The best CRM systems for handling foreign customers? Learn about the TOP 4

Each year, the number of companies offering their products and services to foreign customers increases in every country. Just look at the estimated size of global export which exceeds USD 20,500 billion. This is the best proof that more entrepreneurs offer their products and services on foreign markets. Regardless of the size of the organisation, it is a good idea to think about a good CRM system for handling foreign customers. It would be best if the system met the current needs but also those that will appear with time as the company grows.

The best CRM system for handling foreign customers

There are many systems available on the market that will make cooperation with international customers easier. You can use some of them based on a free licence and as the company grows, you can try a professional licence. Such flexibility makes it possible that you can use them when you are an owner of a small business but you are thinking about improving all of its aspects.

HubSpot – free CMS system for managing a company

One of the more interesting solutions is the CRM system offered by HubSpot. Its main task in the free version is better organisation of communication with existing and future customers, while improving its effectiveness. What does that mean? HubSpot makes it possible to organise a group of contacts not only in terms of the key information (e.g. contact person, conversation details, etc.) but it also makes it possible to assign them to the completed transactions. Due to the above you will be aware of what offers were used by particular companies and hence offer them additional products or services.

Sales reporting in HubSpot CRM

Managing a business is not solely based on the possibility of organising contacts. Reports regarding sales are equally as important and these can be found in the HubSpot CRM. You can access various statistic levels in the system. This applies to general financial results as well as particular offers with information about all sales stages.

Thanks to the above features, you will be able to check how many customers you acquired as a result of a mailing campaign, etc. and what the effectiveness of particular activities was as well as which stage was not too successful. For example: you sent out emails to your customers. The entire process of acquiring customers can be divided in several stages, i.e. sending an email, receiving a response and interest in the offer (acquiring leads), contact by the sales representative and sales. Thanks to HubSpot CRM, you can access information about the effectiveness of particular stages which will make it possible to determine which stages need improving to generate even more sales. Access to more information can be obtained after you expand your basic CRM plan with Marketing Sales, Sales Hub or Service Hub add-ons. Each of them offers additional features such as automated newsletter mailing, etc.

Increasing sales on foreign markets with HubSpot CRM

The functionality of this system also makes it possible to create detailed offers and to manage tasks of a larger team. As a result, you can variate your products or services depending on the target market, and thus define different prices and features for the German market, for instance, and different ones for the Italian, British of Polish markets. You will gain control over what you offer to certain recipients which will help with proper planning of advertising campaigns, taking into account local market specifics.

How much does HubSpot CRM cost?

The above benefits are offered with the free licence of HubSpot CRM. With time, the above possibilities may not be enough, and this was predicted by the software creators. You can change your plan to a better one and the price range is varied. The lowest plan is USD 46.00 per month and will be appropriate for small companies. If you want way more possibilities, go for the plan for USD 740 or USD 2,944 per month.

Livespace – a CRM system appreciated by professionals

Livespace is another interesting solution. The CRM system has been recognised by experts from such services as sellwise.pl. An advantage of this solution is the user-friendly interface and simplified configuration. Thanks to the above advantages, you will not need to spend too much time learning the system and you will be able to start work almost immediately.  Additionally, it enables integration with other tools, such as dropbox, Google services or Zapier. Livespace is also available as a mobile application. You will have access to your company always at hand.

What possibilities are offered by Livespace?

An interesting feature of this CRM system is access to detailed information about customers and assigning them to preconfigured goals. Due to the above, you will have access to customer segmentation which will make it possible for you to assess which business partners are the most important for you. This mainly involves the parity of revenues. You can focus on those customers that generate the biggest profit for your business.

Livespace customer management

What is interesting is that the segmentation is fully automated. In practice, this means that all you have to do is set the principles of assessment once to receive information about customers who generate the biggest profit. You don’t have to dedicate much time for it and instead use it for carrying out other tasks. This includes such things as further sales process improving and introducing new products or services to your offer.

What is more, when you use Livespace, you can create advanced notes from meetings with customers or conferences, etc. Creating a database may also be based on attaching price estimates or presented offers that you can assign to a certain contact. Due to the above, you will always be prepared well for a meeting or negotiations with a given customer.

Effective team management in Livespace

Livespace CRM will also make it possible to manage effective work of a team. It may happen that you will only want one person to manage communication with potential customers, while another person will be responsible for sales, etc. In Livespace, you can define details of goals for a given week, etc., so that you will not have to organise a meeting with the entire team. It is worth mentioning that this way you will have the possibility of managing work even at a branch located in another city, without having to be there in person. This way, you can assign goals to people who perform remote work for you or are freelancers.

