Top 9 CRM for Agencies [Features, Benefits & Pricing]

As your agency grows, managing client communication, project deadlines, and team collaboration can feel like a never-ending juggling act. Get one thing wrong, and your profitability could be at risk!

So, what’s the solution?

You need a smart agency CRM to streamline communication and track your operations. Such a tool can manage your business operations, enhance communication, and keep everything organized, so you can focus on delivering exceptional service to your clients.

But with so many options out there, how do you choose the right one?

In this blog, I will walk you through the 9 best agency CRM software options. I’ll break down their key features, pricing, pros, and cons to help you find the perfect fit for your agency’s needs.

In the meantime, if you’re curious about how CRM can boost business growth, check out this video.

Which Is the Best CRM for Agencies?

If you’re short on time, here’s a quick look at my top 3 picks for the best CRM for agencies:

Option 1: BIGContacts

Best for contact management and email marketing for small & medium-sized businesses. It offers advanced sales pipeline management, seamless integrations, and detailed reporting, making it a comprehensive solution for agencies.

Option 2: Salesmate

Best for sales pipeline management. Salesmate excels in organizing and tracking sales processes, ensuring every step of your sales funnel is managed efficiently.

Option 3: Copper CRM

Best for task management. Copper CRM stands out with its intuitive task management features, helping agencies stay on top of their projects and client interactions.

List of 9 Best CRM for Agencies

To compile this list, I evaluated each tool based on ease of use, scalability, and adaptability to diverse use cases. My assessment is based on personal experiences, insights from trusted review sites, customer testimonials, and feedback from industry peers.

1. BIGContacts – Best for Contact Management & Email Marketing for Small & Medium Businesses

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I found BIGContacts to be a suitable CRM tool for managing contacts and streamlining email marketing campaigns. The interface is user-friendly, making it easy to keep track of all client interactions.

Plus, the automated email marketing tools saved me a ton of time. The tool can be used to create automated sequences of marketing emails and analyze their performance. All the contact data, emails, tickets, notes, and tasks are stored in one place, making it easy to access relevant information at the click of a button.

For agencies, BIGContacts offers effective client management features. It helps organize client information efficiently and run targeted email campaigns. Its ability to integrate with other tools like Zapier and QuickBooks makes it a solid agency CRM option.

What You’ll Like:

• Contact segmentation to group contacts into lists and send targeted bulk emails
• Custom web forms that capture leads and store all field data directly in the CRM
• 360° view of all contacts, including emails, transactions, files, etc, and activities, boosting visibility and productivity
• Advanced email marketing features to nurture leads and manage patient appointment emails efficiently.

What You May Not Like:

• No downloadable or on-premise version
• No dedicated account manager for the free plan, unlike the paid

Pricing:

• Forever free plan for startups with 100 contacts.
• Paid starts at $9.99/user/month.

2. Zoho – Best for Omnichannel Engagement

Image source: Zoho

Using Zoho CRM was a transformative experience for managing client relationships. The platform excelled in providing a unified view of customer interactions, whether through email, social media, or live chat.

One feature I particularly appreciated was its AI-powered sales assistant, Zia, which predicted sales trends and offered automation tools. The customization options are great, helping tailor the system to fit specific workflows and easily manage multiple client accounts.

With comprehensive reporting tools, tracking client progress and making data-driven decisions became much easier. Moreover, Zoho CRM stands out by integrating seamlessly with other Zoho products, enhancing its overall functionality.

What You’ll Like:

• AI-powered sales assistant (Zia) to predict sales trends and automate tasks
• Easily import bulk records to save time and streamline data entry
• Offers sales automation tools like lead and deal management to streamline your sales processes efficiently
• Customizable modules, fields, user interface (Canvas), and email templates to fit your specific business needs

What You May Not Like:

• Customer support responses can be slow
• Limited integration with applications outside the Zoho ecosystem

Pricing:

• Starts at $9.5/user/month.

3. Salesmate – Best for Sales Pipeline Management

Image source: Salesmate

Salesmate CRM is an effective tool for managing sales pipelines. When I first used its visual sales pipeline, I was impressed by how intuitive it was. Tracking deals and moving them through stages was a breeze.

What really stood out to me were the automation features – they took over repetitive tasks, freeing up my time for more important activities. The built-in email marketing tools were quite effective and made it much easier to engage with leads.

For agencies, Salesmate offers exceptional team collaboration features, custom reporting, and client management tools. It integrates easily with various platforms, making it an ideal CRM for marketing agencies. The mobile app was another highlight for me, as it ensured I could stay connected and productive no matter where I was.

What You’ll Like:

• Visual sales pipeline to easily track and manage deals through different stages
• Intelligent email campaign tracking gives detailed status updates on open, read, and clicked links, helping to retarget prospects effectively
• Built-in calling and phone cadence software to manage follow-ups and stay organized
• Drip email marketing campaigns to automate follow-ups, ensuring consistent engagement with prospects

What You May Not Like:

• Reports can be hard to read and sometimes inaccurate, making it challenging to get reliable insights
• The software sometimes lags on the desktop, which can slow down productivity

Pricing:

• Starts at $23/user/month.

