• Zoho Recruit: Best for affordability
• JazzHR: Best for beginners
• Workable: Best for extensibility
• Breezy HR: Best for candidate screening
• Recruitee: Best for on-the-go teams

Best recruiting software for small business 2024

Overall score

Use case

Starting price*

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Workable

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3.92

Best for extensibility

$189 per month billed monthly

Workable product overview

Zoho Recruit

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3.89

Best for affordability

$25 per recruiter per month, billed annually

Zoho Recruit product overview

Breezy HR

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3.76

Best for candidate screening

$157 per month billed annually

Breezy HR product overview

JazzHR

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3.52

Best for beginners

$75 per month paid annually

JazzHR product overview

Recruitee

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3.51

Best for on-the-go teams

$199 per month billed annually

Recruitee product overview

* Starting prices are based on paid tiers.

Workable: Best for extensibility

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Overall score

3.92/5.00

User scores

3.88/5.00

Pricing

3.38/5.00

Support

4.20/5.00

Platform interface

4.05/5.00

Applicant tracking features

4.06/5.00

Pros

• Lots of recruiting and HR features included on all plans.
• Wide selection of third-party integrations.
• Well-designed interface is visually appealing and easy to navigate.
• Can customer support via phone, email, or live chat.

Cons

• More expensive than some competitors.
• No free plan available.

Why I chose Workable

I chose Workable because it offers more than 280 integrations with third-party software, including payroll, background checks, performance management, and more. This extensibility means that Workable is highly likely to connect to any other business software that you currently have, or that you might start using in the future, so it can scale with your business. Workable also scored very highly in terms of its application features and customer support.

About Workable

Workable is a recruiting platform that also includes some basic HR tools, which sets it apart from other recruiting software like Ziprecruiter. All plans come with an org chart, employee profiles, employee directory, and company file management. You can also choose to add on time off management, employee onboarding, e-signature capabilities, and payroll integrations for an additional fee. Depending on your HR demands, Workable alone might suffice for your needs, so you can centralize everything in one platform instead of paying for two.

In addition to connecting to over 200 job boards, Workable helps you find even more passive candidates through AI candidate sourcing and a robust people search system. You can also use Workable to save potential candidate profiles for future hiring needs. Current employees can also refer potential candidates through the referral portal.

You can set up Workable auto reject candidates who give certain answers to application knockout questions — for instance, if they don’t have enough experience or are in the wrong geographic area. Sending out interview invites with video call links is easy thanks to the two-way Google Calendar sync.

Key features

Anonymized resumes

This unique feature is available on all Workable plans and is designed to reduce bias during the hiring process. When this is enabled, you can’t see contact details when a candidate is in the sourced or applied stages, and can only view the relevant info on the resume. Once the candidate is moved to the phone screen stage you can contact them. Keep in mind that this feature doesn’t block photos, however, only text (attaching photos to resumes isn’t standard practice in the US, but it’s much more common in other countries — something to keep in mind if you start hiring abroad).

AI-powered screening assistant

If you’re overwhelmed by applications, you can use this optional feature to quickly identify good candidates. This AI recruiting tool will generate short summaries of candidate profiles alongside a checklist that shows how well a candidate matches your job’s requirements. Once it’s finished, it will rank them according to how well they meet the requirements. You can always edit the AI’s conclusions by selecting the “edit this profile summary” option.

Gallery

Workable anonymized candidate profiles. Image: Workable

Workable AI-generated candidate summary. Image: Workable

Workable candidate source report. Image: Workable

Pricing

While Workable offers an excellent combination of recruiting and HR features, it’s also the most expensive software on this list and doesn’t offer a free plan. For that reason, I recommend it for growing small businesses that are looking to invest in slightly more advanced recruiting software and who will really make use of Workable’s third-party extensions.

• Premier: $628 per month billed annually, including HR features (no monthly plan available).
• Starter: $189 per month billed monthly, including HR features (no annual plan available).
• Standard: $313 per month billed annually or $378 per month billed monthly, including HR features.

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Zoho Recruit: Best for affordability

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Overall score

3.89/5.00

User scores

4.06/5.00

Pricing

4.25/5.00

Support

3.63/5.00

Platform interface

3.63/5.00

Applicant tracking features

3.95/5.00

Pros

• Lots of customization options.
• Great balance of price and features.
• Forever free plan for one active job.
• Create and save your own job posting and pipeline templates.
• Paid plans get automatic search access to eight different job databases.

Cons

• No native e-sign capabilities (requires an integration with Zoho Sign).
• Hiring pipeline interface is not intuitive.
• Not enough ways to collaborate with stakeholders during the screening stage.

Why I chose Zoho Recruit

I selected Zoho Recruit as the best small business recruiting software for affordability because it offered the most bang for the buck out of all the software I tested, ranking a 4.25/5 for pricing. Not only does Zoho Recruit offer a forever free plan for one active job, it also charges a very reasonable price per user for the paid plans, making it a cost effective solution if you only need one or two people to access the software.

About Zoho Recruit

Zoho Recruit is the applicant tracking system (ATS) offered by Zoho Corporation. Like all Zoho products, it integrates seamlessly with the rest of the Zoho business software stack. Certain tiers of paid plans also get access to additional integrations with third party software, such as Google and Outlook. That being said, non-Zoho integrations are much more limited compared to competitors like Workable — the software stack is designed to encourage users to sign up for as many Zoho products as possible.

To create a job requisition in Zoho Recruit, fill out the simple form and review your posting, then Zoho will syndicate it to multiple job boards. You can also use one of the pre-loaded job templates, or create and save your own for future use. If you already have candidates in mind, you can upload their resumes directly or add their information manually. Zoho Recruit also supports employee referrals.

Once you’re ready to move candidates forward in the hiring pipeline, you can schedule video and phone interviews through Zoho Recruit, and add multiple interviewers to the invitation. After you’ve made your final selections, you can use the native offer letter templates to generate an offer — though you’ll need third-party software to get digital signatures, since Zoho Recruit doesn’t offer e-signature capabilities.

Key features

Job board syndication

All of Zoho Recruit’s plans, including the free one, allow you to post one job to multiple websites with the simple click of a button. Zoho Recruit connects with more than 25 job boards around the world — including Google Jobs and LinkedIn — as well as more paid and sponsored job boards. This feature matters for small businesses because it helps you get your job postings in front of as many people as possible with a minimum of time and effort.

Source Boosters

Instead of waiting for candidates to find you, you can go out and find the best candidates with Zoho Recruit’s Source Boosters. Source Boosters connect to eight different job board databases such as Monster and CareerBuilder so recruiters can proactively search for candidates that match open listings. All paid plans get access to this Source Boosters feature, which is worth noting, since many competitors restrict similar features to more expensive tiers.

Gallery

Zoho Recruit job board selection page. Image: Zoho Recruit

Zoho Recruit Source Booster selection page. Image: Zoho Recruit

Zoho Recruit candidate pipeline example. Image: Zoho Recruit

Pricing

While Zoho’s pricing is quite affordable, and one of the main reasons it ranks so highly, it does charge per seat, so it may not be the most cost effective option if you need many users to access the recruiting software. Zoho also charges extra for certain features that are included in other software, such as extra storage, and those fees can add up over time.

• Forever free: $0 for one active job posting.
• Standard: $25 per user per month billed annually or $30 per user per month billed monthly.
• Professional: $50 per user per month billed annually or $60 per user per month billed monthly.
• Enterprise: $75 per user per month billed annually or $90 per user per month billed monthly.
• Client portal add-on: $6 per license per month.
• Video interview add-on: $12 per license per month.

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Breezy HR: Best for candidate screening

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Overall Reviewer Score

3.76/5.00

User scores

4.17/5.00

Pricing

4.06/5.00

Support

2.25/5.00

Platform interface

3.55/5.00

Applicant tracking features

4.34/5.00

Pros

• Free forever for one active job listing.
• Unlimited open jobs on all paid plans.
• Connects to 50+ free jobs boards for sourcing candidates.
• Applicant screening tools available on all paid plans.

Cons

• No phone support available, even for the more expensive plans.
• Fewer integrations with third-party software than some competitors.

Why I chose Breezy HR

I chose Breezy HR because it offers great tools for candidate sourcing and screening at an affordable price. Not only does it offer a forever free plan for one active job, but it also provides unlimited job postings and candidates on its entry level paid plan (as opposed to most competitors, which limit you to 2-5 active jobs on the cheapest plans). The drag-and-drop pipelines make it super easy to either move candidates forward or disqualify them, and the hiring conversations module keeps all communication centralized in Breezy HR so stakeholders stay on the same page.

