Every digital marketer, from a novice blogger to a seasoned professional, is awash with the buzzword '[marketing automation](https://www.cloudify.biz/blogs/post/automation-essentials-for-a-small-business)'. It's seemingly become the secret sauce that separates the marketing maestros from the average Joes.

But what does 'marketing automation' truly entail? How does it transform our marketing endeavours, and what does it mean when we say our marketing tasks have been automated?

Well, let's unmask the mystique. Marketing automation, in its purest form, is the ingenious use of software to automate the myriad of routine marketing activities. Think of it as a tireless digital aide that takes on monotonous tasks, liberating you to focus on the more strategic elements of your marketing plan. That's the crux of what marketing automation is all about.

In the following blog post, we're going to deep-dive into the nitty-gritty of marketing automation. We'll explore its potential, its application, and most importantly, how it can act as a catalyst for your business's growth. Get ready to embrace the future of digital marketing - it's automated, efficient, and incredibly dynamic. Welcome to the era of marketing automation!

![What is Marketing Automation and Why Do You Need It?](/uploads/Marketing_Automation_Introduction_1024x349_2a323908a3.png)

## Marketing Automation Explained

Marketing Automation, in the most basic sense, is using software to automate certain marketing activities. But, what if we tell you that marketing automation goes deeper than that?

![What is Marketing Automation and Why Do You Need It?](/uploads/Marketing_Automation_Explained_1024x678_fb3ef805d2.png)

Marketing, with changing times, has evolved a lot. It’s no longer just going out and requesting people to buy your products.

Because why would they?

Your customers, pretty much like you have certain pain points. And, when they buy a product, they actually buy a solution to that pain point. If your marketing strategy is old school, let’s inform you that it may or may not bring your results. But, if you see your customers at the centre of everything you do, you must succeed. If you deeply care about your customers, you must succeed. If your customers are convinced that you care about solving certain problems they have, they won’t hesitate to buy your products. And, here is where marketing automation steps in. Marketing automation is all about providing a personalised experience to your customers based on how they responded to your previous attempts of selling.

Marketing automation plays a very important role when it comes to nurturing a relationship with your customers. Be it drip campaigns or sending automated email responses at every step of the customer journey, marketing automation comes in handy and is rather very crucial.

### What Exactly Should You Automate?

Now that we have understood that marketing automation is crucial to business growth, the next question is what exactly should you automate?

A lot of marketers think that buying huge lists of prospects and shooting emails to them blindly does the job. But, sorry to break it out to you, it doesn’t.

Why?

Because, back to the basics!

![What is Marketing Automation and Why Do You Need It?](/uploads/what_exactly_automated_f9fcd15c68.png)

If your marketing activities are not guided by a marketing funnel, they are bound to fall flat. Simple as that.

Buying lists of prospects and annoying them with overcrowded flyers is not the essence of marketing automation. In fact, that’s exactly what you should not do!

Can’t relate? How many times do you open random marketing emails that land in your inbox out of nowhere? And how often do you hit that “UNSUBSCRIBE” button at the bottom?

Marketing automation is more about providing a personalised customer experience and that begins with educating people about your product.

### Good Versus Bad Marketing Automation

If you feel that marketing automation is plainly triggering emails based on time delays or actions such as email opens and email clicks, you are in for a ride.

What if someone opened your email, thanks to the clickbait subject line but hated it to the core? What if they hit the UNSUBSCRIBE button the next time you send a follow-up email? Executing the rest of your email marketing strategy based on that one email click alone is a bad idea. And, this is not how you execute a personalized lead nurturing strategy!

Marketing automation calls for context more than anything else. For instance, if you sell your educational courses online, it’s crucial that rather than trying to sell the course in the first email, you understand what exactly your prospect is looking for!

Understand who your lead is and what they’re interested in. That brings us to the next aspect of marketing automation.

A good marketing automation strategy must be backed by inbound marketing. It may be hard to get, but marketing automation backed by inbound techniques works. Marketing automation powered by inbound strategy is centred around the prospect and brings results that you crave and see other marketers boasting about.

![What is Marketing Automation and Why Do You Need It?](/uploads/in_outbound_vs_post_1_22bc56676c.jpg)

Inbound marketing automation is all about understanding what drives your leads. It is all about using all the information available to see how your leads are responding to your products, where they are sourcing you from and what they are looking for. This needs deep research and great observational skills because it’s more than writing an email and sending it to 10,000+ people.

The essence of marketing automation lies in collecting all the information possible and then using that information, you have to create a marketing strategy and then automate it so you deliver the information they need to make a purchase, exactly when and where they need it.

Marketing automation, contrary to the popular opinion, is not all about sending automated emails one after the other. It’s more about understanding who your customers are and what they are looking for. Plus, it’s more about humanising the entire marketing approach rather than making the customer feel like they are receiving spam emails. Take into account the evolving needs of your leads and you’d feel the difference yourself. And yes, rather than buying huge lists of prospects from various marketplaces, create those email lists yourself. 

Let people opt in themselves. Try targeting top of the funnel leads through your emails. Establish a connection with them, nurture them gradually and provide value. Because when you overdeliver, you get returns!

### Why Marketing Automation?

Now that we have seen what is marketing automation, what exactly should you automate when you do marketing automation, let’s have a quick look at how your business benefits from marketing automation.

Marketing automation is a great time saver.

![What is Marketing Automation and Why Do You Need It?](/uploads/crm_before_after_300bee9cf5.png)

Just imagine, would it be possible if you had to manually follow up with every marketing email that you send out?

Marketing automation allows you to put things on autopilot and focus! Focus on business development and other key areas that demand your attention.

Having said that, marketing automation also makes sure that your messages are delivered at the right time and right place.

For instance, if you have scheduled your LinkedIn posts for a weekend, chances are that your audience might not be that active.

It’s not a good idea to schedule your LinkedIn activity for a weekend. But, what if you have time on weekends only? That’s when you should consider using smart automations.

### Top Marketing Automation Tools

What are the top marketing automation tools that every business must consider having?

Let’s have a quick look at what tools you must not skip out on.

![What is Marketing Automation and Why Do You Need It?](/uploads/email_automating_tool_1024x415_468ad87d89.png)

#### A Tool to Automate Your Emails

An email marketing automation tool is an absolute must have for every business. Target top-of-the-funnel leads and nurture middle-of-the-funnel leads with strategic email automation. What are some good examples of email marketing tools? 

You may consider [MailChimp](https://www.cloudify.biz/marketplace/products/mailchimp-integrations), Aweber, Sendinblue, and Convert Kit.

Related use cases: [Dansk](https://www.cloudify.biz/case-studies/dansk)

#### A Tool to Schedule Your Social Media Posts

Once you are done creating the monthly [social media post templates](https://www.adobe.com/express/create/post/social-media) and content calendar, you should quickly schedule these for posting using a scheduling tool.

What are some good examples? We have Sprout Social, Hootsuite, Social Pilot, Buffer and many more.

Thus, this was a quick sneak peek into marketing automation.

![What is Marketing Automation and Why Do You Need It?](/uploads/9_Powerful_Social_Media_Management_Tools_for_Businesses_ea5ed8fed5.jpg)

Marketing automation is not this simple always though. At times, you may need help from a marketing automation expert to set up the entire system. For instance, if you want the leads generated through Facebook advertisements directly in your CRM, you may need help.

How long have you been using marketing automation? How has your experience been with marketing automation?

Has it worked for you? What changes did it bring to your business?

We would love to hear your marketing automation story. Do leave your comments in the comments section below.

If you wish to know more about what Cloudify has to offer - [Book a free consultation](https://www.cloudify.biz/marketplace/free-consultation) - with our experts.

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What is Marketing Automation?

What is SaaS Integration and Why Do You Need It?

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It's 2023, and we're living in a world where SaaS isn't just an add-on but an integral part of running businesses - a world where SaaS isn't just a solution but a revolution in business operations.

Are you an entrepreneur, a technology enthusiast, or a business mogul? Are you still questioning whether to move your business applications to SaaS? If so, you've landed at the right place. Let's explore the fascinating world of SaaS integration and uncover how it can truly transform your business.

If yes, here is something real for you!

Let’s dig further into this and try to understand how easy [integration of SaaS products](https://www.cloudify.biz/marketplace/apps) can change your business altogether.

Towards the end of this post, we shall also examine what your business can actually gain out of [integration of SaaS products](https://www.cloudify.biz/workflow-automation).

## What is SaaS Integration?

SaaS Integration is the process of connecting multiple SaaS products to streamline workflows and business processes. When you integrate your CRM with your email marketing tool, you've effectively created an efficient information flow across different channels. As your organisation's SaaS usage expands, so too does the need for integrating these SaaS products, making sure you're not left playing catch-up with data from multiple sources.

For instance, won’t it be cool if every time someone responds to your Typeform, you have a new Trello card created?

![Typeform Trello Integration](/uploads/typeform_trello_022869c6d6.png)

That’s the essence of SaaS integration.

### The SaaS Revolution

The SaaS Revolution Change is the only constant, especially in the business world. You need to adapt, or you risk becoming obsolete. Back in 2008, only 12% of businesses used cloud-based apps. Fast forward to today, having your own software is a dated business model. SaaS has revolutionised the way businesses operate, offering flexibility, adaptability, and most importantly, ease of integration.

![Dropbox Slack Integration](/uploads/dropbox_slack_816b8eb231.png)

But today, we see a lot of SaaS products integrated in a way that we can’t see them functioning alone.

