Updated September 2026: rewritten for today. Out-of-date market forecasts and products removed, and every CRM re-checked on its maker’s site.
A contact management system (most commonly known as a CRM, for customer relationship management) is a program that lets you store and manage contact information. It is essentially a database that tracks everything about your contacts and your communication with them.
What a contact management system does for you
A good CRM saves you from keeping contacts in spreadsheets, inboxes and people’s heads. The main benefits:
- All your contacts in one place, easy to search.
- Sales tracking, from first enquiry to closed deal.
- Email and calendar integration, so meetings and messages are logged against the right person.
- Documents, notes and conversations stored with each contact.
- Import and export, so you can bring your data in and take it with you.
- A mobile app, so you have your contacts with you when you’re out of the office.
There is a huge range of CRMs, and the right choice depends largely on your business. It usually comes down to three deciding factors: features, security and cost. Below are the systems I looked at, updated for what they offer now.
Salesforce
Salesforce is the market leader and the benchmark the others are measured against. What stood out for me when I first tested it was the help and support: within hours of signing up for my free trial, a representative called to offer help, and followed up with an email showing where to find more support.
A contact record shows a person’s name, title, phone number and email, along with past emails, notes added by you or your colleagues, previous deals, and who else in your organisation has dealt with them. You can tag contacts to show what they mean to your business, and it all works in the mobile app too. Salesforce also has Chatter, a built-in space for colleagues to discuss records and deals.
On security, administrators can use profile permissions to stop users exporting data or using the API, and control exactly what each user can see and change.
The price won’t fit every budget, but the features lead the industry, and Salesforce offers a 30-day free trial so you can test it before you buy.
EngageBay
EngageBay is not only an affordable alternative to HubSpot, but also comes with a simple interface that takes little time to learn. It brings your marketing, sales and service processes together on one platform, so a startup or small business can manage them in one place. It is cloud-based and can be set up in minutes.
EngageBay has a customer support team for your questions and a mobile app for access outside the office.
EngageBay’s marketing automation suite helps you save time, nurture your audience and automate routine, manual tasks. With the free CRM and sales automation, you can organise your contacts, track deals and manage your sales pipeline. Live chat and a helpdesk are included too, so you can answer visitors in real time and track, prioritise and solve support tickets.
EngageBay’s free plan covers teams of up to 15 people, with 250 contacts and 1,000 branded emails, and no credit card is needed to sign up. That makes it a good fit for solopreneurs and small teams on tight budgets; check EngageBay’s pricing page for the current paid plans.
Zoho CRM
Zoho isn’t as feature-rich as Salesforce, but it has what most small businesses need to manage client relationships, and its simple interface makes it quick to set up. You can add contact details, upload documents, log calls, add notes and tags, and manage email without leaving Zoho. There is a mobile app as well.
If you need to export contacts for a report or a backup, Zoho lets you export in several file formats. For security, it uses role-based access: an administrator manages users, profiles, roles, permissions, groups and data sharing, so each person sees only what they should.
Zoho CRM is free forever for up to 3 users, which means you can get your contact management running at no cost. The paid editions (Standard, Professional, Enterprise and Ultimate) are still cheaper than most rivals.
Oracle
When this article was first written, Oracle’s offer was CRM On Demand. Oracle’s current product is Oracle Fusion Cloud Sales, which brings sales, quoting, order management, billing and renewals into one platform, with AI agents to automate routine sales tasks. It is built for large organisations: powerful and strong on data security, which is why it suits regulated sectors such as financial services and government, but more than a small business needs.
Sage CRM
Sage CRM manages contacts, history, notes and files, with sales, marketing and service modules. Its big advantage is that it plugs into Sage’s business management software, such as Sage 200, so if you already run your accounts on Sage, your customer data and your orders live together. Administrators control user rights in detail: one user can edit and delete a record while another can only view it.
TeamSupport
TeamSupport has moved on from general contact management. It is now a customer support platform for B2B technology companies, with ticketing, live chat, customer success tools and AI that helps prioritise tickets. It is worth a look if your main need is supporting existing business customers rather than tracking sales.
Tips for choosing a contact management system and making the most of it
1) Develop a strategy
Know what you want for your business before you look at software. Your goal might be more sales, better customer service or stronger brand awareness; whichever it is, it decides what you need from the system.
2) Take advantage of free trials and free plans
Free trials let you find out which system works for you. Use as much of the software as you can and get a feel for how it will fit your business. It’s a better way to decide than comparing long lists of features you may never use.
3) Choose a vendor to fit your needs
Don’t choose a vendor before you know exactly what you need. Every option has its own set of features, and choosing without understanding your needs means you might miss the one that suits you best.
4) Use the features you pay for
Almost every CRM includes reports and analytics. Use them, act on what they show, and connect your CRM to your email and social media so feedback reaches the right person.
5) Analyse the data
Look at your data in real time, but also at short-term and long-term patterns. Measuring doesn’t help unless you analyse the results and act on them to support your customers.
Still can’t decide?
When I first wrote this, my answer was Salesforce: it leads the market, so many other tools offer Salesforce integration, and on security, reliability, customer service and features you can’t go far wrong. It still isn’t the cheapest. If you’re a small business, start with a free plan, see which features you really use, and move up when you outgrow it.
Want to learn more?
If you want help promoting your business online, our Digital Marketing Essentials course is a part-time group course, in person in Bangkok.
Ryan Byrne
