Top 13 CRMs for Agencies: A Guide to Features, Pros & Cons

With the right CRM for agencies, operational excellence doesn’t have to be a buzzword.

Find out all about how you can make your daily workflows effective and efficient with the right software solution for professional services. Learn more about the key benefits and features of CRM, and then browse the best currently available tools.

Customer relationship management or CRM software for agencies refers to a software solution specifically designed to manage and support interactions with clients and potential customers. This type of CRM focuses on the unique needs of businesses such as marketing agencies, advertising, PR, or consulting firms. Some professional services automation examples include real-time sales revenue management and automated quote creation.

There are also options such as integrated project management software with CRM features.

A survey by Aberdeen Research & Strategy shows that companies increasing their investment in CRM software experience more benefits than those reducing their CRM spending.

These include:

This data highlights the importance of CRM software in enhancing your day-to-day operations. By helping you organize your client information and interaction, CRM platforms can give you a deeper understanding of client needs, support effective communication, and, ultimately, ensure better service delivery. CRM software helps agencies retain existing clients and recognize new business opportunities.

CRM software can vary depending on their comprehensiveness. When we look at the range of features, we can distinguish more specialized software focusing only on CRM functionalities. Other types of tools might include marketing features with integrations or add-ons. Finally, the most extensive type is all-in-one software, which combines sales with multiple other functionalities.

The benefits of all-in-one solutions can be significant, as they help you streamline your processes and get accurate data across projects:

Here are some specific features to consider when researching vendors and their solutions:

We’ll consider these key points in our overview of the best CRM for agencies. Keep reading to learn more about their benefits, downsides, key features, and user reviews.

Productive is an all-in-one software for professional services agencies of all shapes and sizes.

Learn how an all-in-one tool like Productive helps streamline business operations.

It’s designed to optimize your business performance on many different levels, with features that support deal tracking, project planning, financial management, and capacity planning.

As a CRM solution, Productive can help you manage sales leads through a customized funnel, organize tasks and handle communications, as well as track sales team performance.

Let’s explore these features in more detail.

Productive offers lightweight CRM capabilities in the form of a Sales Pipeline that works together with the rest of the platform.

Some key features include:

When it’s time to proceed with executing the client project, Productive provides robust financial management support with its Budgeting, Budgeting, and Purchase Orders features.

Productive can adapt to various project budgets, whether fixed-price, hourly, retainer, or hybrid, and integrates with resource scheduling for real-time budget and profit margin insights. Additionally, Productive supports revenue recognition for both invoiced and recognized revenue, as well as forecasting.

When it comes to invoicing, Productive supports the creation of brand-friendly invoices. Pull your billable hours or the remaining amounts from fixed-price projects, attach timesheets, and send them directly from the platform. With Purchase Orders, you can track external expenses to ensure you have the full picture of your agency’s financial health.

Productive also integrates with popular accounting platforms like QuickBooks and Xero for all your project finance accounting needs.

Productive’s Project Management feature supports agencies with a suite of integrated tools designed to optimize workflow and accountability. 

This includes:

Complementing these features is Productive’s Time Tracking capability. Time entries can be managed with a timer with a desktop widget for easy access, manual entry, and even automatic creation from resource bookings. Managers can approve and mark hours as billable and non-billable.

Additionally, Productive includes leave management, so you can define categories specific to your agency, approve requests, and view vacancies through platform status.

Productive’s Reporting feature offers a template library with agency-focused reports that can be populated with data from all your platform activities. This includes sales insights, project management and time tracking, budgeting, and more. Organize your reports into visual dashboards and share them with project stakeholders within the platform or with scheduled emails.

Additional features: Resource Planning, Docs, Automations.

Integrations include: Xero QuickBooks, HubSpot, Breathe, Zapier, Slack, Jira, Google Calendar, and more.

Productive offers a 14-day free trial so you can decide if it’s the right CRM solution for your agency.

Compare Productive and Productive alternatives.

HubSpot Sales Hub is an extensive solution for deal tracking, managing your sales funnel, and optimizing email campaigns.

Key features:

HubSpot Sales Hub is a robust tool for customer service teams and agencies of all shapes and sizes. It has various pricing points, making it suitable for mid-sized to enterprise agencies looking for robust support. However, it can be a less-than-ideal software solution for agencies that want to combine CRM functionalities with generalized agency project management capabilities. For this, you may consider an agency tool with a HubSpot integration, like Productive.

We also covered HubSpot in our list of the top Accelo alternatives, so you can head over to that article to learn more.

Apptivo is a cloud-based customer relationship management software that supports your sales and marketing processes.

Key features:

Multiple reviews note that Apptivo can be a great CRM solution for smaller agencies, as it offers affordable pricing points and all of the essential features you need to manage your business opportunities. However, as the main con of the software, users note that certain features, such as reporting, may lack the advanced functionalities needed to run a larger agency.

You can also check out how Apptivo performs as a WorkflowMax alternative.

Monday Sales CRM is a software platform from Monday.com designed specifically to improve client engagement and manage deal progress.

Key features:

Monday Sales CRM is a well-rated consulting CRM, and users usually praise it for its versatility and customization options. However, like HubSpot, certain reviewers noted that the features might be too comprehensive for smaller to mid-sized enterprises. Therefore, if you’re looking for essential sales team management, you might consider a more lightweight alternative from this list.

Insightly is a CRM software solution for businesses from various industries, including consulting, healthcare, finance, manufacturing, and more.

Key features:

Insightly can be a good choice for users who are looking for a joint sales and project management process on a single platform. However, consider that some expanded capabilities for agencies are lacking compared to similar tools on the market, such as capacity resource planning or advanced utilization forecasting.

