Every business needs a way to manage its customer relationships. That’s especially true for service businesses, where maintaining long-term customer relationships leads to lasting and recurring revenue.
A good customer relationship management (CRM) platform for the service industry handles all the ins and outs of tracking and managing the data of current and future customers and leads.
If you need CRM software that’s specifically designed for your niche and service model, this guide to the best CRM software for service business organizations can help.
Summarize this article for me please⏰ 60-second Summary
| CRM Tool | Best For | Pricing |
|---|---|---|
| ClickUp | Integrated CRM and task management with AI | Free; Paid plans start at $7/user/month |
| SugarCRM | Simple contact management for sales teams | Starts at $19/user/month |
| Keap | Marketing communication for small businesses | Starts at $299/month |
| Capsule | Sales pipeline management for teams | Free; Paid plans start at $21/user/month |
| Nimble | CRM with multiple integrations | Starts at $29.90/user/month |
| Creatio | AI-powered customer lifecycle marketing | Starts at $40/user/month |
| HoneyBook | Building client onboarding workflows | Starts at $36/user/month |
| Freshsales | Automating sales processes | Free; Paid plans start at $10/user/month |
| Insightly | Contact management and simple sales automation | Starts at $29/user/month |
| Maximizer | Advanced lead management for sales and finance teams | Starts at $65/user/month |
| HubSpot | Real-time tracking of deals | Free; Paid plans start at $20/user/month |
| Salesforce | Large scale customer data management | Starts at $25/user/month |
| Pipedrive | Visual tracking of sales pipelines | Starts at $19/user/month |
| Zoho CRM | Affordable entry-level CRM | Free; Paid plans start at $15/user/month |
Summarize this article for me pleaseWhat Should You Look for in a CRM Platform for a Service Business?
As a service business, you need an effective way to manage your clients. That means looking for service-focused CRM systems with the following core features:
- Client data storage: All the best customer service CRM softwares need a central customer database that stores your clients’ customer information and purchase history
- Customer communication: Look for CRM solutions that allow you to build custom messages for your customers, from client onboarding to long-term retention
- Project management: The services CRM system you’re evaluating should allow you to easily track tasks related to your client outreach and customer journey
- Data intelligence: Your team needs comprehensive CRM reporting in the software to gain insights into your customer information and outreach campaigns so it can optimize everything from sales processes to lead management
- Flexibility: You’ll want the ability to customize your views, database, and dashboards in your CRM platform to match your business and CRM strategy
- Ease of use: The easier your team can onboard into the CRM software and start maximizing its capabilities, the better
- Internal collaboration: The CRM software should have CRM solutions designed to help your team communicate with each other in real time as they engage with your clients
The key to finding the best CRM for service business needs is to match your preferences to the core functionality required to manage, maintain, and delight your customers.
Summarize this article for me pleaseThe 14 Best CRM Platforms for Service Businesses
If you choose the best CRM software, it will become your central client management tool. It’s where you’ll track your clients’ basic information and engagement with your business.
These CRM systems can help you find the right CRM software for your needs:
1. ClickUp
ClickUp is a project CRM platform and project management tool that lets you manage all your service customer relationships in a central location. Visualize your sales pipeline, streamline workflows, and track individual accounts, all while collaborating internally to give your customers the service and attention they deserve.
Users have access to a broad range of project management features, but make no mistake: this is a highly specialized CRM software when you need it to be.
Teams in a company of any size—from a small SaaS business to a big corporation—and in every sector of the service industry can use it to maintain their customer data, optimize communications, and build broader sales and marketing campaigns.
The best part is how ClickUp does away with work about work! No more toggling between messaging tools, email clients, CRM software, and to-do lists; you have everything integrated into one platform. With chat and tasks integrated, teams have all the context they need to get things done efficiently.
And for any service business that’s new to this type of platform, the ClickUp CRM Template is easy to set up and comprehensive for managing leads and building the sales pipeline.
