketing tools, including web-to-lead forms, live chat, and email marketing campaigns. Zoho also comes complete with integrations with popular support tools—like Zendesk or Salesforce Desk—to better serve and upsell existing customers.
Zoho CRM best features
- Personalize contact management with 500 custom fields per module
- Allow CRM admins to test new tools, fields, or modules through the use of a sandbox
- Boost productivity for your consulting team through 1,000 email notifications per user
- Sync your sales and marketing automation efforts through unlimited email templates
- Easily collect new prospect data through the use of 100 web-to-lead forms per module
Zoho CRM limitations
- Some custom functions require coding knowledge, which might be challenging for some consulting firms
- The out-of-the-box modules can be limited, and you may need to hire an admin to customize the platform for your unique business needs
Zoho CRM pricing
- Standard: $14/month per user
- Professional: $23/month per user
- Enterprise: $40/month per user
- Ultimate: $52/month per user
Zoho CRM ratings and reviews
- G2: 4/5 (2,000+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.3/5 (6,000+ reviews)
4. Keap
Keap’s CRM solutions are built specifically for small businesses. Rated in the top 50 in G2’s Best Software Awards for both sales and marketing products, Keap is known for its ease of use and top-notch customer support.
Keap handles lead collection, prospect follow-up, invoicing, lead nurturing, and payment collection all in one place. Its built-in marketing tools allow you to onboard and request referrals from existing clients.
Overall, Keap’s key features allow you to spend less time on busy work, so your sales team can focus on converting more leads into clients.
Keap best features
- Send invoices, create proposals, and accept payments for all your consulting clients
- Keep consultants productive on-the-go through Keap’s mobile app
- Contact leads through email, social media, chat support, and other tools directly from the contact record
- Easily sync your CRM tool with popular platforms like Gmail, PayPal, QuickBooks, and more
- Spend less time on prospect communication through the use of email templates, triggers, and segmented email campaigns
Keap limitations
- Some must-have features, like lead scoring or advanced reporting, are not available on the pro plan
- Some CRM software features, such as the calendar application, lack some customizations
Keap pricing
- Pro: $159/month for two users
- Max: $229/month for three users
Keap ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.2/5 (1,000+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.1/5 (1,000+ reviews)
5. Bitrix24
With 35+ business tools, Bitrix24 helps 12 million companies worldwide run more efficiently.
Scaling businesses can run sales activities, marketing campaigns, and business operations all in one platform with Bitrix24. With a drag-and-drop website builder, workflow automation, help desk, SMS marketing, and e-commerce tools, Bitrix24 can strengthen existing client relationships while closing new business deals.
Plus, Bitrix24’s CRM tools let consultants submit time tracking logs, track KPIs, assign tasks, and convert leads. Live chats, web forms, and VoIP telephone systems streamline client service, while a unified workspace allows you to store all client documents in one place.
Bitrix24 best features
- Create, edit, and share all documents for your consulting business in a cloud-based storage system
- Leverage an online time clock, video conferencing, and online tasks to keep remote workers productive
- Launch marketing campaigns and build landing pages to move potential clients down the sales funnel
- Submit quotes and send invoices to clients
- Re-engage old customers with customer reactivation, using Bitrix24’s customer tracking software
Bitrix24 limitations
- Has learning curve that can be a bit steep for those unfamiliar with CRM software
- With a website builder, human resources management, project management, and other tools available all on one platform, it can be too convoluted for someone looking for a simple CRM platform
- Some must-have features—like CRM analytics, triggers, required fields, and email integration—are unavailable on the free plan
Bitrix24 pricing
- Basic: $43/month for five users
- Standard: $87/month for 50 users
- Professional: $175/month for 100 users
- Enterprise: Starts at $325/month for 250 users (can customize for up to 10,000 users)
Bitrix24 ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.1/5 (400+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.1/5 (700+ reviews)
6. Freshworks
Freshworks CRM, or Freshsales, is a platform trusted by 60,000 businesses around the globe.
Freshworks uses artificial intelligence (AI) to identify leads most likely to convert and to automate follow-up communication. With Pipeline Management 2.0, users can predict deal performance, engage with potential customers, forecast revenue for executives, and ultimately move deals throughout the pipeline.
Consultants can get a 360-degree visual of their prospects through activity timelines, customizable views, highlight cards, and multiple sales sequences.
Freshworks best features
- Prevent commission disputes through the use of sales teams and territory management
- Get a better visual of your sales forecast with AI-based insights and drag-and-drop contact cards
- Close leads more efficiently through AI-powered contact scoring and sales sequences
- Create multiple sales pipelines for different consulting services
- Collaborate with prospects and clients through built-in chat, email, and phone support tools
Freshworks limitations
- The mobile version lacks some features available on desktop
- Since Freshsales is a different platform than other Freshworks platforms, like Freshdesk, Freshmarketer, or Freshservice, it can be overwhelming understanding which features fall under which umbrella
Freshworks pricing
- Freshsales Free: $0
- Freshsales Growth: $15/month per user
- Freshsales Pro: $39/month per user
- Enterprise: $69/month per user
Freshworks ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.5/5 (1,000+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (500+ reviews)
7. Salesforce
Salesforce CRM, or Salesforce Sales Cloud, allows you to handle activity management, prospect management, and opportunity management all in one place.
