Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms are becoming more and more popular nowadays. It figures: In today’s digital world, businesses can’t afford to miss all the features these tools can offer.
A robust CRM software is now a requirement, even for small businesses looking for affordable solutions, and there’s no better bang for the buck than Salesforce CRM.
Since Salesforce Essentials introduction in 2017 as the most affordable option, and Salesforce Professional as the second low-cost tier, we are now left with two very attractive options for those looking to hop into the most popular CRM solution.
However, in order to make the best decision for your business, you must first know the differences between the two lower-cost options.
Here are the key aspects you should take into consideration when choosing between Salesforce’s Essentials and Professional tiers:
The first thing you need to know is pricing. All their plans are on a per user per month basis and you can get a free 30 day trial before you make the final decision.
Both tiers come with their own range of services or “Clouds”, and each Cloud with their own price and features. Here are the most important Clouds for small businesses:
This is the basic CRM software.
Salesforce Sales Cloud. Source: Salesforce.
Salesforce Essentials: 25$/user/month (billed monthly or annually). Up to 10 users. Features include:
Salesforce Professional: 75$/user/month (billed annually). Features include everything you get in Salesforce Essentials and the following:
The Service Cloud is a very powerful customer service platform for your agents, allowing them to easily visualize and manage your customer’s data to get a better picture of what’s going on with any given client.
Salesforce Service Cloud. Source: Salesforce.
Salesforce Essentials: 25$/user/month (billed monthly or annually). Features include:
Salesforce Professional: 75$/user/month (billed annually). Features include everything you get in Salesforce Essentials and the following:
This includes features from both the Sales and Service Clouds.
Salesforce Essentials: 25$/user/month (billed monthly or annually). Up to 10 users. Features include:
Salesforce Professional: 100$/user/month (billed annually). Features include everything you get in Salesforce Essentials and the following:
*The Sales and Service Cloud does not include Email Integration nor the Salesforce Mobile App as their separate options.
This is Salesforce’s one-to-one marketing platform.
Salesforce Marketing Cloud. Source: Salesforce.
The marketing cloud is divided in different marketing services:
For more information about pricing and features of Salesforce Marketing Cloud you will need to contact Salesforce themselves.
Both tiers have their own benefits and limitations. Here are the most important ones:
Benefits:
Limitations:
Benefits:
Limitations:
With all the main characteristics and differences covered, we can break down this comparison like this:
Salesforce Essentials is the best option for small teams that only need the basics covered, and Professional is better if you think Essentials lacks core functionality that you need in your CRM.
Remember to choose your Cloud and tier based on the features they offer and that it is possible to modify your Salesforce contract after purchase, but that doesn’t mean you should make your choice lightly.