About Breezy HR

Breezy HR provides a collection of tools for sourcing, hiring, and onboarding candidates. (It also recently launched a new performance management tool, which is separate from the hiring software and charges its own fee.) Alongside Zoho Recruit, Breezy HR is one of the few recruiting software that offers a forever free plan that costs $0 for one active job.

Breezy HR has a very thorough job creation tool that walks you through seven different steps to create and share a job posting. The software comes preloaded with a library of templates and also allows you to create and save your own templates for both jobs and hiring pipelines. There is also an internal job creation feature that is available on paid plans only.

I was able to add candidates manually and by email as well as through bulk import, employee referrals, and the LinkedIn integration. I also appreciate that I could move a candidate to a different stage from the job’s individual page or the candidate profile page. Breezy HR also makes it possible to set up automations for both disqualifications and stage progressions, speeding up the screening process and reducing time to hire.

Key features

Drag-and-drop hiring pipeline

I found Breezy HR’s interface to be one of the most pleasant to use. The design is based on a Kanban board, where individual candidate profiles are the cards and the screening stages are the columns. Simply drag and drop each candidate to the next stage to move them through the hiring process, or remove them from the screening process if they’ve been disqualified.

Customized candidate pools

If you’ve got a candidate profile that isn’t a great fit for your openings now, but that you want to keep in mind for the future, then you can save them to something called a candidate pool. Candidate pools allow you to save applicants that aren’t associated with a specific job opening, so you save them for candidate relationship management. Breezy HR allows you to create unlimited candidate pools on all paid plans, ensuring that you always have potential hires to reach out to, which is especially important in high turnover industries.

Gallery

Breezy HR drag-and-drop hiring pipeline. Image: Breezy HR

Breezy HR candidate pools. Image: Breezy HR

Breezy HR candidate scorecard results. Image: Breezy HR

Pricing

Breezy’s free plan and cheaper paid subscription plans are great for supporting the beginning portions of the hiring process, but offer little in the way of offer management and onboarding support once you find the best candidate. For instance, you’ll need to upgrade to at least the Business plan if you want to set up approval workflows for sending offer letters. If you’re interested in Breezy, keep in mind that you’ll probably need to integrate with an HRIS to help with the document management and approval workflows associated with the ending stages of recruitment.

• Bootstrap: $0 for one active job posting.
• Startup: $157 per month billed annually, or $189 per month billed monthly.
• Growth: $273 per month billed annually, or $329 per month billed monthly.
• Business: $439 per month billed annually, or $529 per month billed monthly.
• Pro plan: Contact Breezy HR for pricing information.

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JazzHR: Best for beginners

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Overall score

3.52/5.00

User scores

4.03/5.00

Pricing

3.19/5.00

Support

3.58/5.00

Platform interface

3.99/5.00

Applicant tracking features

3.15/5.00

Pros

• Logical layout is very easy to navigate, even for beginners.
• Fast calendar syncing for interview scheduling.
• Excellent reporting module.
• Includes offer letter templates and e-signature capabilities.

Cons

• Only the Pro plan gets phone support.
• Doesn’t have a mobile app for on-the-go recruiting.
• Difficult to customize the career page without coding knowledge.

Why I chose JazzHR

I chose JazzHR because it has a very simple and logical layout that is easy to navigate, even if you’ve never used an ATS before. Unlike some other platforms that overwhelm you with customizations or bury essential functions in random menus, JazzHR’s step-by-step interface makes it fast and easy to create and post a job, add candidates, and move them through the interview pipeline. The plug-and-plug modules require minimal training, saving SMBs owners time and hassle so they can focus on actually hiring candidates instead of doing admin work.

About JazzHR

JazzHR offers step-by-step instructions for creating a job posting, a feature that makes it an excellent choice for beginners. You can browse the library of native job templates but can’t save your own custom templates (though you can clone an existing job). You can upload a resume, input the resume text, or manually add a candidate. JazzHR also integrates with Monster, LinkedIn, and CareerBuilder to help you source more candidates.

Candidates can be moved through the pipeline from their individual profile pages. After you’ve got your calendars synced, you can add invitees to interviews and generate video call links for Google, Zoom, and other platforms. When you’re ready to make an offer, the Pro and Plus plans get access to offer letter templates and native e-signature capabilities.

Key features

Hiring pipeline automations

With Workflow Helpers, JazzHR’s automation tools, you can automate eight different tasks across the hiring pipeline — not just sending emails or text messages, but also adding interview guides and exporting candidates. Automations like this remove to-dos from SMB owners’ plates so they can focus on the more important tasks, such as actually conducting interviews.

Reporting module

JazzHR had one of the best reporting modules I tested, including both time-to-hire and time-to-fill reports. You can easily filter by job, country, city, hiring manager, or department to see exactly the data you need.

I was also able to schedule reports, which is a rare feature among ATS. If you’re new to recruiting software and frequently forget to run reports, JazzHR’s scheduling feature will take care of it for you. These reports quantify your hiring statistics, helping you to quickly identify what recruiting processes are working and which ones can be improved.

Gallery

JazzHR new job posting. Image: JazzHR

JazzHR recruiting workflow automations. Image: JazzHR

JazzHR time-to-hire report. Image: JazzHR

Pricing

Most SMBs will be interested in JazzHR’s Hero plan, which allows you to post three active jobs at a time for just $75 per month paid annually (additional jobs cost $9 per month). For even more features like e-signatures and a Zoom integration, you’ll need to upgrade to the more expensive paid plans. So, if budget is your biggest concern, you might have better luck with platforms that offer forever free plans like Zoho Recruit and Breezy HR.

• Hero: $75 per month paid annually, or $99 per month paid monthly.
• Plus: $269 per month paid annually, or $325 per month paid monthly.
• Pro: $420 per month paid annually, or $499 per month paid monthly.

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Recruitee: Best for on-the-go teams

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Overall score

3.51/5.00

User scores

3.84/5.00

Pricing

2.81/5.00

Support

3.05/5.00

Platform interface

4.31/5

Applicant tracking features

3.44/5

Pros

• Well-designed interface with an easy-to-navigate layout.
• Mobile apps available for both iOS and Android devices.
• Internal jobs postings can be consolidated on an internal page.
• Highly customizable career page.

Cons

• No offer letter templates or e-signature capabilities.
• More expensive than some competitors.
• Doesn’t disclose customer service hours.

Why I chose Recruitee

I chose Recruitee because of its well-designed mobile apps, which are a must for SMB owners who are juggling recruiting alongside many other tasks. The mobile app will also benefit small businesses that attend many local job fairs or otherwise do a lot of their recruiting in person and on site. I also liked that Recruitee provides a highly customizable career page as well as a dedicated page for internal jobs only.

About Recruitee

Recruitee is designed for on-the-go growing teams. The straightforward design makes both the desktop and the mobile app easy to navigate, and creating a job posting is very quick. You can’t save a job template, though you can duplicate existing jobs.

You can upload a resume or input a candidate manually, import multiple candidates with a CSV file, or use LinkedIn integration to add candidates. Recruitee also offers a Chrome extension for Xing, Dribbble, StackExchange, and GitHub to help you source even more candidates. The system is pretty accurate at parsing resume data (though not perfect), and you can add multiple recruitment team stakeholders to a single candidate’s profile.

When you’re ready to move a candidate forward, you can do that from the job’s individual page or the candidate profile page. Recruitee also makes it possible to set up automations for both disqualifications and stage progressions to move the process along. Unfortunately, it doesn’t provide offer letter templates or e-signature capabilities; you’ll need an integration with HelloSign, DocuSign, and Signrequest for the latter.

Key features

Mobile apps

The Recruitee mobile is available to download from the App Store (for iOS devices) and the Google Play Store (for Android devices). The Jobs tab displays published jobs and how many candidates have applied, and you can move candidates around in the pipeline once you select a specific job. Use the app to email candidates or leave an evaluation after interviewing them. You can also notify colleagues in the Notes tab, which basically functions as a comment feature.

Customizable career page

Recruitee offers one of the most customizable career pages that I tested, with the added bonus of not requiring coding knowledge in order to make changes. The content block-based page creator is reminiscent of Squarespace and makes it easy to create custom pages. You can even upload your own fonts to ensure that the career page matches your main website as closely as possible, creating a cohesive online experience for candidates and maintaining your company brand.

Gallery

The Recruitee tablet and mobile apps.

Some of the section types available in the Recruitee career page builder.

The Recruitee hiring pipeline.

Recruitee tablet and mobile apps. Image: Recruitee

Recruitee hiring pipeline. Image: Recruitee

Recruitee career page section types. Image: Recruitee

Pricing

Recruitee’s per month pricing is slightly higher than average, though it’s not nearly as expensive as Workable. You’ll be limited to five job slots on the Start plan, but all plans support unlimited users which is a plus. For unlimited job slots, you’ll need to upgrade to at least the Grow plan.

