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What is Sales Automation Software?

Sales automation software enables companies to standardize sales processes and tasks, all the way from leads to conversions, together with reports and performance evaluation. This system can bring together your sales history records within minutes instead of hours you would need to spend if you do things by hand on a spreadsheet. You can effortlessly calculate vital variables including conversion rates, win-loss ratios, and lead time.Show more Another benefit is you can get a detailed overview of the activities performed by your sales team with regards to products and services, territories, and customers. Sales automation software can speed up the tracking of your sales lifecycles and help you to accomplish your goals on schedule. Go on exploring the features of sales automation software by reading about the current topper HubSpot Sales Hub and the other highly rated solutions in this category.Show less

How was this ranking made?

To come up with this list of best Sales Automation Software we have evaluated 342 different apps currently available on the market, studying their features, ease of implementation, client service, possible integrations with other systems and mobile support using our unique SmartScoreTM rating algorithm. This list has been prepared by Jenny Chang, our B2B authority responsible for the Sales Automation Software category.

List of Top 12 Sales Automation Software

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1. HubSpot Sales Hub

Our score: 9.8 User satisfaction: 98%

A smart ecommerce system that helps you sell more in less time, as well as build and automate sales processes. Customizable and flexible, this addresses the needs of any sales teams across industries. It helps businesses gain considerable time- and cost-savings by allowing extensive automation of sales-related activities.

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2. Sales Creatio

Our score: 9.3 User satisfaction: 100%

A CRM and sales automation solution for small, medium, and large companies. Sales Creatio comes with smart automation tools for the critical stages of sales operations including CRM data management, lead management, invoicing, and order management. It is also capable of sales forecasting and data enrichment via pre-built SNS integrations.

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3. Freshsales

Our score: 9.7 User satisfaction: 95%

A sales solution that integrates CRM, marketing, and communication features to help sales agents nurture customer relationships and close more deals. AI-powered deal insights also empower agents in hitting performance goals and sales quotas.

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4. Pipedrive

Our score: 9.4 User satisfaction: 100%

Pipedrive is the winner of our Expert's Choice Award. It is a personal sales manager for small, medium-sized, and large businesses that lets you close more deals and improve sales. Built by both salespeople and web developers, it is a practical easy-to-use tool that people with varying tech-savviness can instantly use.

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5. LeadSquared Sales + Mobile CRM

Our score: 9.2 User satisfaction: N/A

A popular automation software designed to streamline the sales process and optimize customer relationship management. Its standout HIPAA compliance offers a vital component for healthcare businesses.

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6. Pipeliner

Our score: 9.1 User satisfaction: 100%

A sales CRM and automation software that boosts adoption rates and ROI through a highly visual interface, numerous customization options, and robust reporting capabilities. It helps you manage your pipeline to turn leads into sales and sales to repeat purchases. It also generates reports and insights within its dashboard.

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7. EngageBay

Our score: 8.9 User satisfaction: 100%

EngageBay is an all-in-one marketing, sales, and CRM platform designed to be an affordable alternative to expensive solutions. Considered as a true alternative to more expensive business solutions, EngageBay automates key business processes and routines to free you up to create meaningful customer experiences.

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8. SalesExec

Our score: 8.8 User satisfaction: 97%

An all-in-one sales lead management application and communication platform that can help businesses see actual results within 30 days. Designed for sales teams operating in field offices and contact centers, SalesExec provides various communication channels from inbound call routing, outbound dialing, email, and text SMS to leverage any sales initiative.

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9. Method:CRM

Our score: 8.8 User satisfaction: 99%

A one-of-a-kind CRM that seamlessly integrates with QuickBooks for accurate estimates and a faster sales process. Equipped with customer service tools, opportunity management features, invoicing options, as well as real-time reporting functionalities, this allows you to keep a better eye on your leads and respond to them swiftly.

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10. Squaretalk

Our score: 8.5 User satisfaction: 97%

Offers various communication tools to help businesses engage with customers. A cloud call center and predictive dialer ensure teams provide improved customer support and that customers are connected to agents with the right skills. Seamless integrations with third-party software also help automate workflows to further improve productivity.

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11. CloudCraze

Our score: 7.5 User satisfaction: 100%

A cloud solution helping brands track and manage sales, deploy multiple currency and multilingual storefronts by staying within Salesforce environment.

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12. FastSpring

Our score: 9.0 User satisfaction: 94%

FastSpring is a complete package offering you the best opportunities to expand your business globally.

