The 10 best contact managers for developing your sales
Your contact list plays a decisive role in your business and your loyalty strategy. You need to nurture your contacts and closely monitor your interactions with them to ensure that their needs are properly met.
To do this, you need a tailored, modular and scalable tool that gives you easy access to all your contacts' information and simplifies the process of qualifying and raising awareness among your prospects.
The solution? A contact manager.
Also known as contact management software, this tool plays a decisive role in your business; when used properly, it enables you to consider new opportunities and secure new contracts.
Here's a closer look at how to use it, its benefits and the 10 best tools on the market.
What is a contact manager?
Definition of contact management software
A contact manager, also known as contact management software, is a tool that helps you store contact information for your customers, prospects and suppliers while tracking communication between your business and them.
👉 Information can include:
- addresses,
- telephone numbers
- emails
- social network identifiers,
- orders
- open quotes,
- sales history, associated companies, etc.
What does a contact manager do?
A contact manager also lets you easily organise and filter contacts according to predefined criteria. These might be :
- sector of activity,
- title
- relations with your company, etc.
💡In addition, you can manage communications using contact management software and integrate it with other tools such as calendars or your email to interconnect all sources of communication with your contacts.
What's the difference between a contact manager and a CRM?
The main difference between a contact manager and a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is their scope of action.
A contact manager concentrates on centralising contact information (customers, prospects, partners), making it easier to organise and track them.
A CRM, on the other hand, offers more comprehensive customer relationship management, including advanced functions such as sales process automation, opportunity management and interaction analysis. CRM therefore goes beyond simple contact management by integrating decision-making tools. 🪄
Compare 10 contact management software packages
1 of 10
 monday CRM |  anaba |  Nelis CRM |  Zoho Bigin |  efficy Enterprise CRM |  EngageBay |  Pipedrive |  HubSpot CRM |  Freshsales |  Nimble |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For companies with 1 to 5000 employees | For companies with 2 to 250 employees | For companies with 2 to 5000 employees | For all companies | For companies with more than 1 employees | For companies with more than 50 employees | For companies with 1 to 5000 employees | For companies with more than 1 employees | For all companies | For companies with more than 50 employees |
| See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software |
| Learn more about monday CRM | Learn more about anaba | Learn more about Nelis CRM | Learn more about Zoho Bigin | Learn more about efficy Enterprise CRM | Learn more about EngageBay | Learn more about Pipedrive | Learn more about HubSpot CRM | Learn more about Freshsales | Learn more about Nimble |
anaba: contact management from your mailbox
anaba is software that automates and centralises the management of all your company's contacts (prospects, customers, suppliers, service providers, partners, etc.) directly from your e-mail inbox. Thanks to this easy-to-use tool, you can quickly create a complete, up-to-date contact database to communicate more effectively and generate new opportunities by expanding your network.
🧑💻 anaba is especially aimed at SMEs such as law firms, architects or B2B events and communications agencies, who are looking for a simple and effective alternative to Excel for managing their contacts automatically.
anaba offers an all-inclusive price of €249/month for an unlimited number of users.
Key benefits of anaba :
- automatic retrieval of your contacts from your emails, whatever the medium (PC, mobile, tablet): scan of your email inbox, retrieval of all your contacts up to several years of history, automatic addition and update ;
- access to tracked, organised and up-to-date information for all your employees: date of last exchange, notes from your teams, changes when changing jobs or LinkedIn updates for one of your contacts, etc. ;
- integration with market-leading CRM and marketing automation solutions, such as Sellsy, Pipedrive, Mailchimp, Sendinblue, etc. to leverage the tool's capabilities and get maximum value from your contacts.
💙 What we like
- the simplicity of the tool, to exploit the full richness of your contacts without going through a CRM, which you won't need all their features ;
- a powerful, collaborative solution that focuses on your contacts first and foremost, boosting productivity throughout your business;
- a simple, fast and supported implementation, with free installation and deployment assistance.
anaba
Nelis: sendthe right contact at the right time
Nelis is a comprehensive, intuitive and easy-to-use contact management software package that helps you develop your sales through better segmentation of your contacts and the creation of personalised campaigns. A truly modular and scalable tool, it connects your contact management to all your business processes (CRM, RGPD, emailing, events, etc.) for increasingly targeted and effective actions.