• Start: $199 per month billed annually, or $249 per month billed monthly.
• Grow: $249 per month billed annually, or $311 per month billed monthly.
• Optimize: Contact the sales team for a quote.

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Small business recruiting software FAQs

The post 5 Best Recruiting Software for Small Business 2024 appeared first on TechnologyAdvice.

Being proactive with risk analysis helps set realistic objectives, while creating a complete risk management plan create safeguards against time-consuming and costly oversights. Read on to discover various project risks examples that can emerge during the course of a project, and what to do about them.

Scope creep

Scope risk, or scope creep, refers to the unexpected and uncontrolled expansion of a project’s objectives beyond its original intentions. This risk category typically occurs when project goals aren’t precisely outlined from the start or when requirements change partway through the project.

How to manage scope creep

• Before kicking off a project, take advantage of project scope templates like the ones offered by Smartsheet project management software (Figure A) to create clear expectations and deadlines up front.
• Engage with stakeholders from the very beginning so that all necessary decision makers can help with the creation and the approval of the project scope.
• Schedule regular progress reviews and risk assessments so you can ensure that the initial project scope is being followed and deal with scope creep as it occurs.

Performance risks

Performance risk occurs when a project does not fulfill the expectations and requirements set forth during project planning. Even though a product may have been delivered on time and on budget, that doesn’t guarantee project success, which is the definition of performance risk.

How to manage performance risks

• Identify potential performance hazards from the start of a project by assessing the current market landscape, investigating users’ needs, and staying ahead of technological shifts.
• Use project management software analytics, like this dashboard from monday.com (Figure B), to track project performance and maintain real-time oversight of processes and milestones.
• Foster transparent communication among your project team and conduct regular risk assessments so that performance-related issues can be identified early and often.

External hazard risks

External hazard risk refers to unpredictable events stemming from external factors beyond project management mistakes. These project risks can be natural, such as climate events, or man-made, like vandalism, terrorism, or societal disruptions. These factors can significantly affect the project’s timeline, cost, and quality.

How to manage external hazard risks

• Use historical and political data to regularly asses external risks bases on a project’s locale and nature; enterprise risk management software can be very beneficial for creating these kinds of forecasts.
• Have contingency plans ready, such as alternate work sites or emergency resources, as well as insurance policies to cover potential damages and delays.
• Incorporate practices like safety drills or supply stocking so that your personnel will be safe and prepared in the event of an emergency.

Technology risks

Technology risk covers the potential challenges and threats posed by the hardware and software used to complete the project. These project risks range from technical failures, cyberattacks, and system breaches to the fast-paced evolution of technology itself, including project management software.

How to manage technology risks

• Institute robust cybersecurity measures, including firewalls, encryption, and routine security audits, to fend off cyber threats and technical risk.
• Carefully set roles and permission for your project management software, like the above example in Trello (Figure C).
• Create backup systems and data storage to counteract technical risks, preventing data loss or unplanned downtime, and have a contingency plan in place in case of technological disruptions.
• Conduct regular training sessions to keep personnel updated on new technologies and how to navigate them and on how to prevent cyber attacks.

Operational risks

Operational risk refers to potential disruptions arising from internal processes, people, systems, and project management methodologies. It also encompasses external risk events that impact the day-to-day functioning of a project, such as changes made by vendors or suppliers.

How to manage operational risks

• Use workload management software, such as ClickUp (Figure D), to review workflow and capacity planning and spot operational risks before they arise.
• Ease the transition by ensuring your project team is well-prepared and has time to adjust to major operational changes.
• Consider scheduling regular team meetings to discuss upcoming changes and provide additional training if new processes or systems are introduced.

Communication risks

Miscommunication underlies many project issues, leading to missed deadlines, excess project spend, shifting requirements, uncompleted tasks, and other project management issues. The communication needs to be clear and thorough as well as frequent; if conversations are vague or contradictory, that can cause just as many problems as communicating irregularly or not at all.

How to manage communication risks

• Utilize a central tool or platform to keep everyone on the same page, like Asana project management software that offers in-app messaging (Figure E), which will help to prevent siloed work.
• Encourage open communication channels so team members can ask questions, seek clarification, and provide feedback.
• Schedule regular meetings with stakeholders and team members to foster collaboration and engage in risk identification.
• Implement strategies to bridge cultural and linguistic differences if the team is diverse.

Cost risks

Cost risk refers to the possibility of a project exceeding its allocated budget, a common risk management issue. This financial risk can occur for various reasons such as poor initial budgeting, mid-project scope changes, unforeseen complications, or incorrect cost estimations. Cost overruns can hinder the project’s progress and may stall its completion if the budget cannot be adjusted or supplemented.

How to manage cost risks

• Use budgeting tools such as those offered by Wrike (Figure F) to set an initial budget and monitor spend throughout the project to prevent overages. Budget management tools are an integral part of risk management processes in several industries. One good example is construction risk management, an industry that often deals with cost issues.
• If possible, set aside a contingency plan or fund so that you have some extra resources on hand in case extra costs arise.
• Revisit vendor contracts and negotiate them or comparison shops to see if you can realize any additional cost savings.
• Conduct regular project risk assessments to identify potential cost overages and create strategies to address them.

Skills resource risks

Skills resource risk refers to the potential shortfalls in the necessary skills, expertise, or knowledge among the project team members. Such risks can emerge from a range of factors, from team member turnover to lack of training. This can mean the project management team needs to be more adequately prepared to meet project requirements or handle unexpected challenges.

How to manage skill resource risks

• Assess required skills and compare them with existing team members to pinpoint areas for improvement.
• Invest in training programs that equip team members for specific project demands; a learning management system can help you create custom courses if you can’t find an out-of-the-box one that works.
• Embrace a flexible staffing approach and alternate between permanent and contract roles as needed, especially when niche skills are required.

FAQs

The post 8 Common Project Risks & How to Manage Them appeared first on TechnologyAdvice.

In this guide, we’ll cover the pros and cons of using Salesforce project management and discuss how you can make the most of Salesforce’s project management features.

Pros and cons of using Salesforce for project management

First of all, we need to begin this section by clarifying that Salesforce is not primarily intended as a project management system. While the cloud-based CRM platform is great at supporting your sales team, it was not designed as a project management solution.

That being said, Salesforce CRM does offer some features, extensions, and workarounds that can help with project management within a sales context. However, since Salesforce was not designed with project managers in mind, that means that it lacks many features that are standard issue in more dedicated project management tools.

This means that, if you have extensive, complex project management needs, then even the workarounds might not be enough to make Salesforce meet your requirements. Salesforce is also mostly intended to be used by sales teams, making cross-functional collaboration with other teams like marketing and finance very difficult.

At this point, you are probably asking yourself why you wouldn’t use a separate project management platform in addition to the Salesforce solution.

Why Salesforce for Project Management?
	One of the big advantages of managing projects inside Salesforce is ensuring that all your projects, accounts, opportunities, cases, and so on remain linked and synced in real time. Using a single system also cuts down on errors and reduces duplicate work, leading to greater efficiency and accuracy.

With these benefits in mind, we’ll dedicate the rest of this guide to walking you through how you can use Salesforce project management despite its limited capabilities.

The post How to use Salesforce for Project Management appeared first on TechnologyAdvice.

What are the challenges of CRM?

Teams implementing and maintaining a customer relationship management system may run into five main CRM challenges: high cost, too little time, bad data quality, lack of communication, and limited technology and IT capabilities.

Cost

One of the major barriers to CRM success is the budget, or lack thereof. CRM themselves can be very expensive, and the implementation costs can add up quickly. Some companies try to save money by skimping on implementation support, which can backfire on them and make it difficult to get the CRM up and running. Downtime to complete training and get up to speed on the new system also eats into company profits.

Time

Choosing and implementing a CRM takes time. Your teams need to research, test, onboard, deploy, and train, which can result in downtime for the business and for employees. Sometimes companies try to save on this “lost” time by rushing through these steps or even skipping them entirely, which often results in failure.

Data quality

Following the “garbage in, garbage out” principle, if you put poor data into a CRM, then the output will be poor quality, too. This poor or incomplete data can come from many different sources, including a faulty import from the previous CRM or incomplete data entry by sales reps.

Communication

If your employees have been kept in the dark about the CRM transition — either intentionally or unintentionally — that can lead to a lack of adoption and training and result in a CRM failure. Conflicting information about the migration can also confuse employees and make it difficult to determine what is true and what is false, further hindering their use of the CRM.

