Customer follow up software

As a business, you need a clear picture of your customers across touchpoints. Every stage matters, from acquisition and first contact to conversion, retention, upselling, and follow-ups.

Customer follow-up software empowers your team by giving them the information they need to interact with clients effectively and provide an exceptional customer experience (CX). In this guide, we compare 12 options in detail to help you choose the best solution for your needs.

More in this guide:

• What is customer follow-up software?
• Key features of a customer follow-up system
• Customer follow-up software comparison chart
• The 12 best customer follow-up software
• Frequently asked questions
• Try customer follow-up software for free

What is customer follow-up software? Customer follow-up software—also known as customer relationship management (CRM) systems—helps companies provide excellent customer service by ensuring support and sales teams have access to comprehensive information about every customer. The goal of CRM software is to centralize customer data and resources so team members can easily follow up with customers, build strong relationships, and deliver outstanding CX.

When selecting a customer follow-up system, it's important to consider several key features that empower your team and improve your CX. A few of these capabilities include:

• AI and automation: AI and automation streamline tasks and ensure no customer gets overlooked. For example, AI agents can offer 24/7 support and autonomously resolve complex inquiries, freeing up live agents for higher-value interactions.
• Omnichannel ticketing: Customers want to communicate with your business on their preferred channel—whether that be your website, social media, email, or live chat. Omnichannel ticketing consolidates all conversations into a single interface, making it easy for teams to manage interactions across mediums.
• Quality assurance (QA): Managers can use QA tools to monitor customer interactions, flag areas for improvement, and identify training opportunities. This ensures teams maintain high-quality service and CX.
• Customer database:Customer database software acts as a centralized hub that stores customer details, conversation history, preferences, feedback, and more. This helps teams foster personalization and communicate more efficiently.
• Reporting and analytics: Real-time dashboards and detailed reports provide insights into team performance, follow-up effectiveness, and customer satisfaction. These metrics can highlight what's working and what's not, so you can confidently refine your strategy.

If you prioritize these features, you'll be sure to select a system that boosts team productivity and delivers CX that keeps customers coming back.

Here is a comparison chart detailing pricing, free trial availability, and ideal use cases. For more details, continue reading.

Software	Starting price	Free trial	Best for
Zendesk	$55 per agent/month (billed annually)	14 days	AI-powered customer follow-ups
HubSpot CRM	$15 per seat/month (billed annually)	Unavailable	HubSpot users
Salesforce	$25 per user/month (billed annually)	30 days	Interdepartmental teams
Zoho CRM	$14 per user/month (billed annually)	15 days	Sales process visualization
Pipedrive	$14 per user/month (billed annually)	14 days	Lead nurturing
Keap	$249 per month for up to 2 users (billed annually)	14 days	Small businesses
Bitrix24	$49 per organization/month (billed annually)	Unavailable	AI sales assistance
monday.com	$12 per seat/month (billed annually)	Available	Post-sale management
ClickUp	$7 per user/month (billed annually)	Unavailable	Project management
Zapier	$19.99 per month (billed annually)	Unavailable	Automation building
Agile CRM	$9.99 per user/month (billed annually)	Unavailable	Sales enablement
Insightly	$29 per user/month (billed annually)	14 days	Opportunity management

Now, check out our comprehensive write-ups with pros and cons, user reviews, key features, and more.

• Zendesk: Best for AI-powered customer follow-ups
• HubSpot CRM: Best for HubSpot users
• Salesforce: Best for interdepartmental teams
• Zoho CRM: Best for sales process visualization
• Pipedrive: Best for lead nurturing
• Keap: Best for small businesses
• Bitrix24: Best for AI sales assistance
• monday.com: Best for post-sale management
• ClickUp Best for project management
• Zapier: Best for automation building
• Agile CRM: Best for sales enablement
• Insightly: Best for opportunity management

1. Zendesk

Best for: AI-powered customer follow-ups

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$55 per agent/month (billed annually)	14 days	AI and automation Omnichannel ticketing WFM and QA capabilities Centralized customer database

Zendesk is a powerful customer follow-up and help desk software designed to help teams increase productivity, maintain pipeline visibility, and create an outstanding CX.

Our AI is trained on over 18 billion customer service interactions, and you can experience that expertise in every facet of our offerings. Zendesk AI Agents, for example, are advanced chatbots that can autonomously handle even the most complex customer interactions from start to finish—helping your clients find the answers they need while freeing up your team to focus on more important tasks. 

Zendesk Sell also offers a clean, centralized platform that allows teams to manage leads, contacts, and account information in one place, ensuring everyone has full customer context across touchpoints. Combine it with customer tracking software and the Zendesk Agent Workspace to get a 360-degree customer view that helps you personalize every interaction and provide a better CX.

Meanwhile, Zendesk reporting and analytics give you unparalleled insights into pipeline and team performance. On the sales side, you can use these features to predict deal volume, forecast revenue growth, analyze lead and deal progression, and identify bottlenecks. Pair that data with Zendesk QA to gain complete visibility into client interactions, so you can spot critical issues and coach your team on effective follow-up strategies.