ClickUp best features
- CRM and project management integration to streamline your sales team’s workflow
- An extensive library of free CRM templates so you won’t have to start your setup from scratch
- Real-time collaboration opportunities through file sharing and Chat
- Extensive library of integrations to connect the robust CRM system with other work management tools
- Real-time reporting and dashboards with AI-powered insights
ClickUp limitations
- The number of CRM features can present a learning curve for small businesses just looking for a simple CRM
- The CRM software’s mobile view and app don’t offer all the same views as the desktop
ClickUp pricing
- Free Forever
- Unlimited: $7/month per user
- Business: $12/month per user
- Enterprise: Contact for pricing
- ClickUp Brain: Add to any paid plan for $7 per member per month
ClickUp ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (9,000+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.6/5 (4,000+ reviews)
Also Read: Must-Have CRM Integrations for Your Business
2. SugarCRM
SugarCRM is a powerful CRM software for service business organizations. Businesses looking to build their customer relationships can store and segment audience data, build comprehensive marketing and sales automation workflows, and centrally manage their customer service.
For service businesses, this connection between the CRM software and marketing automation can become a powerful tool.
For example, using one system, you can build custom landing pages that collect and store customer data and fire personalized email campaigns based on that information.
SugarCRM best features
- An integrated self-service knowledge base that, when built out, can reduce customer service tickets
- Case tracking and dashboards help account-based sales reps and customer service departments provide more personalized interactions
- Artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled predictive analytics that use historical customer data to better understand future customer behavior
- A user-friendly CRM software for customer service that enables businesses of all sizes to quickly gain insights into their customer data
SugarCRM limitations
- The CRM software is divided into separate solutions for marketing, sales, and customer service, all of which you’ll need to purchase separately for the full experience
- Dashboards are limited for businesses looking for the most customized audience insights
SugarCRM pricing
- Sell: $19 per user per month (3-9 users, billed annually)
- Serve: $80 per user per month (billed annually)
- Enterprise: $85 per user per month (billed annually)
- Enterprise+: $120 per user per month (billed annually)
- Market: $1,400 per month per 10,000 contacts (billed annually)
SugarCRM ratings and reviews
- G2: 3.8/5 (600+ reviews)
- Capterra: 3.8/5 (400+ reviews)
3. Keap
Keap’s primary use is as small business CRM software. Its CRM capabilities intentionally focus on helping small businesses build customer relationships, cutting out bells and whistles in favor of optimizing the core functionality.
That narrow focus allows Keap to excel in most aspects of CRM software for small businesses. With its core CRM features, you can easily collect new leads, segment your lead lists, and build automated workflows to follow up with leads.
You can even use this CRM system to schedule appointments with potential and new customers looking to engage your services.
Keap best features
- Pre-written emails that make it a breeze for small businesses to set up their first communications
- Integrated appointment scheduling for service businesses looking to engage their audience
- Comprehensive marketing automation options that can scale across multiple channels and timeframes
- Sales pipeline and opportunity tracking with dashboards and notifications
- Easy to manage invoicing and payment systems
Keap limitations
- Limited file sharing and attachment options for automations and customer data sheets compared with most CRM software
- Setting up its CRM capabilities is not always intuitive, especially for small businesses that are unfamiliar with CRM software
- Because it was built as small business CRM software, it may lack features that larger organizations need
Keap pricing
- Starts at $299/month for two users and 1,500 contacts. Additional users are $39/month each
Keap ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.2/5 (1,560+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.1/5 (1,290+ reviews)
Also Read: Check out our list of the top alternatives to Keap
4. Capsule
With Capsule, businesses of all sizes can stay organized in managing their audience throughout the customer journey and sales process.
A central and segmentable contact database allows you to manage your sales opportunities, while integrations with apps such as Google Workspace and Zapier integration with Zoho CRM can enhance its functionality as a customer service CRM.
Capsule’s sales pipeline management tool makes winning more sales intuitive. Meanwhile, a comprehensive analytics suite gives you the insights you need to improve your CRM over time.
