Lead management software track, manage and nurture prospective customers. They are now a martech staple, helping businesses grow without incurring excessive costs or effort. And, there are new software innovations emerging every day to help you manage your leads better. In this article, we discuss:
- What is lead management, and how technology can help
- 10 software systems to consider for 2020
- Questions to consider before purchasing lead management software
As a marketer, you’re always looking to capture new customers, build relationships, and drive conversions. What’s more, it’s not just about a one-off high-value sale – effective marketing is all about increasing the lifetime value of every customerOpens a new window , ensuring loyalty, and an opportunity for referrals.
This is whyOpens a new window margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px;”> lead management software is so important. The manual approach to lead managementOpens a new window uses outmoded tables and spreadsheets to keep track of prospects, and you could overlook key details on the way. A software system replaces this via the intervention of automation, preconfigured business rules, and the ability to support bulk customers as your business grows.
Today, we’re sharing our roundup of the best lead management software systems you could use in 2020 – but before we begin, let’s look at what is lead management and the key features every lead management software should have.
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What Is Lead Management and How Can a Software System Simplify the Process?
Lead management refers to the tracking, managing, and nurturing of prospective customers or leads. While it’s possible to manage leads manually, it can be a time-consuming activity, taking up a sizable portion of your workday. Additionally, several tasks involved in lead management are iterative, such as data entry, sending the same follow-up email to multiple leads, sharing data with sales teams, and so on.
Lead management software uses technology to streamline this process. It can automatically extract data from your customer information repositories, qualify a lead as “cold,†“warm,†or “hot,†and enable collaboration between sales and marketing teams. Before you begin your search for the perfect lead management software system, make a note of its key features:
- Automatic lead capturing from a variety of marketing channels like the web, email, or social media
- Intelligent lead qualification to prioritize follow-up and personalize marketing messages
- Activity scheduling and tracking on an easy-to-use dashboard
- Detailed reports on lead management strategy effectiveness
- Stringent security and compliance, as you’re dealing with sensitive customer information
- A built-in CRM or native integration with your CRM platform so that sales reps can easily target qualified leads
No matter which software system you choose, these features are an absolute must-have. Let’s now take a look at the top ten lead management software systems for 2020, and assess if they are right for your business.
10 Software Systems to Help Manage Leads and Grow Your Business in 2020
Scalability is among the biggest advantages of using cutting-edge lead management software. A “human†marketer can only put in so much effort per day, limiting the size and reach of your customer-facing activities. A software system, on the other hand, takes preconfigured business rules and applies them to the entire customer base – no matter how large. Here are ten platforms that achieve this at minimal effort and optimal investment:
1. HubSpot lead management – An end-to-end CRM for businesses of every size
HubSpot is well recognized as a leader in CRM and marketing software systems. It includes three products, for marketing, sales, and customer services that can be deployed as standalone solutions or as the one-stop HubSpot CRM hub.
The lead management feature, specifically, captures leads from across your marketing touchpoints and creates a comprehensive lead database. Using these contact records, you can configure an automated email pipeline or even a telephonic communication schedule. HubSpot also highlights cold leads and new prospects so that you can personalize your message for maximum conversion possibility.
Interestingly, the lead management system feeds directly into the HubSpot CRM, so your sales team can take over critical conversations without missing a beat. Like most lead management software, HubSpot boasts a number of integrations, including Facebook, Instagram, Gmail, and Outlook. Gartner Peer Insights rates HubSpot at an impressive 4.4/5, making it one of the best software systems you can use to manage your leads.
2. Leadfeeder – A lead management software for small-to-mid-sized enterprises
LeadfeederOpens a new window margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px;”> plugs into your website analytics to generate and capture lead information. You can track user behavior and understand their specific interest areas, which helps you share targeted marketing communications. There are also automated email alerts so that you’re always informed when an important customer is visiting your website. Leadfeeder is particularly useful if you’re in the B2B segment or looking to sell products for business users.
Leadfeeder is compatible with a range of CRM platforms, including Zoho, HubSpot, Salesforce, LinkedIn sales navigator, and other popular tools. We liked that Leadfeeder integrates with Slack and Google Hangouts to help you collaborate across teams. And, the software system has been rated 4.5/5 on Capterra and 4.6/5 on G2, not to mention a “free forever†version that stores 7-days’ worth of data.
3. Salesforce – A global giant with a nifty option for SMBs
Salesforce is one of the world’s leading CRM companies, and its Sales Cloud is equally compelling. It includes modules for contact management, extracting leads from your marketing platforms, and helping to automate the sales process. There are features that let you prioritize tasks, communicate with customers, and view deeper insights via analytics. A host of different stakeholders across sales, marketing, finance, billing, and service teams can be connected to Salesforce, building a seamless lead management strategy.
If you want a powerful, enterprise-grade lead management system, you can add Salesforce’s AI engine – Einstein – for an additional cost component. On the flip side, there’s also a Salesforce Essentials bundle designed specifically for SMBs that offers basic lead management and CRM features at just $25 per user per month. Gartner Peer Insights rates Sales Cloud a 4.3 out of 5.
4. Less Annoying CRM – Surprisingly simple software that lives up to its name
Less Annoying CRM is designed based on the principle of simplicity and ease of use. Enterprise-grade lead management software systems often include a large number of features and customization capabilities that aren’t always required by your business. Less Annoying CRM solves this with an intuitive interface and careful product design. The software is entirely web-based, requiring zero downloads or installations, and the pricing is also straight forward at $10 per user per month, regardless of the size of the business.