A nice example would be of Mailchimp automatically talking and sharing data with all the other applications you use. Yet another example is getting a Slack alert every time there is a new Dropbox file.

All of this seems to be hunky-dory, but serious brains are at work behind this.

Seamless integration of SaaS products boosts productivity like nothing else. It takes a lot off your plate and lets you focus on stuff that actually deserves your attention.

However, this SaaS integration ought to be easy. The USP of SaaS is that it saves you all the trouble that comes along with having your own software developed. SaaS takes solution management and maintenance out of the equation. It makes no sense to integrate various SaaS products and land onto that messy island again. Thus, you must have someone who helps deliver the results and service your customer's demand through strong (and easy) integration of SaaS products.

With each new customer comes the pressing need to support separate file formats. It’s indispensable for businesses to give customers a range of protocols, connectors, options and data formats to get data into and out of the solution. And that’s what makes SaaS integration mandatory.

However, you shouldn’t be overwhelmed by the amount of maintenance this demands. It’s true that integration of SaaS products allows businesses to drive better value and deliver results faster, but it should be easy and seamless. You must not have to deal with some super complicated and messy infrastructure that integration often brings along. The idea is to streamline your business processes and make things easier, not the other way around. You should not be lost all day long understanding the SaaS integration or fixing it or seeing if it’s even working or not, while you miss important emails and updates.

**Related use cases:** [**Alertsystems**](https://www.cloudify.biz/case-studies/alertsystems) **|** [**Vendemus**](https://www.cloudify.biz/case-studies/vendemus) **|** [**HelionB2B**](https://www.cloudify.biz/case-studies/helion) **|** [**Dansk**](https://www.cloudify.biz/case-studies/dansk)

### What Does Your Business Gain Out of SaaS Integration?

#### Workflow Automation

At least once while working, you must have wondered how cool it’d have been if you had the option to skip everything you hate doing without your boss figuring it out.

Statistics indicate that CEOs spend almost 20% of their time on work that could be automated. This includes analysing operational data and reviewing status reports.

![Workflow Automation](/uploads/workflow_automation_1_a226b33f3e.png)

Seems like the boss also has a lot on his plate that he won’t want to do.

That’s at the very heart of workflow automation.

Helping you find time for stuff that actually generates value while leaving the monotonous, recurring administrative tasks to the computers.

We are living in an era where agility, flexibility and precise execution make all the difference. Because, what you have to offer, in all probability, at least fifty others also have.

If you are using Google Sheets for keeping a list of your clients and Trello for project management, won’t it be good if every time you add a new client a new Trello list is automatically created with the client’s name?

Or, if you are adding a new client to your CRM, won’t it be great if the same data automatically gets migrated to your invoicing software?

That’s what we mean by workflow automation.

This is a very basic example but this is how integration of SaaS products saves time.

Modern businesses, especially the ones operating remotely, use a stack of SaaS applications for seamless operation.

You have a CRM, an app for project management, another one to communicate with the team members, and then yet another for managing email lists.

Having to use all of these apps independently can be a pain. Integration takes this pain away.

It is expected that by the end of 2026, the [global market for business workflow automation would bring in US$ 5,247.2](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2018/01/18/1296235/0/en/6-Key-Insights-on-Business-Workflow-Automation-Market-for-Forecast-Period-2017-2026.html) million revenue.

#### Better ROI!

What makes a successful business? Is it the best infrastructure? Or, is it how much you have invested or are ready to invest?

Do you feel that a business can be successful using limited resources as well?

The answer is YES!

![Better ROI](/uploads/investment_8c5dfa6664.png)

If you, as a business manager/owner, know where to invest your resources - you win.

If you understand and can visualize how to optimally use all the resources you have (human + material), you win.

Integration of SaaS applications allows you to increase your operational efficiency.

![Better ROI](/uploads/ROI_1_1c1bfd1515.png)

You have an improved employee experience. Your human resources are vested into tasks that actually matter.

You don’t need to hire two full-time software developers just because one of them is unable to complete the tasks on time due to additional administrative duties.

And, not to forget SaaS integration lets you minimise the errors.

With everything automated, you can’t miss any deadlines or updates.

Data flows freely between integrated applications without you having to worry about it or keeping a manual check on everything.

Businesses have been desperately looking for ways to boost performance. Integration of different SaaS products is the way.

#### No Larger Than Life Investment

SaaS operates on an on-the-go pay model. Likewise, if you have multiple SaaS applications integrated, you get rid of the individual IT maintenance costs or any upfront fees. All you need to pay is for the holistic maintenance of the integrated grid of the SaaS applications you use. This is pretty much like a monthly or annual subscription fee to use CRM as a service and a lot less than what it’d have cost you to have an entire in-house maintenance team. Thus, while you are enhancing operational efficiency, you are also saving costs - something great for budding businesses. Businesses taking the integrated SaaS business model route are increasing in number with each passing year.

### Transforming Businesses with Cloudify

Are you still using dated business models? It's high time to take the leap. Embrace SaaS integration and watch your business transform.

At Cloudify, we understand the intricacies of SaaS integration. We ensure your journey towards integrating various SaaS products is as easy as the solution itself. We take the complexity out of the equation and deliver seamless, robust SaaS integration solutions tailored to your business needs.

By partnering with Cloudify, you are not just embracing the SaaS revolution; you are also unlocking a world of benefits:

1.  Save time and resources
2.  Minimise errors, delays, and inaccuracies
3.  Enhance security, compliance, and governance
4.  Boost employee engagement and productivity
5.  Improve ROI through efficient resource usage
6.  Centralize data management for easy access
7.  Require fewer maintenance resources

Cloudify is your trusted partner in this exciting SaaS journey. So why wait?

Ready to revolutionise your business with SaaS integration? Click the button below and let's embark on this transformational journey with Cloudify.

[**Start Your SaaS Integration Journey with Cloudify**](https://www.cloudify.biz/marketplace/free-consultation)

When you click that button, you're not just choosing to streamline and modernize your business. You're choosing a partner committed to your success. We understand that every business is unique, and so are its needs. That's why we offer a range of protocols, connectors, options, and data formats for the seamless integration of SaaS products into your operations.

Say goodbye to the stress of manual data management and constant system monitoring. [With Cloudify](https://www.cloudify.biz/), you gain the freedom to focus on what truly matters - growing your business. Our team will handle all the nitty-gritty of integration, ensuring it's seamless, easy, and most importantly, beneficial for you and your business. Moreover, we don't just stop at integration. We go a step further to ensure that the integrated grid of SaaS applications you use is holistically maintained at a cost-effective price, reducing the need for in-house IT maintenance.

Let's revolutionise your business. Let's embrace the future with SaaS integration. And let's do it together, with Cloudify. So, are you ready to embark on this transformational journey?

[**Yes, I'm Ready. Book a free consultation**](https://www.cloudify.biz/book-consultation)

To take the next step in your SaaS integration journey, click on the button. Our team at Cloudify is excited to connect with you and start working towards transforming your business. Let's embrace the SaaS revolution together!"

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## SaaS integration - What is it and why does your business need it?

SaaS is quite a fancy term and it’s very common to hear entrepreneurs and business owners talk about it - in social media groups, communities, webinars, and wherever else they hang out.

![Benefits of SaaS Integration Introduction](/uploads/Benefits_of_Saa_S_Integration_Introduction_8ce1eb9964.png)

But, what exactly is SaaS integration and why does your business need it so badly?

This is a complete guide to SaaS integration. We shall start with understanding what is SaaS integration and later understand why your business needs it.

### What is SaaS Integration?

SaaS integration, at its simplest, is the integration of SaaS applications. When you connect two or more SaaS applications, you say that you have integrated them.

For instance, if you have connected [Trello](https://www.cloudify.biz/marketplace/products/trello-integrations) with a Google Sheet so that whenever there is a new entry in the Google Sheet - a Trello card gets automatically created, you say that you have integrated two [SaaS products](https://www.cloudify.biz/marketplace/apps).

![SaaS Integration Definition](/uploads/Saa_S_Integration_Definition_021e378ac3.png)

Likewise, if you have [connected your CRM](https://www.cloudify.biz/blogs/post/introduction-to-crm) to your email marketing software, you say that you have connected two SaaS products.

Now that we have a context and basic understanding of what is SaaS integration let’s move ahead and see what are the benefits of SaaS integration.

### Benefits of SaaS Integration

SaaS integration can be a real game-changer for businesses. Wondering how? Read ahead!

![benefits-saas-integration](/uploads/0_benefits_saas_integration_1_205x1024_8a150c5a6a.png)

#### Saves Time

When you connect multiple SaaS applications, you remove a lot from your plate.

Let’s take a look at a very nice example here.

Suppose you are collecting responses from a Typeform using a Google Sheet. For this, you would have to integrate Typeform with Google Sheets.

If this doesn’t sound good, you may integrate [Typeform with Trello](https://www.cloudify.biz/marketplace/packages/typeform-trello) to collect responses as Trello cards.

![Typeform Trello Integration](/uploads/typeform_trello_2_113078dc8b.png)

Isn’t that nice? So, how did it help save time?

Using these integrations, you won’t have to manually update any Trello boards or Google Sheets. All you have to do is set up the integration and you are sorted.

This is how SaaS integration helps save your time.

#### No Need to Switch Between Various Apps

SaaS integration prevents you from switching between applications time and again.

