Good customer relationships are the foundation of a successful business, no matter what niche you specialize in, and banking is no exception. Although I personally am not involved in the financial industry, I have quite a few friends working in different financial institutions, so I thought it would be a good idea to create a list of the best banking CRM software. So, that’s exactly what I did. Below, you will find some of which I would consider the best Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software for a financial institution.
Why Is CRM In Banking Important
Before I start listing what I consider to be the best banking CRM software, let me tell you a little bit about why financial institutions should consider investing in one.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software can be of great help to any bank employee, as it helps them store customer data, monitor the interactions they’ve had with a specific customer, schedule appointments, respond to messages and inquiries they might have, as well as analyze customer behavior, just to name a few.
All in all, it is a great tool for providing their clients with more personalized customer experiences, as well as meeting and exceeding customer expectations, which is fundamental in, for example, improving customer retention.
Best Banking CRM Software
| # | CRM Software | Free Plan? | Trial Period | Website | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
 |
Yes |
14 days |
||
| 2 |
 |
No |
30 days |
||
| 3 |
 |
Yes |
N/a |
Monday.com
1
monday.com
Expert ReviewVery Good
My top choice when it comes to CRM solutions for banking would definitely be monday.com, and there are several reasons why.
First of all, monday.com is a highly customizable platform that allows users to create tailored workflows and processes for their specific needs. Since banks often have complex and unique customer relationship management requirements that may not be fully addressed by off-the-shelf solutions, the ability to customize their CRM workflows and processes to meet their specific needs and business requirements would definitely be greatly appreciated.
Monday.com also provides a range of features that are specifically designed for project management, such as customizable task lists, timelines, and team management tools, which can be useful for banks and other financial institutions that have a lot of ongoing projects and initiatives.
Finally, I found monday.com very easy to use – and in my book, a user-friendly interface is always a good thing, especially since not everyone has the same level of technological experience and CRM systems that are complicated to use will not only be time-consuming, but also frustrating to use. Many bankers, financial advisors, etc., are already working with complex data, so no need to add to their plate.
Why Is It Good for Banks
Monday.com’s CRM solution helps with easing your employees’ workload by automating repetitive administrative tasks, allowing them to dedicate more time to client relationships. Also, thanks to automatic reminders, you will not forget about, for example, sending follow-up emails.
Pricing
Now, let’s talk a little about the pricing. Currently, there are five pricing plans available, so you can choose the one most suitable for the number of employees you have and your budget. The options you can pick from are:
- Individual – this plan is free and remains free forever. However, there are some limitations, as it only allows you to have up to 2 seats. If you’re looking for a CRM for a whole company, I wouldn’t recommend this one, as it is mostly dedicated to individual employees who want to keep track of their work.
- Basic – this plan costs €10 or €8 per user per month, depending on whether you get billed monthly or annually. Some of the features it comes with include unlimited free viewers, boards and items, 5 GB file storage, and more.
- Standard – you will have to pay €12 or €10 per user per month, depending on when you get billed. Here, you can find, for example, timeline and Gantt views, calendar view, up to 250 automations and integrations, as well as the ability to create a dashboard that combines up to 5 boards.
- Pro – this plan costs €20 or €16 per user per month, depending on whether you get billed monthly or annually. Some of the features that you can access once you subscribe to it include time tracking, private boards and docs, dependency, and formula columns, up to 25,000 automations and integrations, as well as the ability to create a dashboard that combines up to 10 boards.
- Enterprise – the cost of this plan is not disclosed, as it will be based on your company, so you need to contact monday.com directly if you’re interested in it. Once you subscribe to it, you’ll get access to, for example, advanced reporting and analytics, multi-level permissions, tailored onboarding, premium support, and the ability to create dashboards that will combine up to 50 boards.
All in all, I think that this is a very solid CRM platform for anyone in the financial niche. However, if you’re looking for a CRM system for your company (or, in this case, a bank), then you should keep in mind that a free plan will definitely not be enough if you want to make sure that all your employees work within one account to make access to customer data easier.
Pros
- Highly customizable
- Plenty of project management tools
- Good free version for less demanding users
- iOS and Android apps available
Cons
- Larger banks and institutions will need to choose a paid plan due to the free plan’s limitations
monday.com
Salesforce
2
Salesforce
Expert ReviewVery Good
If you’re looking for a comprehensive solution that can be adjusted to your needs, then the Salesforce CRM system might be the right choice for you.
Salesforce is one of those platforms that most businesses, no matter what niche they specialize in, have tried at some point. For some, it worked out, while others found it lacking in some areas. I, personally, consider it to be a great CRM solution and one that I would definitely recommend to at least try before making your judgment.
The software offers a range of customizable tools for managing customer relationships, including customizable data models, integrated communication tools, and advanced analytics that will definitely be very helpful for those in the banking industry. It also offers workflow automation, allowing banks to automate routine tasks and processes, as well as great compliance and security features, ensuring that customer data is kept safe and secure.
Also, since it’s based in the cloud, you can use it from anywhere and on any device, as long as you have internet access, which can be great if you have employees that tend to go on business trips or work from places other than your office.
One thing that I love about this software is that it’s very adaptable. What that means specifically is that depending on what your goal is (for example, maximizing your sales and marketing efforts or improving customer satisfaction), you can choose a Salesforce edition that will be most suitable for meeting it.