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Sales Automation Software Guide

Table of contents

Industry Report - Sales Automation Software for 2022

CloudRank™ system is a unique algorithm that our research team uses to evaluate Sales Automation Software solutions in a detailed and accurate way. The Summer 2022 edition of the ranking was prepared by Jenny Chang, our leading expert in the field of Sales Automation Software, who has authored 1380+ product reviews in this category. The goal of CloudRank™ is to present an unbiased, multi-layered perspective on Sales Automation Software, considering a wide range of metrics and factors, and educating potentiala customers about both opportunities and challenges associated with each piece of software.

In order to achieve full objectivity the position in our CloudRank™ is based on:

  • Expert Score: which involves extensive analysis by our internal team which carefully examined all key elements of each software and testing it in real-life situations
  • User Score: which involves an aggregated opinion of actual users of each product whose identity was properly verified
  • Market Position: which involves general recognition of a given vendor on the market and reflects its overall popularity and reach
What do the tiers in CloudRank™ mean?

What do the tiers in CloudRank™ mean?

We’ve calculated a score for each product based on the average experience shared by our users in their product reviews and arranged the list in three tiers. You can see the methodology below on how the calculations were made.

  • Leaders: those with a User Score of 8.7 or higher; this tier includes products that are currently leaders on the market and are appreciated by both experts and actual users. They always represent the best of what the Sales Automation Software market has to offer and are all worth trying out if you’re looking for a reliable solution.
  • Contenders: those with a User Score between 7.7 and 8.7; this tier includes high-quality products that still have some minor drawbacks that prevent them from becoming leaders on the market. They always represent well-designed tools that, over time, will most likely develop into market leaders as the missing features are added.
  • Rising Stars: those with a User Score between 6.7 and 7.7; this tier includes products that have high-potential but still lack some crucial features or services expected from a leading solution. They are products with solid foundations and a vision that makes us eager to see what they will become as their solution improves in the future.

Regardless of their tier, all products included in our CloudRank™ are popular, quality products considered top-performers by our team of experts. Make sure you read a more detailed review of each solution to find one that will work best for your specific needs and budget.

Show less
Rising Star
Contenders
Front-Runners

MARKET POSITION

A score between 1 and 10 based on popularity and market reach of each product.

TOTAL score

A score between 1 and 10 based on the average of our Expert Score and User Score.

How does CloudRank™ work?

Arrow top

Market Position

A score between 1 and 10 based on popularity and market reach of each product.

Arrow right

Total Score

A score between 1 and 10 based on the average of our Expert Score and User Score.

CloudRank™ tier

Based on product's total score.

Rising Star

Contender

Front Runners

25 Most Popular Sales Automation Software

Here is a list of all 25 Sales Automation Software solutions evaluated with our CloudRank™ analysis. We have compared their features, user satisfaction, market presence and other key factors in an in-depth analysis you can find below:

1. HubSpot Sales

9.07
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:9.07
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Lead Contact

%

Lead Tracking

%

Insight Tracking

%

Sales Pipeline Visibility

%

Historical Data with Drill Down

%
Worst features

Integrations/APIs

%

Sales Quotes and Proposals

%

Centralized Database for Customer Information

%

Forecasts

%

Native Mobile Apps

%

2. ActiveCampaign

8.84
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:8.84
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Lead Contact

%

Lead Tracking

%

Integrations/APIs

%

Centralized Database for Customer Information

%

Buyer Behavior Insights

%
Worst features

Insight Tracking

%

Sales Pipeline Visibility

%

Forecasts

%

Sales Quotes and Proposals

%

Native Mobile Apps

%

3. Zendesk Sell

8.80
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:8.80
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Sales Pipeline Visibility

%

Centralized Database for Customer Information

%

Integrations/APIs

%

Lead Contact

%

Lead Tracking

%
Worst features

Native Mobile Apps

%

Historical Data with Drill Down

%

Forecasts

%

Sales Quotes and Proposals

%

4. Pipeliner

8.78
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:8.78
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Forecasts

%

Historical Data with Drill Down

%

Sales Pipeline Visibility

%

Trend Analysis

%

Powerful Search Functions

%
Worst features

Native Mobile Apps

%

Integrations/APIs

%

Lead Contact

%

Sales Quotes and Proposals

%

Lead Tracking

%

5. Pipedrive

8.76
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:8.76
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Sales Pipeline Visibility

%

Centralized Database for Customer Information

%

Lead Contact

%

Lead Tracking

%

Historical Data with Drill Down

%
Worst features

Integrations/APIs

%

Native Mobile Apps

%

Forecasts

%

Sales Quotes and Proposals

%

6. Zoho CRM

8.51
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:8.51
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Centralized Database for Customer Information