This lets you focus more on the task at hand rather than wondering if you are copying the data accurately or not. For example, if you are a project manager, you can very easily create Trello cards from new Evernote notes by integrating Evernote with Trello.

![Evernote Trello Integration](/uploads/evernote_trello_917287e3e4.png)

This way, you won’t have to shift time and again between both the applications. Likewise, you can integrate Toggl and Trello to facilitate the creation of a Trello card for each new toggle time entry.

#### Boosts Productivity

There are a lot of tasks that tend to suck the productivity out of you. What do you do in such cases?

For example, how can you be productive when the task is copying files from one location to another?

![Benefits of SaaS Integration Boosts Productivity](/uploads/Benefits_of_Saa_S_Integration_Boosts_Productivity_4feb64d9c8.png)

Here is where SaaS integration steps in. If you want to copy a new Dropbox file to OneDrive, you can integrate both the applications and get this done efficiently.

![Dropbox Onedrive Integration](/uploads/dropbox_onedrive_f159158769.png)

Likewise, if you want to take the backup of your Instagram and Pinterest account photographs using Google Drive, you can integrate both of them with Google Drive respectively and see this happening on its own.

#### Increases Efficiency

\[SaaS integration\](SaaS Integration: What is SaaS Integration and Why Do You Need It?) can even help you become more efficient. Don’t believe us?

See for yourself!

If you are an HR professional with hundreds of emails to send almost daily, what you can do is integrate an application like Workable with Gmail and send out emails more efficiently.

If you are a meeting manager, you can integrate Google Sheets and Google Calendar to create Google Calendar events from new Google Sheets rows automatically.

![Google Calendar Google Sheet Integration](/uploads/googlesheet_calendar_3be3d1c2ea.png)

If you want to make a list of your new contacts from HubSpot as a Google Sheet, you can integrate both the accounts and make the list easily.

Sounds great?

#### High ROI, Increased Revenue

SaaS integration may not always be easy to set up but once you have it in place, it will save a lot of time.

You may need to hire a SaaS integration consultant to get this done, but the ROI will be high and your business revenue will definitely get a boost.

When you are not focused on recurring tasks such as updating Google Sheets or Trello boards, you’d have time to focus on what actually drives value.

You’d have the focus to direct your energy in the right direction, which will definitely help boost the business.

#### Smart Customer Support

Customer support is one of the most important parts of your business. Why? Because if your customers are happy, they won’t leave.

So, how does SaaS integration help with improving your customer support?

For starters, you can use an interactive tool such as Typeform to collect customer queries rather than boring forms. Further, integrate Typeform with a customer support tool such as Freshdesk to create Freshdesk tickets for new Typeform entries.

![Typeform Freshdesk Integration](/uploads/typeform_freshdesk_470499532c.png)

If Trello is your favourite tool, you can integrate Zendesk and Trello to create Trello cards from new Zendesk tickets.

To never miss a ticket again, integrate Slack with your customer support tool and receive personalized messages for every support ticket raised.

![Integrate Slack With Customer Support](/uploads/Integrate_Slack_With_Customer_Support_c90972ed5c.png)

#### Catching Up With Trends

It’s true that SaaS integration has a lot of benefits for your business. However, another reason to use SaaS integration can be that it is selling like hotcakes.

Businesses around the world are increasingly using SaaS integration to scale their business and manage their time and resources better. SaaS integration is definitely going to become a necessity for the upcoming businesses because there is only so much that you can do manually. And, this becomes even more important if you are managing a remote team.

#### Brings Down Operational Costs

An interesting fact to note here is that SaaS integration can actually bring down your operational costs.

Wondering how?

Well, if you are smartly attending to support tickets, have automated the majority of your workflows using smart SaaS integration and are using your human resources wisely for the tasks that they must do, you’d optimise your entire business value chain unknowingly.

This, further, will result in bringing down operational costs.

#### Smart Workflows

SaaS integration helps create smart workflows. Wondering how?

Well, SaaS integration can help you optimise the entire value chain, not just one part of it.

For instance, you can share blog posts to your social channels easily and automate the entire workflow from the time a blog post is marked done to when it is shared on all the social channels.

How? You can post new RSS items to a Facebook Page, Tweet new RSS Feed items, or Buffer new items in an RSS feed.

Furthermore, you can automatically send thank you messages to those who filled out your surveys without even bothering about it. How? You can integrate Gmail with Survey Monkey and send an email via Gmail for every new SurveyMonkey response that you have received. Or, you can even send an email via Office 365 for new SurveyMonkey responses.Besides you can integrate varios [WP Survey](https://ays-pro.com/wordpress/survey-maker) plugins and to get good results.

**What else can you automate and create a smart workflow?**

You can integrate Typeform with Mailchimp to create a new subscriber every time someone fills out the Typeform.

![Typeform Mailchimp Integration](/uploads/typeform_mailchimp_73957c3776.png)

Or, if you have a Google Sheet of subscribers, you can add subscribers to Mailchimp for new Google Sheets rows.

There is no end to possibilities. You can integrate almost any application with any other application - all you have to do is imagine a workflow and get in touch with a competent SaaS integration consultant to get that done.

### Intelligent Resource Management

Finally, SaaS integration makes sure that you are managing your resources smartly.

What does this mean?

This primarily means that when systems are talking to each other, humans don’t have to.

![Benefits of SaaS Integration Intelligent Resource Management](/uploads/Benefits_of_Saa_S_Integration_Intelligent_Resource_Management_85d5111fc0.png)

With SaaS integration, you save a lot of time, effort and energy that goes into doing recurring tasks and performing monotonous activities.

Thus, your smart human resources can use their time to do what artificial intelligence can’t. This may sound very generic but when you actually see the implications of this, your mind would definitely be blown away. Thus, you see that SaaS integration is totally changing the way businesses operate. Be it tracking events and tasks with your calendar or getting notifications and reminders about everything in Slack, SaaS integration steals the show. However, the only downside is that some of us are not technically sound enough to set up these integrations.

And this is where SaaS integration consultants step in. A SaaS integration consultant can help you get started with any integration you want just like that. Plus, they would also educate you on which SaaS applications you should ideally integrate depending on your business and its requirements. If you are an entrepreneur or a freelancer, you should see this as a business investment that you make rather than an added expense. If you are managing an inventory or an online shop, integrations become more of a necessity rather than a luxury. For example, you can have a summary of all your e-conomic sales invoices sent to your Gmail on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis using SaaS integration. And, this is just one example. There are way too many of them waiting for you to explore them!

[![cta-crm-inventory-contact-us.png](/uploads/cta_crm_inventory_contact_us_4436ac7216.png)](https://www.cloudify.biz/marketplace/free-consultation)

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SaaS Integration: Top 10 Reasons Your Business Needs It

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[Pipedrive](https://www.cloudify.biz/pipedrive) and Freshsales are (CRM) software which comes packed with features like contact management, pipeline tools with many customisations available.

If we compare Freshsales with Pipedrive, both are unique in their way, and both come uniquely priced with different plans based on the no. of users and features. Let’s take a more in-depth look at both CRMs.

## When Should a Business Use Freshsales?

[Freshsales seems to be the best option for small businesses](https://www.freshworks.com/crm/lp/competition-vs/?tactic_id=3389380&utm_source=google-adwords&utm_medium=Fsales-Search-INDIA-Brand&utm_campaign=Fsales-Search-INDIA-Brand&utm_term=freshsales%20crm&device=c&matchtype=p&network=g&gclid=CjwKCAjwscGjBhAXEiwAswQqNC_qBZ6TUDw3Q5FNBOLOJZ0UmiHdwT4KLvR3STg_fMsyxOpe62gbchoCjGMQAvD_BwE&gad=1) looking out for an affordable cloud-based CRM, which can be customised as per their business and processes, helping them manage both inbound and outbound sales teams.

It helps all businesses spread across different industry verticals for managing their potential and existing customers.

*   Some of the key features include sales lead tracking, event tracking, sales management and more. You can send personalized emails in bulk, monitor and track all the activities related to these emails. The email inbox will automatically prioritize the emails, from leads and contacts which are awaiting for a response.
*   Users can also send personalized bulk emails and then monitor activities. The inbox automatically prioritises emails from contacts and leads that are waiting for a response.
*   Freshsales tracks the web pages that prospects are interacting with and then segments contacts based on their behaviour. A lead scoring feature ranks lead based on that data and will prioritize those with a higher score over those that require nurturing. The 360 customer view offers full details about customers and prospects, including conversations, touchpoints, appointments, and tasks.
*   Freshsales integration with Freshdesk, Segment event tracking and Google Calendar. Services are offered on a monthly subscription basis that includes support via phone and through other online resources.

![ Pipedrive or Freshsales](/uploads/freshsales_d0252e9320.jpg)

#### User Experience

Here we have curated a list of all the features that make Freshsales user friendly.

*   Single pane view into the behaviour of prospects, which eventually helps salespersons in getting a 360-degree view of the prospect’s behaviour, say Goodbye to multiple tools.
*   Provides complete visibility of the sales pipeline - this helps salespersons to find out how effective their selling has been and in keeping track of their deals.
*   Insights, which help in optimizing sales processes - this also allows salespeople in identifying bottlenecks and know performance as per key metrics.
*   Bridging the gap between support and sales - any business’s current customers are their future loyal customers, you need to have regular interactions with them, Freshsales keeps your support and sales teams in sync, integrate Freshworks with Freshsales.