Podio is described as a flexible, collaboration database that helps automate your processes and share information between key parties.

Key features:

Users note Podio’s potential to create flexible and versatile workflows, but they also add that technical knowledge might be required to get the most out of the tool. This also means the implementation may take longer than with more structured software, so keep this in mind if you have time-sensitive agency concerns.

Podio is also one of the top Plutio alternatives, so you can check out that article to learn more.

Salesforce Sales Cloud is a CRM solution with customizable dashboards and robust sales pipeline management.

Key features:

Salesforce is an advanced tool that supports client prospecting and analyzing sales analytics. Figuring out which features are included in which pricing tier can be complex, and the user interface has been described as confusing at times. Like HubSpot or Monday Sales Cloud, it might not be the best option for smaller agencies or inexperienced teams. However, although it’s a challenging solution, it does provide a great range of features for sales management.

You can also check out how Salesforce performs as an alternative to Bitrix24.

Nimble is described as a CRM software solution focused on nurturing your relationships.

Key features:

One of Nimble’s unique features is that it offers only one pricing tier: this can be a good thing, as it streamlines the decision-making process, but it also means that you may be getting more functionalities than you need at a higher price than necessary. Additionally, users enjoy most things about Nimble but underline that the user interface is slightly outdated.

EngageBay is a business operations platform that combines modules for marketing, CRM and sales, and customer service.

Key features:

EngageBay provides a pricing tier that combines marketing and sales into one tool, making it a good pick for agencies that are looking to unify these workflows. The modules can also be purchased separately, which is suitable for smaller teams needing a specialized solution. However, some reviewers mention that certain features are less advanced than expected.

Pipedrive is a versatile CRM solution for marketing teams and agencies of all shapes and sizes.

Key features:

Users frequently praise Pipedrive as an intuitive solution for agencies: “Pipedrive’s user-friendly interface makes it easy for our teams to navigate and manage the pipeline” (Source: Caperra). However, multiple reviews mention issues with customer support when it comes to responsiveness, issue-solving, and onboarding.

Spiro is a CRM software tailored to sales teams in mid-sized and enterprise companies, with a particular focus on the supply chain industry.

Key features:

Spiro is a complex CRM software solution that offers a wide range of features powered by AI. The pricing point is fairly high, similar to more extensive solutions like HubSpot. However, consider that Spiro provides solutions for distributors and manufacturers, and might not offer all of the capabilities necessary for daily agency operations.

Pipeline CRM is a software solution that supports sales and marketing efforts in professional services and consulting agencies.

Key features:

Pipeline can be a good CRM solution for marketing automation and sales management when it comes to covering essential features. However, users have stated that some advanced features are missing, such as more robust integrations or invoicing and consultants could benefit from researching more robust software for consulting firms.

Sage CRM is a tool designed to support sales efforts from the leading provider of agency software solutions, Sage.

Key features:

Though Sage CRM features useful capabilities for managing your sales process, numerous reviews mention the downsides of the tool. Users often highlight that the tool is unintuitive: “there is WAY too much ‘technical jargon’ that the average employee doesn’t understand” (Source: Capterra). Secondly, some reviews mention that importing data can be difficult and that costs can ramp up depending on your usage.

Implementing any type of software can be a lengthy process. The first necessary step is to ensure that all key stakeholders are aligned on the benefits of implementing that particular solution. This includes everyone, from the C-level down to junior staff.

Otherwise, keep your strategic goals and agency needs in mind at all times. The key is to ensure the CRM aligns with your agency’s goals, culture, and client management processes.

Finally, organizing team training and allowing for open feedback can help you get the most out of your software. Vendors that provide responsive customer service can significantly alleviate this process for you.

Determining the return on investment (ROI) of your CRM implementation involves assessing both tangible and intangible benefits. Tangible ROI is quantifiable, typically reflected in metrics like increased sales, reduced operational costs, and enhanced efficiency in client management processes. These are directly measurable impacts that contribute to the bottom line.

Intangible ROI, though not as easily quantifiable, is equally important. This includes improvements in customer satisfaction, a crucial factor in long-term business success. Satisfied customers are likelier to be loyal, provide referrals, and contribute to a positive brand reputation.

Another intangible benefit is enhanced employee engagement. A CRM system can simplify tasks, reduce manual workload, and provide clearer insights into customer needs, leading to a more motivated and productive workforce.

Consider both of these success metrics when gauging the effectiveness of your CRM implementation.

Investing in a CRM for your professional services agency can simplify operations, improve client relationships, and increase productivity. The ideal choice depends on your agency’s specific needs, size, and goals.

Make sure to evaluate your strategic objectives carefully, as well as research essential considerations such as scalability, user-friendliness, and reporting capabilities, before deciding which tool to go with. Finally, consider the benefits of integrated solutions such as all-in-one software that can deliver support for all of your business processes.

If you’re interested in a comprehensive platform for sales and agency operations, consider booking a demo with Productive.

The best CRM for an agency owner depends on your specific industry, agency, and even type of typical client engagement. A good all-around choice is Productive, a comprehensive tool for agencies that is designed to provide sales, project planning, financial management, capacity planning, and more, on a single platform.

An agency CRM is a tool for managing customer relationships. It is specifically designed to help streamline communication, automate tasks, manage leads, and provide insights into sales performance.

CRM solutions are often divided into three categories: operational, analytical, and collaborative. Operational CRM software helps automate tasks to streamline day-to-day operations. Analytical CRM software helps gather and analyze key agency data. Finally, collaborative CRM software focuses on centralizing information and supporting teamwork.

A realtor CRM is a type of customer relationship software that helps real estate agencies manage client interactions. The essential features don’t differ much from agency CRM solutions. They include contact management, lead tracking, and workflow automation.