Features to look for in a CRM
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CRM software provides many advantages to companies and their outbound sales teams—but which are the most important? Knowing what to look for in a CRM can help you with your investment to ensure your team gets the features and support they need.
This guide provides a list of essential CRM features to help you unravel what makes a CRM good and which CRM you should use for your organization.
User Adoption Is Non-Negotiable: A CRM only delivers ROI if your team actually uses it. Prioritize platforms that are easy to adopt, automate tedious tasks, and come with strong onboarding and free support.
All-in-One Functionality Drives Efficiency: Look for a CRM that combines pipeline management, marketing automation, reporting, and integrations—so your sales and marketing teams can operate from a single source of truth.
Customization and Scalability Matter: Your CRM should adapt to your processes, not the other way around. Choose one that offers flexible workflows, reporting, and user roles—so it can grow with your team and business.
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Want to determine what makes a good CRM? Here are 17 essential benefits that shouldn’t be overlooked when you’re searching for a new CRM system.
Your CRM has to be designed with your sales reps in mind, or else. According to a 2015 Gartner Group study, CRM adoption rates are well under 50%, so it’s no surprise that so many CRM initiatives eventually fail. Sales reps will rebel against CRM tools that only offer a means for managers to monitor their teams and force compliance.
For a successful implementation, your CRM must first and foremost prove its value to sales reps by alleviating common pain points and helping them win more deals. Once they see the benefits, the team will get on board, which needs to be priority #1 in your CRM search.
The first prize is finding a CRM that offers additional guidance through an onboarding assistance program. Ensuring your team is set up with the information and skills they need to make the most of the CRM system will result in higher adoption rates.
If a CRM service tries to charge you extra for the honor of live support, they’re ripping you off. Your CRM’s customer support department should be a team of actual human beings who are available by email or online chat.
Check the CRM specifications to ensure the customer support you need is included in your plan pricing. And beware of CRMs that advertise free support but reserve that offering to customers on more expensive plans.
For small- and medium-sized businesses, every dollar counts, which is why value for money is key when investing in software. CRMs with massive feature lists usually come with massive per-user costs, and some CRMs nickel-and-dime their users by charging extra for standard features.
What’s the point of having a CRM if you have to pay to view your reports? So, be sure to find an affordable CRM that includes all the features your sales team will use right out of the box. Signing up for a free trial before you invest is a great way to test your required features and ensure they provide the value you need for the budget you have available.
A CRM should make your reps more effective, not just more organized. CRMs with sales process capabilities help reps know when and how to reach out, so they can focus more on closing rather than task management.
Sales process tools also provide managers with another way to break down their pipelines—not only quantitatively but qualitatively—and understand if their reps are effectively working leads.
Some of the core sales process tools your CRM should include are:
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If your sales reps have to leave their CRM every time they need to send an email or check their appointment calendar, that lost time will add up—and kill your team’s productivity. Look for a CRM that integrates with the business software you already use, so you and your reps can do everything in one place.
The more native or one-click integrations, the better. But app connections through third-party software like Zapier will do the trick too. If the CRM’s website includes an app integration marketplace, have a look to see if your preferred tools are listed.
While most CRM platforms can show you your sales and pipeline figures at a glance, the most useful ones allow sales teams to drill down by product, source, and other filters, so you can find the numbers that matter to you.
These are a few of the core reports you’ll need to ensure your sales team gets the most from your CRM:
In addition, make sure you’re able to download and share your reports with your colleagues.
Manual data entry can suck countless hours out of a sales team’s week. The best CRMs reduce as many of those repetitive tasks as possible by allowing you to quickly sync your email accounts, your calendar, and your smartphone, giving you one location for all account information.
Look for a CRM solution that’s at least compatible with Google and Microsoft 360 to avoid email and calendar syncing. If you can find a CRM that offers a connection both ways, allowing you to work from either your CRM or your email provider with two-way sync in place, even better.
Don’t commit to a CRM that requires extensive upfront training—or, even worse, a permanent admin to run it for you. Small business sales teams are best served by user-friendly, intuitive CRM solutions that can be learned in an afternoon and don’t require ongoing maintenance. Keep in mind that 55% of sales reps feel that ease of use is the most important feature of a CRM. Fancy bells and whistles often overwhelm reps who just want to sell more, more quickly.
Does your CRM allow sales reps to easily communicate and share customer information with other team members, even outside of the sales department?
The ability to quickly tag in your support and marketing teams to provide additional assistance on deals in progress gives you a tremendous advantage over sales teams who are isolated within their organizations.
Sales reps need to be equally effective both inside and outside the office, so the ability to access deals and contact information from any device is crucial. Ideally, your CRM should offer iPhone and Android mobile apps that are reliable and easy to use without sacrificing desktop features.
