Really Simple Systems CRM Reviews

Pros

Only pay for the functionality you need. Some other CRM's include marketing, systems management, financials, etc. but if you don't need them don't buy them.
Its a very easy system for users to pick up, comprised of a core architecture:
Customers \ Companies = Accounts
Contacts = the customers name, email, telephone
Tasks = To Do list
Activities = records the history of what you've done with that customer
Opportunties = Won or lost sales records

Then there's the reporting, where anything you put into Really Simple Systems can be interrogated, not just the content of certain restricted fields.

Cons

We're looking to do some integration and other CRM platforms easily allow this through API services, such as IFTTT or Zapier, Really Simple Systems only provide an API. You can of course code this into whatever you want, but will require time.

Pros

Easy to use and train staff on. Support is excellent

Cons

as the company grows it is becoming an expensive CRM, so may not be cost effective for much longer

Pros

The software is easy to use and navigate through. I love the fact that it can be tailored to meet your specific needs as this was very important to me and one of the factors that played an important role in me choosing RSS. Functionality is great and there are a lot of extra options that are available that I can switch on and off as and when I require them.

Cons

The customer service/support is slow at times and this becomes very frustrating. I have scheduled in calls in the past and the client service level has been poor where on occasions I have had to chase support for help. In terms of the software it is great that you add extra features but there are some extras which I feel should be included within the standard packages.

Pros

What I like most about this software is being able to easily have all the information for each client in one place and being able to quickly figure out what is going on with each client. I also like that I can set up task for each employee to make sure that things are being handled and I can check to see if the task was completed.

Cons

Integrating with our business was kind of difficult because our business is different and we do things different than others but RSS was very helpful in helping us set up for our needs.

Pros

Really Simple Systems was recommended to me by one of my clients and having used Hubspot and Soffront before I found it really easy and straightforward to use. The layout is intuitive and it doesn't need much explanation to get to grips with the features of the software.

Cons

Would be great to have an extra page for the accounts that have bought, so they can leave the pipeline and it just leaves the prospects on the accounts page.

Pros

It is very easy to get to grips with compared to the likes of Hubspot. We are a new company so are just starting to grow and organize our client list.
We find the email advertising features for the emails really good and we have produced some good quality results using the system.

Cons

we have not used it long enough to be really critical and any issues we have had support has sorted really quickly

Pros

Love the simple, intuitiveness of the user interface and benefit greatly from all the custom configuration options available.

Cons

Would like a bit more flexibility with selections of data sources available to create custom reports.

Alternatives Considered

Freshdesk and Salesforce Sales Cloud

Reasons for Switching to Really Simple Systems CRM

Intuitive user interface, flexible and easy self-serve customizations, HIPAA compliance, and good price

Pros

Easy to set up and upload data to. Email campaigns are quick to set up and very easy to add content to. Adding your own customer fields is simple to do. Support is good and helpful.

Cons

Everything is too long winded. To add something to an existing contact you need to find the contact, click the contact, click edit, make your change, save. And the system isn't fast so all of that loading time to add in. It would be easier to be able to edit once you are in a contact then just save changes not start editing separately! Lists and reports being the same would also be better. You view a report for data then have to make the list separately to send email campaigns. Can't copy email campaigns easily.Everything just seems a bit complicated and not so simple!

Alternatives Considered

HubSpot CRM

Reasons for Switching to Really Simple Systems CRM

Price

Pros

Easy to learn the system and adaptive to our specific needs

Cons

For the package we on, the software is perfect!

Alternatives Considered

Zoho CRM

Pros

I've used RSS for years and it's the cornerstone of our business in terms of contacts and business management. As we're a consultancy having individual files for each client is vital so we can track their progress and writer development.

Cons

That we can't search key words to bring up a file. For instance, if I can remember a title of a book but not the author's name, or I met someone at a trade fair - so I have some context - but I can't remember who, or I've worked on book genres with some agents (so it could bring up several files) it would be a game changer if I could just type in key words and it would search through the files in activities and bring up the files rather than just being able to search source, name or email. This is the greatest limiter for me.

Pros

I am new to the organisation and new to this particular software. However, in my daily use of the program, I can see how it easily solves our basic contact data-base requirements. It's straight-forward, user-friendly and logical. Its user interface is easy to follow and it has become an invaluable piece of software in my working day to ensure our smooth running of our organisation - supporting the 250+ businesses across the industrial estates we serve. There are lots of additional utilities and functions which we need to explore further to fully appreciate the wider opportunities it offers - this in itself is a further 'Pro' as it highlights the comprehensiveness of the system.

Cons

Very little to criticize. The only negative experience I have had was regarding the automatic email integration option. We thought this would be an ideal solution to avoid us having to copy/paste email correspondence as separate activity entries for the relevant contact. Unfortunately, for our specific reporting/logging needs, the automated option didn't present the emails in an appropriate manner - formatting was lost, previous messages were included and the end result was cumbersome to navigate. As a result, we switched this option off and reverted back to our manual approach which better meets our layout and quick reference needs.

Pros

Ease of use is very important to our organisation and RSS CRM scores very high in this regard. The system is also very intuitive to setup and edit on an as neede basis. The marketing and sales funnel tools are really helpful to the entire team.

Cons

Maybe the email integration could have been designed a little better and easier to use.

