A Winning Combination: 8 Best Small Business CRM for SMS Marketing

Like most business owners, you want to get more customers and make more sales. Unfortunately, market competition is fierce, and the internet allows your target market to find other options easily.

So what should you do?

First, ensure effective customer communication. Effective communication is deemed vital by 99% of consumers. Meanwhile, over 50% of people said they have stopped dealing with a company because of poor business communication.

But to communicate with customers effectively, you need data and the right tools. This is where a customer relationship management (CRM) tool comes in handy. For example, Podium has everything you need to organise contacts, communicate with customers, and carry out SMS marketing campaigns.

In this article, you’ll find the ten best CRMs with text messaging capabilities specially designed for small businesses.

What Is SMS CRM?

An SMS CRM is simply a customer relationship management system with text messaging capabilities. It works just like a typical CRM system, made better through integrated SMS functionalities. As such, these platforms allow two-way communication with your customers.

Benefits of a CRM with Text Messaging

Instant Customer Engagement

SMS open rates run as high as 98%, and more people prefer to receive promotional content via text. Using SMS CRM marketing is likely to pay off.

1. Efficient Customer Service

A CRM with text messaging allows businesses to keep track of all their customer interactions in one place. Hence, the sales team can easily find whatever information they need to solve any issues. You can also send reminders or updates to customers via text messaging.

2. Targeted Lead Nurturing

With text message marketing, it’s crucial to get permission from recipients to send them promotional messages legally. Those who opt in are likely interested in your business. And the CRM will give you all the data to communicate with your leads effectively and personally.

3. Cost-Effective Marketing

A marketing platform with SMS functionality allows you to automate repetitive tasks like sending bulk messages at a specific time. This gives your sales team more time to focus on crucial tasks.

8 Best SMS CRM for Your Small Business

Ready to start your SMS CRM marketing? Here is a list of the best CRM apps you can consider.

1. Podium

Podium is a marketing and communication software that uses text messaging to help small businesses grow their business. Its built-in text messaging functionality comes with free templates, allows the sending of bulk text messages, etc.

Despite having abundant advanced features, Podium remains easy to use. It provides guides with simple instructions, tips for creating effective campaigns, etc.

• Integrations: Podium supports integration with 180 applications, including MailChimp. This integration allows you to use the platform for email marketing. The team takes care of integration configuration during onboarding.
• Pricing: Three plans are available: Essentials, Standard, and Professional. Pricing starts at $289 a month.
• Customer Support: Podium offers chat and text customer support. There’s a help centre available for those with questions who don’t want to talk to a customer service representative.

2. Salesmate

Salesmate is a cloud-based CRM system that also comes with text messaging functionality. It simplifies the complex sales processes of startups and SMBs. You can use the platform to send mass text messages with just a single click, personalise your message, schedule text messages, etc.

• Integration: It integrates with hundreds of applications, including Microsoft Calendar, Zoom, and Zero.
• Pricing: Salesmate offers a 15-day free trial and four plans you can pay either monthly or annually. They charge per user, and the cheapest plan is $12 per user per month.
• Customer Support: They have available resources, live chat, and a meeting scheduler with their team.

3. Agile

Agile is an all-in-one CRM system packed with functionalities designed to help small to midsize companies consolidate their sales and marketing processes. Included in its CRM features are mobile marketing and text messaging.

• Integration: It integrates with 50 applications, including email services and social media apps.
• Pricing: Agile CRM offers a free plan, which allows up to ten platform users but does not include mobile marketing. There are three premium plans; pricing starts at around $9.
• Customer Support: If you have questions about the product, Agile has resources you can browse and training workshops you can join. You can also reach their customer service team via email and phone calls.

4. Freshworks

Freshworks is an easy-to-use, full-featured CRM designed for solo-preneurs and small businesses. You can also use this platform to create SMS marketing campaigns. It offers an option to integrate the solution with your favourite SMS provider.

• Integrations: Like other CRM systems on this list, Freshworks also offers a ton of CRM integrations. You can connect it with your favourite apps, like Mailchimp, Shopify, and HubSpot.
• Pricing: It’s another CRM that offers a free plan that includes basic features. If you want to access more advanced functionalities, you need to subscribe to any of their three paid plans. The price starts at $15.
• Customer Support: 24×5 support is included in all their plans. They also provide a customer service suite, which makes it easy to get assistance with whatever you need.

5. Close

Close CRM is more focused on sales engagement. It is packed with functionalities, including a built-in SMS. Its texting features are built to complement users’ email and calling outreach. It lets you read and respond to SMS messages from the platform in real time and automate follow-up.