🧑💻 Nelis is designed for SMEs, key accounts and professional associations (clusters, professional clubs, etc.).
Nelis is available from €20/month/user with a free trial.
Key benefits of Nelis :
- centralisation and automatic segmentation of your contact database using intelligent filters and personalised criteria (opportunities, emailing, prospecting, invitations, etc.),
- a secure shared space for a 360° view of your contacts: manage access rights according to teams and automate your contact majors via Nelis API connectors to your business applications (Zappier, Teams, Outlook, etc.),
- effective, tailor-made email campaigns: qualify your contacts according to your smart lists, detect active/inactive contacts in just a few clicks and import your HTML templates to comply with your graphic charter.
💙 What we like
- iOS and Android mobile apps that connect directly with Outlook and Gmail to import and track your contacts securely and easily,
- the platform gives you the benefit of a free audit of your business and a no-obligation free trial, an excellent way to test the tool before you take the plunge,
- statistical reports and KPIs updated in real time to help you make the right decisions.
Nelis CRM
Bigin by Zoho: the complete contact manager for small businesses
Bigin by Zoho CRM is an affordable, pipeline-focused CRM solution designed for small businesses created by Zoho. With Bigin, small businesses can manage communications with their contacts and customer relationships, with no technical knowledge required. You simply have access to all the information relating to your contacts (activities, email, history, contact details, interactions, etc.).
🧑💻Bigin is designed for very small businesses.
💰Bigin has a free version for very small businesses, and is available without limit at €8/month/user.
Key benefits of Bigin :
- Improved lead engagement through web forms integration: get details of visitors, sending and receiving emails, and keep a complete view of every interaction with prospects.
- a complete view of your contacts: from emails to activities to sales, all your contact information is organised in an ordered and sequential way, in one and the same place,
- the ability to create simple sales pipelines with fully customisable stages: have access to your contacts' information simply and in the most visually appealing way, while following them throughout their entire customer journey.
💙 What we like
- its integrated, hardware-free phone system, which lets you receive calls and buy phone numbers for your team,
- its minimalist, ultra-simple concept that lets you focus on features that will really improve your contact management,
- its very affordable price , which means that even very small organisations on a tight budget can benefit from a complete contact manager.
Zoho Bigin
Efficy CRM: theready-to-use solution for SMEs to large groups
Efficy CRM is a European publisher and integrator offering a SaaS and on-premise customer relationship management platform . From VSEs to major accounts, the tool adapts to the business issues of BtoB and BtoC companies at a controlled cost. Take advantage of the expertise of over 300 employees in 13 European countries.
🧑💻Efficy CRM is designed for VSEs, SMEs and large groups.
Nimble is available from €20/month/user.
Key benefits of Efficy CRM :
- secure, intuitive management of all your contacts: identify your contacts thanks to the presentation of a complete customer file (addresses, contacts, history of the relationship, prospecting and loyalty actions, orders and complaints, etc.),
- highly collaborative and personalised functionalities : interact with all the players in your company (employees, customers, suppliers, subcontractors, partners, etc.) and bring fluidity, transparency and regularity to each of these relationships,
- complete management and monitoring of your contacts in real time: the entire history of your relationship can be stored there, any action to be taken can generate alerts and with each interaction, the tool helps you provide the right support to guarantee the best service for your customers.
💙 What we like
- Its all-in-one nature (document management, tour optimisation, invoicing, complaints handling, knowledge base, events organisation, etc.),
- its ISO 9001 and RGPD certifications , which guarantee the security of your data and documents,
- features for creating email campaigns tailored to your contacts (phoning campaigns, web forms, lead management, etc.).
efficy Enterprise CRM
EngageBay: the contact manager for growing businesses
EngageBay is contact and customer relationship management software that lets you manage your business and your customers via a simple, powerful and unified platform that brings together all your marketing, sales and service needs. You get a complete view of every interaction with your prospects and simply track every piece of information.
🧑💻EngageBay is designed for VSEs and SMEs looking for affordable, all-in-one sales and marketing software to acquire, engage, nurture and convert visitors into customers.
💰EngageBay is free for 15 users and available from $8.99/month/user with a free trial with no credit card required.
