As a BDR, a good crm-solution helps me keep up with my tasks and ensure I don’t miss follow ups. Small businesses are often looking for a CRM that simplifies tasks, fits the budget, and have enough features to get by. Bigin is one such basic CRM platform, that will do the task of organising you. I recently started using Bigin for a client.

Bigin – How is it different than Zoho?

It goes by the tagline “The Easiest Small business CRM – Bigin by Zoho CRM”. Yes, it is a Zoho CRM. I was surprised too. The difference between the two is that Bigin is very straight forward and simple to use CRM tool that will simplify your tasks by helping you organise. While Zoho is a more powerful tool and helps you with sales, marketing, and customer support.

So, if you are a small business and want to cut out the noise and want something which is simpler – Bigin is your guy.

How does Bigin do as a CRM?

I like my CRM simple and not complicated, but with a lot of features that help me with information while I need it. I have used Zoho before, and while it’s a powerful tool, it is a bit complicated for me to get by. But Bigin has been simpler and less complicated. I have some parameters I judge a CRM on. Let me tell you how Bigin performs on those parameters.

1. User Interface – Bigin is simple. You login, and you have arrived. Its that simple. If you search how to get started on this CRM, you will see videos saying that you can set up your Bigin CRM in under 30 minutes. Having used Zoho before, I had the edge as I could understand where to find email related sections – templates, signatures and automations.
   
   How did Bigin perform here – Very good! It is simple and intuitive. I didn’t feel lost when I started using Bigin, unlike how I felt lost when I first tried using Zoho. It does have a similarity to Zoho in terms of where and how things are placed, but this is more simplified in terms of the interface.
   
   
2. Adding Templates – Adding email templates was simple. Like Zoho, Bigin has the template section in Settings. I didn’t wander. And anyone who has used Zoho before, wouldn’t. After getting into settings, look under Channels and you will find email. Just besides the email window is the template window. You can view other templates there and add yours too.
   
   How did Bigin perform – It is okay. Had I been unaware of Zoho’s platform, I might have googled this one. But because I was aware, it wasn’t a difficult task. I would say its there’s nothing that their FAQs wont help with, if you feel stuck somewhere. But if you are coming to Bigin from Zoho, because you wanted something simpler, it wont be difficult to navigate this one.
   
    
3. Companies and Contacts – Adding contacts is as simple as it is on other CRMs. I like that they have a description section on the left of the contact page and company page where you can add any notes related to them. On the basic company page you see the companies in a list form. Same goes for the contacts page. Both pages let you preview contact details.
   
   How did Bigin perform – It’s good! I like how the page has the basic information. I like the feature of previewing details about the contact. However, you cannot preview what tasks are upcoming for the contact/company in the details. But there is notes section that you can refer to.
   
   
4. Tasks – All the tasks are in the Activities section. Like contacts/companies, you can preview task details and edit or delete it from there. It’s simple to navigate through tasks and just like Zoho, clicking on one open tasks, takes you to a task queue page. The que page has contact details on the right side and the queue on the left. If you want to edit the task after you attend to it, you can do it here. But if you want to add a call, or email, you will have to open the contact page in a separate window, so you don’t lose the queue.
   
   How did Bigin perform – This is similar to Zoho. I have mixed feelings for this one. I like the idea that the queue is on the left and I can see what’s coming up. I can mark something done to close it. But I don’t like the idea of losing the queue if I click on the contact name and land on the contact profile. It is manageable though.
   
   
5. Scheduling Emails – Automation is one of the best things about a CRM, but Bigin’s free version might not let you schedule emails. While it’s disappointing, I find scheduling a task to send email a better solution. It gets the job done.
   
   How does Bigin perform – as I mentioned earlier, it’s disappointing, but its manageable. I like automation in a CRM, but the aim is to get things done. And setting up a task to send email does the job.
   
   
6. Deals – You will find deals in the Pipelines section. This section gives and overview of all the deals of the company. You can also find the Pipeline section in the contact page and the company page of a particular contact/company. You can add a deal from there for the respective contact/company.
   
   How does Bigin Perform – Its easy and its good. I think the ease of being able to find everything in one place is good. Pipelines page is informative if you’re not looking for details and does the job.

Overall, I like Bigin better than Zoho because of its simplicity. One thing I read about it was that you can switch to Bigin from a Zoho account and vice versa. So, if you’re looking to use a simpler tool for your start-up or small business, Bigin is a good idea. Remember, the good day to get a CRM is yesterday. And if you need help to navigate through setting up a CRM and sales support, connect with me here!