#### Freshsales Customer Service

There’s no doubt that Freshsales offers seamless and exceptional customer support; they are available on chat, email and phone.

Additionally, they also provide an extensive video library that covers everything from setting up the software and performing the expert configuration.

### About Pipedrive

Pipedrive was founded in 2010 by two partners, who were fed up with the CRM’s, which were built keeping only managers and organizations in mind and not the end-users.

By teaming up with three developers, they formed a team and launched it in 2016, meanwhile working on updates, plans and functionalities.

\[Pipedrive was very much focused on small enterprises\](What is Pipedrive?) but later on started adding more complex features, which were a prerequisite for large enterprises.

![ Pipedrive or Freshsales](/uploads/blog_pipedrive_f22f287112.jpg)

#### When Should Businesses Use Pipedrive CRM?

Pipedrive CRM is famous for its multiple visual pipeline view, product catalogues, which makes it suitable for businesses that sell both services and products, and the ones that want to create proposals based on catalogues from within the CRM.

Pipedrive comes packed with built-in scheduling tools, which makes it better for sales teams who have to schedule personal meetings regularly with their clients for closing a deal.

*   Reduces admin work - Manual data entry belongs to the 19th century, if you’re still doing it, then you’re surely lagging. With the right tool like Pipedrive, you will handle data less and sell more.
*   Easy to use and set-up - Using a CRM software give your sales team a panic attack? Forget that when using Pipedrive as the visual sales pipeline makes it user friendly. So, instead of being a sales management software or weekly reporting platform, it becomes a one-stop solution for all your sales tracking needs.
*   Unifies all tools - Imagine all the tools and integrations that are involved in your sales processes all at one place. Having a streamlined and single view of sales processes gives you clarity, gets you and your team on the same page.
*   Fully customisable - Flexible sales management systems, which are easy to adjust, are the best way for moulding the software as per your business needs. The less complicated the CRM is, the easier it becomes to personalise it.
*   Available on the go - Never miss out on a significant lead, no matter where you are with the Pipedrive’s mobile app. It makes sales management easy and simple so that you can communicate with prospects on the go.
*   Designed for salespeople by salespeople - A salesperson job does not end at generating leads, so they need software that is designed to meet their needs. Regular CRM’s might also work, but the real magic only happens when you’re using the right tools that are built for driving and managing your leads.

Related articles for you:

*   [**Pipedrive: Top 10 Reasons Why Pipedrive is the Best CRM!**](https://www.cloudify.biz/blogs/post/pipedrive-top-10-reasons-why-pipedrive-is-the-best-crm)
*   [**What is Pipedrive: The Ultimate Guide to Pipedrive CRM**](https://www.cloudify.biz/blogs/post/what-is-pipedrive)

#### User Experience

*   Pipedrive’s most important feature has always been the sales pipeline; the visual appeal makes it less complicated and more user friendly. It displays deals as per different stages, showcases the team’s progress and which deals should be prioritized, which makes it easy to have an overview.
*   The activity-based CRM helps salespeople in selecting the right activities as per deals, and you can also add custom fields as per business requirements.
*   Comes in 13 languages and all major currencies and few minor ones along with a robust API for enabling seamless integrations with other systems you use for your business making it easier to export and import data to other platforms.
*   [Pipedrive](https://www.cloudify.biz/blogs/post/what-is-pipedrive) users - including us, adore the visual pipeline and intuitive interface, which requires a little onboarding. It also gets thumbs up for its seamless integrations with this party software like marketing automation and email marketing. Another most useful feature includes workflow automation, which are pre-defined but can be customised by using a third-party automation tool like zapier.

#### Pipedrive Customer Service

Even though Pipedrive does not offer phone support, that does not stop its support team from providing their customers with the best customer service experience.

The support team is available via chat and email, while also offering expert support knowledge on their support pages, explanatory videos on youtube and webinars.

They also have their own Pipedrive community where businesses come together to share their experience and discuss problems.

We tried to write this comparison without being biased towards any, and we surely wouldn’t want your decision for the CRM to be specially based on this article.

We expect you to make your decision on the basis of features, prices and integrations that you’re for that eventually deem fit to your business needs.

We suggest you to [Book a consultation with a CRM expert](https://www.cloudify.biz/book-consultation) before making your final decision.

Related use cases: [Vendemus](https://www.cloudify.biz/case-studies/vendemus) | [TED IVS](https://www.cloudify.biz/case-studies/vendemus)

According to us, both Pipedrive and Freshsales are excellent CRM’s for small to medium-sized businesses that will help sales teams in streamlining their projects and convert leads into customers.

When it comes to comparing both, Freshsales provides you with a free plan, followed by upgraded plans that you can choose on the basis of your business needs. The plans are cheaper than Pipedrive.

Whereas generally, Pipedrive offers a free trial of 14 but via [Cloudify, the elite partner,](https://www.cloudify.biz/) you can have access to a 45 day extended trial right after applying the pipedrive promo code.

Apart from this, Pipedrive comes with 14 plans, and you can pick the one based on your needs. But again we would like to conclude that each business is unique and so are their needs, so before you take any decision - [TALK TO THE EXPERTS!](https://www.cloudify.biz/book-consultation)

What You Should Choose: Pipedrive or Freshsales?

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In today’s competitive world, no matter how excellent your business’s services or products are - the only factor which contributes to long-term growth and success is the ability to create, implement and execute successful sales strategies.

But you can’t create a world-class sales strategy in the blink of an eye, they are the result of thoughtful planning with paying attention to detail and sufficient amounts of A/B testing of trials and errors. 

According to an industry insider, surprisingly, today’s businesses are operating with poorly defined strategies for increasing sales. More than [50% of businesses](https://www.searchenginejournal.com/50-of-small-businesses-do-not-have-a-marketing-plan/308777/) operate without any predefined digital marketing strategy. They lack the clear and concrete sales strategies required for operating their business.

But for implementing sales strategies that work for them, business owners and sales management need to educate themselves about different types of sales strategies. They should also keep an eye on their competitors to discover proven sales strategies that are working for them.

![Implementing a Sales Strategy](/uploads/sales_strategy_1_7fee775827.png)

## How to Create a Concrete Sales Strategy Plan?

Planning is the most crucial part while creating sales or marketing plans, which is carried out at both micro and macro level.

You need to develop broad mission statements and objectives that align with the day to day activities.

Two steps to keep in mind while planning a successful sales strategy:

1\. Identify your value proposition

2\. Define your marketplace

There are three types of plans in the management and here’s how they work.

### Strategic Plan

*   A strategic plan is an overview of the business, its objectives, values and vision.
*   It is the foundation and will dictate decisions in the long run.
*   It should be forward-looking, flexible and should focus on future growth.

The critical components of any strategic plan are:

#### Vision

Where does the organisation see themselves in the next five years? How it wants to influence the world, some realistic visions that are achievable.

#### Mission

The mission statement is like a more realistic overview determining the company's ambitions and aims. Why it exists and what does it aim to achieve.

#### Values

Have some concrete values, like you will not scam your customers. Provide value for money services and products. It helps in building goodwill and achieving long term goals.

![Implementing a Sales Strategy](/uploads/sales_strategy_2_1_d93ad9f70b.png)

### Tactical Plan

It describes the tactics an organisation plans to use for achieving the ambitions outlined by the strategic plan. It is a short term plan that breaks down broader missions into small actionable ideas.

Some components that must be there in a strategic plan:

#### Defined Goals with Fixed Deadlines

*   Imagine you want to become the largest ice cream retailer in the city.
*   The tactical plan will break the broad ambition into small actionable goals.
*   They should be specific with fixed deadlines - grow 25% per quarter, or increase revenue to 1 million within one year.

#### Budgets

*   The plan should list budget requirements for achieving specific goals in the strategic plan.
*   It could include the budget for marketing, manufacturing, sourcing or hiring personnel. Listing revenue outflow/inflow could also be included.

#### Resources

The tactical plan should have all the resources you need for achieving the goals. It should include human resource, cash or Ip etc.

#### Marketing, Funding

Finally, it should also list the organisation's marketing, funding, Retailing or PR strategy, it should also align with the goals that have been outlined.

### Operational Plan

*   An operational plan describes the day to day running of an enterprise. It gives a roadmap for achieving the tactical goals with a realistic time frame.
*   It should be highly specific with a strong emphasis on short term objectives like increase sales to 150 units in a day or hire 50 new employees.
*   They can be either single-use or ongoing.

#### Single-Use Plans

These plans are created for activities/events within a single occurrence. It could be a one-time marketing campaign or a sales program.

#### Ongoing Plans

*   These plans could be used in multiple channels on an ongoing basis. The current plans for different channels could be different, and they can be repeated or changed when required.
*   Operational plans help in aligning the organisation’s strategic plan with the day to day running of an enterprise. It is a point where macro meets micro.
*   To run a successful business - you need to pay equal attention to broad adjectives but also about how they are met regularly.

Read more: [Using Your Sales CRM for More Than Sales](https://www.cloudify.biz/blogs/post/using-your-sales-crm-for-more-than-sales)

### Aligning Sales Strategy in a Business Plan

Each sales strategy plan should be custom tailored with intent and industry, and the plan should act as a guide to each decision throughout a business process. Starting from lead generation to hot prospects and clearly defining KPIs that guide sales representatives throughout the process.