Other features of Livespace

When you use this CRM you can access current financial results and forecast future sales. As a result, you will create very reliable forecasts that will based on historic data of your company. A messenger is also one of the Livespace modules that you can use to talk to certain people and also share the sales results for the entire company. This is possible mainly due to chats and the ability of creating channels that can only be accessed by certain team members or all employees.

How much does Livespace cost?

This system can be tested free of charge for 14 days without the obligation of buying a licence later on. If you are convinced after the trial, you will have a choice of plans for USD 15.00, USD 29.00 and USD 45.00 per month. They vary due to the different features available. You will have the biggest range of possibilities when you chose the highest plan but keep in mind that you will not always need all of the features, depending on the stage of development of your business. Nevertheless, it is good that a when a given plan no longer meets your needs you can always choose a higher one, while keeping the database that you have already created.

Bitrix24 – functional CRM system for business

Bitrix24 is another CRM system for small and large companies. It is actually a complete platform that makes it possible to organise contacts and access sales statistics. It also features a built-in messenger and integrations with external systems. It supports multiple currencies making it easier to manage offers designed for foreign markets. Bitrix24 is also available in a mobile application, so that you can manage your company through a smartphone.

Bitrix24 messenger

A module that makes the Bitrix24 CRM system different is the built-in messenger. The first thing that you will notice is the appearance and method of use which is similar to a popular social medium, namely Facebook. Most people are used to it so that will make communication easier at the company and will also encourage all members at an organisation to use the messenger.

Do your employees use Bitrix24?

Another interesting option is the possibility of measuring the “Company’s pulse”. In practice, these are diagrams that will let you know whether your employees use Bitrix24 and if so, which features are the most commonly used. Thanks to the above module, you can check use of this CRM system by the entire company and single employees. Information that can be obtained this way will help you determine whether the possibilities of the platform are fully utilised or perhaps you will need to plan a training course on its use.

What are the possible integrations in Bitrix24?

As it was already mentioned at the beginning, Bitrix24 is a complete platform for company management. Its possibilities can be expanded when you decide to integrate it with various external systems. You can configure an email box to receive messages in one place without having to use other mail clients. Furthermore, this CRM system also makes integration possible with Facebook, Viber, Telegram and many others. Everything is done having in mind business management in one place.

Bitrix24 is primarily a CRM system

Besides the above features, Bitrix24 offers the basic features of CRM systems. You can download sales reports, create offers in several currencies, analyse the sales funnel and also organise the work schedule for your team members. A certain inconvenience consists in adding new customers to the database. However, you cannot download data directly from national registers of business activity. You have to enter data such as name of company, address, VAT No., bank account, etc. manually.

How much does Bitrix24 cost?

The cost of Bitrix24 is a separate issue. If you manage a small company, you can safely use the free plan that will enable you to liaise with 12 employees and use 5 GB of cloud space. You can also choose one of the premium plans that cost EUR 24.00 per month (CRM+ and Project+), EUR 69.00 per month (Standard Plan) or EUR 99.00 and EUR 199 per month (Business Plan). The differences between plans are quite big so just learn about them directly on the bitrix24.com page.

Pipedrive – classic CRM system for smaller companies

Pipedrive is the fourth CRM system discussed here. As the creators claim it, it was developed with supporting sales processes in mind. It ensures integration with external tools, specifically with the calendar and mailbox. The possibility of integration with Zapier is worth noting which will make it possible to significantly expand Piperdrive’s use at your company.

CRM features in Pipedrive

Besides integration, Pipedrive offers standard functionality of CRM systems. The contact section itself is plain and simple. You can add information about your business partners along with details and notes. The “Progress” section is worth noting. It provides an access to all statistics that regard your company. It also contains reports that will help you analyse your business condition.

How much does Pipedrive cost?

If you need a simple tool, you company is not too large, you can safely pick Pipedrive. This CRM system offers a simple and intuitive interface that makes it possible to manage your company transparently. Unfortunately, the system is not available as freeware. You can only test its free trial for 14 days. However, the plan prices are relatively low. You can choose from three plans: basic for USD 12.50 per month, advanced for USD 24.90 per month and professional USD 49.90 per month. 

The best CRM systems for handling foreign customers

All of the above CRM systems can be useful if you manage your business abroad. What makes them similar is the user-friendliness. You will not have to waste time for system configuration. You can create offers in a simple way that can have various goals and stages assigned, depending on the target country. They also feature modules for assigning multiple currencies to products and services, which will increase user comfort even more. 

Unfortunately, none of the available CMR systems support translation of communication with customers, which limits their use when you contact foreign customers. This means that your sales department team will have to use the target language at least communicatively. However, it should not be a problem to hire employees who know several languages. After all, the available CRMs operate in different language versions.

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