Technology

Both the technology itself as well as your IT staff can contribute to a CRM failure. Your IT staff might not have the skills and knowledge necessary to successfully implement the new CRM or to maintain it. The CRM itself might also lack necessary integrations with the rest of your company software stack and may not offer the ability to build custom connections with an open API.

Why does CRM fail?

CRM typically fails for four main reasons: lack of clear goals or strategy, absence of buy-in, failure to adopt the technology, or not enough employee training. It’s also possible a company can simply choose the wrong CRM for its needs.

No clear goals or strategy

When choosing and implementing a CRM, both the company at large and each individual team or department need to have a handful of goals for what they want to accomplish with the software. If they don’t have a very clear vision in mind, then it will be difficult to succeed with the CRM even if all the other pieces are in place. Also watch out for too many competing goals, which muddies the waters and is just as confusing as no goals at all.

Not enough leadership buy-in

Another CRM problem occurs when top-level leadership doesn’t buy into the software change; this can also happen with rank-and-file employees as well. The entire leadership team needs to be on board before making a company-wide change on the scale of replacing your CRM. Appointing one ambassador or super-user per team can help get the rest of the team motivated to adopt the CRM and improve buy-in across the organization.

Failure to adopt

Failure to adopt a new CRM can occur for many reasons, including resistance to change, lack of training, and bad data quality. Employees may not want to learn a whole new platform or they may resist the new accountability that the CRM platform will create. Identifying the root causes underneath the failure to adopt is key for addressing the issues and improving adoption rates. The story linked immediately below illustrates this well.

Also Read: The Technology Adoption Curve: A Guide to the 5 Stages

Not enough training

Sometimes, your employees simply haven’t been given enough training or guidance to learn how to use the CRM. Thankfully, this problem is often relatively simple to remedy, and most reputable CRMs provide lots of training resources. Help forums, training videos, and webinar demonstrations can give employees the education they need to take full advantage of the CRM and make sure that your company is getting a return on its investment.

Software doesn’t meet needs

In some cases, your CRM problems might not fit into any of the above categories. If this situation arises, consider whether or not you may have chosen the wrong CRM, or if your company has scaled beyond the capabilities of your current CRM and marketing automation software. In both of these situations, the ultimate solution is often to seek out a new CRM that can meet the needs of your company and scale with it in the future, instead of trying to make the current subpar tech work.

Overcoming the CRM challenges

While Customer CRM systems are indispensable tools for modern businesses, they come with their own set of challenges. From user adoption and data integration to system customization and ROI measurement, these hurdles may seem daunting. However, with well-thought-out strategies such as comprehensive training, phased implementation, consistent data hygiene practices, and rigorous performance tracking, businesses can effectively surmount these challenges and fully harness the potential of their CRM systems. The key is to view these challenges not as insurmountable obstacles, but as opportunities for growth and improvement. By doing so, businesses can transform their CRM systems from mere tools into powerful assets that drive customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and ultimately, business success.

Looking for the latest in CRM solutions? Check out our CRM Software Buyer’s Guide.

FAQs

The post Top CRM Challenges & Strategies for Overcoming Them appeared first on TechnologyAdvice.

What is the best free payroll software?

Doing payroll manually can quickly become tedious, and the errors rack up fast. After a couple of pay periods, many people begin to wonder: Is there a way to do payroll for small businesses without breaking the bank? For your company, the answer may lie in free payroll software.

Payroll4Free.com: Best for Windows users

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Pros

• 2048-bit SSL encryption.
• 1099 contractor payments possible.
• Automatic tax calculations.

Cons

• Macs must run Windows to use the software.
• Monthly fee if you want the company to handle your taxes.
• User interface is outdated.
• No native time-tracking app.
• Ads are displayed within the program to keep the software free.

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About

Payroll4Free.com is a downloadable software that allows you to pay up to 25 employees for free. This comes with a catch, however: You must be able to download the Windows app in order to use it. Despite the name, there is no cloud or web-based option, and if you are a Mac user then you must be running Windows on your Mac in order to use Payroll4Free.com.

The upside is that Payroll4Free.com comes with one of the most well-rounded feature sets of any free payroll software for small businesses. Functionality includes tax support, free direct deposit, employee self-service portal, and vacation time tracking. 

If you already own a PC (or a Mac that runs Windows) and you need free payroll software, Payroll4Free.com should be one of your top choices.

Key Features

Employee portal

Payroll4Free.com provides employee portals for workers to access copies of their W-2s and pay stubs, plus view any accrued paid time off (PTO). Employees can even make updates to their personal information, like addresses. For a small business, this functionality can give you back much-needed time to focus on higher-priority projects instead of employee administrative tasks.

PTO tracking

Payroll4Free.com can track employee vacation, sick, or PTO. If your employees accrue PTO based on the number of hours they worked, you will have to input their hours manually or import them from your time clock software for the calculations to run. However, this feature prevents you from purchasing a separate solution for PTO management.

Why We Chose Payroll4Free.com

Payroll4Free.com is designed for Windows or Mac users with Windows software. Despite this, it checks all the boxes with payroll, tax calculations, self-service support, and contractor payroll. These simple features may be all you need to get your small business up and running.

TimeTrex: Best for integrated time tracking

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Pros

• No cap on the number of employees you can pay.
• Integrated time tracking and attendance.
• Automatic scheduling function.

Cons

• No tax filing (only generates tax forms).
• No direct deposit.
• Pricing is not transparent and the free trial is difficult to find.

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About

Unlike Payroll4Free.com, TimeTrex does not cap the number of employees that you can pay for free. Not only that, TimeTrex’s “community edition” is completely free in perpetuity. However, TimeTrex makes it tough to find the free forever version of the software, instead pushing website visitors to sign up for a free trial of the paid version of the software.

The community edition is available in both a cloud-hosted, web-based portal, and a downloadable version (you should be aware that the downloadable version requires PHP, a web server, and a database of your own in order to get it up and running). Both can be found on this page on the TimeTrex website.

As the name suggests, TimeTrex also includes a native time-tracking app in addition to payroll, a helpful integration that makes it even easier to run payroll. Other features include scheduling, HR management, and more tools in addition to payroll. TimeTrex also offers the option to integrate with other (paid) software like ADP and Quickbooks, should you decide to switch to them.

Key Features

Time tracking

If you are a small retail shop or restaurant, TimeTrex’s community edition supports payroll and time tracking to manage your hourly workforce. Moreover, its time tracking features are pretty robust for a free solution, including shift scheduling functions for managers and web browser clocking in and out for employees.

Both payroll and time tracking are essential to running any small business. TimeTrex’s free versions are great basic options until you need more advanced features, like varying pay schedules.

Workforce management

Besides payroll, TimeTrex supports performance reviews, tracks workplace injuries, and stores employee records like disciplinary records or exit interviews. As a result, you can maintain an auditable electronic database of necessary documentation without resorting to pen and paper.

Why We Chose TimeTrex

In addition to payroll, TimeTrex’s free community edition provides various HR features for your small business. In particular, its native time tracking can speed up your payroll process as you do not need to import your data from another platform or manually input hours.

For more accuracy, TimeTrex offers more advanced time tracking, such as geofencing, on its paid versions. This can be especially useful if you employ field workers who don’t clock in or out from a central location.

HR.my: Best for non-U.S. businesses

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Pros

• Supports dozens of languages.
• Cloud-based software that is available anywhere.
• Crowd-funded model.

Cons

• Ads can be annoying.
• No payroll tax calculations or filing.
• No direct deposit.

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About

Similar to TimeTrex, HR.my offers free payroll functionality without any headcount limitations. HR.my is a crowd-founded and ad-supported software that includes payroll as part of its diverse feature set. The ads can get annoying sometimes, but the tradeoff is worth the inconvenience for many users looking for a free payroll solution.

One of the app’s big distinguishing factors is the fact that it supports 67 different languages, which is great for international companies with employees in multiple countries. While the idea of free multilingual HR software sounds great (and it is), potential users should know that HR.my isn’t based in the US, so it isn’t inherently compliant with US labor laws. This can make calculating taxes and other required deductions more tedious, which is why we recommend the software for non-US businesses.

HR.my features include payslip generation, salary record keeping, time tracking and attendance, expense claim management, and too many others to list here. But even with all its features, this free software still can’t compete with full-fledged HRIS systems and other paid HR software stacks, so adjust your expectations accordingly.

Key Features

International payroll

HR.my is flexible enough to satisfy different global payroll cadences if you are a startup with remote international workers. Although you have to manually add in employee tax deductions and file them yourself with the correct agencies, the free solution may be worth the extra administrative effort. It also may be a non-issue if you only need payroll for your contractor workforce.

