Finding software can be overwhelming. What is Distribution CRM? It's a software tool for managing both customers and products in a centralized location.
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Keap (formerly Infusionsoft) is a cloud-based sales and marketing solution that offers customer relationship management (CRM), marketing automation, and e-commerce functionalities in one suite. Keap helps small businesses across various... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: Cloud
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Zendesk Sell (formerly Base) is the web and mobile-based customer relationship management application that allows B2B and B2C sales professionals to manage sales, track leads and engage proactively with customers from anywhere. The... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: Cloud
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NetSuite CRM+ is a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) solution for small and midsize organizations. NetSuite caters to thousands of customers across a wide range of industries including wholesale distribution, manufacturing,... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: Cloud
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Supercharge your sales process with Sales Hub, a powerful and easy to use sales CRM that includes sales engagement tools, configure-price-quote (CPQ) functionality, and robust sales analytics and reporting for growing teams. Optimize... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: Cloud
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FreeAgent CRM is a customer relationship management platform with robust work management capabilities. It helps teams get everything on a unified platform, collaborate on various projects and track and improve operational performance. Designed... Read more
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Deployments: Cloud
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Nutshell is a sneaky powerful cloud-based CRM and sales automation tool for small businesses. The Nutshell platform offers sales process and collaboration tools, email sync with Gmail and Outlook, fully customizable reporting, and... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: Cloud
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Claritysoft is a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) solution designed for midsize and large enterprise businesses. It offers sales automation, customer service and support, marketing automation and social CRM within... Read more
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Deployments: Cloud
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SugarCRM is a cloud-based application for handling sales automation, marketing automation, account management and customer relationship management needs. SugarCRM offers features such as customizable home pages, a new-user "wizard"... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: CloudOn premise
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MyBasicCRM is a customer relationship management solution that helps businesses in various sectors manage service-specific client workflows. Main CRM features include lead & opportunity management, quoting, product & price list, order/job... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: Cloud
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Maximizer CRM is an integrated customer relationship management (CRM) solution suitable for organizations of all sizes across various industries. This solution can be deployed on both on-premise and in the cloud. Maximizer CRM features... Read more
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Deployments: CloudOn premise
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CallProof is a cloud-based lead tracking solution that helps businesses automate sales reporting operations in real-time. Key features for field salespeople include customer tracking, multiple routes support, google calendar integration,... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: Cloud
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SalesNOW by Interchange Solutions Inc. is a cloud-based customer relationship management (CRM) and sales force automation solution that allows sales teams, management and executives to manage aspects of sales cycle including contact,... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: CloudOn premise
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LeadMaster is a SaaS-based all-in-one lead management solution that offers capabilities to capture, track and follow up with leads. The solution comprises of integrated modules for sales force automation, customer relationship management,... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: Cloud
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Centra Hub CRM is a solution designed to help businesses of any size streamline sales, customer service, and marketing processes. It can be hosted on the cloud or installed on-premise. With live dashboards, custom reporting, and automation... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: CloudOn premise
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CreamSoda is a CRM tool built for B2B sellers and buyers. This solution provides tracking and notification tools to streamline the shipping process for sellers. Product buyers can also use CreamSoda to identify the best prices, quantities,... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: CloudOn premise
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Method:CRM is a web-based customer relationship management software designed to help businesses handle sales data, view customer history, build email campaigns and follow up with customers. Key features include contact management,... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: Cloud
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Quick Base is an application development platform that enables people to build business applications without coding. The platform is cloud-based and accessible on any browser or mobile device. Users can build apps on Quick Base by... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: Cloud
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Zendesk is a cloud-based help desk management solution offering customizable tools to build customer service portal, knowledge base and online communities. The solution offers a customizable front-end portal, live chat features and... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: Cloud
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Pipeliner CRM delivers dynamic visualization of the pipeline, sales process and sales activities. Its visual contact management allows users to gain a comprehensive view of their customers and prospects and even map out how they are... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: Cloud
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Creatio is a unique synergy of unified CRM and intelligent BPM platform for marketing, sales and service automation. The solution allows midsize and large companies to manage the customer lifecycle from lead to sales and to ongoing... Read more
Platforms: MacWinLinux
Deployments: CloudOn premise
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Those in the distribution industry, like any other business, stand to benefit by using customer relationship management (CRM) software—through increased customer satisfaction and sales, for instance. Also, as in other industries, our research finds that distributors want a CRM tool that offers features relevant to their field.
