Hate to break it to ya, but CRMs are not one size fits all, especially if you rely on Google Workspace for business.
Google Workspace users have a unique challenge when it comes to creating and managing a customer relationship management system that works with them and not against them. Google’s many essential features such as email and calendars make it a critical business tool for many.
But when CRMs don’t offer data synchronization, contact management, or event creation through Google Workspace, they can cause serious headaches for sales teams. If you’ve ever suffered the pain of having to manually copy and paste email conversations from Gmail into an individual contact record stored in your CRM then you know what we’re talking about.
In this article, we’re diving deep into how Google Workspace users can solve their most common struggles with customer relationship management. Keep reading to learn more about how you can maximize the potential of every sales interaction using the tools you know and love. After, discover what the best CRM for Google Workspace can do for your business.
Google Workspace has a lot of great features but no native CRM offering.
Some users take advantage of their email contact list, Google Sheets, and Google Docs to create a simplified version of a CRM. Others use a third-party integration made available through the Google Workspace Marketplace.
For more advanced functionality, Google Workspace users typically find that a separate CRM working in sync with their Google account is best.
The pros and cons of using Google Workspace as a CRM
The pros of using a Google Workspace as a CRM are that it’s free and is already connected to your business email. This may be an ideal system for a freelancer or a business with low lead volumes and a limited number of simple, straightforward offers.
The cons of using Google Workspace as a CRM include:
its inability to manage large volumes of leads
the often flawed manual workarounds and systems users have to come up with on their own
lack of CRM-specific tools such as lead prioritization and automated administrative tasks that have come to be a requirement for the day-to-day work of many sales teams
The bottom line is that sales opportunities are complex to track, manage, prioritize, and analyze. That is why many professionals find the manual email and spreadsheet system lacking.
Not only does relying on Google Workspace for your CRM limit your ability to effectively perform basic tasks but it also runs you the risk of lost time, data, and even opportunities. A top CRM, on the other hand, offers features that both simplify and improve your team’s ability to handle your many complex relationships with ease.
Looking for an easy-to-use CRM with all the features you need to drive sales?
All-in-one CRM and email marketing platform, Two-way Gmail sync, User-friendly Google Chrome extension, Native integration with Google Calendar, Email marketing automation including templates, sequences, and more.
Works right within Gmail, Look up details such as participants and email threads related to upcoming Google Calendar events without opening Gmail, Sync contact details between Gmail, Google Calendar, and Copper CRM.
View contact information from Freshsales directly within Gmail, Add prospect, tasks, and events from Gmail to Freshsales, View complete prospect history on desktop or mobile in Gmail.
These industry-leading CRMs top the charts in terms of authorized user reviews on G2 as well as their advanced performance features. And, most importantly, the tools highlighted below include integrations for Google Workspace you need to take advantage of.
In this section, we’ll break down the pricing, standout features, and summary of each of these top CRMs for Google Workspace. We’ll also offer analysis on why each tool is considered the best and leave you with one big takeaway from each tool.
With the help of marketing automation tools and email templates from Nutshell, you can reach more potential customers without having to spend as much time and effort on managing your CRM.
For example, with the Chrome extension for Gmail, you can easily access the most important features of the contact management software right within your inbox. Create new tasks and contact records, keep track of your communication timeline, and view scheduled activities all in one place.
And with seamless two-way Gmail sync and Google calendar sync, your marketing and sales teams can do high-ROI tasks faster and more efficiently.
In a nutshell: Nutshell’s integrations with Google Calendar and Gmail allow you to send and receive work emails, manage contacts, and keep track of all your appointments without having to switch between applications. You can also save time with automation tools that make sales activities such as templating and project management a breeze.
ActiveCampaign syncs with your contact book, spreadsheets, and campaign data stored in Google. You can also connect any email account to Active Campaign’s Deals CRM to sync data from existing contacts to new messages.
While many of these features are beneficial for sales teams, ActiveCampaign markets itself primarily as a marketing automation software and users largely consider it a good alternative to other email marketing giants such as MailChimp.