Discussion forum

Like TimeTrex, HR.my includes basic document workflows to handle processes like injuries or employee misconduct investigations. HR.my also offers a discussion forum where employees can raise questions, brainstorm or collaborate on projects, and give feedback to peers. This is crucial for your global employees, who may have to work asynchronously with various coworkers across different time zones.

Why We Chose HR.my

While TimeTrex includes tax reports for Canadian users and a limited number of other countries, HR.my’s support in multiple languages plus flexible payroll may be the better option for your distributed team. Moreover, HR.my’s other communication tools support cross-company consistency by eliminating information silos.

ExcelPayroll: Best for Office 365 users

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Pros

• Tax form printing.
• Bookkeeping entry generation.
• Check printing.
• Multiple options for tax computations.

Cons

• Manual spreadsheet entry required.
• No tax filing or direct deposit.
• No extra features beyond payroll.
• No cloud option or employee portal.

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About

With ExcelPayroll, you can do payroll for up to 50 active employees each month; nonprofits can request an exemption for more. While ExcelPayroll is a free downloadable add-on for Excel, it does require that you have an active license for Office 365, so it’s not technically 100% free.

This is why we recommend ExcelPayroll for business owners who are already paying for Office 365, so you don’t have the added expense of the license. If you’re already using an Excel spreadsheet to do payroll, then ExcelPayroll will automate the calculations and make everything a little bit easier for you. But if you’re not used to doing payroll in a spreadsheet, or don’t already have an Office 365 license, then one of the other free options on this list may make a bigger impact on your business operations.

Given that it is an add-on for Excel spreadsheets, ExcelPayroll is pretty stripped back in terms of functionality. Its features are focused narrowly on preparing payroll, so you won’t find a lot of extra bells and whistles. Features of note include vacation time accrual, workers’ compensation reports, wage garnishments, and other deductions.

Key Features

Pre-built Excel formulas

ExcelPayroll comes pre-built with payroll formulas to calculate tax and benefits deductions, overtime, commissions, and PTO accruals. Simple drop-down menus allow you to choose which formulas to use, while highlighted cells and guided instructions make it easy to process, even for payroll first-timers.

Multiple payroll runs

ExcelPayroll supports unlimited payroll runs, so you can fix any payroll errors as soon as they occur. You should still have a consistent payroll schedule per labor law regulations; however, having the option to correct miscalculations and pay employees their due is especially important with small teams.

Why We Chose ExcelPayroll

If you use Office 365 for most of your small business functions, ExcelPayroll can help extend the functionality of your Excel without paying extra. And, because you are already familiar with Microsoft products, ExcelPayroll may be easier to learn since it uses its interface.

That said, ExcelPayroll does not offer other workforce or time-tracking features like other solutions in this roundup. So, it may be a better option if you are a small local team or are already satisfied with your other workforce management tools.

eSmartPaycheck: Best for free payroll tax calculations

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Pros

• Free paycheck preparations.
• State-specific calculators.
• Basic tax form printing and filing.

Cons

• Very limited feature set.
• No direct deposit.
• No saving payroll information so you have to do it from scratch each time.

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About

eSmartPaycheck supports an unlimited number of employees, but only the web-based payroll calculator is free. For this reason, eSmartPaycheck is a good choice for employers who are confident doing payroll manually but want an automatic calculator to check their math. 

Paid features offered by eSmartPaycheck include printing paychecks and pay stubs, adjustable pay cycles, and a federal withholding calculator. If you want these features and more, then you can sign up for a 3-month free trial. After that, annual subscriptions start at $75 per year.

Key Features

Payroll calculator

eSmartPaycheck breaks out payroll tax calculations by state to ensure you deduct correctly from your employees’ paychecks. If you have employees in multiple states, this can be a useful tool to avoid researching and calculating each state’s different taxes yourself.

Low-cost e-filing services

eSmartPaycheck includes automatic federal tax e-filing in their payroll subscription fee. It also provides state tax equivalent e-filing for an additional $20 annual subscription. Paying to have eSmartPaycheck file your payroll taxes on your behalf may outweigh the time and effort it takes to do it yourself.

One thing to note: eSmartPaycheck does not support local tax filing, if applicable to you. Some states also do not allow for e-filing. In these cases, you will have to prepare and file these yourself.

Why We Chose eSmartPaycheck

If you are familiar with payroll and only need a way to check federal and state tax calculations, eSmartPaycheck is a great free resource. Besides Payroll4Free.com, it is also the only other platform in our roundup that offers payroll tax e-filing services. If a low-cost payroll tax filing service is important to you, then eSmartPaycheck may be your best bet.

How can I do payroll myself for free?

When it comes to doing payroll for free, you have two main options: calculate payroll manually with spreadsheets or use free payroll software. Manually calculating payroll is very time-consuming and prone to error, so most people find it helpful to have some kind of software support whether free or paid. Some solutions — namely, ExcelPayroll — offer a blend of manual and automatic payroll processing.

Generally speaking, free payroll software has more limitations and fewer features than the paid versions. There’s often a cap on the number of employees, and the functionality of the tool is restricted. Most free payroll solutions are also either online-only or desktop-only (not both) and often lack integrations with other software as well.

In other words, if you don’t have the money to invest in paid software, be prepared to spend more time on manual payroll processes, even if you use free payroll software to speed things along.

Also read: How to Do Payroll Yourself: A Small Business Guide

How to choose free payroll software

Forever-free payroll software options like the ones in this guide may meet your business’s short-term needs. However, the limitations that come with free tools often outweigh the cost savings, and businesses tend to outgrow them quickly.

Fortunately, there are also plenty of low-cost payroll software platforms that provide robust functionality without breaking the bank. Head over to our Payroll Software Guide to discover affordable, highly-rated solutions for small businesses.

About the author

Kara Sherrer is a writer and marketer who has worked with both B2C and B2B clients across many different industries, including technology. She is passionate about helping clients to create and promote informative content according to SEO best practices. Discover more of her work at karasherrer.com.

The post Best Free Payroll Software appeared first on TechnologyAdvice.

Explore software that can help you shift to a ROWE model in our Performance Management Software Guide.

What is a results-only work environment?

A results-only work environment is an approach to company culture in which employees are rewarded for their work output, not the number of hours worked or their presence in the office. At a ROWE company, employees have a lot of autonomy over when, where, and how they work as long as they meet their goals. Employees also manage themselves rather than everything being controlled by supervisors.

The ROWE approach is more radical than flexible hours, which still requires employees to work a certain number of hours per week. It also doesn’t require employees to report to an office a certain number of days per week; in a ROWE company, work is something you do, not a place you go.

As more companies embrace hybrid and remote work opportunities as well as flexible working hours, many businesses are becoming interested in implementing a results-only work environment. However, ROWE requires a major company culture shift to implement successfully.

How do you implement a results-only work environment?

Ready to transition to a results-only workplace? Here are some of the steps you will need to follow:

1. Hire the right people
2. Build organizational trust
3. Set measurable goals
4. Track goal progress
5. Maintain employee engagement

Hire the right people

In order for a ROWE to succeed, you need driven employees who are motivated to do their best and pursue continuous improvement. As you move forward on your hiring initiatives, prioritize candidates who demonstrate intrinsic motivation that will help them thrive in a ROWE workplace.

Implementing an applicant tracking system (ATS) can help you identify promising candidates and speed up the hiring process.

Build organizational trust

In a ROWE organization, a strong culture of trust is paramount. Not only does leadership need to have confidence in employees to get the work done without micromanaging, but employees also need to believe their managers are evaluating them fairly and not playing favorites.

Building trust and camaraderie can be tough when not everyone works the same hours in the same office, so get creative about team-building exercises you can do virtually.

Set measurable goals

Before tracking performance, managers must first set goals at the individual, team, and company levels. The goals should be consistent, clear, and measurable to ensure equitable performance ratings across team members and departments.

Each person should know what their responsibilities are and when their tasks should be accomplished — deadlines still exist in a ROWE model with flexible working hours.

Track goal progress

Once those clear goals are set, managers and employees will need to track progress toward them on a regular basis. If a team member isn’t meeting their goals, regular performance discussions can serve as check points to provide feedback and coaching.

Performance management software can help standardize and automate this process, making it easy to prioritize regular check-ins without requiring a lot of extra time and effort. 15Five, for example, provides a central dashboard for users to review progress toward all goals at a high level and drill down into the narrower targets that support each goal.

Maintain employee engagement

Poor employee enthusiasm and motivation can slow the transition to a results-only work environment. To keep employees motivated, implement an employee engagement program. Employee engagement consists not just of publicly praising and rewarding workers for their achievements, but also soliciting feedback from them in the form of anonymous surveys and taking meaningful action.