For distributors, customer relationships are tied very closely to the products they distribute; they fall in between the customer and the manufacturer whose products they're distributing. That's why the CRM tool they use should not just let them manage customers but also the products flowing to them.
There are plenty of software vendors that are aware if this need, and thus build or modify CRM tools to suit distributors' unique requirements.
In this buyer's guide, we'll look at the core features of distribution CRM software and what you should know before making a purchase.
Here's what we'll cover:
What is a distribution CRM?
Common features of distribution CRM
What type of buyer are you?
Key considerations
What is a distribution CRM?
A distribution CRM is a software tool for managing customers as well as products in a centralized location. This type of software comes with monitoring and reporting functionalities that help distributors manage customer information, track product orders, generate invoices/quotes, and automate marketing efforts.
Tracking prospects, invoices, and payments in bpm'online
Common features of distribution CRM
Distribution CRMs offer certain common functionalities that cater to a wide range of distribution businesses: food distribution, consumer packaged goods, fuel delivery, and so on.
Let's look at these functionalities more closely.
| Contact management | Create a centralized database of customer data such as shipping address and phone number. |
| Interaction tracking | Track communications with contacts via multiple channels, such as emails, chat conversations, and phone calls. |
| Lead management | Capture and store details of potential clients, in a central location, and track their conversions. |
| Quote management | Allow sales representatives to automatically generate price quotes of products for customers. |
| Order and invoice management | Process orders and create invoices using shipping and billing details. |
| Inventory management | Keep inventory records based on item size, color, and other attributes. Monitor stock levels. |
| Warehouse management | Track how items are arranged and stored in the warehouse and optimize their storage for quick order processing. |
| Workflow automation | Create and monitor tasks that sales agents need to complete as customers move along the sales pipeline. |
| Document management | Store and track documents, such as bills of material, product quotes, and invoices in a centralized location. |
| Reporting and analytics | Monitor and analyze the performance of your sales team with detailed reports and analytical dashboards. |
What type of buyer are you?
The right distribution CRM depends on the size and specific requirements of your business.
Here are three common types of distribution CRM buyers and their chief concerns:
- Small and midsize businesses (fewer than 1,000 employees): These buyers typically have limited budgets for software. As a result, they're primarily concerned with a solution's pricing. This makes cloud-based CRM tools preferable over on-premise tools, as cloud-based deployment requires significantly lower upfront investment.
- Large enterprises (more than 1,000 employees): These buyers need a tool with advanced functionalities. Enterprise resource planning software that offers CRM as a built-in module is a viable option for these buyers. ERP tools typically also offer accounting and project management functionalities; this can serve cross-functional needs by allowing teams to use a single solution to manage different business processes.
- Best-of-breed buyers: These buyers could belong to either of the above categories. They are typically looking to solve a specific business need with software. For instance, a wholesale distributor that wants software primarily to process customer orders more quickly might need distribution inventory management software, instead of a CRM tool. Likewise, if you're looking to improve after-sales customer service, you might go for help desk software, which is a part of the larger family of CRM solutions.
Key considerations
To choose the right manufacturing CRM for your business, you must take into account factors such as total cost and integration requirements.
Let's look at these more closely:
- Total cost of software: Understanding the total cost of software means looking beyond its procurement cost (usually a one-time license fee for on-premise and a recurring subscription for cloud-based solutions). Businesses also need to account for costs incurred during installation, customization, maintenance and support, data migration, training, and so on.
- Integration requirements: As you evaluate options, you need to consider a CRM's ability to integrate with the tools you already use, or intend to use. This will ensure seamless data flow between otherwise disparate tools, reducing effort and errors due to manually copying and pasting data, and should also speed up processes. Email marketing, project management, and help desk software solutions are some popular integration options.
Note: The applications selected in this article are examples to show a feature in context and are not intended as endorsements or recommendations. They have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable at the time of publication.