I think because I am the creator of the Lynda.com Act! training videos and because I authored 13 books on various CRM Software applications, people are always asking me to compare the different CRM products. Zoho vs Salesforce.com is one of the comparisons I’m often asked to make.
Sometimes current CRM users want to move away from what they are using and move to another CRM Solution. In addition to that, Potential CRM users are not sure which CRM solution is best for them. Experience has told me that most CRM products offer very similar feature sets. Salesforce.com is not without Its own set of challenges and people are looking for an alternative to this San Francisco based company. I am often asked to do Salesforce to Zoho conversions. This article is about why I think people are requesting Salesforce conversions.
Salesforce vs Zoho History
Salesforce.com came out in 1999 and interestingly enough, Zoho came out right around the same time.
Salesforce vs Zoho Pricing
Subscription services from Salesforce.com range anywhere from $25 to $300 per user per month, depending on the package selected. You may or may not consider this expensive but unlike competing CRM Software solutions, Salesforce.com requires an annual contract and bills annually. There are also upgraded features you must purchase at an substantial additional cost on top of the annual license fee. Alternatively, Zoho CRM Professional Edition will run you $240/year. Yes, you read that correctly. You can also subscribe monthly to Zoho CRM Professional for $30 per user per month or approximately one-tenth of Zoho’s price. Or should you want every bell and whistle known to mankind you can upgrade to the all inclusive Zoho One for a mere $360/year.
Salesforce vs Zoho Philosophy
Salesforce can be found on the New York Stock Exchange as “CRM;” they answer to their stockholders. Zoho is a privately held company; they answer to their customers.
Salesforce vs Zoho Usage
This one was hard for me to calculate. Salesforce likes to advertise that they service 150,000 companies and there’s not doubt that many of those companies are big ones including Amazon, Toyota and T-Mobile. Zoho squeaks in at a mere 50 million users; ironically they also list Amazon as a customer.
Salesforce vs Zoho Reporting
Both Salesforce and Zoho offer reporting, and both offer advanced analytics. The big difference is that Zoho offers the Zoho Analytics product as part of their Zoho One package.
Salesforce vs Zoho Mobility
Both Salesforce and Zoho offer a mobile app for their CRM product. However, Zoho also has free apps available for a myriad of other applications as well.
Salesforce vs Zoho Integration
Both products include extensive integration opportunities through the use of custom programming or pre-designed products. The big difference is that in addition to Zoho CRM, Zoho has developed a number of additional apps that will help you to manage all aspects of your business including project and case management, accounting, subscriptions, inventory and even your website. And, there is not additional charge for any of these products; they are all included free of charge with the Zoho One $360/year subscription.
Salesforce vs Zoho Training Resources
In addition to Salesforce.com being expensive, there is little in the way of training and support options for Salesforce users. The Salesforce platform is overwhelming to many users especially if they only need basic CRM services. Smaller companies typically are unable to afford to buy the training required to use Salesforce. Zoho has a myriad of training available from webinars to training videos to users groups. All Zoho packages, including trial editions, include support.
Salesforce vs Zoho: And the winner is….
Zoho. Of course, I’m prejudiced because I use Zoho. Based on price, functionality and integrations Zoho is the clear winner. If you are contemplating a Salesforce to Zoho conversion, we offer a painless solution- we promise!
If you are looking for Zoho support, training or hosting or you are new to Zoho, you have definitely landed in the right place. We have written multiple books about CRM so contact us today for more information about how the Zoho Consultants at Tech Benders can meet your company’s needs!