%

Lead Contact

%

Lead Tracking

%

Historical Data with Drill Down

%

Sales Pipeline Visibility

%
Worst features

Forecasts

%

Native Mobile Apps

%

Integrations/APIs

%

Sales Quotes and Proposals

%

7. Freshsales

8.49
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:8.49
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Sales Pipeline Visibility

%

Historical Data with Drill Down

%

Lead Contact

%

Lead Tracking

%

Powerful Search Functions

%
Worst features

Forecasts

%

Centralized Database for Customer Information

%

Sales Quotes and Proposals

%

Sales Presentation and Pitches Automation

%

Integrations/APIs

%

8. LeadSquared Sales + Mobile CRM

8.49
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:8.49
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Lead Contact

%

Lead Tracking

%

Integrations/APIs

%

Historical Data with Drill Down

%

Centralized Database for Customer Information

%
Worst features

Sales Pipeline Visibility

%

Native Mobile Apps

%

Forecasts

%

9. Copper

8.41
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:8.41
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Centralized Database for Customer Information

%

Sales Pipeline Visibility

%

Native Mobile Apps

%

Lead Contact

%

Lead Tracking

%
Worst features

Historical Data with Drill Down

%

Integrations/APIs

%

Forecasts

%

Sales Quotes and Proposals

%

10. Nutshell CRM

8.38
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:8.38
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Centralized Database for Customer Information

%

Lead Contact

%

Lead Tracking

%

Sales Pipeline Visibility

%

Historical Data with Drill Down

%
Worst features

Integrations/APIs

%

Native Mobile Apps

%

Forecasts

%

Sales Quotes and Proposals

%

11. Microsoft Dynamics 365

8.15
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:8.15
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Centralized Database for Customer Information

%

Historical Data with Drill Down

%

Sales Pipeline Visibility

%

Integrations/APIs

%

Lead Contact

%
Worst features

Lead Tracking

%

Sales Quotes and Proposals

%

Forecasts

%

Native Mobile Apps

%

12. ShipStation

8.12
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:8.12
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Centralized Database for Customer Information

%

Sales Quotes and Proposals

%

Forecasts

%

Integrations/APIs

%

Native Mobile Apps

%
Worst features

Trend Analysis

%

Insight Tracking

%

Buyer Behavior Insights

%

13. Salesmate

8.06
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:8.06
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Sales Pipeline Visibility

%

Areas for Improvement

%

Centralized Database for Customer Information

%

Sales Quotes and Proposals

%

Forecasts

%
Worst features

Insight Tracking

%

Lead Contact

%

Lead Tracking

%

Powerful Search Functions

%

Integrations/APIs

%

14. EngageBay

7.99
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:7.99
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Sales Quotes and Proposals

%

Historical Data with Drill Down

%

Insight Tracking

%

Lead Tracking

%

Trend Analysis

%
Worst features

Lead Contact

%

Sales Presentation and Pitches Automation

%

Integrations/APIs

%

Native Mobile Apps

%

Buyer Behavior Insights

%

15. Infusionsoft

7.93
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:7.93
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Integrations/APIs

%

Insight Tracking

%

Lead Contact

%

Lead Tracking

%

Centralized Database for Customer Information

%
Worst features

Historical Data with Drill Down

%

Sales Pipeline Visibility

%

Native Mobile Apps

%

Sales Quotes and Proposals

%

Forecasts

%

16. PipelineDeals

7.83
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:7.83
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Centralized Database for Customer Information

%

Sales Pipeline Visibility

%

Lead Contact

%

Lead Tracking

%

Powerful Search Functions

%
Worst features

Historical Data with Drill Down

%

Forecasts

%

Integrations/APIs

%

Sales Quotes and Proposals

%

Native Mobile Apps

%

17. Salesforce Essentials

7.83
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:7.83
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Sales Pipeline Visibility

%

Insight Tracking

%

Lead Contact

%

Lead Tracking

%

Integrations/APIs

%
Worst features

Forecasts

%

Native Mobile Apps

%

Powerful Search Functions

%

Sales Presentation and Pitches Automation

%

Centralized Database for Customer Information

%

18. Method:CRM

7.81
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:7.81
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Native Mobile Apps

%

Powerful Search Functions

%

Sales Pipeline Visibility

%

Areas for Improvement

%

Trend Analysis

%
Worst features

Lead Tracking

%

Buyer Behavior Insights

%

Forecasts

%

Integrations/APIs

%

Insight Tracking

%

19. Pardot

7.57
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:7.57
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Lead Contact