In a nutshell: ActiveCampaign offers marketing integrations with Google Workspace, including Sheets and Analytics, which can be useful for some sales-exclusive teams.
UploadGoogle Drive documents directly to Agile CRM
Sync contacts and view them in either app
Sync Google Calendar events with Agile CRM
Agile CRM offers solutions for both marketing and sales teams that use Google Workspace. Activity and data is synced between Agile CRM and Google Drive, Contacts, Calendar, Docs, and Gmail. Beyond cross platform syncing, Agile CRM also offers its G Suite users customizations such as email triggers based on tags added to G Suite Contacts.
In a nutshell: Agile CRM allows users to synchronize their CRM activities with their documents, contact book, calendar, and email with some customization available.
Look up details such as participants and email threads related to upcoming Google Calendar events without opening Gmail
Sync contact details between Gmail, Google Calendar, and Copper CRM
Copper CRM is a Google Chrome Enterprise Partner meaning they are authorized to sell Chrome browser products. Their app is accessed directly within Gmail and Google Calendar through a page that opens in side view. Users can sync and update contacts across Gmail, Google Calendar, and Copper CRM at the same time no matter which of the three they are operating in.
In a nutshell: Copper CRM offers in-app CRM access through side view and enables contact, notes, and document synchronization between it, Gmail, and Google Calendar.
Pricing: Free version available, paid versions starting at $15 per month
Standout features:
View contact information from Freshsales directly within Gmail
Add prospect, tasks, and events from Gmail to Freshsales
View complete prospect history on desktop or mobile in Gmail
Freshsales is a sales CRM created by Freshworks that offers Gmail integration. Its features center around one central concept: Users can view and edit Freshsales without leaving Gmail. Users can also create tasks, appointments, and new notes without opening additional tabs.
In a nutshell: Freshsales offers Gmail integration that allows you to make updates to the CRM without having to leave your inbox.
Which of these top CRMs work best with Gmail?
Gmail is the most popular and important tool within the Google Workspace platform. And if you use Gmail for your sales job, you’ll absolutely need a CRM that integrates with it.
Not only will the best CRMs for Google Workspace make it easier for you to update contact information on the fly, autosync features allow you to track, save, and later make notes on email threads with prospective clients. This saves you time and energy on administrative tasks that could otherwise be used building relationships, scaling cold reach outs, and other high ROI tactics.
Of all the best CRMs for Google Workspace mentioned above, Nutshell offers the most robust Gmail integration. Nutshell makes it possible for you to auto sync contacts and conversations. You can also synchronize your Google calendar, add the Chrome extension, and use either application with full confidence knowing that the information is always up to date between them.
See Nutshell in action
Give our powerful, easy-to-use CRM a try for free for 14 days! Or join a live demo to see Nutshell at work!
What features to look for when choosing a CRM for Google Workspace
Still not sure which of the best CRMs for Google Workspace are best for your unique team? No matter what industry you’re in or what your sales goals are, there are certain CRM features that Google Workspace users simply should not live without.
At a minimum, you should keep an eye out for an application that can integrate with your Google account and allow you to do each of the following actions:
Create, edit, and update contacts with changes automatically synced across platforms
Sync calendar events and tasks between both platforms
Track communication timelines and add notes to individual contacts, groups, and more
Add notes to your CRM right from Gmail
View and manage which emails have been seen by team members
Share prospect and customer email threads without forwarding or BCC’ing directly through Gmail
Wrap-up
At the end of the day, a CRM that makes it easy for Google Workspace users to streamline and automate their daily tasks in one centralized location will produce better results than any spreadsheet or limited featured app. Plus, if your sales strategy changes or your team grows, you’ll need a solution that makes it easy to track all your moving pieces without skipping a beat.
We recommend trying Nutshell free for 14 days and comparing it side by side with one of the other best CRMs for Google Workspace listed above. Nutshell’s competitive pricing and advanced sales features make it a truly excellent alternative to manual Doc and Sheet upkeep or any Chrome integration that has little to offer except fewer things for you to copy and paste.
