Hello, this is Matsubara, CRM Evangelist.

"When I started looking into implementing a CRM system, there were so many options that I didn't know which one to choose."

Many business owners likely face such problems. In particular, the name that comes up most often is:Salesforce,kintoneAndEMOROCO CRM LiteThese are the three. Each has very different characteristics.

This article provides a balanced comparison of three CRM systems from the perspective of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), focusing on cost, ease of use, and customizability. Please use this as a reference to help you decide which one is right for your company.

First, the conclusion: the tool you should choose depends on the scale and purpose.

Before going into the details of the comparison, let me state the conclusion first.

• Salesforce — For large and medium-sized enterprises. Offers top-of-the-line functionality, but with high costs and learning curves.
• kintone — For small to medium-sized businesses that want to create their own business applications. Flexible, but requires significant effort to configure.
• EMOROCO CRM Lite — For small businesses and SMEs. Low cost and ready to use immediately.

The idea that "the more features, the better" isn't always true for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Instead of continuing to pay for features you can't fully utilize, mastering a simple tool suited to your company's size will ultimately lead to better performance.

① Salesforce: The world's No. 1 and most powerful CRM

What kind of tool is it?

Salesforce is the world's most widely used CRM platform. It has a massive ecosystem that allows for centralized management of all customer touchpoints, including sales management, marketing automation, and customer support.

This is a very strong option for companies with a global presence or sales teams of several hundred people.

Cost

Salesforce pricing starts with the most basic plan.Approximately 3,000 yen per user per monthIt starts from there. However, to get all the features you actually need for business use, it's common for the cost to be 10,000 to 30,000 yen or more per user per month.

For a company with five sales representatives, the monthly running costs would be calculated to be between 50,000 and 150,000 yen or more.

Challenges for small and medium-sized enterprises

• High implementation costs: Initial setup and implementation within a company often require specialized consultants or in-house system engineers (SEs).
• It takes time to learn: Because of its numerous features, it's not uncommon for it to take several months to over half a year to master using it.
• Over-specced: For companies with fewer than a few hundred customers and a sales team of just a few people, there's a high probability that they'll end up not using more than 9% of the features.

This type of company is a good fit: We have over 100 employees and operate globally. We want integrated management, including marketing automation.

② kintone: A platform that allows you to create your own business applications.

What kind of tool is it?

kintone is a platform provided by Cybozu that allows you to create business applications without coding. It's not a dedicated CRM tool; you can freely create a variety of business applications such as customer management, project management, daily reports, and attendance management.

This is ideal for companies whose existing tools don't fit their business processes, allowing them to build a system from scratch that aligns with their specific workflow.

Cost

Kintone's pricing is **780 yen per user per month (Standard course) or 1,500 yen per user per month (Wide course)**. For 5 users, the monthly cost would be approximately 3,900 to 7,500 yen.

While the cost of the tool itself is relatively low, the actual implementation costs are not limited to that.

Challenges for small and medium-sized enterprises

• You will need to invest time and effort to create the app yourself: kintone is a platform like a "toolbox." To use it as a CRM, you need time and manpower to design and build it in-house.
• The high degree of freedom in settings can make it easy to get confused. While it offers the potential to do anything, many companies find themselves stuck in the implementation process because they don't know "where to start."
• Additional costs for external integration: Integrating with other tools such as email and calendars may require additional plugins or integration service fees.

This type of company is a good fit: We have an IT staff, we want to streamline multiple business systems in addition to CRM, and we want to completely digitize our original business workflows.

③ EMOROCO CRM Lite: A no-code CRM specifically designed for on-site operations in small and medium-sized enterprises.

What kind of tool is it?

EMOROCO CRM Lite is a no-code CRM for small and medium-sized businesses, based on the concept of "growing to suit your business needs." It simplifies and centralizes customer management, project management, and task management, while offering the flexibility to be customized to suit your company's workflow.

Cost

From 1,500 yen per monthIt's available. You can get started at a fraction of the cost of Salesforce, and significantly lower than kintone.

One of the advantages of low cost is that you can try it out first and stop using it if it doesn't suit you.

Strengths for small and medium-sized enterprises

• Ready to use immediately: No complicated initial setup is required; you can start entering customer information immediately after registration.
• Even those who are not tech-savvy can operate it: The screen is simple and intuitive. Training time for employees can be minimized.
• Can be developed to suit your company's operations: The items to be managed and the workflow can be freely changed without coding.
• You can start small: Start small and gradually expand its functionality as you use it.

This type of company is a good fit: We have approximately 10-50 employees and 2-10 sales representatives. We want to improve our customer management system immediately and at a low cost.

Let's compare the three tools side by side.

Recommended by scale and situation

"I want to improve customer management right now" → EMOROCO CRM Lite
It allows you to start immediately while keeping costs down. You can try it for just 1,500 yen per user per month, so there's no risk of failure.

"We want to streamline our business systems, including those other than CRM." → kintone
This is suitable for companies with an IT team that want to digitize their entire business operations. However, you need to factor in the effort required for implementation.

"We need to manage global operations and large sales teams" → Salesforce
Choose this option when you have ample budget and personnel, and require the most powerful features. It's generally overkill for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The idea that "cheaper means fewer features" is incorrect.

Some people might feel uneasy about the low price of EMOROCO CRM Lite.

However, for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) using CRM, the truly essential functions can almost always be narrowed down to three: "centralized management of customer information," "tracking the progress of sales negotiations," and "managing follow-up tasks." Any functions beyond that will remain unused, only resulting in continued monthly fees.

The most important point in selecting a CRM is whether it has all the necessary functions for your company.

Summary

We've compared three CRMs.

• SalesforceWhile it is the most powerful tool, the cost and learning curve are often too high for small and medium-sized enterprises.
• kintoneIt offers flexibility, but requires significant effort to build and operate.
• EMOROCO CRM LiteIt can be started immediately at a low cost and is the most suitable solution for small and medium-sized businesses.

The biggest reason for failure in CRM implementation is "choosing an over-specced tool and not being able to use it effectively." The shortest path to success is to first choose a tool that matches your company's size, challenges, and budget, and start small.

EMOROCO CRM Lite offers a free trial. If you're interested after looking at the comparison table, please try it out for yourself.
EMOROCO CRM Lite Product Page

Next article:[5 Reasons Why CRM Implementations Fail in Small and Medium-Sized Businesses, and How to Choose a System to Avoid Failure]

前の記事：[What is No-Code CRM? A basic explanation that even IT-illiterate CEOs can understand in 3 minutes]