Salesforce provides lead routing, lead scoring, email productivity, lead metrics, custom dashboards and reports, and contract creation, allowing you to move potential clients across the finish line.
Find something missing? You can even build your own Salesforce app through the Lightning App Builder.
Salesforce best features
- See which prospects are most likely to convert through opportunity scoring
- Assign product prices, create sales orders, create quotes, and send contracts for approval all on one platform
- Collaborate with other consultants or third parties with Salesforce Chatter
- Create more upsell opportunities and address specific needs of existing customers through case management
- Keep all client documents in one place with file storage
Salesforce limitations
- Some customizations, like views, are not available on the mobile app
- You may need support from a Salesforce consultant or developer to customize the out-of-the-box solution to your unique business processes
Salesforce pricing
- Sales Cloud Starter: $25/month per user
- Sales Cloud Professional: $80/month per user
- Sales Cloud Enterprise: $165/month per user
- Sales Cloud Unlimited: $330/month per user
Salesforce ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.3/5 (15,000+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.4/5 (17,000+ reviews)
8. Capsule
Capsule is a simple, easy-to-learn CRM platform built for small to medium-sized consulting firms. The user experience has less of a learning curve than some competitors, allowing you to get up and running in no time.
Capsule allows you to track pipeline milestones, create tasks for meetings and appointments, send reminder emails, create automated approval processes, and trigger marketing sequences.
Plus, consultants can seamlessly sync their CRM with their Gmail or Outlook to automatically log prospect activities.
Capsule best features
- Integrate your CRM platform with popular platforms like Microsoft 365, Google, Xero, Mailchimp, and Zapier
- Save time and increase your consulting firm’s profitability through workflow automations and 1,000 AI assists
- Create different sales pipelines for different consulting services
- Spend less time in your inbox with easy-to-use email templates (up to 500 on the enterprise plan)
- Understand your opportunities with 10+ reports on won/lost opportunities, pipeline growth, and average length of opportunity
Capsule limitations
- Capsule is a newer company with a smaller market share than many competitors, so it’s difficult to understand pros and cons with so few reviews and case studies
- Reporting capabilities are less robust than many competitors
Capsule pricing
- Free
- Professional: $18/month per user
- Teams: $36/month per user
- Enterprise: $54/month per user
Capsule ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 (90+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (100+ reviews)
9. Salesflare
Recognized by Capterra in 2022 for Best Value and Best Ease of Use for CRM systems, Salesflare is becoming a go-to option for scaling businesses.
Salesflare is a CRM provider built for B2B businesses wanting to save time during the sales cycle. The simple-yet-effective platform conducts account management, pipeline management, and marketing automation all in one place.
With Salesflare, consultants can craft email sequences, segment their audience, track web visitors, and build reports and dashboards all in one location.
Salesflare best features
- Track links and website visits through a web-tracking script
- Integrate your CRM with your Gmail, Microsoft 365, iCloud, or LinkedIn accounts
- Enrich your existing accounts and contacts with publicly available sources
- Receive automated reminders to follow up, add notes, reply to emails, or attend meetings so you never drop the ball on client communication
- Learn to navigate the system with free onboarding and a one-on-one training session
Salesflare limitations
- It’s a young company, and doesn’t have as many integrations as its competitors
- Some must-have features, like custom reports, are only available in the pro or enterprise plans
Salesflare pricing
- Growth: $29/month per user
- Pro: $49/month per user
- Enterprise: $99/month per user
Salesflare ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.8/5 (200+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (100+ reviews)
10. Pipedrive
With 100,000 paying customers across nearly 180 countries, consulting firms are drawn to Pipedrive for its simple user experience. With Pipedrive, you can create your sales pipeline from an existing template, then conduct sales forecasting, lead segmentation, and follow-up activities all in one place.
Plus, Pipedrive’s CRM software solutions come complete with email marketing and project management tools.
Pipedrive best features
- Sync your CRM consulting platform with 400 tools, including Google, Xero, Asana, Slack, and Kixie
- Generate and qualify leads through customizable online forms
- During the CRM implementation process, build a personalized pipeline to mimic your sales cycle
- Leverage AI technology to identify lucrative opportunities
- Collaborate with colleagues in real time on new deals and sales activities
Pipedrive limitations
- There are few native integrations, with most third-party tools needed to be routed through Zapier
- Triggers are not available for automated workflows
Pipedrive pricing
- Essential: $14.90/month per user
- Advanced: $27.90/month per user
- Professional: $49.90/month per user
- Power: $64.90/month per user
- Enterprise: $99/month per user
Pipedrive ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.2/5 (1,000+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (2,000+ reviews)
Summarize this article for me pleaseFind the Best CRM for Consultants
The right CRM platform saves your consultants time, makes it easier to upsell existing customers and close new deals, and stores all contact information in one place. While choosing a new system can be daunting, selecting one with the right automations, customizations, and reports necessary can make your sales team run more efficiently. 👊
ClickUp is a top choice amongst consulting firms of all sizes. Why? With 1,000+ integrations, 50 customizable widgets, 10 customizable views, and available CRM templates, it can be molded to fit your unique needs. With ClickUp, your consultants can spend less time pushing leads through the sales funnel and more time celebrating their latest deal.
Everything you need to stay organized and get work done.