%

Historical Data with Drill Down

%

Lead Tracking

%

Buyer Behavior Insights

%

Sales Pipeline Visibility

%
Worst features

Integrations/APIs

%

Centralized Database for Customer Information

%

Insight Tracking

%

20. NetSuite CRM

7.57
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:7.57
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Centralized Database for Customer Information

%

Sales Quotes and Proposals

%

Historical Data with Drill Down

%

Lead Contact

%

Lead Tracking

%
Worst features

Sales Pipeline Visibility

%

Forecasts

%

Integrations/APIs

%

Native Mobile Apps

%

21. SAP CRM

7.49
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:7.49
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Sales Quotes and Proposals

%

Centralized Database for Customer Information

%

Forecasts

%

Historical Data with Drill Down

%

Lead Contact

%
Worst features

Lead Tracking

%

Integrations/APIs

%

Sales Pipeline Visibility

%

Native Mobile Apps

%

22. Miva Merchant

7.08
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:7.08
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Integrations/APIs

%

Lead Tracking

%

Lead Contact

%

Buyer Behavior Insights

%

Sales Pipeline Visibility

%
Worst features

Insight Tracking

%

Centralized Database for Customer Information

%

23. SalesExec

6.76
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:6.76
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Lead Contact

%

Sales Quotes and Proposals

%

Forecasts

%

Sales Pipeline Visibility

%

Lead Tracking

%
Worst features

Centralized Database for Customer Information

%

Native Mobile Apps

%

24. Squaretalk

6.66
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:6.66
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Integrations/APIs

%

Centralized Database for Customer Information

%

Lead Contact

%

Lead Tracking

%
Worst features

25. vtenext

6.59
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Our score and features analysis:

Total User Satisfaction

Total Expert Score

Market Position

} CloudRank™
Score:6.59
Customers company size

No. of employees:

1-10 11-50 51-100 100+
Best features

Integrations/APIs

%

Sales Quotes and Proposals

%

Forecasts

%

Lead Tracking

%

Sales Pipeline Visibility

%
Worst features

Historical Data with Drill Down

%

Powerful Search Functions

%

Centralized Database for Customer Information

%

Lead Contact

%

Our report covered 25 most popular products from the Sales Automation Software category. We’ve analyzed their features, performance, integration, customer support, pricing, and several other key buying factors and combined it with feedback from user reviews to come up with the current list of best solutions:

HubSpot Sales leads the pack in this edition of the sales automation software CloudRank. As a smart eCommerce system designed to help your business save more time by automating various sales processes, HubSpot Sales is highly customizable to fit the needs of businesses of any size, and even offers a free startup package for first-time users. This software is equipped with a robust set of features that allows for a more organized sales and CRM process on your end. Offered by inbound marketing pioneer HubSpot, HubSpot Sales sites comfortably in a well-equipped and nearly all-in-one ecosystem of SaaS options that can help companies grow their business across many different digital avenues, not to mention HubSpot University, which can potentially help tremendously with training and onboarding new and old users.

Additionally, HubSpot Sales implements a completely paperless pipeless system, and it provides a dynamic dashboard that you can access from any device. This dashboard provides you the ability to oversee critical metrics concerning your customers’ behavior, which can be of great use when connecting this system to HubSpot’s inbound marketing tool. Also, there is a single plan that costs $50 per user per month which covers the full suite of advanced sales and marketing features.

All in all, HubSpot Sales beat out formidable competitors for the top spot, adding to its list of accolades which already includes being the top scorer for sales automation and lead management, as well as earning the Best Sales Software for 2019 Award from FinancesOnline.

Most users of Sales Automation Software solutions confirm that in most cases these tools allow them to reach the following business goals:

  • It helped improved upselling and cross-selling with greater access to customer information such as demographics, history, and preference, among others. [ 86.6% of users ]
  • It maximized the potential of every sales opportunity. [ 84.9% of users ]
  • It prioritized sales tasks by sifting through leads and qualifying them. [ 86.4% of users ]
  • It provided critical information to sales managers and sales reps, helping them close more deals in less time. [ 86.9% of users ]
  • It provided more accurate forecasting based on opportunities, quotes, and orders. [ 87.6% of users ]

How did we select products for this Sales Automation Software report?

The Summer 2022 version of the report includes a total of 25 Sales Automation Software products that were compared and analyzed by our team. We selected them based on the following factors:

  • Popularity of a given brand in the SaaS market (based on our own market research)
  • How popular a given brand is among FinancesOnline users (based on number of mothly readers for each review page)
  • Availability of statistical data generated from user reviews of a particular product (we excluded products with not enough data to draw meaningful conclusions)
  • The current listing reflects the state of our database and research as of June 2022. An updated version of the report will be released quarterly to keep data fresh and incorporate information about shifts and changing trends in the market.