Task automation features are a must when investing in a CRM solution. Modern systems allow teams to complete and initiate activities based on triggers and actions they’ve set up.
Automating repetitive and non-selling tasks frees up time for your team to focus on more impactful activities. With custom automation features at your fingertips, your team can streamline processes to improve efficiency, minimize human error to enhance data integrity, and leverage swift personalized messaging for better customer experiences.
Apart from custom reporting, you can customize your CRM to align with your organization’s procedures and objectives. Ensure your CRM solution allows you to customize the following key features and elements:
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As your business grows, so should your tech stack. Look for a CRM system that can grow and adapt as your organization expands. To achieve this, your new CRM platform should allow you to increase your customer base, team, and data stored.
Ideally, your CRM should let you upload an unlimited number of contacts, users, and documents. But at the very least, you should have the option to purchase additional space for these at a reasonable price.
CRM systems that offer built-in or native add-on marketing tools should be on your shortlist. Bringing your CRM data and marketing efforts together creates powerful synergy, helping your team engage with customers more effectively, build stronger relationships, and drive sales.
In particular, keep an eye out for marketing tools that include the following features:
When determining what makes a good CRM, another beneficial feature to consider is artificial intelligence. A CRM with AI capabilities offers your team an opportunity to boost productivity and customer engagement. These tools also enhance your data management efforts and increase overall efficiency.
Here are a few CRM AI tools that will support your contact management and relationship-building efforts:
Does the CRM system include lead generation features? This is a vital question when deciding which CRM you should use. CRMs with lead generation tools make the connection between lead attainment and lead management seamless, making your life easier.
An advantage is the ability to create and capture lead information through web forms and landing pages, as well as business intelligence tools. Business intelligence software often includes the ability to collect website visitor details, information on prospective customers similar to your ideal customer profile, and other employees at companies already in your contacts list.
Another CRM component to consider is the ability to set up custom user roles and define the parameters for the information those users can access and edit. The inclusion of custom user roles and permissions fosters increased data security and minimizes internal risk.
With these features, you have complete control over which team members can access sensitive information and ensure your business complies with information privacy regulations. Limiting access to specific information can also prevent accidental data loss or changes that could put you on the back foot.
Assigning tailored user permissions keeps employees focused on the work they’re meant to do and can improve interdepartmental collaboration and communication. It also adds a level of accountability, letting you track which team members accessed, edited, uploaded, or deleted data.
Now that you know what to look for in a CRM, you should be able to determine the good from the not-so-great to find your ideal solution. If you want an all-in-one CRM platform that can do it all, look no further than Nutshell.
Nutshell provides users with a host of essential features, including those mentioned above and more. The best part is that our plans are priced to suit any pocket, ensuring your business can access the absolute best in customer relationship management.
See for yourself—Try Nutshell for free through our 14-day trial, where you’ll have access to all its features without having to provide us with your credit card details. Need a more specific solution or have questions you’d like to ask? Simply reach out to our team of experts, who are ready to help you find the best CRM solution for your business.
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Look for a CRM with intuitive design that requires minimal setup—ideally deployable in days, not weeks. Start with essential features and core integrations (email, calendar, lead forms) rather than everything at once. Designate power users as peer advocates, conduct brief hands-on training sessions, and focus teams on one or two key workflows initially. Most SMBs reach productivity within 30 days with proper support.
Start by documenting current costs: time spent on manual data entry, meetings, and admin tasks. Then project improvements: expected deal volume increase (industry average is 15–20%), sales cycle reduction, and time savings from automation. Use this formula: (Revenue increase + Time savings) minus Annual CRM cost = Net benefit. Most businesses see 5–9 in return for every $1 spent when properly implemented.
Essential features solve immediate pain points: contact management, pipeline tracking, email integration, and basic automation. Nice-to-haves include advanced AI tools, custom reporting, and specialized integrations. Prioritize based on your team’s most pressing challenges. Ask: “Will this feature directly help our reps close more deals?” If yes, it’s essential. If it’s interesting but optional, it’s nice-to-have.
Check the CRM vendor’s integration marketplace first—do they support your key tools (Gmail, Outlook, Slack, accounting software)? Look for native integrations over custom API builds; they’re more stable and easier to maintain. Request a sandbox test before committing. Most modern CRMs offer 50+ pre-built integrations, but verify compatibility with your specific tech stack.
Evaluate these elements: 24/7 availability, multiple support channels (chat, email, phone), average response time (aim for under 2 hours), comprehensive knowledge base, and training resources. Request references from similar-sized companies. A good vendor should offer onboarding support, ongoing education, and a dedicated contact if possible. Quality support directly impacts adoption rates and ROI.
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