Key benefits of EngageBay:
- real-time updates on your contacts, enabling you to track their activities according to the chronology of your exchanges and their behaviour patterns,
- simple, intuitive creation of 100% customisable, centralised contact records: contact details, recent and past interactions, areas of interest, response rate, social presence, call notes, task history, all on a single page using 360-degree vision,
- integration of the platform with your email, to interconnect your exchanges and information with your database (Gmail, Office 365 or any other IMPA service).
💙 What we like
- its advanced , high-performance marketing automation features to improve your emailing strategy and customer relations,
- its unlimited contact storage capacity and its many support features for perfect customer service,
- its complete free version for up to 15 users , perfect for small organisations.
EngageBay
Pipedrive: the complete CRM that's ultra-easy to use
Pipedrive is a simple, intuitive CRM that helps you develop an unlimited database of organisations and contacts and maintain your business relationships efficiently using advanced functionalities:
- e-mail tracking
- contact and call history
- personalised customer records, etc.
🧑💻 Pipedrive is designed for VSEs, SMEs and large groups.
💰 Pipedrive offers 4 tariffs ranging from €12. 50 to €99 with a free trial.
Key benefits of Pipedrive :
- efficient management of sales conversations directly from your inbox: automatically receive e-mails relating to contacts and offers, with everything recorded for optimum follow-up,
- a complete module for organising meetings between staff and customers : send proposals, contracts and quotations live and traceable, and be immediately notified when a document is opened,
a wealth of functions: contact map, customisable signatures, statistical and reporting reports, etc.
💙 What we like
- its ultra-simple handling and use, which requires no prior technical knowledge,
- its extensive connectivity with over 275 applications and integrations,
- its many certifications to protect your data (ISO 27001, GDPR...).
Pipedrive
monday CRM: the CRM giant for VSEs and SMEs
monday CRM is a CRM that needs no introduction. Collaborative, ultra-easy to use and scalable, it lets you store, use, analyse and track all your contacts via a host of advanced customisation and automation features. It guarantees complete tracking of prospects and customers, all in an intuitive, centralised way.
🧑💻 monday CRM is designed for VSEs and SMEs.
💰 monday CRM is available from €12/month/user with a free trial.
Key benefits of monday CRM :
- its powerful yet simple CRM functions, which enable you to build a complete, clear, organised and automated sales pipeline: view the progress of your contacts, assign them automatically to the right department, send automatic emails, etc,
- all-in-one functionality, giving you access not only to advanced contact management and segmentation features, but also to project management tools, quote generation, statistical reporting, etc,
- effective communication with your contacts by integrating your email : automatically record emails sent, track interactions and use personalised email templates to save time.
💙 What we like
- Its ultra-responsive support team, available at all times, which guarantees you comprehensive, personalised support, with a record response time of less than 60 minutes,
- Its design and high profile with over 152,000 customers worldwide: a streamlined, dynamic, colourful interface simplified using a drag-and-drop system,
- Its many certifications guarantee the security of your information, documents and data (ISO/IEC standard, HIPAA compliant, RGPD, etc.).
monday CRM
HubSpot: robust, easy-to-use CRM
Hubspot CRM is powerful contact management software used by SMEs and major accounts alike. It enables sales, marketing and customer service teams to work together on the same data platform, so you can effectively track the actions taken by contacts, improve your customer service and generate more leads.
🧑💻Hubspot CRM is designed for SMEs and large groups.
💰Hubspot CRM is free of charge with no limit on the number of users or duration, and can be used for up to 1 million contacts/companies with paid services.
Key benefits of Hubspot CRM :
- your contacts' information sheets are automatically enriched with data from over 20 million companies: your sales team is also notified instantly when a prospect opens an e-mail or visits your website, and they have all the information they need to set up a relevant follow-up at the right time,
- automatic storage and updating of all records with no additional maintenance: manage your business on a single screen without having to go from one place to another to access your contacts' information: contact details, meetings, communications history, etc,
personalised, centralised, all-in-one functionality: prospect and pipeline management, email templates and tracking, forms, conversation inbox, etc.
💙 What we like
- its high profile, used by more than 135,000 customers across 120 countries worldwide,
- its many sales pipeline management features, which means you can multiply the productivity of your sales teams,
- itshighly responsive customer service, available in several languages 24 hours a day.
HubSpot CRM
Freshsales: the complete and intuitive e-commerce CRM software
Freshsales is a comprehensive, easy-to-use CRM that enables you to track your contacts' communication, improve customer engagement and develop lasting relationships with them. Your teams have access to all your contacts' essential information directly from a robust database.