Advantages of ROWE

Among many benefits, ROWE enables companies increase employee satisfaction, reduce operating costs, and create objective performance management processes.

Increased employee satisfaction

One of the biggest advantages is the increase in employee satisfaction that typically accompanies a switch to ROWE, which can also lead to lower employee turnover in the long run. While there may be a brief increase in turnover in the beginning as employees who don’t like ROWE leave the company, turnover will drop and employee retention will improve as the remaining workers see the benefits of ROWE.

Reduced operating costs

The ROWE framework often helps companies downsize to smaller offices since more employees work remotely, or possibly get rid of office space altogether, saving significantly on rent. Meanwhile, remote employees save on commuting expenses as well as energy and time.

Objective performance management

A ROWE model focuses on employee performance rather than factors that are more easily influenced by unconscious biases. Concrete, quantifiable KPIs are more objective than criteria like culture fit and team leadership, thus creating a more equitable evaluation process.

Disadvantages of ROWE

ROWE also comes with potential disadvantages that may give companies pause, including less collaboration and communication, limited scope, and greater compliance risks.

Less collaboration and communication

Remote work can create challenges for highly collaborative environments to implement ROWE. Teams that are spread across different time zones or work vastly different schedules may experience communication delays that can hinder productivity.

Limited scope

ROWE principles may not be practical in some work environments. For starters, ROWE is not appropriate for customer-facing fields, such as customer service and retail, or employees who must be present at a job site, like office managers and maintenance staff. It’s also not suitable for new or inexperienced workers who need lots of training and support.

Greater compliance risks

ROWE’s work-from-anywhere policies can also result in compliance issues and tax complications. This is especially true if employees are working abroad or the HR department is inexperienced with these kinds of policies. ROWE can also sometimes backfire if it creates a company culture that motivates employees to engage in undesirable or unethical behavior in order to achieve results and meet targets.

Should you implement a ROWE?

Switching to a results-only workplace is a big transition, but it may pay off for your company in the long run in terms of higher job satisfaction, lower turnover, and better profits. The right HR software stack can make the transition easier and improve your performance management process. 

Check out our HR software and performance management software guides to explore tools that will help you get started.

The post Rewarding Performance in a Results-Only Work Environment appeared first on TechnologyAdvice.

Add Your Users

Once you get your new CRM set up, the first step is adding all the essential users. This will probably entail sending them an invite via email. At a minimum, these invites should include the sales department and probably the marketing department as well, since many CRMs include marketing tools.

However, if your CRM program is part of a larger software stack you might end up adding people from HR, finance, and other departments to the greater software as well. In these cases you might need to set individual or team account roles to ensure that people will only have access to the software modules relevant to their jobs — you don’t want someone from accounting accidentally messing up your CRM parameters.

Train Your Employees

Regardless of whether this is your company’s first CRM or just the latest addition in a string of platforms, your users will all require training on the new system. This could take the form of self-guided video training, in-person workshops for the whole team, live webinars with your assigned CRM rep, or some combination of all three.

We recommend reaching out to both the CRM and your employees about scheduling these training sessions sooner rather than later. Ideally, the training should occur simultaneously with your CRM onboarding, so that users don’t have a long lag between when they have access to the system and learn how to use it.

Also Read: Insightly vs. Zoho: Which CRM is Right for Your Small Business

Customize the Settings

CRM programs allow you to customize many different settings so the software will support your existing workflows. In order to tweak the settings so they will be useful to your team, you need to know the current sales process and account for any changes you wish to make with the new CRM.

It’s very important to figure out these workflows and their accompanying customizations before you import any existing data. This will ensure everything is properly formatted and stored from the get go. This way you can avoid having to fix hundreds or thousands of data entries after the import.

Import Your Existing Data

Once the CRM is configured to your liking, you can begin importing your existing lead and customer data. Many companies are already using a CRM system, so you will need to export your data from the old system and import it into the new one.

Most vendors provide instructions for both importing and exporting data. Be sure to read those beforehand so that you are aware of any quirks in the process. If you have never used a CRM before, then you might need to manually input the data or upload the spreadsheet where you have been keeping track of customer data.

Manage Your Customer Segments

One of the biggest advantages of a CRM is the ability to segment lead and customer data according to various criteria so you can increase customer engagement. Once the data is in the CRM system, you can begin sorting through customer data and segmenting it according to variables that make sense for your sales team.

Once that’s done, you can use your new segmentation to sort leads into different campaigns, find new potential customers, identify audience trends, and more. Don’t forget to set up segmentation rules so any new data you enter will be automatically sorted according to the variables you created.

Figure Out CRM Reporting

Another one of the great benefits of a CRM is getting insights into customer turnover, sales forecasts, and other business insights which are key to making strategic decisions. To take advantage of the reporting features, you will need to determine the metrics that matter most to your business, set up reports to track these KPIs, and decide how often you want a report generated. Once you take care of that, all you have to do is check the reports whenever they’re refreshed to get new insight into your sales and marketing strategies.

Set Up Automation

If you’re not taking advantage of your CRM automation features, then you’re really missing out. All the best CRMs offer automation capabilities to eliminate rote tasks and reduce human error, saving your sales and marketing time and effort that they can spend on more value-added tasks.

While you do need to set these automation rules up and test them to make sure they work properly, once you do that the automation will make your life so much easier. Then moving forward, the CRM will remind reps to schedule followup calls, send nurture emails, and complete other tasks automatically.

Create Your Marketing Assets

Many CRMs come with built-in marketing tools allowing you to create email campaigns, social media posts, and more. In many cases, they also include pre-made templates that you can easily customize with your company colors, logos, and other branding assets.

Once you send out these marketing assets, the CRM automatically tracks customer interactions and puts the data into the database so you can see how your sales and marketing campaigns are doing and update your assets to make them even more effective.

Personalize Your Content

“Dear customer” doesn’t cut it anymore, which is why many CRM platforms offer the ability to automatically personalize your marketing and sales communications using customer data. You will need to decide what data you want to use and set these customization rules up in the CRM, but once complete it will fill in everything automatically, so you don’t have to worry about it again.

Message Your Team

If you’re tired of having to switch windows to email or Slack every time you need to message a sales colleague, you’ll be glad to hear that many CRMs offer messaging tools right in the app or web interface. This keeps all communications with your sales and marketing teams centralized in the software, so you can easily find a past message if needed.

If you prefer to keep using your favorite email client, most CRMs typically offer an integration with personal email accounts. The integration will handle importing the necessary information over to the CRM so you don’t have to double check everything against your email.

Share and Store Documents

Most CRMs allow you to upload documents to the cloud-based platform so you always have a back-up copy. This also means you can create a single database of sales and marketing resources that everyone can access right from the CRM. If your sales PDFs are still hanging out on someone’s hard drive, it’s time to upload them to the software so everyone else can access them.

Integrate the CRM

Nearly every company who uses a CRM will need to integrate it with either personal calendars and emails, social media platforms, outside software, or all of the above. To make the most of your CRM, set up these integrations and test them to be sure they’re working before you need to rely on them for something critical.

We hope this guide helped clarify how to use a CRM. Ready to explore your CRM software options? Check out our CRM software guide to learn about what features to look for and what platforms are top-rated in the CRM category.

Read next: CRM+Bots: Make Them Work (Together) for You

The post How to Use CRM for Business appeared first on TechnologyAdvice.

There are some worthy alternatives that also deserve your attention:

5 Top Calendly alternatives

While Calendly is a great appointment setting software option, all those features do command a higher price, and if you don’t need such robust functionality, then it might not be worth it for your company. Here are the Calendly alternatives you should consider.

Chili Piper: Best for CRM integrations

This memorably named service focuses on a subset of the appointment scheduling market: sales and CS reps. If you constantly book meetings with customers and potential customers, then you will appreciate Chili Piper’s ability to book meetings instantly from your inbox, automatically create leads in your CRM software, and integrate easily with Salesforce and HubSpot.

There is a free plan available as well as two paid tiers: Spicy and Hot. You need to get one of the paid subscriptions to unlock most of the CRM-specific features, but if you just want to book meetings, then the free tier should be sufficient. Chili Piper’s focus on CRM will also be less helpful if you aren’t a sales or CS rep, so if you work in a different department, then another option on this list might be a better fit for you.

Why we chose Chili Piper

We included Chili Piper here because of its robust CRM integrations. There is a free plan available as well as two paid tiers: Spicy and Hot. You need to get one of the paid subscriptions to unlock most of the CRM-specific features, but if you just want to book meetings, then the free tier should be sufficient.