Zendesk is easy to use, cost-effective, and quick to implement—you can get started in days, not months. Try it for free today to see why so many companies choose Zendesk to elevate their customer communications.

Pros	Cons
AI agents AI-powered knowledge base Analytics and reporting Customization No-code apps and integrations Templates Omnichannel ticketing system Industry-leading AI-powered agent workspace Enterprise-grade security Approval and publishing workflows Knowledge management tools Easy to use and easy to scale Generative search	AI is a paid add-on No free plan

User reviews

• "Our sales and customer relationships have been strengthened by Zendesk."
• "Zendesk has made a huge impact on our support team. We doubled our efficiency immediately!"
• "Zendesk makes ticketing much simpler."
• "Intuitive, full-service support platform."

Explore more Zendesk pricing plans.

2. HubSpot CRM

Best for: HubSpot users

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$15 per seat/month (billed annually)	Unavailable	Visual dashboard Contact management Live chat Pipeline management

HubSpot is a customer platform with CRM and customer follow-up capabilities. The visual dashboard provides a real-time view of your sales pipeline, team productivity, and individual performance, which can make it easier to monitor operations. 

Contact management features allow salespeople to create contact records, log sales activities, and interact with clients. HubSpot CRM also integrates with the broader HubSpot ecosystem, enabling teams to sync tools if they are already using HubSpot. 

Pros	Cons
AI capabilities Reporting and analytics Conversation routing	Advanced sales management features are only available in the most expensive plans Higher-tier plans require a $1,500 one-time onboarding fee

User reviews

• "Could not ask for more!"
• "Good CRM with a lot of room for improvement!"
• "For a small agency like mine, this is overkill."

3. Salesforce

Best for: Interdepartmental teams

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$25 per user/month (billed annually)	30 days	Shared customer view Lead management Real-time chat Pipeline management

Salesforce is a customer follow-up software designed to support sales, marketing, commerce, and IT teams. A shared customer view gives all team members visibility into customer interactions across departments. Meanwhile, integrations allow organizations to sync Salesforce with their business tools and data systems. 

Teams can also deploy AI agents to assist employees and customers with tasks. The sales-focused AI tool, Agentforce, can nurture inbound leads and coach sales reps during interactions. 

Pros	Cons
AI capabilities Sales forecasts Task management	Agentforce is only available in higher-tier plans The unified data feature is only available in higher-tier plans

User reviews

• "Salesforce Sales Cloud has been amazing!"
• "Integration [is] not simple enough, as Einstein might say."
• "It's fine."

4. Zoho CRM

Best for: Sales process visualization

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$14 per user/month (billed annually)	15 days	Contact management Sales process builder Workflow automation Customer portal

Zoho CRM is a customer follow-up software with features geared toward client communication and business growth. Contact management capabilities allow users to interact with customers across channels, manage support tickets, and promote collaboration between sales and support teams. 

The sales process builder helps teams visualize their sales workflows through interactive flowcharts. They can also use it to build and automate pipeline activities. Zoho also features a customer portal where clients can self-serve and make purchase decisions independently.

Pros	Cons
AI capabilities Omnichannel communication Customization	Full AI features are only available in the most expensive plan AI agent not available in the lower-tier plans

User reviews

• "Just a crazy good offer."
• "All-inclusive CRM with drawbacks."
• "Great integrations, outdated UI."

5. Pipedrive

Best for: Lead nurturing

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$14 per user/month (billed annually)	14 days	Automated lead nurturing Pipeline management Leads inboxes Live chat

Pipedrive is a customer follow-up software that helps teams automate their sales process and client communication. The automated lead nurturing feature keeps teams connected with clients via workflow automation, email communication, and AI-powered prompts. 

The visual pipeline dashboard offers a clear view of sales activity, helping teams track sales momentum and spot opportunities. Additionally, Lead Inboxes can automatically organize client communications—for example, teams could sort inboxes by new clients or leads that are nearing a purchase decision.

Pros	Cons
AI capabilities Personalized onboarding Integrations	24/7 chat support is only available in the higher-tier plans Security features are only included in the most expensive plan

User reviews

• "Modern dashboards, great reporting, and user-friendly features."
• "Good for basic users, but many bugs, and support [is] not great."
• "Good starter CRM but lacking key features for advanced workflow."

6. Keap

Best for: Small businesses

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$249 per month for up to 2 users (billed annually)	14 days	Automation builder Customizable dashboards Reporting and analytics Personalized communication

Keap is a CRM and marketing automation platform geared towards small businesses. It features a drag-and-drop automation builder that lets teams visualize processes, create workflows, and maintain communication with clients throughout the buyer’s journey. 

A customizable dashboard provides a unified view of customer information, while reporting and analytics tools highlight performance and areas of improvement.

Pros	Cons
Email and text integrations Sales pipeline features Landing page builder	Expensive compared to other options in this guide Few CX-related features compared to other options on the list

User reviews

• "Keap saved my business."
• "Useful but overpriced."
• "Keap does many things, but none of them work well."