Capsule best features
- Integrated task management for your team to track follow-ups for appointments, meetings, phone calls, and more
- An AI content assistant that helps users quickly write relevant messages to individual contacts
- A user-friendly interface that makes finding both basic and advanced features easy to locate and use
- Comprehensive sales forecasting and team activity analysis reports
- Sales and marketing automation to simplify the day-to-day work of teams
Capsule limitations
- Integrations with Mailchimp and Outlook tend to include only limited customizability
- Importing external data can sometimes be inaccurate, requiring extra quality assurance checks
Capsule pricing
- Free
- Starter: $21/month per user
- Growth: $38/month per user
- Advanced: $60/month per user
- Ultimate: $75/month per user
- Marketing add-on: $11/month per user
Capsule ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (380+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (160+ reviews)
5. Nimble
As a service industry CRM solution designed for integrations, Nimble shines when it connects directly to your organization’s Microsoft 365 or Gmail account. It automatically combines your contact, email history, and calendar appointments into a contact database that also includes core social media data for the full picture.
From there, users can plan and template their outreach, manage their sales pipeline, and conduct customer tracking across all channels in the customer’s journey. The email integration remains live, dynamically adding any interactions between your sales team and future customers to their custom profiles.
Nimble best features
- A unified contact management system that connects all your information in a single platform and profile
- Prospector browser extension that simplifies generating and managing your leads
- Advanced CRM technology, such as sales pipeline management, to qualify your leads and anticipate future sales
- Email templates and sequences and web forms for capturing and nurturing leads
- Individual and team reports
Nimble limitations
- Task management is limited to a simple to-do list for individual sales reps
- Lack of customization options for basic features, such as contact categorizations
Nimble pricing
- Business: $29.90/month per user
Nimble ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.5/5 (1100+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.4/5 (1,880+ reviews)
6. Creatio
Aiming to be more than a simple sales customer relationship management tool, Creatio offers three integrated products for marketing, sales, and customer service.
This CRM software for service businesses is focused on the financial, manufacturing, and telecom industries, designed to create comprehensive workflows and customer onboarding streams in high-touch environments.
Creatio utilizes AI to create a 360-degree customer view for your teams. With a shared database, all the different teams can work together productively.
Creatio best features
- Studio, a no-code process creator for anything from automated communications workflows to customer-specific sales offers
- Sales pipeline tracking and analysis with insights for improving performance
- AI-powered lead scoring, audience segmentation, and email template generation
- Templated workflows for new users to get started on the platform more quickly
- Extensive applications marketplace to connect Creatio to your other marketing, sales, and customer service tools
Creatio limitations
- Reference materials and tutorials can be outdated, which can complicate feature implementations
- Occasional technical issues and bugs
Creatio pricing
- Growth: $40/month per user for one module from Sales/Marketing/Service
- Enterprise: $70/month per user for one module from Sales/Marketing/Service
- Unlimited: $100/month per user for one module from Sales/Marketing/Service
Creatio ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.7/5 (270+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (120+ reviews)
7. HoneyBook
More than just a CRM software for service business, HoneyBook is a client workflow and onboarding platform. Use it to send invoices, sign contracts, schedule appointments, send forms, and accept payments.
Of course, it still offers basic CRM features and pipeline management tools, such as tracking inquiries and building workflow automation at the same time.
HoneyBook best features
- Integrated invoicing, contract, appointment, and payment features centralize the client process for excellent customer satisfaction
- Simple automation, such as automated payment and meeting reminders, can minimize the manual workload in your pipeline management
- HoneyBook AI uses predictive analytics to qualify leads, generate dynamic content, and brand your messaging
- Cashflow monitoring with HoneyBook Finance
HoneyBook limitations
- Very basic email feature with limited customization that can’t always compete with more comprehensive solutions
- Limited reporting capabilities, including a lack of data visualization for high-level insights
- AI is only available in the higher plans
HoneyBook pricing
- Starter: $36/month
- Essentials: $59/month for up to 2 users
- Premium: $129/month for unlimited users
HoneyBook ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.5/5 (170+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.7/5 (640+ reviews)
8. Freshsales
Freshsales, the CRM platform that’s a part of Freshworks, excels when it comes to sales automation. Attract the right leads, build personalized communications, and leverage AI-enabled lead scoring to strategically focus your efforts.
This CRM software for service business offers advanced customer insights to help you catch and react to broader trends within your audience.