HubSpot Sales Hub: Best for functionality

Did you know that HubSpot offers a meeting scheduling tool? In fact, it’s part of the HubSpot’s free limited service plan. With the free version, you can book meetings automatically, embed your calendar in your website or email, and sync meeting details to contacts in your CRM. Premium accounts get additional functionality, starting with the Starter plan.

It is expensive compared to the other starter plans on this list; however, you do have to remember that HubSpot offers a lot of other tools including marketing, CMS, and operations in addition to the appointment scheduling. But if HubSpot’s features are too robust for your needs, then you can choose from the other more affordable options on this list.

Why we chose HubSpot Sales Hub

We chose HubSpot Sales Hub because of its integration within the HubSpot suite of applications. If you need all that functionality, then HubSpot is a great all-in-one package—and if you already have HubSpot, then you have access to that appointment setting feature.

Acuity Scheduling: Best for multiple industries

Acuity Scheduling is designed to help customers seamlessly book appointments with service providers like salons, doctors, and more. It syncs your calendars, processes online payments, and automatically sends appointment reminders to clients.

However, it does not have a free tier, and it has only a seven-day free trial. After that, choose from the Emerging Plan, the Growing Plan, or the Powerhouse Plan. Each supports a different number of staff or locations: 1 person or location for the Emerging Plan, 6 for the Growing Plan, and 36 for the Powerhouse.

Why we chose Acuity Scheduling

Acuity Scheduling won’t work for every business due to its focus on service providers, but if that describes your company, then you should definitely look into this option. We included them because of that cross-functionality between industries. Acuity offers a substantial selection of reporting and scheduling features that work for specific industries.

10to8: Best for plan diversity

If you are a small business looking for a free appointment scheduling option, then 10to8 might fit the (nonexistent) bill. The service’s entry-level free tier offers up to 100 appointments a month for two staff members working at one location.

You can have an unlimited number of clients and services and 10to8 will allow two-way client chat, even on the free tier. Users say that the service can be a bit time-consuming to set up on the front end, and all support is done via email, which can sometimes make issues more difficult to resolve. 10to8 also doesn’t offer a lot of CRM functionality, though integrations are available. However, if you’re a small business that needs a free appointment scheduling software that goes behind the very basic, then you should check out 10to8.

Why we chose 10to8

We decided to include 10to8 because of the variance between its plans. That diversity allows a user to really dial in which set of features will work best for your specific needs. For more features, such as customizable branding, more staff members and appointments, and multiple bookings pages, you can get the Basic plan, the Grow plan, or the Bigger Business plan.

Doodle: Best for simplicity

If you are mostly looking for a tool that will help you book meetings between groups of people at your company, then you can’t go wrong with Doodle. This simple software automatically adjusts for time zones and offers numerous ways to schedule events—for instance, you can poll people on the best day or time to meet or let them pick from what times you choose to make available.

Doodle offers a free Doodle poll creator as well as two premium levels, a Pro account and a Team account that can handle up to 5 users. While Doodle doesn’t offer as many features as the other software listed here, that is reflected in its affordable price tag, making it a good option for people looking for a stripped-down scheduling tool without a lot of extras.

Why we chose Doodle

We chose Doodle because we wanted a simple scheduling solution and it does that well. It’s ability to easily gather times that work for multiple team members, recognize time zone conflicts, and other automation capabilities take the time consuming guess work out of scheduling.

What is appointment setting software?

Appointment setting software—also called appointment scheduling solutions, appointment booking systems, and appointment management software—make it easy for companies to manage appointments, meetings, and client bookings.

The software syncs with your calendar to automatically show when you’re available and allows you to easily book between teams or departments. It also allows people outside your organization to cancel or move appointments without waiting for the owner of the calendar event to make the change.

What is Calendly?

Calendly is perhaps the best-known option in the appointment setting software space. It allows you to set your availability and syncs all your calendars in one place, which is beneficial for people who have their work calendar in Outlook and their personal calendar in Gmail, for instance.

You can use Calendly to book meetings internally within your organization, or you can use it to schedule times with people outside your company, such as potential or current customers. Send your contact a link, and they will see a real-time calendar of your availability and can choose a time that works for them.

Calendly also integrates with many different services to allow you to automate meeting tasks that you would have to perform manually with a typical email calendar client. For example, a Zoom integration will automatically create video calls for virtual meetings, while the Stripe integration lets you take payments during the meeting.

There are many different integrations available covering a wide variety of categories from CRM to analytics. If you need a particular integration, the Calendly website has an up-to-date list allowing you to browse them all to see if they will suit your needs.

Calendly has three levels of pricing: free, premium, and pro. Many of its features are only available on the paid plans, and plenty of the most helpful ones—including the HubSpot and Salesforce integrations—are only available on the most expensive pro plan, so bear that in mind when considering Calendly.

Find the right Calendly alternative for you

If these options aren’t quite what you need, TechnologyAdvice can help you find the right Calendly alternatives. Check out our Scheduling Software Guide to discover other popular options.

Methodology

At TechnologyAdvice, we assess a wide range of factors before selecting our top choices for a given category. To make our selections, we rely on our extensive research, product information, vendor websites, competitor research and first-hand experience. We then consider what makes a solution best for customer-specific needs. For our Calendly Alternatives list, we looked at more than 27 options before whittling them down to the five that cover many scheduling needs for startups all the way up to enterprise businesses. We considered factors such as automations, ease of use, cost, and more, in making our selections.

Featured Partners

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Customer relationship management (CRM) systems offer many benefits for salespeople, so there are lots of reasons why you may want to migrate from a spreadsheet to a legitimate CRM. However, switching from either a spreadsheet or a different CRM does present certain data migration challenges. In this guide, we’ll cover the seven essential steps for a successful CRM data migration.

What is CRM Data Migration?

CRM data migration refers to importing data from a spreadsheet into a CRM system or moving data from one CRM system to another. Most make it easy to import a spreadsheet as long as it’s properly formatted. Many CRM systems also offer tools to both import and export data, making moves between software easier.

There are many reasons you might want to perform a CRM migration:

• You’ve grown beyond a simple spreadsheet.
• You maxed out your current CRM system’s capabilities and want more marketing automation or customization.
• You’re paying too much for your current CRM software and wish to seek out a more affordable alternative.
• You need more integration with third-party apps.
• Your company is switching to a full-service enterprise software stack that will move everything under one roof.

Whatever your reasons for performing a CRM data migration, this guide will give you a high-level overview of the most critical steps to help you put together a CRM migration strategy that fits your business needs.

How to Implement a CRM Migration Strategy?

Ready to get started with a CRM data migration, so you can improve customer engagement? Here are the seven steps you need to follow in order to create a successful data migration template checklist.

1. Audit your current data

Reducing the data you import can reduce both the complexity and cost of the migration, especially if you have a lot of data to migrate. Consider whether you really need old contacts that haven’t interacted with your company in years or email templates you used before your company rebranded and changed logos.

With that in mind, you should begin your data migration checklist by sorting through your existing data to determine what should and should not be imported. Once you’ve made that decision, clean up the existing data you plan to keep. If you’re worried about accidentally deleting something old but necessary, then make a copy of the data before cleaning it up. If you’re not concerned, do the backup anyway in case you stumble into a crisis.

2. Understand your new CRM system

Before you go any further with the data migration, you need to get to know your new CRM system. Each CRM has a unique way of formatting and storing data and may have a unique process for importing data. Once you decide on a CRM, you need to understand what your data will look like once you get it into the system.

Identify where all of your old data will be stored after the migration, and categorize it accordingly. For instance, existing customers will likely go somewhere else in the CRM than prospective leads that are currently being nurtured by the sales team. There will likely be some differences from your existing CRM, and you may need to import the categories separately to ensure they all end up in the correct places.

3. Engage in data mapping

Once you have identified the high level categories where your data will go, it’s time to move onto data mapping. Data mapping refers to the practice of matching the fields in one database to another. Mapping your data before the migration will ensure everything is imported correctly and that you don’t lose any custom fields. Each CRM should provide more information about what data mapping to perform before initiating the transfer process.

4. Consider your migration support tools options

If performing a CRM data migration sounds intimidating, then you’ll be happy to hear there are plenty of tools to help you. Most CRMs provide built-in data migration tools that will take care of transferring data from a spreadsheet into your new CRM. This is typically the easiest and most seamless option, and you should always begin your search for migration support tools there.

There are also third-party data migration tools such as Pentaho and Talend Open Studio you can check out if the native tools fall short for some reason. Beyond that, complex migration situations can require creating your own in-house data migration tools based on the CRM API (application programming interface). However, this is more common for enterprise companies and shouldn’t be necessary if all you’re importing is a spreadsheet.