What are the current Sales Automation Software trends?

The sales process is one of the most crucial and important processes in any kind of business. Sales teams are dedicated to finding abundant leads that can be nurtured and guided through the pipeline and be converted into sales. For that, there are various SaaS solutions in the market that can help businesses with this delicate process. One of the best kinds of software to use are those in the sales force automation category and here are the trends that will affect these kinds of software in the coming future.

Boost Sales Using AI

Artificial intelligence has been making waves across various industries. When used in the sales field, AI can help your team gather valuable data on customers that they can later use to develop marketing strategies that can boost sales. Additionally, artificial intelligence is proven to boost your team’s productivity by taking over menial tasks like note-taking and appointment setting and put in the extra work in the lead management process by automatically determining which leads have a higher chance of conversion.

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Biggest Sales Prospecting Challenges of 2019

Biggest Sales Prospecting Challenges of 2019
Setting up appointments: 14

Setting up appointments

%
Biggest Sales Prospecting Challenges of 2019
Consistent cadence of contact across channels: 13

Consistent cadence of contact across channels

%
Biggest Sales Prospecting Challenges of 2019
Reaching the right stakeholder: 12

Reaching the right stakeholder

%
Biggest Sales Prospecting Challenges of 2019
Creating targeted strategies: 12

Creating targeted strategies

%
Biggest Sales Prospecting Challenges of 2019
Qualifying leads: 10

Qualifying leads

%

Source: Richardson Annual Selling Challenges Study

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In the advent of social media, the line between sales, marketing, and customer relationship management is vaguer than ever. Before, social media platforms are mainly used to implement the marketing strategies of businesses, but now, customers are taking control of these pages and plowed queries about sales and support one after another. This can also be said to emails sent to you by a lot of brands. It is not only sent to inboxes with marketing in mind, but it can also be a gateway to start the sales process and even provide customer service. For these reasons, sales force automation software are more likely to be integrated with not only marketing but also customer relationship management capabilities.

Source: 2018 HubSpot State of Inbound

Omnichannel Sales

About 73% of shoppers look at different channels while searching for a product. These channels include eCommerce platforms such as Amazon, eBay, social media, and even brick-and-mortar stores. However, staying visible in all of these channels is a challenge and with a little help from reinforced sales force automation platforms, moving to the top of the mind of your customers will become a breeze.

Since sales force automation platforms are predicted to become enhanced with marketing and CRM automation capabilities, omnichannel sales can be easily implemented. With automation, you can easily monitor every leads’ progress through the pipeline with minimal effort.

A good customer relationship management (CRM) solution includes sales automation features that can greatly improve your company’s online productivity and enable your sales reps to sell more. This buyer’s guide offers a list of useful tips you can follow to do informed comparisons to source the best Sales Automation tools for enterprises and SMBs.

Get to Know Each Product with Free Trial

A good course of action is to sign up for at least a few free trials or demo and basic unpaid plans from popular sales automation tools providers. With that method, you will have the opportunity to test the important elements and you will get a good comparison of the capabilities of the tested programs. The best thing to do when looking for the best Sales Automation tools is to try platforms that currently have the highest SmartScore rankings and Customer Satisfaction Rating in our sales automation software reviews: Zoho CRM reviewsInfusionsoft, LeadExec, Hatchbuck, Pipedrive, and SalesExec

Targeted Businesses

Sales automation tools can be useful to every company looking to improve productivity and cut time and effort managing sales cycles. Still, there are few specific scenarios where sales automation software is most helpful:

  • Inside sales reps who sell remotely via the Internet and phone. They need email, calling tools, and cadence/workflow in order to close deals, and could, therefore, benefit from automated sales processes.
  • Field sales reps who sell face to face. Field sales rep need sales automation software, mostly because of mobile access to databases in order to be productive in the field.
  • Lead generation teams creating leads and sales agents fixing appointments with clients. The same as inside sales reps selling on the internet, lead generation teams need software which includes email, calling tools, cadence/workflow, and a variety of lead tracking/analyzing functions.
  • Companies with multiple sales channels. Sales automation software can also be useful to companies selling indirectly through distributors and dealers. Their needs include email, calling tools, and cadence/workflow, and as we already mentioned, sales automation software is more than capable to provide such.

What are Examples of Sales Automation Software?

