It’s 2022, and if you are a small business or a large enterprise, you need CRM software to ensure your business growth is improving rapidly and staying like that for the foreseeable future.
One thing you need to remember is that it is easier to talk about this in text. Still, when it comes to implementation, it is a sore thorn in the company’s side because choosing the best CRM solution for its growth is tough, but in this article, we will make it easier for you.
In this article, we will discuss the two biggest names in the CRM software market, i.e., HubSpot and Salesforce. We will discuss how they work, how they differ from each other and which one should you choose according to your company’s needs.
So, without further ado, let’s talk about what is a CRM and take things forward from there.
What is a CRM?
A CRM is a collection of software tools that help a company’s sales team manage, organize and utilize all of the customer information that has been acquired.
Another great benefit of a CRM tool is to help manage the client information that has been gathered by the sales team and helps them to improve their relationship development strategies with prospective and current customers.
Your relationship with all of your business contacts can also be improved using CRM software , and also these tools are incredible when it comes to tracking important messages, finding and grouping all of the business contacts according to the criterion you set, and also helps in tracking your customer contact points.
Here are some of the features that your CRM software should have.
- It should automate your sales lifecycle according to your needs and requirements
- It should help in the overall development of handoff procedures between different services and sales
- It should be able to enhance functionality and intelligence sharing across all of the different teams working for the company
- It also helps the sales team members to have a bird’s-eye-view of the customer database
Let’s now take a look at what HubSpot and Salesforce offer their clientele and how they differ from each other.
Salesforce vs. HubSpot: A Brief Overview
Among the two, Salesforce is a much older software but is in no way a slouch. The application came into the market in 1999, and since then, the software has made its way into the minds and hearts of its clientele worldwide, which are regulars of the CRM market.
As we know, Salesforce is historically considered one of the first-ever companies in the market that have adopted the SaaS model.
It is also one of the first companies that popularized the overall concept of customer relationship management in the market. As time passed, the software was able to update itself in the eyes of its users flawlessly and has been able to compete with its much younger competitors quite easily.
One other thing that you should know is that Salesforce offers a wide variety of market automation tools powered by AI and provides detailed customization features and valuable insights to help you easily deal with clients.
On the other hand, HubSpot CRM is a product that is being distributed among the masses and developed in the first place by the same name.
The application provides many different products apart from its CRM software, such as different systems for marketing automation and content marketing.
HubSpot was launched in 2014, and within 6 years of its launch, the application has flawlessly earned its place as a top-tier CRM software on the market.
The application offers other features: email generation, contact management, lead management, and sales pipeline-data viewing, among many others.
The software is incredibly customizable, and you can change the interface and the overall set of features better suited for your needs and requirements.
As we have discussed that HubSpot is more suited for businesses of all sizes and shapes, and Salesforce is more suited for large companies dealing at an enterprise level in the market. There are still more elements on which you can compare these two amazing applications. Let’s get into it.
Salesforce vs. HubSpot: Who Wins?
Here are some of the elements on which we will compare these two amazing CRM software.
1. Third-Party Integrations
Wherever you see in the organizational paradigm right now, you will see most modern businesses use third-party integrations as a means to improve effectiveness and productivity.
Since Salesforce has been a part of the market for a longer time, you will find it is integrated with a lot more applications than HubSpot.
Another incredible thing about integrating Salesforce with third-party applications is that the data exchange features come as standard with multiple ERPs, HR and SCM software such as SAP.
However, the third-party integrations on HubSpot aren’t mundane either. The application takes the lead from Salesforce when it comes to sales-focused integrations.
As sales teams usually need to focus on the marketing data that is being fed to them by the overall research department, HubSpot acts as a central database for all of the marketing processes and the sales data.
2. Ease of Use
Ease-of-use is a very important quality for every CRM software to have because why would you bother with software if it has a million good features and its users can’t use it properly?
As Salesforce is a relatively old software built at a different time, it does feel a little too technical for the average sales rep working in the industry.
HubSpot, on the other hand, takes the crown here because of how intuitive and easy to use its interface is for a new or a veteran sales rep working in the market. Even if you use the software for the first time, you won’t have much difficulty traversing through the interface.
3. User Interface
UI is also an important factor in the overall likeability of the software as it’s the most ‘seen’ component of the software being used.
As we have discussed, Salesforce is quite a feature-filled software with more than 15 tabs staring you in the face at the very start, and you have no idea how to move around.
This makes it quite hard to understand the overall UI, and when the user can’t understand the UI properly, how can they achieve their goals?
The winner here is HubSpot, which has a fresh-er UI than Salesforce.
This UI focuses on the most essential features and options that the software has to offer its users, making it more appealing to the users as there is a shorter learning curve. The UI doesn’t throw unnecessary information at your face.
4. Analytics & Reporting Features
As the market is being driven by stats, reports, and analytics nowadays, you can afford to ignore the reporting and analytics features of the software.
All of the Salesforce tools incorporate analytics inside their operating process. These tools include the Einstein Analytics dashboard, which helps the users monitor all of the essential business metrics needed to make better sales decisions.
HubSpot, on the other hand, offers quite a lot fewer analytics and reporting features to its users, and this is because of the limited data storage capabilities embedded in the software.
5. Level of Customization
When it comes to customization, both HubSpot and Salesforce are brilliant. Salesforce is more customizable overall, and HubSpot is more customizable when you opt for the paid plans. Both software can convert into the powerhouse you need for your sales team to grow and be more successful.
6. Customer Support
Regarding customer support, HubSpot takes the lead by a mile. Salesforce doesn’t offer customer support unless you shell out the big bucks for the paid plans.
However, HubSpot provides a rich online content gallery in the free version that can help you sort out any minor issues you might be having while using the application. When you buy the paid plan, it offers around-the-clock phone support that helps you with any more significant issues you and your team might have.
Pricing Comparison
HubSpot
- Starter: $45/month
- Professional: $450/month
- Enterprise: $1200/month
Salesforce
- Essential: $25/month
- Professional: $75/month
- Enterprise: $150/month
- Unlimited: $300/month
Conclusion
Both of the software are incredible in their own perspective spaces. But if you are a small business and want a CRM for your sales team , then you should go for HubSpot, and if you are a large enterprise and need a solution for your sales team, then you should go for Salesforce.
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