Freshsales best features
- Free CRM software platform, though some key features require the more expensive Enterprise plan
- Advanced sales pipeline management with in-depth, visualized insights into every stage of the sales funnel
- Sales team members can set tasks from customer cards to build more relevant, personal, and timely follow-ups
- AI-powered contact scoring and deal insights
- Automated responses to frequently asked questions can save your sales team time
Freshsales limitations
- Limited customization abilities in reporting dashboards, with a focus on generalized metrics that work across industries
- Some of the most helpful features, such as project management capabilities, are only available on the Enterprise plan
Freshsales pricing
- Free for up to 3 users
- Growth: $10/month per user
- Pro: $45/month per user
- Enterprise: $70/month per user
Freshsales ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.5/5 (1,210+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (610+ reviews)
9. Insightly
If you mostly need central contact management and simple sales automation, Insightly’s streamlined sales CRM software focuses on exactly that.
It can also integrate with Insightly Marketing and Insightly Service to create a comprehensive customer lifecycle management system.
Insightly best features
- Simple automation flows that can route new or newly qualified leads to the appropriate team member for follow-ups
- Custom dashboards to report on your customer interactions and most relevant KPIs in real time
- Automated task reminders keep your sales teams on schedule with outreach and follow-ups in the sales process
- Branded templates for quotes and emails
- Project and task management for smooth handovers from sales to post-sale teams
Insightly limitations
- Clunky sales process integrations leading to limited in-platform functionality for basic features, such as email tracking, customer tracking, and lead automation
- Relatively high price, especially when combining the Enterprise plan with Insightly’s marketing and customer service platforms
Insightly pricing
- Plus: $29/month per user (billed annually)
- Professional: $49/month per user (billed annually)
- Enterprise: $99/month per user (billed annually)
Insightly ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.2/5 (910+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.0/5 (660+ reviews)
10. Maximizer
Maximizer is a CRM software designed for both sales teams and lead management teams. Optimized for financial and insurance advisors but applicable across service industries, it helps leaders gather the information they need to maximize their team’s effectiveness and their organization’s revenue.
Maximizer CRM can be deployed both on-premise and in the cloud, providing flexibility for different business needs. It integrates well with Microsoft products like Outlook, Word, and Excel, making it easy for businesses to leverage existing tools.
The CRM also supports customization through user-defined fields (UDFs), allowing businesses to tailor the system to their specific requirements.
Maximizer best features
- Advanced sales management features, such as sales forecasting and lead management, through actionable pipeline management
- Sales leader dashboards to view the sales team’s workload, opportunity management, and close rate
- Sales team productivity tracking, territory management, and email automation
- Integration with tools like Zapier to automate workflows
- Dedicated compliance features for the financial and insurance agency
Maximizer limitations
- User experience for pipeline management is not always intuitive, especially compared with some of the user-friendly drag-and-drop CRM services on this list
- Some advanced features, such as households, can be difficult to manage
Maximizer pricing
- Base: $65/month per user (billed annually)
- For Sales: $79/month per user
- For Finance: $79/month per user
- On-Premise: Custom pricing
Maximizer ratings and reviews
- G2: 4/5 (570+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.1/5 (370+ reviews)
11. HubSpot
HubSpot CRM offers a comprehensive suite of tools for managing customer interactions, including contact management, deal tracking, and email tracking. It integrates well with marketing and sales tools, providing real-time insights to streamline processes.
This CRM software for service business organization includes features like lead scoring, segmentation, and reporting to enhance sales and marketing effectiveness. HubSpot’s automation tools help nurture leads and manage workflows.
HubSpot best features
- Visual dashboard for monitoring deals and contacts in real-time
- Dynamic segmentation based on behavior or demographics to enhance marketing efforts
- Robust contact management tools, including email tracking and meeting scheduling
- Customizable email marketing automation and personalized follow-ups
- Large range of integrations with other tools
HubSpot limitations
- The free version has limitations in importing data from other platforms and lacks advanced features like marketing automation and workflows
- Requires upgrading to paid plans for features like predictive lead scoring and custom reporting
HubSpot pricing
- Free
- Sales Hub Starter: $20/month per user
- Sales Hub Professional: $100/month per user, yearly commitment and $1,500 one-time onboarding fee
- Sales Hub Enterprise: Starts at $150/month per user, yearly commitment and $3,500 one-time onboarding fee
HubSpot ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4 /5 ( 12,300+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (4,300+ reviews)
12. Salesforce
Salesforce is renowned for its robust sales, marketing, and customer service capabilities. It provides advanced features such as pipeline management, lead tracking, and customer engagement tools.