  • Zoho CRM: A great member of the Zoho productivity suite designed to help different businesses attract, retain, and satisfy customers with automated sales processes.
  • Pipedrive: A simple, yet effective sales pipeline management tool for small and medium businesses looking to organize leads and to have the full picture of their sales cycle.
  • Infusionsoft: A popular sales automation solution built exclusively for small business firms, which helps them map out each step of the sales process, and to turn leads into customers.
  • Base CRM: One of the leading CRM and sales automation apps that improve sales productivity with a robust set of sales automation and lead tracking features.
  • Pipeliner: A robust set of sales automation features designed to track sales processes and to keep everybody in the team informed of sales trends.

Types of Sales Automation Software

There are many different types of sales automation software, varying from free and basic tool suites to ultra costly and accurate programs. Features can also be categorization criteria, as certain programs do nothing but summarize leads, while others are more robust and they allow companies to monitor lead behavior, track the entire sales cycle, and even do some custom branding. Deployment is also an important factor based on which there are:

  • On-premise sales automation programs. These are covered with a single license and are hosted on the client’s local server. They qualify as the most expensive ones, due to the fact that they require complex setup and occasionally some hardware installation.
  • Software-as-a-service (SaaS) sales automation programs. These are usually paid per month and are hosted on the vendor’s server. The business owner is not responsible for installation, updating, and maintenance.
  • Cloud-hosted sales automation programs. Most of these offer free basic plans and qualify as the most affordable ones due to their universal access and the fact that the client doesn’t need to update them or to pay for maintenance.

Key Features of Sales Automation Software

These are the basic features to expect from your next sales automation system:

  • A workflow engine that automates and organizes the daily tasks of your sales reps. This feature enables sales teams to save time and simplify approvals and represents the core of sales automation making it possible for the team to sell with nothing more than few clicks. All tasks and assignments are separately scheduled, and all agents have access to a centralized product database with information.
  • Offers an email and calling cadence. A solid sales automation tool is supposed to offer sales dialer integration, allowing teams to use the same platform for contacting customers and selling indirectly. For the purpose, these programs are supposed to allow cadence creation and automate communication, namely to act as both inbound and outbound sales tools.
  • Integrates smoothly with the other business apps you use. When implementing a sales automation system, you’re not supposed to transform and adjust your entire software infrastructure to it, but the other way around. The system should simply blend in your software landscape, and integrate seamlessly with all sales tools you’re already using.
  • Offers scalability and flexibility. It is of utmost importance for your sales automation system to be flexible and configurable, in order to respond to the needs of your growing business, accumulate more data without extra fees, and offer a variety of personalization tools you can use to highlight your brand while selling.
  • Insightful analytics that gives you a good understanding of campaigns and results. One of the strongest features of sales automation software is tracking, and providing comprehensive insights into the results of business campaigns, which helps companies capture trends and stay on track with developments.
  • Reporting tools. The final purpose of running a sales automation system is to use the data it has gathered for rich and accurate reports, most of the time easy to read and non-savvy user-friendly, with a variety of charts, graphs, pies, key metrics and indicators which measure performance.
  • Mobile access to enable your sales reps to access the app anytime, anywhere. We can no longer afford to run sales automation software from desktop devices only, since teams are becoming global and decentralized, and need to be able to accomplish their tasks (in particular to sell) on the go. Therefore, look for a sales automation tool that offers mobile apps too, ideally both for Android and iOS devices.
  • Lead rotation and scoring tools for managers. Manually assigning leads to sales representatives can eat up precious time you can spend on more urgent tasks, not to mention the risk of losing precious leads. Automating lead rotation allows you to assign leads based on different criteria such as location. Lead scoring, on the other hand, delves deeper into the leads’ behavioral data, which helps in prioritizing quality leads. Automated lead scoring, however, can only work if you have enough volume of leads.

Benefits of Sales Automation Software

These are the main benefits companies experience when using a solid sales automation system:

  • Understanding their sales workflow. Sales automation software helps you automate and streamline the sales process, identify inefficient areas, and the pain points of the sales staff. Solid sales automation systems will work smoothly with your existent sales workflow and eases the work of your sales agents.
  • Identifying areas for sales automation. This is a process which would take significantly more time, efforts, and finances without a good sales automation tool on board. When such a system is present, however, you can identify weak areas in your current sales workflow, and you can use the sales automation tool to boost productivity and efficiency. Its CRM features will support your current workflow instead of replacing it and will optimize your current processes and those that work well for your sales reps. It can also be used to automate information gathering, sending out marketing emails, tracking scheduling and follow-ups, call time collection and more.
  • Understanding risks. Another thing sales automation software is very good at is understanding risks, mostly because of the features that help the accomplishment of particular tasks and calculate the costs of automated sales compared to traditional selling practices.
  • Focusing on inside sales reps. Inside sales reps make up a good percentage of a company’s sales department and they are higher in number than field agents. Inside sales is growing more quickly than field sales which makes it important for you to equip your inside sales agents with the best tools.
  • Identifying pain points. Analyze your sales team’s performance and identify areas where they lag. Are your agents not meeting sales targets, not utilizing opportunities, or not producing good results? Use the sales automation tool to identify what is working and what is not working, and then apply the features form the same system to tackle areas that need improvement.
  • Having clear objectives. Sales automation tools help sales managers develop top objectives and to work on them, as for instance improving lead generation, increasing the penetration of existing accounts, boosting sales effectiveness, and gaining new accounts.
  • Lead prioritization. Sales automation applications keep your leads organized with the most qualified ones on top. This way, you can get right on to the leads that are likely to become paying customers.