Why Is It Good for Banks
One of the main reasons why I would consider this CRM a good choice for anyone within the banking industry are the AI-guided insights that it comes with. I won’t go into detail about how it works but just know that it helps sales representatives from your sales team in making better decisions in terms of their relationship with the client, which is crucial if you want to improve customer retention.
Pricing
How much you will pay will be determined by which of the editions you choose to go with. Personally, I think that the Sales Cloud version should be more than enough for most banks, which is why I will focus on the pricing for this one.
At the moment, there are four pricing plans available:
- Essentials – this is the cheapest option, coming at €25 per user per month. As you can guess from the name, it has all the necessary sales and customer service tools.
- Professional – second tier pricing plan, will cost you €75 per user per month. As they describe it, this is a “complete sales solution for any size team.”
- Enterprise – if you decide to sign up for this plan, you will be expected to pay €150 per user per month. Thanks to it, you can, for example, assign a collaborator to a specific deal, automate workflow tasks, and more.
- Unlimited – the highest pricing plan you can choose from, coming at €300 per user per month. There probably isn’t a more comprehensive CRM solution if you want to grow your business.
It’s a shame that there’s no free plan, but still, I feel like €25 per month to get all the necessary tools to maximize your sales and marketing efforts is not that bad of a deal.
Also, one thing I have to say I would consider a con of this system is the fact that it might take some time before you start using it comfortably. There’s quite a bit of a learning curve involved, so you might want to keep that in mind if you have team members that might not be as skilled when it comes to computers and computer software.
Pros
- Customization features
- Cloud-based, allowing you to access it from anywhere at any time
- Different editions available to suit your goals the most
- Mobile app available
Cons
- It can take a while before you learn to use it comfortably
- There are no free plans available
Salesforce
HubSpot
3
HubSpot
Expert ReviewVery Good
Whether your bank or other financial institution is just getting started, or you already grew to be a large enterprise, HubSpot will be the right choice for you.
Its ability to cater to both small and big companies is probably the main reason why whenever someone asks me to recommend a CRM solution, you can be sure that this one will be on the list.
First of all, it offers various features that can enhance customer relationship management, including contact management, email marketing, and social media integration. This software enables banks to create custom email campaigns and social media posts to interact with their customers and develop stronger connections.
HubSpot also has efficient analytics and reporting tools that allow banks to gain valuable insights into customer behavior and preferences, which can be of great help when it comes to marketing and which marketing campaigns will be most suitable for which customers.
Why Is It Good for Banks
HubSpot is great for the banking industry for several reasons. However, what I think is the most important in terms of maintaining client relationships are features like automatic scheduling reminder that assists banks in scheduling call follow-ups at particular times, such as during tax season, and ensures they never miss a call.
Furthermore, HubSpot has centralized tracking, allowing all customer representatives to access customer interactions, decreasing repetition, and improving the customer experience.
Pricing
When it comes to pricing, there are four plans available:
- Free – this plan contains all the basic marketing, sales, CRM, service, and operation tools. Some of the features it comes with include email reply tracking, multi-language content creation (in up to 3 HubSpot-supported languages), 5 email templates, up to 200 notifications per month when an email is opened or clicked, and more.
- Starter – this plan comes at €50 when billed monthly and €30 when billed annually. One thing to keep in mind though, is that it is only available to new customers (excluding those from New Zealand and Australia), so if you’ve already used HubSpot before, you most likely won’t be able to take advantage of this plan. Some of the features it comes with include basic SEO recommendations, up to 10 email automation actions, up to 2 deal pipelines per account, up to 1000 custom properties per object, and more. It also comes with 2 paid users for the Sales and Service Hubs.
- Professional – this is one of their costlier plans, coming at €1,757 when billed monthly and €1,580 when billed annually. However, it also comes with more advanced features than the two mentioned above. For example, it provides you with advanced SEO recommendations, gives you the ability to create multi-language versions of different pages in as many HubSpot-supported languages as you want, and provides you with social media tools so that you can manage up to 50 accounts from one platform and schedule content as far as three years in advance. Additionally, it comes with 5 paid users for the Sales and Service Hubs.
- Enterprise – this plan caters to bigger companies who need that kind of support in maintaining client relationships. It starts at €4,783 per month, making it the most expensive option available. Some of the features it comes with include 25 contact scoring properties, up to 500 custom reports, up to 600 custom views in shared inbox per account, as well as the ability to track and manage up to 200 different currencies. It comes with 10 paid users for the Sales and Service Hubs.
Also, one thing you should know is that each of these plans comes with an unlimited number of free users, who are able to access your CRM, view reports, set up tools, and more.
Pros
- The free version is quite extensive
- 24/7 customer support
- Access to website traffic analytics
Cons
- More expensive than other CRM solutions
HubSpot
The Bottom Line
Maintaining good relationships and meeting customer needs is crucial in any customer-focused industry, and financial service customers are no exception. That’s one of the reasons I decided to create this list of the best CRM software for banking.
There are several business benefits when it comes to using CRM and other banking software programs, but probably the most important one is that it helps in automating work for marketing and sales teams, allowing them to focus on both potential customers and existing customers instead of dedicating time to mundane tasks that can be done by software.
Not to mention that it makes it easier to maintain a good relationship between the sales representative and the customer, as it provides them with the option to manage customer information and store customer notes that anyone can access, so that even if they’re absent at work the person substituting them can provide the same level of service.
All in all, I hope that after reading my guide, you’ll have a better understanding of which CRM solution will be the best option for your banking business, whether we’re talking about one local bank branch or a bigger, nationwide bank.
I’ll see you in the next post!