Though many entrepreneurs believe that the key to achieving more sales would be better marketing - even though marketing is essential for building the brand and getting your services or products seen by many potential customers.

But the fact is the marketing strategies should align with your sales strategies for generating sales leads and revenue.

People are now focusing more on inbound marketing, which is a sales methodology that prioritizes the goals, challenges, needs and interests of consumers.

Unlike other sales strategies it is not pushy and works to meet consumers where they are while guiding them throughout the process.

### Using the Right Mix of Outbound and Inbound Sales Tactics

The right mix of both outbound and inbound sales is necessary outbound could be sourcing leads and whereas inbound could be the act of following up.

The right mix of both inbound and outbound sales tactics is necessary to truly grow as a company.

In some ways, you could consider outbound sales as synonymous with prospecting: it’s the act of sourcing leads whereas inbound sales is the act of following up with and nurturing those leads.

![Implementing a Sales Strategy](/uploads/piepdrive_sales_strategy_d7d986136c.png)

We will help in aligning your business goals with sales strategies, with the right guidance and tools inbound sales can be implemented in an organisation of any size.

We are official partners with [HubSpot](https://www.cloudify.biz/hubspot) and \[Pipedrive\](What is Pipedrive?) and can help you in establishing some of your inbound marketing along with the sales process.

[Book a free consultation now](https://www.cloudify.biz/book-consultation)

Implementing a Sales Strategy

Automation Essentials For a Small Business

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[Small businesses need automation](https://www.cloudify.biz/blogs/post/a-guide-to-creating-business-process-automation) more than ever. With limited resources, they are competing to increase market share. Automation can enable them to create massive experience differences at a fraction of resources and costs.

As someone running a small business, you try to do everything in your capacity to make sure your company is walking through the right path and towards the correct goal. To put your business out there for the world, you create a solid digital presence for it to be recognized with its voice, opinions, efforts, and personality.

With the changing dynamics of the market, you keep your business up to date with the latest marketing trends, invest in the best software and technologies, train your teams well, aim to deliver incomparable customer service, and keep the strategies on the tips to change them as per as the business demands.

But has automation ever crossed your mind?

Regardless of whether you are a small business owner or handling a large enterprise, automation works on filtering and accomplishing repetitive tasks while allowing you to put time and energy into tasks that call for human effort.

## **What does automation bring to your business?**

#### **Reduced time and low operational costs**

![Automation Essentials For a Small Business](/uploads/Reduced_time_and_low_operational_costs_f448d727c7.png)

Nobody’s lying when they say time is money. Sure, your team spends a lot of time creating orders, tracking them, inserting information, gathering feedback, or collecting data for further use. Automation helps your business get its recurring and mundane tasks done through the systems and lets your team focus on things that actually require labour.

Making hires to have someone take care of all the data that can be handled and kept safe with automation? Think about that again. You save up on a lot of money with an automated system, which works more efficiently than any workforce.

![Automation Essentials For a Small Business](/uploads/Increased_productivity_1_1024x538_1c217e6c5c.png)

#### **Increased productivity**

With the operating costs going down, the workforce taking care of tasks needing actual effort, and systems taking care of heavy processes, you are sure to have your productivity at the maximum. Having a defined workflow for your complex processes reduces errors like skipping a process or re-running one. Automation lets the always-accurate machines take it in their hands, which eliminates any chance of low productivity.

#### **Transparency in Business**

In any relationship or organization, transparency plays a role equal to that of trust and honesty combined. Knowing where the company stands, especially in small businesses, is paramount as it helps you know the loopholes, mistakes you’ve been avoiding, areas of correction and improvement, and what needs to be polished. With automation, you have your work sorted in terms of what has to be handed to the machines and what needs to be in the hands of your workforce. Having this transparency is not only healthy for the business but the employer-employee relationship as well, which in the long-term has always proved to be fruitful for the company.

![Automation Essentials For a Small Business](/uploads/Higher_customer_satisfaction_1024x538_6b79f73f9c.png)

#### **Higher customer satisfaction**

Customer satisfaction is essential to keep a business going and growing. Letting automation be in charge of your repetitive business processes can help you [connect your CRM](https://www.cloudify.biz/blogs/post/introduction-to-crm) to various tools and software. Remember the message and after-service feedback your team had to ask the customers every time they placed an order and received it? You can automate all of that and control how the customers are responded to and interacted with to resolve their queries on the basis of priority.

#### **Focus derived on tasks needing actual efforts**

Let’s be honest here. Who wants to keep on doing something over and over again when it can be fully automated? In the process of small businesses taking charge of everyday tasks, the areas needing actual effort are somewhere left behind and go unnoticed. Automating your business processes lets you notice these areas and target them better in order for you to divide your workforce for the tasks that require labor efforts, thinking, understanding, and executing.

### **Processes That Small Businesses Should Automate to Maximise Benefits**

![Automation Essentials For a Small Business](/uploads/CRM_1_8db444078a.png)

#### **Customer relationship management (CRM)**

[Automating your CRM](https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/choosing-right-crm-your-e-commerce-work-smarter-harder-cloudify-biz%3FtrackingId=oigOPOoRRteBGVwuX6NhUA%253D%253D/?trackingId=oigOPOoRRteBGVwuX6NhUA%3D%3D) makes it easy for you to target processes that are not managed by the software. Not only does it ensure an improved customer experience, but you can manage your sales and e-mails processes and gather data to target your leads better. Updating your customers with recent launches and upcoming sales and discounts on a regular basis creates a sense of trust between the company and the customer. With automation, you would be able to have all of that done–making your customer feel special.

![Automation Essentials For a Small Business](/uploads/finance_and_accounting_1_1024x538_2cba1ec421.png)

#### **Finance and accounting**

Organisations go to great lengths to hire skilled accountants for handling the finances, reporting on expenses, and preparing journals and spreadsheets for financial statements. Why not have your finance and accounting process automated where you can save time and be sure of minimal human errors? This way your employee can use the saved up time on analysing data, following up on KPIs, creating strategic solutions, and forecasting and analysing risk.

![Automation Essentials For a Small Business](/uploads/finance_accounting_1_1024x538_4b996b1cab.png)

#### **Sales and Marketing**

Connecting your sales process with marketing is a great idea when you want your business to move forward with both of these. At [Cloudify](https://www.cloudify.biz/), we connect your sales and marketing processes without you having to procure separate tools for each.

[Having a blend of the two systems](https://www.cloudify.biz/workflow-automation) allows the marketing team to establish enhanced campaigns and funnels with a goal of turning prospects into leads. Further, the sales automation process works hand-in-hand and takes quick decisions on campaigns for better communication with the customers.

Related articles:

*   [**SaaS Integration: Top 10 Reasons Your Business Needs It**](https://www.cloudify.biz/blogs/post/saas-integration-top-10-reasons-your-business-needs-it)
*   [**SaaS Integration: What is SaaS Integration and Why Do You Need It?**](https://www.cloudify.biz/blogs/post/what-is-saas-integration)
*   [**What is Marketing Automation and Why Do You Need It?**](https://www.cloudify.biz/blogs/post/what-is-marketing-automation-and-why-do-you-need-it)
*   [**A guide to creating business process automation**](https://www.cloudify.biz/blogs/post/a-guide-to-creating-business-process-automation)

### **First Step Towards Growing Your Business with Automation**

Automation sure does make business processes easier, feasible, convenient, and error-free. But, have you ever pondered over how you can set it up? Or what would all the process to it include? Well, we’ve got you covered! Speak to one of Cloudify’s many process automation consultants, who can guide you through the process and service of automation.

[Book your free consultation now!](https://www.cloudify.biz/marketplace)

Five Business Processes That You Need to Automate Today

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No matter the size, market share, or nature of businesses across the globe, each one would agree to the wish and choice of having to stop catering to monotonous and tedious tasks.

Carrying a handful of lengthy processes, which often take weeks to months, or more, businesses need access to a fix-it-all software that allows them to bring tasks from all places under one roof and implement them as all, based upon their categories and what functions do they serve for the business.

This is where automation swoops in, taking charge of granting humans the little freedom that they can and deserve to get from recurring and crucial tasks. [Implementing automation](https://www.cloudify.biz/blogs/post/how-can-you-automate-your-ecommerce-business) into your business system might seem like a prolonged and tiresome chore in itself, doesn’t it?

How about this– You get all your business automation managed and implemented within a short and specified span of time. That too, without you needing to know how to code.

Sounds interesting, right? It sure is! You might as well want to [join us today](https://www.cloudify.biz/blogs)!

Let us swim through the five business processes that you need to automate today, which will proffer the maximum convenience for your smooth workflow and growth.

![The Five Business Processes That You Need to Automate Today](/uploads/business_process_automation_1024x538_eae9124de2.png)

## **What is Business Process Automation and Do You Really Need it?**

[Business Process Automation](https://www.cloudify.biz/workflow-automation), often referred to as BPA, automates complex and recurring tasks to get them executed by a system to minimise or replace human efforts, which results in streamlined processes, a reduction of operational costs, and ensuring error-free work. [94% of executives](https://www.workato.com/the-connector/8-automation-stats-cio/) from corporate firms would rather use a single platform for integrating their applications and deploying process automation, as opposed to managing multiple platforms.

Still not convinced into why you must take the step forward to put your time, thoughts, investment, and decision making into automation?