Artificial intelligence is one of the major sales trends for 2020 that you should know. AI technology is dramatically changing the sales landscape by allowing marketers and sales teams to utilize customer behavior like never before. Sales automation and marketing platforms are gearing toward integrating AI into every facet of the process and here are the most popular AI technologies being used at the moment:

Chatbots: Chatbots are backend players that simulate human conversations to interact with customers. Chatbots can be programmed to be proactive or reactive and are also designed to generate information from customers they are interacting with that are vital to the sales team.

Machine learning: Machine learning tools recognize and analyze patterns your sales team is likely to miss. These patterns include tracking customer’s browsing behavior and recommending relevant content to deliver a more personalized customer experience, which can result in higher customer engagement. Machine learning tools also provide sales and marketing teams with valuable analytics to help them identify quality leads and how to convert them into paying customers.

Potential Issues

Sales automation offers a number of benefits when it comes to boosting productivity and efficiency, but some lines need to be drawn especially in using the following automation tools:

Auto dialers: An automated dialing system can save your sales team time but it also takes control away from your sales reps. Your sales reps can be caught unprepared by the time your auto dialer picks up an available contact in your database and this can ruin the experience for both the customer and your sales rep.

Generic canned voicemails. Prerecorded voicemails, especially the ones that contain generic messages, only give potential customers an opportunity to delete them.

Automated emails: Email automation is beneficial when done right, but there is also the risk of being flagged as spam, or worse, blacklisted.

List of Sales Automation Software Companies

Order by:

Newest
  • Newest
  • Score
  • User Score
Product name:
Category:
Smart Score:
Price:
User Satisf.
User reviews:
Wandify reviews

Wandify

Sales Automation Software
8.5
$48
95%
ApiX-Drive reviews

ApiX-Drive

Sales Automation Software
8.5
$19
95%
HubSpot Sales Hub reviews

HubSpot Sales Hub

Sales Automation Software
9.8
free
98%
Nektar.ai reviews

Nektar.ai

Sales Automation Software
8.0
By quote
98%
Sculptor CPQ reviews

Sculptor CPQ

Sales Automation Software
8.0
$89
96%
Norns AI reviews

Norns AI

Sales Automation Software
8.0
$19
93%
Squaretalk reviews

Squaretalk

Sales Automation Software
8.5
$15
97%
NotesAlly reviews

NotesAlly

Sales Automation Software
8.0
$20
99%
Keap Max Classic reviews

Keap Max Classic

Sales Automation Software
9.0
$80
97%
Sales Booster reviews

Sales Booster

Sales Automation Software
8.0
€1,000
100%
GBCommerce reviews

GBCommerce

Sales Automation Software
8.0
$499
93%
vtenext reviews

vtenext

Sales Automation Software
8.8
By quote
100%
Sales Creatio reviews

Sales Creatio

Sales Automation Software
9.3
$40
100%
CRM Creatio reviews

CRM Creatio

Sales Automation Software
9.3
$40
96%
Clodura reviews

Clodura

Sales Automation Software
8.0
$300
100%

Things to consider when you invest in a SaaS

First, be clear about the reasons why you wish to use a SaaS system. You should also have a good understanding of your existing infrastructure and business processes. This information will help you to smoothly integrate the SaaS platform with your existing infrastructure without any difficulty.

The second consideration is a follow up to the first one. Ask yourself what you want the SaaS solution to do for your firm. Then, be clear about the features the app should have. For example, if you want improved data collaboration between different business units you need a system that can be accessed by multiple users. However, if you want a resourceful system that is similar to an on-premise program, you need to invest in a SaaS software that can be accessed by only a few users at a time.

After you select a suitable provider, do not sign an agreement before you take a good look at the Service Level Agreement (SLA). The SLA will clearly state what the SaaS provider is offering and the reimbursement they will pay if they do not deliver the agreed services. Read and comprehend the SLA thoroughly to know what you are getting into and to avoid issues later.