4. Apptivo – Best for Lead Capturing & Management

Image source: Apptivo

As an agency, managing multiple clients and projects can be overwhelming, but Apptivo’s powerful project management features and customizable workflows really made a difference for me.

I used the project management tools to assign tasks, set deadlines, and track progress, ensuring that all client projects were on schedule. The CRM’s ability to integrate with other essential tools like Slack and Google Workspace streamlined our communication and collaboration efforts.

The tool also offers performance dashboards and win/loss analysis reports. You can use it to segment your leads based on defined criteria and deliver personalized services to these groups.

What You’ll Like:

• Customizable lead capture forms that integrate seamlessly with your website
• Advanced lead scoring and tracking for better follow-up prioritization
• Customize fields and views to make your CRM database clutter-free
• Customizable pre-built email templates to save time

What You May Not Like:

• Importing data is not very user-friendly, which can slow down the onboarding process
• The tool’s interface is clunky and needs to be updated

Pricing:

• Starts at $20/user/month.

5. Copper CRM – Best for Businesses Using Google Workspace

Image source: Copper CRM

Copper CRM’s smooth integration with Google Workspace makes it an ideal choice for agencies that depend on Google’s suite of tools. I appreciated being able to handle tasks right from Gmail and monitor all client interactions through Google Calendar and Drive, which significantly streamlined my workflow.

The user-friendly interface minimizes data entry, freeing up more time for valuable client interactions. As an agency CRM, its strong project management capabilities, pipeline tracking, and team collaboration features are great.

One of the features I found particularly beneficial was the automated data entry. Copper pulls client information directly from emails, reducing the need for manual input. The visual pipeline management makes it easy to track and update sales processes.

What You’ll Like:

• Custom triggers for automation or schedule time-based activities
• Bulk email capabilities to facilitate consistent client communication
• Ready-to-use templates to easily generate reports, saving time and providing flexibility
• Visual sales pipeline to track lead positions for efficient progress tracking

What You May Not Like:

• Limited documentation is offered
• The UI of the tool could use some updates

Pricing:

• Starts at $9/user/month.

6. Podio – Best for Workflow Automation

Image source: Podio

I found Podio to be an incredibly versatile tool, especially for workflow automation and project management. Podio offers a customizable workspace where you can create and modify apps to suit your specific needs. This allowed me to align our agency’s processes, from lead generation to project delivery, seamlessly within the platform.

I used the task management feature to stay organized and on top of deadlines. For agencies, Podio is a suitable tool due to its ability to manage client projects, collaborate with team members, and integrate with other essential tools.

The integrated chat and video calls make communication seamless, ensuring that nothing falls through the cracks. Additionally, the integration with tools like Google Drive and Dropbox meant that all our client documents were easily accessible from one place.

What You’ll Like:

• Integrated communication tools like chat and video call features for seamless collaboration
• Customizable Templates to ensure you log the right information every time
• Ideal for Scrum management with tools for backlog grooming, sprint planning, and tracking progress, making team management smoother
• Automated client follow-up reminders and scheduling tools to keep client interactions timely and organized

What You May Not Like:

• Limited customization options can make it hard to tailor Podio to fit specific business needs
• Extremely difficult to set up, often requiring additional help

Pricing:

• Starts at $11.2/user/month.

7. Insightly – Best for Project Management

Image source: G2

Insightly is a feature-rich platform particularly useful for tracking customer interactions, managing sales pipelines, and organizing project milestones. The ability to link projects directly with contacts and opportunities provided a clear overview of our work and progress.

Insightly also offers powerful CRM features like advanced reporting, email tracking, and task management. The automated workflows and customizable dashboards made it easy to focus on strategy rather than routine tasks.

The real-time updates and mobile app were invaluable for staying on top of everything, ensuring I never missed a critical update or task. Additionally, its integration with popular tools like Google Workspace and Microsoft Office 365 further streamlined our operations and enhanced overall productivity.

What You’ll Like:

• Ability to connect website forms to capture and manage leads
• Multiple sales pipeline views with customizable filters and segmentation options
• Bulk emailing capability for efficient communication with large groups of contacts
• Tools to merge duplicate contacts and organizations, keeping your CRM clean and organized

What You May Not Like:

• Limited customization options in lower-tier plans
• The system settings interface is not very user-friendly, making it harder to configure options

Pricing:

• Starts at $29/user/month.

8. Spiro – Best for Contact Management

Image source: Spiro

I found Spiro’s AI-powered features to be a real asset for managing contacts efficiently. The tool handled automatic updates for contact details and interactions, which ensured I never missed a follow-up.

Its proactive task reminders were a lifesaver for keeping up with important client communications. For agencies, Spiro offered effective reporting and analytics tools that provided deep insights into team performance and client interactions.

It seamlessly integrates with various third-party tools to maintain smooth data flow and improve productivity. In my experience, Spiro greatly simplified our contact management process and enhanced our overall efficiency.