Well, here are the great deals you crack by choosing BPA:

#### **Low Operational Costs**

Automation enables an enterprise to limit or lower its workforce by having systems take over the repetitive and mundane tasks that are otherwise allotted to employees. Doing so helps the firm save on the cost of human labour and the cost of materials and resources required by the employees/workers to carry out and complete tasks.

![The Five Business Processes That You Need to Automate Today](/uploads/cost_reduction_1024x538_8fc7a8c03e.png)

#### **Increased Efficiency**

The human brain, however fast it may work, does not hold a candle to a computerised system when it comes to getting work done in the same amount of time, leave alone doing it faster. With manual effort, tasks become error-prone due to their repetitive and boring nature. Whereas, a system provides comparatively fruitful results by filtering the boring jobs, utilising the usage of resources and time accurately without wastage, and offering high productivity with increased efficiency.

#### **Higher Customer Satisfaction**

A customer is like the judge at a fancy dress competition who you have to win over anyhow by proving your outfit has it all. Just like that, your customers are who you have to connect to and win. Automating your business is a huge win for you when we speak of customer satisfaction. This is because there is no scope for placing reminders to send follow-up emails, catching deadlines, replying to emails, generating a welcome email, or calling to ask for feedback or errors that would make your customer support weak.

Now that you have a basic outline of why your firm needs BPA let’s dive into the key processes that you need to automate ASAP.

![The Five Business Processes That You Need to Automate Today](/uploads/bp_to_automate_today_1_9b707ced7a.png)

### **Business Processes to Automate Today**

#### **Sales Process**

Sales personnel love selling and closing deals! However, sending emails, filling in about their daily tasks, and doing paperwork sure isn’t a part of this. Automating your sales process can be of huge help to your sales rep by cutting down their time and energy spent otherwise on these tasks.  
Automation lets them create email templates with an option to customise signatures and/or information. With proper lead updates and distribution, you can automatically assign leads to your sales rep without any lengthy paperwork. Alongside this, your sales champ can send daily reports of their tasks and activities without any data entry or individual collection of data, which will help you monitor their performances.

#### **Employee Onboarding**

It might seem a piece of cake to those watching from a distance, but the process of onboarding the employee can be a tiring and stressful one. Right from recruitment, sending an offer to its acceptance, creating workstation and responsibilities for the new employee, getting other departments involved, induction, and assigning work– a lot takes place, which can quite often look all messed up due to several intricate processes lying in between.  
An employee doesn’t want to let go of his/her time by waiting for someone to show them around. Instead, they would want to make themselves comfortable with the company’s environment, work culture, and colleagues.

Automating your employee onboarding process lets your new hire onboard themself by filling in details or with an e-sign with the welcome mail sent to them. This would notify the other departments to prepare for the induction, assignment of tasks, and create a user account for the employee.

#### **Customer support**

Customer support is one of the most crucial processes in a business. Interacting with customers, replying to FAQs, or helping them navigate through the website could take up almost all your time while having your customer support executives on line 24x7, which doesn’t seem rational enough.

With cases of exception, like, where a customer seems to have a problem that needs a personalized solution, automation pretty much covers everything that makes it easy for your customer to get help & support, from documenting answers to FQAs in advance, creating chatbots, designing help centres, or constructing a PDF for all their doubts and queries.

#### **Marketing Process**

Introducing your marketing process to automation helps marketers make proper use of it to nurture leads, ripen them, and forward them to the sales team. [Connecting your Customer Relationship Management (CRM)](https://www.cloudify.biz/blogs/post/introduction-to-crm) with marketing automation focuses on gathering data about existing customer accounts and creating personalised experiences and communications with them. You can just remind them about their shopping cart that hasn’t been checked out yet or the back-in-stock items that they eyed. It also enables you to handle pipelines for new customers and keep them interested and updated with the weekly newsletter or timely subscription emails.

#### **Invoicing Process**

What can be the most possible laborious and dull part of an invoicing process for your accounts payable department? Doing all the paperwork, often abhorred data entry, and requesting invoice copies. Needless to say, having automation software enables your AP team to extract verified data and update it to the system. Moreover, your business will be saved from all the errors, inaccuracy of data, duplicate, incomplete, or multiple payments, which can deteriorate your financial records in unimaginable ways.

### **How Can You Get Your Processes Automated?**

Automating your business process doesn’t mean and in no way is a route to detach the workforce from your business. Certain tasks that require the involvement of human effort for decision-making, cognitive abilities, and reinforcement of values and thoughts remain untouched by automation–and that is what gives an organization its much-needed human touch.

[Cloudify](https://www.cloudify.biz/) assists firms in creating a balance between the usage of machines and humans by helping them automate and manage their integrations without removing the manual element that has led to growth in all dimensions. [Book a free consultation](https://www.cloudify.biz/book-consultation) with one of our process automation consultants.

5 Business Processes Need to Automate Today

Key Metrics of Measuring Automation Success

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Organisations spend their time and resources heavily on ensuring their productivity is increased, tasks are carried out smoothly without errors, and goals are accomplished efficiently– all until they opt to automate their business processes.

Automation handles all the recurring tasks that usually have manual efforts put on them. With automation, businesses are able to replace this human effort and instead save them hours that, otherwise, are spent generously. Over the years, automation of business processes has proved to be the outcome of better decision-making for several companies in ways that have helped them acquire a bigger market share, create better projections, eliminate risks, and grow leads significantly.

![Key Metrics of Measuring Automation Success](/uploads/key_metrics_of_measuring_success_automation_1024x538_da5b8d84be.png)

_**For a better understanding on knowing how to use marketing automation for lead generation, take a look at this tutorial by**_ _**Jumplead.**_

Despite having known the advantages that come with it, how did the senior business executives at these companies know that automation was a success for them?

There are quite a few aspects that describe the success of your automated tests, which need to be researched well to make a reasonable decision.

## **Time Saved on Tests and Recurring Tasks**

One of the biggest reasons companies choose automation is the fact that it deals with all the heavy lifting and leaves the rest for manual work. There are over a hundred tasks that need to be carried out a thousand times every day. Leaving that to the system gives the workforce the freedom and choice to opt for tasks that demand critical thinking, cognitive ability, and human thoughts.

Customizing the automation framework as per the requirements of the business and its processes and strategies allows business owners to be sure of the number of procedures it wants to automate. Spending time to check if the automation works well rather than actually using it to detect errors in existing and new tasks and cut down the operational costs states that you might need some rework around your automation.

It is essential to run automation on a relatively smaller area with a small number of tests and rule out the ones that provide unsatisfactory results.

![Key Metrics of Measuring Automation Success](/uploads/escalation_in_efficiency_1024x538_5d4089ee82.png)

### **Escalation in Efficiency**

Every business has its efficiency metrics that fall in line and are specific to its nature and goals. One of the most common metrics with which an enterprise measures its efficiency nowadays is its sales and revenue.

Comparing the expenditure on resources while having human intervention into your recurring tasks versus letting the system carry it out gives you a brief overview of how much time, resources, and stress your business could have saved by just opting for automation.

Businesses hire talented strategists, marketers, and accountants to make sure they have a concrete plan to execute–one that holds the slightest risks and enhances the process of increasing efficiency, a dedicated section for maintaining the ledgers, filling up spreadsheets, expense management, and bookkeeping. These recruits undergo the best training to help them develop and contribute to and take charge of these processes.

If your automation requires puts you no longer need a surfeit of workforce for a few tasks and instead, runs them well and brings in almost double the productivity as compared to labor effort while consuming half of the resources and time as compared to its counterpart, then you the automation intervention has proven to be a success for your business.

![Key Metrics of Measuring Automation Success](/uploads/aliviation_of_risk_1_1024x538_9a1184fbef.png)

### **Alleviation of Risks**

A framework that has all the workflow in place with time, efficiency, and activity metrics showing great results certainly alleviate the risks, if not rule them entirely. While human intervention is more likely to cause errors and develop risks, an automation takeover of the business processes resolves them on the basis of their priority being high or low-risked.

_Let’s look at it this way-_ A barista prepares the same order every day for a few of his customers. This order almost never requires a change in the ingredient list, unless the customer requires it. The chances of the barista getting the order wrong at some point are rather high in contrast to the coffee machine preparing the orders that it has been provided the instructions for. The machine would know exactly how much of each ingredient has to be put in without making room for any wastage. Moreover, it would prepare the orders within a shorter period of time, allowing other orders to be taken and served, which brings in more revenue.

Human intervention _is_ required and _should_ be done when the system needs to reorganize its processes, rerun automation in case of failed ones, or when you want to tweak your processes or are willing to bring change or simplify them.

![](/uploads/put_a_stamp_1_1024x538_08a4cad0ff.png)

### **Put a Stamp on Your Automation Success**

While the plan and vision of success for each realm of your business may differ as per its dynamic nature, with a course of action to maintain the criteria above, you will be all set to witness the growth of your business in all aspects.

Keeping the above criteria on one hand allows you to welcome the many wonderful opportunities with the other. You are just one step away from encountering delighted and satisfied customers with happy employees and achieved targets.

![](/uploads/integrate_automate_launch_1_1024x538_beb711d6a6.png)

### **Integrate, Automate, and Launch Programs Across Multiple Platforms with Cloudify!**

[Automating with Cloudify](https://www.cloudify.biz/) helps you keep your metrics in check while providing you real-time updates of your automation process. With a talented and passionate team of automation experts, you are signing up yourself for an impressive road to automation success.  
Choose a plan that suits your requirements the best, [sign up for a free e-consultation](https://www.cloudify.biz/book-consultation), and let us connect your SaaS products for a smooth workflow automation.