5. Back up your migration data

Once your data is ready for importing, you need to make a backup first to keep things safe. If you are migrating a spreadsheet, create an identical copy of it before testing the migration. Store this backup safely in the cloud and on a hardware drive, so you have a backup if anything goes wrong.

If you’ve got an old CRM, you should leave it up and running for a couple months in case you need to go back and retrieve legacy data for some reason. If you want extra peace of mind, you can store the exported data separately in the cloud or on a hard drive.

6. Do a test migration first

When migrating data to a CRM, never move everything over until you have performed a smaller test migration first. To do this, take a small dataset and import it into the new CRM, then check it over carefully for errors.

This will allow you to identify errors and issues before you import the entire dataset and potentially have to fix the whole thing. If you do identify a problem, try to figure out what went wrong, and report and test the migration again until the import is successful.

7. Perform the final migration

Once you have perfected the migration process, you are ready to import all of the data over. If you have a lot of data to move, you may wish to do it in sections, so you can check it again at the end of each import just to be safe. Once you are done, clean and validate all of the data to ensure the migration was successful. Now, you are finally ready to use your new CRM.

Choosing a CRM for Data Migration

If you’ve currently been using an Excel spreadsheet as your CRM, migrating to an actual CRM can make a huge difference for your sales team. CRMs offer significantly more functionality than a basic spreadsheet, such as automated workflows and preset email templates, and they might be less expensive than you think. If you are ready to discover the CRM possibilities, check out our CRM software guide.

Top CRM Software Recommendations

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The Microsoft ecosystem is always growing, and with that growth, you’ll find a lot of overlap between tools. Case in point: SharePoint and OneDrive are both project management platforms which allow you to share files.

Pinpointing the difference between OneDrive and SharePoint is difficult because the tools have so much in common. Nevertheless, when you compare them, you’ll notice they approach collaboration, file sharing, and project management in different ways.

Features comparison of SharePoint vs. OneDrive

			SharePoint		OneDrive
	Cloud-based Storage
	On-premises Storage				✘
	Collaborative Documents				✘
	Shared Assets Library				✘
	Comments and @mentions		✘
	Mobile Document Scanning		✘
			Try SharePoint		Try OneDrive

What’s the difference between OneDrive and SharePoint?

OneDrive is an online document/file cloud storage platform used by individuals and business teams who need a central location to store and access their document library. OneDrive’s versioning and sharing features make it easy to work together, so it’s more than an online filing cabinet.

Microsoft distinguishes between personal and work or school versions of the tool. For the purposes of this article, we’ll focus on the work or school version, but do know that you can use a personal OneDrive account to store your personal files. The OneDrive app is available for download on your desktop or you can log in via a web browser.

Microsoft SharePoint is a collaboration tool for businesses that need multiple individuals and teams to work on Microsoft Office files, other documents, and products at the same time. Over the last few years, Microsoft released updates to their Microsoft 365 product (previously known as Office 365) that have absorbed SharePoint into the Microsoft 365 cloud computing platform. Therefore, there is no stand-alone SharePoint app available for download, but there is a SharePoint online login.

How does OneDrive work with SharePoint?

For this comparison, we’ll talk specifically about SharePoint as an on-premises solution, also known as SharePoint Server. If we discuss hybrid or cloud solutions, we’ll call those Microsoft 365. Microsoft 365 includes both SharePoint features and the OneDrive cloud storage platform, making those available on any device from the cloud.

Note that both OneDrive and SharePoint are separate from (though compatible with) the company’s document creation software, including Microsoft Office, Office online, and Microsoft Dynamics.

Confused yet? Then let’s break down how SharePoint Server and OneDrive are implemented across your company, the features they share, and where they differ. Those distinctions will help you decide which version of the software is best for the type of work you need to do.

ALSO READ: 6 SharePoint Alternatives to Put on Your Shortlist

On-premises vs. cloud

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Why buy a stand-alone solution like SharePoint when you could get all the same features with Microsoft 365? The answer really has to do with the preferences of your IT department. Some developers prefer the security and control that come with locally installed software.

When you deploy SharePoint on your company’s servers, the company owns the look and feel of the software and controls when updates roll out. On the other hand, the company maintains responsibility for any security breaches and purchasing version updates since your IT owns the SharePoint server.

However, if your company takes more of an outsourcing approach to managed IT services and managed security, OneDrive might be a better fit since it doesn’t have to be hosted on-premises or require on-site IT professionals to set up the same way a SharePoint migration does.

ALSO READ: On-Premise vs Cloud Software (2024)

Businesses who purchase SharePoint as a stand-alone, on-premises option can also purchase OneDrive for document storage space and external sharing; although, all of those features are available in SharePoint Online. Cloud storage is helpful for teams that need easy mobile access or companies with a large remote workforce.

SharePoint vs. OneDrive: Enterprise-grade security features

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Both SharePoint and OneDrive take similar approaches to securing shared files. Each platform encrypts files in transit and at rest, making them more difficult to breach. They also make it easy to roll back files or libraries to previous versions if you accidentally delete files or lose them in an attack. Additionally, they both include compliance features to help you adhere to regulatory requirements.

SharePoint also contains strong access controls to ensure multiple users only have access to the SharePoint files they need and to better segment the platform in case of a breach. With these partitions, your IT team can easily quarantine malicious files until they can be removed without running the risk of them infecting other parts of your company’s data. Because OneDrive offers single-user accounts, the access controls are less strenuous.

Businesses concerned with document safety, auditing, or regulatory compliance often find that SharePoint’s granular version control and user access settings help them control the security of their internal and customer data. While both Microsoft 365 and OneDrive offer document encryption to keep data safe from prying eyes, only SharePoint can offer the added security of a stand-alone server—but it requires your own IT professionals to host it on-premises.

Microsoft 365 (including all OneDrive platforms) offers granular access controls, so administrators can assign permissions across the platform. The entire Microsoft cloud and hybrid platform supports TLS and SHA-2 security protocols and no longer supports SSL security. Microsoft encrypts all of your data upon transfer to and from their servers as well as stores it on the Microsoft servers in encrypted form.

SharePoint vs. OneDrive: Document and resource management

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OneDrive (for work and school) contains all of the original SharePoint document offerings, including workflows, auditing, templates, and version control. What it does not include are marketing resources, such as communication sites and social media connections.

The business owns the account, and each user is assigned an individual account under the business’s account where individual, private documents can be produced and stored before they are shared to the wider company audience. Note that Microsoft Teams cannot connect to a personal OneDrive file; you have to have a work or school OneDrive to share it with a team.

Many companies use SharePoint for organization-wide document and file collaboration. Both Microsoft 365 and the SharePoint Server offerings provide collaborative workflows and granular permissions to help you move content from idea to publication without skipping steps. Your marketing teams will appreciate SharePoint’s white label features that let you set up your intranet to match your branding. Microsoft 365 does not include these same branding features.

SharePoint vs. OneDrive: Website, apps, and CMS

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Many companies use SharePoint’s engine to build and maintain their company website, internal documentation, and even web apps. The content management system (CMS) lets you publish your documents directly to your company website or make them available for access and download by customers or employees.

Many companies also use SharePoint’s internal analytics to build custom apps for employee or external use. You can build your company’s customer-facing website, help documentation, FAQ pages, or your employee portal right from the SharePoint interface using the documents your team shares.

OneDrive doesn’t offer the ability to publish your content to the web. While you can email links to documents, you cannot publish those documents directly to a web page from the OneDrive platform. You can make documents discoverable to your team, but you’ll need Microsoft 365 or another CMS/website platform to publish your work publicly.

SharePoint vs. OneDrive: Workflows, dashboards, calendars, and extras

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OneDrive gives different members of your team access to shared documents for storage and sharing and tracks versions, but it’s essentially an online folder system and does not include many of the extra features available in SharePoint and the larger Microsoft 365 cloud suite.

SharePoint gives your team a collaborative workspace with dashboards, calendars, tasks, notifications, and updates. The SharePoint platform keeps these located in a central portal associated with company sites.

You can set up a SharePoint site for each of your teams to access, with dashboards that give team and company notifications. You can also set up a corporate portal where searchable company-wide libraries and notifications live. Assign each employee a security level to allow access.

Choosing between SharePoint and OneDrive

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The best software option for any company is the one that everyone can get behind. If you have faith in the security of the cloud and you’d like the added benefit of having Microsoft handle your software updates, you may find your solution in Microsoft 365, which offers both OneDrive and SharePoint capabilities from the cloud.

On the other hand, many companies still find comfort in the control of an on-premises solution. SharePoint Server offers the branding and UI control that Microsoft 365 doesn’t, without diminishing the power of its features.

Looking for a file-sharing solution and not feeling any of the options above? To help you find the right fit for your business, take a look at our File-Sharing Software Guide.

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