🧑💻Freshsales is designed for VSEs, SMEs and large groups.
💰Freshsales is available from €12/month/user.
Key benefits of Freshsales :
- a chronological view of your contacts : you can check the activity of your website (click-through rates, average visits, etc.) and email campaigns (open rates, conversion rates, etc.),
- automation features that improve your sales productivity by classifying the hottest prospects: speed up sales prospecting, by managing sales teams in all geographical areas, etc,
a module for creating customised reports on prospects and contacts: this lets you quickly understand sales results using intuitive tables and graphs.
💙 What we like
- its functionality for creating and using AI-based chatbots to chat with your visitors in real time,
- its predictive scoring system for contacts that keeps you focused on the best opportunities,
- its fast learning curve and ultra-smooth operation, which means you'll be able to navigate the site without a hitch and with no technical knowledge required.
Freshsales
Nimble: find opportunities and build relationships
Nimble is CRM software that gives you everything you need to manage your contacts, achieve your goals, find opportunities and build relationships. Nimble Prospector allows you to access benefits anywhere, including social platforms, web browser applications and inboxes.
🧑💻Nimble is aimed at VSEs and SMEs.
💰Nimble is available from $25/month/user.
Key benefits of Nimble :
- Efficient, centralised contact management capabilities: automatically combine contacts, social media connections, communications, inboxes and calendar appointments with over 160 applications and CRMs in a unified relationship manager,
- Usable and accessible contact records: simply locate contact information and interaction history, add notes to a record, update transaction status and access social credentials.
- Simple organisation and segmentation of your contacts into lists to take actions such as sending group emails to a list of contacts and more.
💙 What we like
- its free trial version with no commitment or CB required, which lets you test the tool before you get started,
- its availability in several languages and in 5 different countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Germany),
- its ease of use and the ergonomics of its site, which make browsing considerably easier.
Nimble
Why get a contact manager?
Contact management software enables you to organise your contacts and the associated tasks and transactions centrally. Equipping yourself with such a tool offers you a number of advantages:
Automated storage and classification of contacts
A contact manager automatically stores all the information about your contacts, prospects, customers and suppliers in a single platform, from a variety of sources:
- social networks
- chatbots
- telephone calls
- direct conversations (email)
- purchase records
- requests for information,
- website visits, etc.
You no longer need to enter this data manually and risk typing errors: your data is automatically recorded and classified according to predefined criteria tailored to your needs:
- contact status (potential customers, active customers, inactive customers),
- contact details (surname, first name, company, contact details, size of organisation, function, services, etc).
You can consult the records of your communications with your contacts to define the best proposal for products or services adapted to their characteristics.
👉 This will also help you to follow up fully and understand their needs and challenges.
An improved customer experience
With a contact manager, you significantly improve your customer experience thanks to in-depth analysis of contact data. You'll have access to a detailed history, enabling you to put in place a tailored and therefore more effective marketing action plan:
- making contact
- follow-up calls
- requests for information,
- purchase history
- customer support, etc.
A better customer experience will considerably improve the image your customers have of your brand, which in the long term will help to increase customer loyalty.
Improved internal collaboration
The whole team can view data via contact management software, so this increases visibility and transparency within your company.
👉 Consequence? The tool :
- streamlines your workflows,
- reduces the need for frequent meetings
- leads to fewer errors,
and keeps everyone informed in real time.
More effective sales strategies
By consulting your contact list, communications and customer data on a single platform, you can more easily and quickly determine the right type of products and services to provide.
👉 It will also help you develop a tailored marketing strategy based on information that is updated automatically and in real time. As a result, your interactions and sales action plan will be considerably improved.
Contact management software, a lever for improving your customer relations
Contact management software is much more than a simple organisational tool: it is a real lever for optimising your customer relations. By centralising all the information relating to your contacts, it enables you to better understand their needs, improve the personalisation of interactions and monitor each stage of the commercial relationship. As a result, you benefit from better coordination between your teams, which translates into greater customer satisfaction and increased customer loyalty.
Investing in contact management software means opting for a more efficient strategy that optimises internal processes and promotes your company's long-term growth. Whether you're an SME or a large enterprise, these tools help you to anticipate your customers' expectations and build long-lasting, fruitful relationships.
Article translated from French