**Business process automation** has become a big hit and a game-changer for many businesses. Estimated growth of [$12.7 billion by 2021](https://www.statista.com/statistics/740593/worldwide-business-process-automation-market-size/) is what we can expect in the automation industry. The industry is racing the course at a rate of [10% year on year](https://mms.businesswire.com/media/20200602005662/en/795435/5/IRTNTR40296.jpg?download=1). It’s no surprise that automation is going to take businesses to a newer level in this modern world.

What automation can do is free up the man-hours to focus more on strategic works. This process cuts down the operational cost of the business, reduces human error and inefficient systems. In terms of benefits, the payoff is high.

## **What Business Process Automation is all about?**

Business process automation (BPA) is a step in business process management (BPM). BPM is all about creating, editing, and analysing business processes that make up the core.

BPA is about the application of technology in everyday business processes to automate these routine manual processes. The most frequent or recurring task can be automated to increase efficiency, productivity, speed, and consistency. The automation can be applied to a pile lot of areas like:

\- HR and onboarding

\- Finance

\- Sales

\- Product development

\- Inventory tracking

\- IT

\- Education

\- Procurement

\- Logistics, and so on.

In fact, experts believe that in 60% of jobs, one-third of tasks can get automated.

**Why do you need to start with business automation?**

Let’s start with an example of the accounting system. When there is huge data entry to be done manually in spreadsheets, it can rack up to a huge amount in form of the staffing costs and also take a lot of time. The inevitable human errors can create the accounting minefield.

![A guide to creating business process automation](/uploads/why_do_you_need_start_with_business_automation_5a65b56f47.png)

Let us not sugarcoat the whole thing. In simple words, manual processes are time taking, inefficient, labour-heavy, and ineffective with poor process outcomes. To scale such processes one needs to increase the staffing budget, which can add up to the financial burdens. Even if there are more staff, there will always be increased chances of errors due to manual processes.

So, by automating the processes we deal with these processes head-on.

When the processes are automated, they are more accurate and faster, thus making them easier to scale and even cheaper with fewer staff.

Nearly [42% of business leaders](https://content.workmarket.com/ty-2020-insight-what-ai-automatio/) come to a consensus that automation brings in faster workflows and cuts down labour costs. And half of the business population agrees that automated processes have fewer errors compared to manual processes.

If you are new to automation, a few examples of what you can automate includes purchase orders, invoice creation, and sending, email marketing, employee onboarding, etc.

A successful automation plan can yield-

**Operational efficiency**: Paperworks is a real-time killer in addition to other administrative works. Business process automation is less time-consuming and reduces the time taken for completing the manual works.

For example, if the sales team is freed up from spending hours on spreadsheets, then they can close on more leads and being in some real business.

**Accuracy**: When there are manual processes in work, there are even higher chances of introducing errors. Bad data can cost a lot to businesses. To avoid entry of this bad data into your business system, automation is your saviour.

**Visibility**: With automation in place, you can track all the business processes, team, any upcoming deadlines, HR resources, and much more.

**Shorter turnaround time**: With improved visibility of all processes, you get a chance to better problem-solving opportunities. You can know about the situation in advance and deal with the crisis at the earliest.

**Employee satisfaction**: Business automation can give your employees a fulfilling experience. The jobs become more engaging and satisfying when their manual works are automated.

**Better customer experience**: The business clients also benefit from automation. They can find answers to their questions or automation errors in minutes without waiting in a long queue.

**How to create business process automation?**

It’s always better to start with one area of your business and then scale up. Thus, the first step is through the custom solution. This can help you out if you have a complex legacy that is not prepared to integrate with other systems through APIs. Though many of you will opt for RPA or robotic process automation; however, this extends your shelf life for a short term. What exactly suits your needs are the custom-built solutions.

The second method is cheaper that includes scripting, point-to-point integrations, which allows automation. For example, with Zapier you can generate a salesforce record from a spreadsheet. This reduces the data entry work. This can only be beneficial for your business if you need automation in few areas. There can be downsides as well, if you don’t understand the integrations, it can be a mess.

The third method is implementing visual, low-code automation software. These business process automation technologies integrate with the existing system that the client has with low-code forms and dynamic workflows like the Zapier and Integromat.

Business process automation expert, like [Cloudify](https://www.cloudify.biz/), has the remedy to all pitfalls in your manual processes and automation issues. Cloudify offers a one-stop go for businesses to automate their workflows. Cloudify offers managed solutions that secure, optimize, and speeds up the whole business process through the cloud adoption journey. It provides an end-to-end solution from analysis, implementation, and automation, where the experts handle the complete process of automation. The whole implementation and integration process is cost-effective and security-centric that addresses the day-to-day challenges faced by the businesses due to lack of automation.

![A guide to creating business process automation](/uploads/why_do_you_need_start_with_business_automation_1_f247885947.png)

**How Cloudify help businesses grow?**

• **Analysis**: The team identifies the specific business process, part of a value chain or end-to-end value chain for automation.

• **Creation**: The team strategizes efficient and smart business processes.

• **Automation**: It involves laying a solid foundation for automating the business processes. This finally, automates the business processes, saves time, and boosts revenue. Here, you can run your applications together on a single platform or a cloud-based environment.

![A guide to creating business process automation](/uploads/what_cloudify_has_in_store_bf2d1b829a.png)

**What Cloudify has in store?**

• **Integration:** Integration of your SaaS applications can not only save your lost time but also increase your revenue by saving hours of man time. It creates a smart and intelligent workflow, which generates massive productivity.

• **Implementation:** Cloudify helps choose the right SaaS product for the business and implement it, which helps in optimizing the business landscape.

• **Workflow automation:** Workflow automation connects all SaaS products used by the business, thus boosting productivity through task automation. The task involves automation like that of eCommerce automation, marketing automation, invoice automation, and so on.

• **Custom API Development:** Right from the integration to development, everything can be customized as per the client’s business needs. This process begins with an analysis of the business and the client’s requirements, to find out which APIs can align with it. Then the coding is done that undergoes rigorous testing, proving it clean and well-structured.

**Doing the automation in Cloudify’s way**

\- Decide which apps you want to integrate from the packages available on [Marketplace](https://www.cloudify.biz/marketplace). Marketplace by Cloudify is a new launch that offers managed automation for businesses by the seamless connection of the Apps. The platform gives the businesses freedom to customize their automation based on their requirements.

\- To know more about the automation and which apps we support, you can have a quick and free 30 min consultation with the automation expert.

\- Process automation calculator is a no-code process automation calculator that helps you predict your potential savings by letting you know about the yearly effects of the business process automation. his calculator helps the client determine the suitable package based on the tasks completed per month, work duration per task, and labour cost involved.

\- [Choose a plan](https://www.cloudify.biz/marketplace/pricing) that best suits your needs and get yourself an onboarding session booked with our automation experts.

\- All relevant details and data will be collected by our expert. Based on which the automation will be set up.

\- Once the automation is in place, the client gets a notification of it.

You have witnessed the myriad of ways how business process automation can be applied starting from inventory management to automating every single task to cut out the manual processes that go in favour of error-free operations.

If you are looking forward to cutting back your costs of the clunky manual processes, Cloudify offers a comprehensive and cost-effective solution that enhances your staff’s efficiency and customer experience.

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Guide to creating business process automation

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Finding the perfect sales and CRM platform is essential to furthering your business. On this page, we carefully evaluate two of the most successful CRM platforms, HubSpot and Salesforce, so you can make an informed decision that works best for your company.

[Book a free consultation now.](https://www.cloudify.biz/marketplace/free-consultation)

### **Key takeaways:**

The platforms your sales, marketing, and development teams will require, as well as how large your company is. 

If your organisation is of sufficient size to demand a comprehensive CRM system such as Salesforce, know that merging it with HubSpot can result in powerful synergy.

Rather than being in opposition to one another, think of Salesforce and HubSpot as two sides of the same coin. Although these companies both generally target similar audiences and offer comparable features, their objectives are distinct. HubSpot’s CRM serves as a complimentary add-on to the paid sales and marketing software offerings, serving as a beneficial accent. Conversely, Salesforce’s CRM is the core base over which thousands of applications, integrations, and other tools interact. Both companies recognize the advantages of each other’s products, offering integrations so users gain from both systems. 

However, don't limit yourself to just these two options. There are tons of CRM solutions available - why not get personalised advice tailored to your company's needs? Visit our [CRM software page](https://www.cloudify.biz/marketplace/apps) now to receive quick, free suggestions from one of our technology experts. Don't hesitate - start finding the optimal solution right away!