Alternatives Considered

Oracle Marketing

Reasons for Choosing Really Simple Systems CRM

Better value for money

Switched From

Salesforce Marketing Cloud

Reasons for Switching to Really Simple Systems CRM

Smarter, cheaper, better!!

Pros

Superb CRM for doing the basics really well and giving you a lot of power for your pounds/Dollars. Support is quick and efficient, I have set up, integrated and modified and added data to an account and had it up and running inside 48 hours... How's that for ease of use!!

Cons

having sat here trying to think that one out, I don't have a con... or at least I haven't found one yet!

Pros

We have valued the ability to build our own accounts screen so that we are able to record and report on areas specifically relevant to our business. The reporting function has been game changing for us, providing new insights into our client base and referral activities. The software is so easy to use which has made embedding it into our operational practices an easy task. The ability to link accounts has proved very useful too.

Cons

We would value further fields on the accounts screen so that we can increase our use of the reporting function.

Pros

I like how simple the formatting is. Easy to search accounts and create reports.

Cons

Quickbooks does not link to the CRM so we cannot track sales automatically. There is also not an app for RSS so can only access from a computer. Hard to use iphone broswer.

Alternatives Considered

Salesforce Sales Cloud and HubSpot CRM

Reasons for Switching to Really Simple Systems CRM

Cheaper than other softwares.

Pros

Very easy to setup, especially the CRM portion. One of my partners had never used a CRM previously and was able to start using it and be productive (really productive) almost immediately.

It was very affordable for us to get started which combined with the positive reviews that we saw it made it very attractive to us.

Their support is great! Really responsive. You never feel like you're talking to a black hole. Really important for us.

Cons

They have some work to do on the marketing module. There is an update coming, and it will help a lot. This module is just clunky at the moment, especially the email editor.

Pros

Simple to use, intuitive, minimal training required for new users, good support when required (not often!).
Easy access to your data, can be downloaded in seconds and analysed in excel/MS Access if the excellent report writer doesn't cover your query. Easy to create and distribute/manage EDM's. Far more flexible than Mailchimp.

Cons

I would like more control over screen layout.

Pros

By far the best part about RSS is the team - they're very focused on helping us with what we want and looking at creative ways to get the job done. We've worked very closely with them over the years on a number of projects, and they're by far one of the best software teams I've worked with.

The system is simple (surprise!) and it's never taken long for us to train new staff on it.

Cons

The upgrade to version 5 took quite a while, however has been much needed and the new software has been regularly updated - far more regularly than previously, so the wait was worth it. There are a few times that we've needed a bit more complexity than the system offers - however the team have been good at exploring different ways to approach what we want.

Pros

I am able to contain all the relevant information about my customer in one place. I have been grateful for the prompt responses from the support team when I have had some issues.

Cons

Not being able to attach actual documents into the customer account. Not a big fan of cloud base systems. I have not worked out how to put alerts and reminders against specific customers, therefore I would like to be able to find this out alongside other applications, either by webinar or video link. Also just been advised that we have been upgraded from version 4 to 5. Layout is very different from the previous one. Not sure the change was necessary unless it substantially improves the ease of use.

Pros

The ease of use made it very easy to roll out across our locations
Drag and drop option makes it very easy to upload documents
All Customer information is on one page and easily accessible
[SENSITIVE CONTENT HIDDEN] worked with the team to customise a solution that would work for us

Cons

We needed a very detailed Financial Area would would require a fully bespoke solution

Alternatives Considered

monday.com

Reasons for Switching to Really Simple Systems CRM

Cost and customisation options

Pros

This is software that is not designed for our business; however despite this we were able to tailor parts of the system to help us move from paper based files to managing an electronic system. The service from RSS has been outstanding and they help to provide solutions and alternatives quickly and as best as they can.

Cons

As it wasn't designed for Social Care use, there are functionality and data protection issues that have resulted in us moving to a specifically designed system.

Pros

The software is very simple to navigate and can be used in a small capacity or it is adaptable to larger and more encompassing business use. The ability to tailor make the system to fit in with existing business is a real bonus. I found the RSS contact incredibly helpful, articulate and interested in what we were looking for in a CRM system. Perhaps the biggest single advantage this system has over it's competition......the demonstration was all inclusive and interactive, and delivered with true support. No request was too much and between the two of us we achieved our objectives before purchasing the product. Most impressed!

Cons

We have everything we need at this stage so I have not come across any cons

Pros

Replaced all my old Excel worksheets built up over the last 20 years with a single web based CRM application available to access on my Laptop, iPad and iPhone and giving complete flexibility of access to data.

Easy and intuitive to use with an excellent dashboard view, task management, sales pipeline and built in reports and excellent dashboard widgets.

Good simple annual pricing model based on users and modules required and simple and easy to use CRM system.

Cons

Data import was not a simple as it looked to be and needed support team to import my CSV files, this was done quickly and efficiently by the support team.

Pros

Having trialled many systems we find Really Simple to be really simple. It is straightforward and intuitive to use, and for a small business it is a very cost effective tool that really makes a difference to our operations.

Cons

When we are stuck the support team are always on hand and very efficient in helping us out

Pros

We like the fact it is based online so our staff can use it wherever they are without having to worry about VPNs, deploying software, maintenance of servers etc.

Cons

No cons really. Features are constantly being added. We wanted Google Maps integration which wasn't readily available but after speaking with customer support, they have now added this important feature.