Hey there, fellow small business owners! So, I recently came across an ad for Zoho CRM – they’re calling it, “Bigin” and I decided to give it a whirl and see what it’s all about. Now, I’ve spent a lot of time in other CRM systems before, but I thought, why not record my first impressions and share them with you all?
First things first, let’s talk pricing. The big draw for a lot of folks is that they offer a free version. Yup, you heard it right – free! With the free version, you get 500 records, basic automation, integration with Zapier, and some developer APIs to play around with. Sounds pretty good for starters, right? But hold up, there are some more advanced features like call recording and telephony that could really benefit those willing to shell out a few bucks a month. Not bad at all, especially with the $7 plan offering 50,000 records.
Now, my past experiences with Zoho have been pretty straightforward – it ticks the basic boxes and works well for small businesses. However, it may not be as polished as some of the bigger players out there. But hey, let’s see how Bigin stacks up.
I dive into the platform and right off the bat, I see pipelines and deals. Deals are housed in pipelines, which is where you track the folks you’re working with. Most people would start off with contacts, and you can easily import them from a file if you have one handy. From customizing fields to inline editing, it’s pretty user-friendly.
Activities like tasks, events, and calls are neatly organized, and you can even set up a calendar view. Speaking of views, you can filter contacts, add columns, and create custom fields. The platform also offers dashboards to track your progress, and creating widgets is a breeze.
As I navigate through setting up a deal with a test company, I notice how flexible it is to manage contacts and associations. Adding products to deals and customizing fields on the fly is a nice touch. And let’s not forget the dashboard displaying the number of opportunities by stage – pretty handy for quick insights.
While I didn’t dive into API connections and automations this time around, I can see the potential opportunities. Bigin seems like a promising tool for tracking deals, contacts, and creating streamlined processes for sales activities.
Overall, I’d say it’s a solid option, especially for solopreneurs and small businesses looking to dip their toes into CRM without breaking the bank. If you’re considering using a CRM to streamline your sales process, maybe give Bigin a shot!
If you have any questions or want to share your experiences with Zoho, hit me up. Hope this informal overview gives you a taste of what this tool has to offer for your business!
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