## Let’s take a glance:

#### [Introducing you to HubSpot CRM!](https://www.cloudify.biz/blogs/post/introduction-to-hub-spot-crm)

HubSpot and Salesforce offer a comparable range of features, from automation and streamlining of sales processes to marketing tools, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) capabilities, forecasting and analytics, contact scoring, VoIP services, and customer service features. Let's dive into some of the core distinctions between these two powerful programs in more detail and see how their main features stack up against each other.

| Features | [What HubSpot offers?](https://www.cloudify.biz/hubspot) | [What Salesforce offers?](https://www.salesforce.com/in/) |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sales reporting and forecasting | To access advanced sales reporting and forecasting, an upgraded paid plan is necessary. | Baseline plans offer highly advanced sales reporting and forecasting capabilities. |
| Marketing features | The free and Starter plans come with extensive marketing features. | More expensive scaled plans offer extensive marketing automation features. |
| Ease of using it | The onboarding process includes step-by-step guidance and a more integrated dashboard and navigation system. | The onboarding process includes a demo-like account, although the layout may initially be less intuitive. |
| Customisability | You can customise workflows and automation, but there is no access to coding. | The system is highly customisable and includes coding capabilities. However, to access automation features, you need the Marketing package. |
| Pricing plan | Additionally, there are specific product bundles included in each plan, and the pricing packages can be customized and scaled by the user. | The platform charges per user per month, and many features are available as standalone apps that can be purchased separately. The plans are highly segmented, and similar functionality can be much more expensive. |

### Sale reporting and forecasting with Salesforce - An over edge choice

When it comes to sales reporting and forecasting, Salesforce has a distinct advantage. Its platform offers built-in reporting and forecasting features, making it a superior choice for users who prioritize these functions. Additionally, Salesforce is more cost-effective on a per-user basis for forecasting, although it is a secondary feature for both platforms.

Although HubSpot's dashboards are impressive, Salesforce's standard dashboard provides a comprehensive overview of the user's pipeline, including estimated potential revenue and source data based on past and current information

The pipeline report in Salesforce provides detailed information on the number of sales in the pipeline, their estimated value, and the value of sales that did not convert.

To assess current leads, you can enter details such as the anticipated close date, the stage of the funnel, the expected amount, and the probability of closing. Salesforce's contact scoring tools use various customer fit criteria to evaluate the quality of leads accurately, especially when combined with a well-trained sales team.

HubSpot is also capable of providing solid forecasting and reporting features. Their custom report creation tool is user-friendly and useful for creating reports quickly, and you can watch the reports build out in real-time. While HubSpot's reporting appears more modern than Salesforce's, Salesforce offers superior functionality.

Both platforms provide useful reporting and sales overviews, but Salesforce offers more detailed forecasting, making it the better option for users seeking straightforward reporting and sales summaries.

### Comprehensive marketing capabilities for numerous plans at HubSpot CRM

HubSpot's plans offer a comprehensive sales and marketing solution with more well-rounded marketing features than Salesforce. Unlike Salesforce, HubSpot bundles marketing features instead of offering separate plan packages or individual apps.

One example of an inclusive feature is the pay-per-click (PPC) ad management, which allows you to create and manage PPC ads from within the platform. This feature enables businesses to execute a wide range of tasks within one platform.

HubSpot's other marketing features include page optimization suggestions, email and landing page templates, triggered action-based marketing automation, social media account management and publishing, website and webpage builders, blogging, automatic site-wide SEO recommendations, and website performance analysis via Google Search Console integration.

Salesforce's marketing features are also extensive, including email automation, lead nurturing, AI capabilities, competitor monitoring, and site page creation. However, their marketing packages are priced separately from the CRM, with the lowest tier starting at $1,250 per month for up to 10,000 contacts. Depending on your needs, Salesforce may prove unaffordable and inaccessible to businesses with tight budgets. However, for larger teams, their pricing model could still be comparable to—or even more affordable than—HubSpot's.

### HubSpot & Salesforce CRM tools come with great onboarding experience

Both HubSpot and Salesforce CRM options offer great onboarding experiences for new users. HubSpot provides a detailed, dynamic, and intuitive onboarding process that starts with a series of milestone guides and shows what tasks need to be completed to get started. The platform's dashboard layout is easy to navigate, making it simple for users to start using it right out of the box without a steep learning curve.

Salesforce has a relatively less involved approach to onboarding its users. It provides pop-up notifications that guide users through the process and brief demos as they navigate the platform's features. Additionally, there is a help dropdown menu located in the top navigation bar, which offers resources that are tailored to the specific page the user is currently using.

The onboarding experience for Salesforce may be slightly more difficult to grasp, as it divides the dashboard and its features in a particular manner. Users need to search for individual apps by name, and not all apps may be available for their plan. This can create some friction for new users.

HubSpot has integrated its apps and features directly into its platform, resulting in a clean and easy-to-navigate layout. The features are grouped into relevant categories, and if they are not available in the user's plan, a clear icon notifies them that an upgrade is necessary to access them.

Both platforms offer a great onboarding experience, but if easy onboarding is a priority, HubSpot is the clear winner.

### Salesforce comes with [better customisation](https://www.cloudify.biz/workflow-automation)

When it comes to customisation as an important CRM feature, Salesforce is the preferred option. It allows you to add specific new features with standalone apps, which can be mixed and matched with additional tools, and provides access to custom coding, making it possible to customize virtually anything you want. This is especially beneficial for larger companies that operate with complex or highly specific business processes. This year, Salesforce introduced the Code Builder beta, which has made coding even more accessible to users. This feature allows for development from anywhere, without requiring any additional software.

HubSpot also offers a high degree of customizability for most of its individual features, such as from-scratch and templated workflow, report, and task creation. TRecently, they have incorporated GitHub integration, which facilitates project code storage and leverages GitHub tools. HubSpot CMS is also highly functional and enables the creation of customized web pages, blogs, forms, and even simple applications. However, it does not provide the same level of CRM customization capabilities as Salesforce's custom coding.

### With an abundance of apps available at Salesforce, HubSpot's app hub stands apart with its crystal-clear interface

The winner for the most extensive app selection is Salesforce. With App Exchange, users can access numerous third-party and native apps, including DocuSign, Mailchimp, Aircall CTI, Conga Composer, Salesforce Adoption Dashboards, and Zapier. Although the interface is a bit cumbersome, Salesforce still gets the job done.

On the other hand, HubSpot's App Marketplace doesn't have as many apps, but the experience is more polished and user-friendly. HubSpot created most of the app integrations, ensuring seamless functionality. The app pages offer comprehensive details, including feature highlights, transparent pricing packages, and utility roadmaps that showcase the apps' compatibility with other features.

For the majority of typical apps, you can find them on either platform. However, if you rely on more specialized apps, it's best to check both marketplaces to ensure their availability.

### HubSpot vs. Salesforce pricing

To distinguish between HubSpot and Salesforce comparison, you can examine their pricing models, especially since the package you require can differ considerably depending on the number of users and the features that are most important to you.

Comparing HubSpot's Sales Hub with [Salesforce's Sales Cloud](https://demandblue.com/salesforce-sales-cloud-implementation/) is a suitable approach since they are more similar than their other products and come in several different packages.

**Hubspot pricing plans**

| Plans | Details |
| --- | --- |
| Free plan | This particular offering from HubSpot consists of several essential features, including CRM, live chat, conversational bots, email marketing, landing page creation, customer service ticketing, and more. It's important to note that these features are not associated with any particular HubSpot hub, and they come with HubSpot branding. |
| Starter | 50 USD/month. Starts with 2 users, HubSpot branding, Features available: Chat support, task queues, automation, etc. |
| Professional | 500 USD/month. Starts with 5 users, Sales analytics, Forecasting, Additional automation |
| Enterprise | 1200 USD/month. Starts with 10 users, Sandbox, Lead scoring, Advanced permissions, and so on |

**Salesforce pricing plan**

| Plan | Features |
| --- | --- |
| Free plan | No such free plans available. Free trial |
| Essential | 25 USD/month per user. The fundamental package provides essential features such as integration with email, management of accounts and contacts, personalized sales procedures, tailored reports and visual representations, and a feed for activities. |
| Professional | 75 USD/month per user. Contract management, Forecasting |
| Enterprise | 150 USD/month per user. Workflow approval automation, sales console applications, specialized sales teams, personalized forecasting with custom opportunities, territory management, opportunity scoring, and advanced reporting functionalities. |
| Unlimited | 300 USD/month per user. All features listed in all other plans. Developer Pro Sandbox, Premium activity capture, Lead scoring, Plus sales insights, and more |

### HubSpot or Salesforce: Which is best for you?

HubSpot and Salesforce offer similar CRM, sales, and marketing resource management tools, packaged differently. In summary, Salesforce outperforms in reporting and customisation, whereas HubSpot has a shorter learning curve, offers a better interface, and provides a more comprehensive set of accessible marketing and sales tools, including a free tier.

As both platforms offer similar functionalities, it is advisable to create a list of price-affecting factors such as necessary features, number of contacts, and users to determine the most suitable package.

**Product comparison: An overview**

| **Features** | **Salesforce** | **Hubspot** |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Free trial | 30 days | Free app |
| AI | Add-on | No |
| Email Scheduling | As per plan | Unlimited |
| Notifications | Unlimited | Limited |
| Marketing automation | Marketing Hub | Add-on |
| VoIP | Sales Hub | Integration |
| Lead scoring | Yes | Yes |
| Analytics | Basic plan + | Yes |
| Email and social integration | Yes | Yes |
| Task, Deal and contact management | Yes | Yes |

To simplify the decision of choosing between HubSpot and Salesforce CRM, the crucial differences to consider are external resources and company focus. Startups and SMBs with limited budgets and the capacity to handle more manual follow-ups for sales and marketing leads should consider HubSpot. It provides various potent features that come with the CRM Free package, which can aid teams in automating their sales and marketing processes.

On the other hand, established companies with a larger lead and contact base should evaluate Salesforce to determine if its features are worth the per-user cost. Since both tools can integrate, businesses can start with HubSpot and switch to Salesforce as they expand, minimising disruption.