• Integration: With a robust API, you can connect the app with many applications like Microsoft 365, Calendly, and Gmail.
• Pricing: There’s no free plan, but you can try the platform for 15 days free of charge. Pricing starts at $49, and there are three plans to choose from.
• Customer Support: You can only reach out to the team via phone call. There’s no live chat available, but they have a help centre with articles and guides.

6. Keap

Formerly Infusionsoft, Keap may be the best CRM software in terms of user-friendliness. All its features, including text messaging, are easy to set up and use. The text messaging feature allows users to send trigger-based messages and create bulk SMS campaigns.

• Integration: Keap has over 230 native and supported integrations. However, most of the available integrations require a monthly fee.
• Pricing: Pricing starts at $159 per month if you pay annually. There’s an option to pay monthly but more expensive. There are only two paid plans. They don’t offer a free plan, but you can try the software’s voice and text features free for three months.
• Customer Support: All Keap plans include access to U.S.-based phone support, a customer success manager, and 24/7 chat support.

7. Zoho

Zoho is a popular CRM with over 250,000 users in 180 countries. But like Freshworks, the SMS functionally isn’t built-in. You still need to integrate the solution with your SMS provider. The platform offers a handy free version that can be used by up to three users and can help you decide whether it’s the right platform for you.

• Integrations: Zoho integrates with hundreds of apps, including Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and Mailchimp.
• Pricing: Zoho CRM offers four paid plans billed monthly or annually. The price starts at $14. Two bundles are also available if you want advanced functionalities. Everything includes a free trial.
• Customer Support: You can get assistance via a dedicated phone number or their online resources if you have any questions or need help.

8. HubSpot

HubSpot is a CRM powerhouse with tons of advanced functionalities, but it does not offer native texting capabilities. It only offers SMS integrations.

• Integrations: SMS for Hubspot integrates with many HubSpot features, including CRM, marketing, sales, and customer service. You can also connect it with BigCommerce, ActiveCampaign, Dynamics 365, Shopify, Salesforce, and Zoho CRM.
• Pricing: HubSpot offers four plans that allow you to integrate the platform with SMS. Pricing starts at $30. All plans offer a 14-day free trial.
• Customer Support: SMS for HubSpot offers 24/7 live chat and email support.

How to Choose the Best CRM with Text Messaging?

1. Define Your Business Needs.

Begin by identifying your specific business requirements for CRM and text messaging. Assess your communication goals, customer interaction volume, and desired features. This initial step helps tailor your search and ensures the chosen CRM aligns with your operational demands.

2. Check Text Messaging Capabilities

Scrutinise the CRM’s text messaging features and look for features like marketing automation, text notifications, and mass texting. With these features, you can make the most of your SMS CRM tool.

3. Integration and Compatibility

Check the CRM’s ability to integrate with your existing tools. Seamless integration enhances data flow and offers a unified view of customer interactions across multiple communication channels.

4. Mobile Accessibility

Assess the CRM’s mobile application for compatibility with different devices and operating systems. A user-friendly and functional mobile app ensures you can manage customer interactions and text messaging on the go.

5. Scalability and Pricing

Consider the CRM’s scalability to accommodate your business growth. Examine pricing structures and whether they align with your budget. Evaluate if the CRM’s cost aligns with the value it provides, particularly regarding business text messaging features.

6. User-Friendly Interface and Support

A user-friendly interface simplifies CRM adoption and decreases training time. Look for intuitive navigation and customisable features. Sufficient customer support, including resources and assistance, is vital for troubleshooting issues.

Manage All of Your Communication in One Place

If you haven’t found the CRM for your small business, consider Podium. Podium is a comprehensive small business solution that emails, calls, text messages, reviews, and more onto a centralised platform. This streamlines communication and customer interactions, enhancing efficiency and productivity.

With all data in one place, businesses can easily track and manage customer interactions. This ensures a seamless and personalised customer experience. This consolidated approach simplifies workflow and improves collaboration. Ultimately, it leads to better customer relationships, higher customer satisfaction, and increased operational efficiency.

FAQs

Q: Are technical skills or coding knowledge necessary to set up CRM SMS integrations?

A: It depends on the vendor. For example, the Podium team integrates the platform with your favourite apps. Therefore, there’s no need for technical skills or coding knowledge.

Q: Does any CRM offer free SMS functionality?

A: Yes, some CRM systems offer free SMS functionality as part of their basic or trial plans. But, the extent of this functionality may be limited compared to paid versions. It’s important to review the specific features and restrictions of each CRM to determine its suitability for your needs.

Q: Can CRM send SMS?

A: Yes, as long as the CRM tool has a built-in SMS functionality.