Frequently asked questions about Sales Automation Software

What is the best sales automation sofware?

The best sales automation software is HubSpot Sales. It provides sales teams with a user-friendly platform that can be modified according to the teams’ needs. Its pipeline management is 100% paperless, which not only reduces clutter and risk data loss but also keeps all data, documentation, and reports in a centralized location.

HubSpot Sales’ automation tools only help sales representatives automate processes but also add a personal and professional touch to customer outreach such as emails. No lead will also be left behind with its automated notifications which let you know when you have to do a followup.

Additionally, HubSpot Sales can be integrated with your existing CRM and marketing systems, as well as with other productivity and corporate tools.

What are the benefits of sales automation software?

Sales automation tools offer a number of benefits to keep your sales team productive and efficient, such as the following:

Eliminating time-consuming tasks. Repetitive tasks, when done manually, can take the time that should have been spent in communicating with customers and closing deals. Sales automation tools can reduce if not completely eliminate manual tasks, thus allowing your sales team to focus on more critical parts of the sales process.

Improved data accuracy. Automation tools gather and present data as is, which also allows you to see if your sales and marketing strategies are effective or not.

Reduced risk of losing quality leads. Manually sorting your leads brings in the risk of having quality leads fall through the cracks. With sales automation tools, all leads will be analyzed, categorized, and prioritized.

Quicker response time. The value of response time is sometimes underrated, but immediately addressing the concerns and queries of your customers (potential or existing) creates a positive experience. Accommodating customers as soon as they reach out to you is one of the most effective ways to make them feel valued.

What are the features of sales automation software?

Below are some of the standard features of a good sales automation solution:

CRM integration. Sales representatives are responsible for forging a good customer relationship. But before they can do that, they will need accurate and updated customer information as a basis. Customer relationship platforms (CRM) serves as the repository of these valuable data.

Calling features. These features not only include calling capabilities but also automated reminders to keep your sales team on top of their calling priorities.

Email templates. Sending the same canned emails and responses only runs the risk of losing leads or customers. With the help of automated email templates, you can add a touch of personalization to your emails.

Scheduling tools.  Scheduling meetings can ba e major roadblock in establishing a good relationship with the customer. This is the stage where the tendency for an unfruitful back and forth communication can happen because the sales representative and the customer could not agree on their meeting or demo schedule. One way of resolving this by using sales automation solution is by sharing a sales representative’s calendar where the customer can pick an available schedule for their meeting.

Reporting. Preparing reports can be a tedious process, but sales automation solutions can automatically generate and send necessary reports to their intended recipients.

What is the easiest sales automation software to use?

The easiest sales automation solutions are those that have a straightforward interface and functionalities. In this category,  the following applications stand out:

HubSpot SalesThis sales automation solution manages to deliver an ideal combination of functionality and user-friendliness. It provides sales teams with a flexible platform that they can customize in a way that will work best for them and the business. Its default interface also requires no training for your sales representatives to familiarize themselves with.

Freshsales. This software comes with an easy to navigate platform that operates marketing automation, phone system, and email. It also comes with an extensive list of user-friendly features, such as event tracking and sales management tools.

Pipeliner. A highly visual sales automation solution, Pipeliner utilizes the user-friendly drag-and-drop functionality to help sales teams create customized pipelines. Using Pipeliner also eliminates the need for certified administrators as your sales team can easily learn how to utilize its tools and functions even without extensive training.

What is a good free sales automation software?

Sales automation is a worthy investment if you get your money’s worth. But before opting for paid subscriptions, you may want to consider these platforms that offer free forever  options:

HubSpot Sales. This software solution’s free plan has its limitations, but the features included can be considered freemium. These features are email scheduling, email open notifications, email tracking history, email templates, calling, and more.

Freshsales. The Sprout package is completely free and accommodates an unlimited number of users. The features included cover automation of leads, deals, contacts, accounts, and email. Sproul also gives users access to built-in phone and mobile applications.

Really Simple Systems CRM. The free plan comes with sales automation features. Other features included are unlimited contacts, limited document storage, contact management, custom reports, company accounts, online support, and API integration.

Jenny Chang

By Jenny Chang

Jenny Chang is a senior writer specializing in SaaS and B2B software solutions. Her decision to focus on these two industries was spurred by their explosive growth in the last decade, much of it she attributes to the emergence of disruptive technologies and the quick adoption by businesses that were quick to recognize their values to their organizations. She has covered all the major developments in SaaS and B2B software solutions, from the introduction of massive ERPs to small business platforms to help startups on their way to success.

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