The CRM offers extensive customization options through its AppExchange platform, allowing businesses to tailor the system to their needs. It supports large-scale data management and analytics, making it a preferred choice for enterprises.
Salesforce best features
- Advanced features for managing sales pipelines and customer interactions
- Large-scale data management and analytics
- Sophisticated AI-driven reports and dashboards for business analytics
- Built-in collaborations tools for teams to communicate
- Integrates with a wide range of third-party tools
Salesforce limitations
- Can be complex to set up and use, requiring significant training
- Generally more expensive than other CRM options, especially for small businesses
Salesforce pricing
- Starter Suite: $25/month per user (billed annually)
- Pro Suite: $100/month per user (billed annually)
- Enterprise: $165/month per user (billed annually)
- Unlimited: $330/month per user (billed annually)
- Einstein 1 Sales: $330/month per user (billed annually)
Salesforce ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.4/5 ( 23,200+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.4/5 (780+ reviews)
Also Read: Top Salesforce Alternatives and Competitors
13. Pipedrive
Pipedrive CRM software for service businesses focuses on sales pipeline management, offering a visual interface to track deals and stages. It provides features like automated workflows, email integration, and sales forecasting to optimize the sales process.
Pipedrive is designed to be user-friendly and customizable, making it suitable for businesses looking to streamline their sales operations.
Pipedrive best features
- Clear visual interface for tracking deals and stages
- Highly customizable for individual team requirements
- Easy flow for adding, searching, and updating contacts
- Ability to bulk import or export data
Pipedrive limitations
- Does not offer extensive marketing automation tools
- Not ideal if you have multiple locations or products to manage
Pipedrive pricing
- Essential: $19/month per user
- Advanced: $34/month per user
- Professional: $64/month per user
- Power: $74/month per user
- Enterprise: $99/month per user
Pipedrive ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.3 /5 ( 2300+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.5/5 (3000+ reviews)
Also Read: Top Pipedrive Alternatives and Competitors
14. Zoho CRM
One of the more affordable CRM tools, Zoho CRM offers a wide range of features, including lead management, sales forecasting, and marketing automation. It integrates well with other Zoho apps, providing a unified platform for business operations.
Zoho CRM supports customization through user-defined fields and offers advanced analytics for better decision-making. Its affordability and scalability make it a popular entry-level CRM for small to medium-sized businesses.
Zoho CRM best features
- Offers robust tools for managing leads and converting them into customers
- Email marketing and social media management features for marketing campaigns
- Competitive pricing plans suitable for small to medium-sized businesses
- Can be customized to the specific requirements of a team
- Integrates with multiple other tools such as Xero, Woocommerce, etc.
Zoho CRM limitations
- While customizable, some users find the customization process complex and time-consuming
- While it offers analytics, some users find the advanced reporting capabilities limited compared to other CRM software
- The free plan has very limited features
Zoho CRM pricing
- Free
- Standard: $15/month per user
- Professional: $24/month per user
- Enterprise: $34/month per user
- Ultimate: $37/month per user
Zoho CRM ratings and reviews
- G2: 4.1/5 ( 2,700+ reviews)
- Capterra: 4.3/5 (6,900+ reviews)
Also Read: Best Marketing Automation Software Tools
Summarize this article for me pleaseGet Started With the Best Free CRM Software for Service Businesses Today
Who said that your CRM systems should only house your contact information and some basic automation? Choose wisely, and your next tool will be able to do everything you need to manage and improve customer relationships for your small business or growing empire.
ClickUp is more than a project management tool. When you take advantage of all its features, it becomes a powerful piece of CRM software for your service business while also letting you stay on top of all your business processes.
Check out our customer relationship management software for yourself with the Free Forever Plan!
Everything you need to stay organized and get work done.