Less Annoying CRM has built-in calendars and collaboration facilities, and you could also choose to customize the system (or not) with assistance from their robust customer support. This lead management software comes in at a stellar 4.9/5 on G2.
5. Pipedrive – An end-to-end lead management solution with 100+ integrations
PipedriveOpens a new window margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px;”> helps to visualize your sales pipeline with clear indicators, suggesting which leads to prioritize and the next best action. Chatbots and webforms can be easily plugged-in to capture leads, and the software tracks communications across calls, and emails. Pipedrive comes with automated workflows and AI capabilities, to reduce the effort spent on admin tasks.
Pipedrive’s most impressive feature is its exhaustive list of integrations, allowing you to capture leads from any touchpoint, and feed into whichever CRM you choose. And if the integration you need isn’t on the list, Pipedrive also has an open API library. It’s no surprise, therefore, that Pipedrive is rated 4.3/5 on G2, and 4.5/5 on Capterra.
6. Copper – The go-to choice if you’re using G-Suite
Copper is designed specifically as a CRM system for G-Suite, integrating seamlessly into the G-Suite experience by extracting leads from the inbox, scheduling events on the Google Calendar, enabling collaborations via drive, and several other features. Given that G-Suite is becoming increasingly popular for businesses around the globe, Copper has a lot to offer. Interestingly, this isn’t just a lead management system for SMBs – its enterprise customers include giants like SoftBank and Casio.
The lead management module in Copper boasts easy filtering and list creation so that you can customize it as per your needs. Targeted segments are available to help send personalized bulk emails, and Copper’s analytics keeps an eye on lead movements, conversion, and revenues. This software system is rated 4.6/5 on G2 and 4.5/5 on Capterra.
7. Ohmylead – A new but promising option in the lead management software landscape
Unlike several other systems on this list, Ohmylead is a pureplay lead management software without a built-in CRM. It can, however, feed into any lead nurturing tool currently being used, and connect to any lead source. All captured leads are automatically verified and scored. Leads that are yet to become qualified are diverted into a nurturing pipeline, with integrations such as MailChimp, MailJet, and other email marketing automation softwareOpens a new window .
Founded in 2014, Ohmylead was born out of the extensive experience of a digital agency that generated thousands of leads over the years. This, combined with its comprehensive integrations and easy automation, makes Ohmylead a powerful software system. It’s also rated 4.5/5 on Capterra.
8. Freshsales – An AI-based CRM from the Freshworks family
Freshworks has a software system for nearly every business requirement you could imagine, including project management, marketing automation, website management, collaboration, contact centers, and lots more. Freshsales is the company CRM tool, using AI for lead scoring and qualification. It includes a built-in phone and email capabilities to quickly follow up on leads, and the AI is particularly useful when scoring leads, identifying business opportunities and extracting insights.
Freshsales is available as a standalone software system or as part of Freshworks 360. Pricing is customized as per your location of business, and Freshsales has been rated an impressive 4.5/5 by over 430 users on Capterra.
9. PipelineDeals – A CRM focused on sales rep productivity
PipelineDeals supports data import from any system, including Outlook, Google, and Excel, among others. Leads are extracted from this data and positioned on the sales pipeline. They are then color-coded to suggest their priority level, and completion stage. Sales representatives can directly follow up on a lead using the PipelineDeals’ software system.
Several handy features set this system apart – there are customizable lists so you can classify and organize your leads as needed. You can attach multiple contacts to a single deal, particularly useful for account-based marketing in the B2B space. The lead management dashboard clearly displays every lead’s source, helping you track lead generation efficiency and invest in the right touchpoints. Finally, email integration means you’re immediately notified when a lead opens an email, clicks a link, or downloads an attachment. This sets the stage for lead management automation.
PipelineDeals boasts of a high adoption rate of 83% – this is partly owing to the fact that every version comes with telephonic support and unlimited reports, no matter the price point. Capterra gives this software system a 4.5/5 rating, based on nearly 600 reviews.
10. FLG – A CRM that supports up to 1 million leads simultaneously
B2C segments such as e-commerce rely on a very high volume of leads every day, supported by lead management automation. FLG is a powerful lead management software that simplifies this process, with intelligent workflows, multiple integrations, marketing automation, and a multichannel contact center as well. FLG’s software is designed to replace a fragmented sales and marketing pipeline with dependencies on different systems, each with its own license. The result is a unified, easy-to-navigate, and cost-efficient martech stack.
As mentioned, FLG supports up to 1 million leads with bulk imports, advanced deduplication, and log-based distribution to help tackle high volumes. The software also includes time-stamped audits and personalized follow-up workflows for further efficiency.
FLG’s lead management software is available in three versions, ranging from 100,000 leads up to 1 million. On Capterra, the software comes in at 5 out 5, thanks to its unique value proposition.
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Questions to Consider Before Purchasing Lead Management Software
With so many options available, it can be difficult to select the best-fit software system for your brand. Here are the factors to analyze when taking a call:
- How many leads are you handling every month, on average?
- Take stock of existing systems – do you need another CRM, or is an integration enough?
- What is the level of customization required after implementation?
- What are your personalization goals, and do you need AI to meet them?
All the software systems listed here include a free trial, so you can test the features and their relevance for your business before buying. Remember to do your research, outline your lead management strategy for 2020, and always document your automation workflows in case you decide to switch to a different system. This will pave the way for an agile marketing function, ready to take on the expectations of a new generation of customers.
Have you used any of the software systems we discussed? If so, how was your experience? Tell us on LinkedInOpens a new window , FacebookOpens a new window , or TwitterOpens a new window . We’d love to hear from you!