7. Bitrix24

Best for: AI sales assistance

File name: Bitrix24_screenshot | Alt text: A deal dashboard in Bitrix24, a customer follow-up software.

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$49 per organization/month (billed annually)	Unavailable	AI and automation Workflow builder Live chat Omnichannel capabilities

Bitrix24 is an online workspace platform with customer follow-up capabilities designed for sales, marketing, and analytics teams. Automation builders allow users to establish tasks, like automated SMS or email, that help keep leads moving through the sales pipeline. 

The software also offers an AI-powered sales assistant that can write marketing texts, transcribe phone calls, and evaluate sales forecasts. Additionally, businesses can implement live chat features on their website, allowing CX teams and select sales reps to interact with customers in real time.

Pros	Cons
Task builder Website integrations Team calendar sync	Basic plan includes only 24GB of online storage  Advanced automation features are limited to the top-tier plans

User reviews

• "One-step solutions for business operations."
• "Useful but with many glitches and limitations."
• "Affordable but a non-scalable solution for sales and customer support."

8. monday.com

Best for: Post-sale management

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$12 per seat/month (billed annually)	Available	AI and automation Task generation Pipeline management Sales onboarding

Monday.com is a work platform that helps teams follow up with customers, build workflows, and collaborate across departments. AI capabilities allow teams to automate tasks, generate content, and develop sales formulas that predict the likelihood of a deal closing. 

With lead and deal management tools, users can stay in touch with clients throughout the sales process. Plus, post-sales management provides visibility into client projects, collection management, and other customer data.

Pros	Cons
Customization features Mobile app accessibility Integrations with tools like Zendesk	AI is only available on a per-credit basis Advanced security is only available in the most expensive plan

User reviews

• "Monday.com is like a magical workflow automation tool."
• "Pretty good and user-friendly."
• "Powerful but complicated."

9. ClickUp

Best for: Project management

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$7 per user/month (billed annually)	Unavailable	AI and automation Project management Custom reporting Kanban integration

ClickUp is a project management tool with customer follow-up software capabilities. The platform's customizable, all-in-one workspace gives teams visibility into product campaigns, support issues, and general operations. 

ClickUp also supports third-party app integrations, allowing teams to manage customer support, outreach, AI and automations, and time tracking from one location.

Pros	Cons
Unlimited storage 24/7 support Workforce management capabilities	Advanced security is only available in the most expensive plan Advanced automations are not available in all plans

User reviews

• "Powerful all-in-one productivity tool for managing teams and projects."
• "There is still a long way to go!"
• "Good, but makes me feel insecure."

10. Zapier

Best for: Automation building

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$19.99 per month (billed annually)	Unavailable	AI and automation Custom workflow builder App integrations Shared databases

Zapier is a workflow builder that helps teams create automations. AI Workflows allow teams to connect AI with over 8,000 tools to develop guided flows. Businesses can use this feature to automate lead nurturing, client communication, internal processes, and more. 

Users can also leverage the AI agent tool to build a custom chatbot that can address emails, customer requests, or internal issues.

Pros	Cons
Live chat support Shared workspaces Multi-step automations	Workflow setup requires hands-on effort Pricing is on a per-task basis, which may increase costs

User reviews

• "It’s our digital complement that brought us all together."
• "Great in theory, but [I] haven't gotten Zaps to work for many of my use cases."
• "Efficient automation but high complexity of Zap configuration."

11. Agile CRM

Best for: Sales enablement

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$9.99 per user/month (billed annually)	Unavailable	Contact management Telephony Project management Marketing automation

Agile CRM is a customer follow-up software that focuses on sales enablement, marketing automation, and customer service. Contact management capabilities allow users to manage and update client data in one interface. 

The 360 customer view includes key details like contact information, communication history, points of engagement, lead scores, and more. With access to this data, team members can use it to personalize interactions. Agile CRM also features a knowledge base so clients can self-serve and find answers to their questions independently.

Pros	Cons
Self-service portal Customer feedback Ticketing	Full integrations are only available in more expensive plans SMS features are only available in more expensive plans

User reviews

• "Enhancing customer interactions with a single, efficient platform."
• "Good but not the best CRM."
• "Needs more automation."

12. Insightly

Best for: Opportunity management

Starting price	Free trial	Key features
$29 per user/month (billed annually)	14 days	AI and automation Opportunity management Sales enablement Ticketing

Insightly is a CRM tool with sales, marketing, and support capabilities. Sales pipeline and lead management features lets teams capture client information and prioritize contact points. Meanwhile, opportunity management gives insights into areas of success and potential risk, enabling teams to nurture sales effectively. Additionally, ticket management helps support agents create tickets, track incidents, and store customer data.

Pros	Cons
Pre-built dashboards Reporting and analytics Service-level agreements	Workflow automations are not available in all plans Advanced security is only available in the most expensive plan

User reviews

• "Very flexible CRM to cater to a variety of requirements."
• "A few upgrades needed."
• "Declining satisfaction for what was once my favorite CRM."