What You’ll Like:

• Spiro’s AI automatically updates contact details and reminders
• Mobile app to work on the go and make calls directly, increasing flexibility and productivity
• One-click dialing, text message support, and call recording make communication quick and efficient
• Reports and analytics in the form of charts, pivots, and tables provide comprehensive insights to enhance decision-making

What You May Not Like:

• Sorting reports can be difficult due to many unnecessary fields, making it harder to find relevant information
• Sometimes commands are not interpreted in different languages, which can lead to communication issues

Pricing:

• Custom pricing.

9. Sage CRM – Best for Sales Forecasting

Image source: Sage CRM

Sage CRM is exceptional for sales forecasting, offering an impressive array of features and an easy-to-use interface, making it a top pick for agencies. Using Sage CRM, I discovered its immense value in sales forecasting, particularly due to its real-time data insights and comprehensive reporting capabilities.

One thing I liked was how easily it integrated with other Sage products, which made it much more functional. The workflow automation and opportunity management tools really helped streamline our sales processes.

Additionally, the extensive customization options allowed me to adapt the CRM to fit our specific requirements perfectly. The collaborative features were ideal for managing client relationships and marketing campaigns, ensuring our team remained coordinated and efficient.

What You’ll Like:

• Segmented groups for leads and projects, allowing easy filtering and organization by territories and opportunity types
• Easy creation and customization of quotes from product catalogs, streamlining the sales process and efficiently meeting customer needs
• Integrates with social networks like Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, making it easier to find potential customers across different digital platforms
• The internal calendar tool helps users schedule client meetings, activities, and tasks

What You May Not Like:

• Some users find the initial setup process to be complex and time-consuming
• The mobile app can be limited in functionality compared to the desktop version

Pricing:

• Custom pricing.

Evaluation Criteria

The evaluation of products or tools chosen for this article follows an unbiased, systematic approach that ensures a fair, insightful, and well-rounded review. This method employs six key factors:

1. User Reviews / Ratings: Direct experiences from users, including ratings and feedback from reputable sites, provide a ground-level perspective. This feedback is critical in understanding overall satisfaction and potential problems.
2. Essential Features & Functionality: The value of a product is ascertained by its core features and overall functionality. Through an in-depth exploration of these aspects, the practical usefulness and effectiveness of the tools are carefully evaluated.
3. Ease of Use: The user-friendliness of a product or service is assessed, focusing on the design, interface, and navigation. This ensures a positive experience for users of all levels of expertise.
4. Customer Support: The quality of customer support is examined, taking into account its efficiency and how well it supports users in different phases – setting up, addressing concerns, and resolving operational issues.
5. Value for Money: Value for money is evaluated by comparing the quality, performance, and features. The goal is to help the reader understand whether they would be getting their money’s worth.
6. Personal Experience / Experts’ Opinions: This part of the evaluation criteria draws insightful observations from the personal experience of the writer and the opinions of industry experts.

Which Is the Best Agency CRM?

Choosing the best CRM for agencies is crucial for managing client projects, enhancing client relationships, and boosting overall productivity.

The ideal CRM for agencies should offer features like project management, time tracking, client communication tools, and seamless integration with other essential software such as email marketing and invoicing tools. Additionally, it should provide detailed analytics and reporting to support data-driven decision-making.

After evaluating various options, I found that BIGContacts is the best CRM for agencies. You can sign up for free to access a comprehensive suite of features tailored to the needs of agencies, including detailed client profiles, automated follow-ups, and efficient task management.

Its user-friendly interface and powerful automation capabilities make it an excellent choice for managing projects and enhancing client experiences, making BIGContacts a suitable CRM for agencies.

Learn More About the Best Agency CRM

What is agency CRM?

An agency CRM is a tool designed to help agencies manage client relationships, projects, and tasks efficiently. It streamlines communication, tracks project progress, and provides valuable insights through analytics. This helps agencies improve productivity, enhance client satisfaction, and make data-driven decisions to grow their business.

What are the essential features to look for in a CRM for agencies?

When choosing a CRM for agencies, look for CRM features like project management, time tracking, client communication tools, and seamless integration with email marketing and invoicing software. Also, ensure it offers detailed analytics and reporting to make data-driven decisions and automate repetitive tasks to enhance efficiency.

How to use an agency CRM for business growth?

To use an agency CRM for business growth, start by organizing client data and tracking interactions. Utilize its project management tools to streamline workflows and meet deadlines. Automate follow-ups and marketing campaigns to nurture client relationships. Analyze the CRM’s reports to identify trends and make data-driven decisions, helping you scale efficiently.

How to choose the best CRM for my agency?

To choose the best CRM for your agency, look for features like project management, time tracking, client communication tools, and integration with other software. Consider ease of use, customization options, and customer support. Try free trials and do in-depth research to find the prices of leading CRMs to see which CRM fits your agency’s workflow and enhances your client management.

How does CRM help agencies tackle the situation of using multiple tools for communication?

CRM helps agencies simplify communication by combining all their tools into one platform. It centralizes emails and messages and organizes contacts and client interactions, making it easier to manage and track everything in one place. This reduces confusion and improves efficiency, ensuring seamless communication and better client relationships.