Updated: Nov 04, 2025 By: Marios
A customer relationship management tool is essential for the smooth operation of a design company. Whatever the size of an enterprise, it can be used to facilitate interactions with existing and potential customers.
If you are managing a design company, it is most likely that you operate with a hybrid workforce. When taking calls from customers and courting potential ones in this environment, handling interactions is essential. That is where a robust CRM comes in, providing you with the means to successfully interact. Below are the top CRM tools for design companies.
monday CRM
The most striking factor about the monday CRM is that it does not provide a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, as soon as you visit the site, you are asked about the nature of your business, be it finance, real estate, consumer goods, or marketing. Once you have selected this, you are then taken to a system that is tailored to your specific needs. Full access can also be granted immediately without the use of a credit card. This easy path to setting up a tailored approach has recently helped it achieve $100 million in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR), showing how quickly the platform is being adopted.
Its many features can be broken down into four main areas. Sequencing is the first, delivering handy task reminders, automated emails, and follow-ups. Second is the assistance with email composition itself. Email templates, AI, and HTML editing all make the creation of engaging yet professional emails easy.
When compared to other CRMs, it is the most affordable by far. This is particularly apparent for those wanting to adapt their approach to design businesses. You won't be paying for features that you never use in your package. The CRM also integrates seamlessly with their other products, such as Work Management. This means you can upgrade and add other features at a later date.
The final areas are both the sending and tracking of emails. You can bulk send them to different groups, making them personalised. This can make your work much more efficient and quicker. Best of all, tracking software can provide feedback on the success of these. You can see who opened them, who engaged with them, and who clicked links. All of this can drastically improve conversions and is a vital step in your sales funnel.
If you have any doubts before signing up, then the proof is easy to see with a little online research. monday CRM has been named by Gartner as a Magic Quadrant Leader for Adaptive Project Management and Reporting. Gartner is a global research company that offers advice and research to finance, HR and other business sectors. monday CRM has been named for the fourth year in a row. Other surveys have shown that Motorola received a 346% ROI when using the CRM, according to Forrester.
Zoho
Zoho is one of the leading market names when it comes to cloud-based CRM software. They also have a range of productivity items under their belt, meaning many people already have faith in them. This one is packed with features, making it good for a range of businesses and objectives. It can manage sales, marketing, and customer support, so it is a viable solution if you are looking for an all-around CRM.
One of the highlights is the ease with which the system can be used. You can have your onboarding done in no time, and navigation from section to section is seamless. It is very easy to import existing customers, so you won't suffer from downtime as you move contacts across. It is also very easy to personalise projects, segmenting them into different streams and gaining specific metrics from them.
If you use other Zoho apps, you can also integrate the whole process. This is great if you have a larger organisation and need to glue departments together, solving a lot of internal communication issues.
Where it does fall down is its free plan. With such limitations, it is almost useless and really does not provide enough of an introduction to the product. Its AI features can not be accessed until you get to the higher tiers. There have also been many complaints about its limited customer support options.
HubSpot
HubSpot's CRM system is now named Smart, so you may see it listed under different names. Beneath the name change, it functions the same. Free levels can let you have two users, and the features it offers are quite vast. This makes it great for small businesses.
It also has a very easy-to-understand user interface. You can import contacts easily, then set out templates for them based on a range of objectives. By adding apps from its marketplace, you can also integrate it with other software providers like Mailchimp and Shopify.
The reason for the name change was that the new version contains enhanced AI features known as Breeze. Unfortunately, most of this will be off limits unless you sign up for one of the subscription plans, which can cost a lot, although access to AI is given through any of the company's premium products. Breeze AI is extremely useful; it automates tasks, helping you perform research and create content for your marketing efforts. If AI assistance is your aim, then you may wish to shell out and have this all in one solution.
Deciding on a CRM
Crucially, choosing the right platform depends on your objectives and current situation. Large businesses may want something with heavy AI features, which they are willing to pay for. Others may want integration with their other platforms.
Most businesses are, however, of the small to medium type, just growing, or with a reasonably sized workforce. In particular, if they are dealing with design, they don't need the many features of many others, but instead require specifics. Thus, monday comes out on top as the best all-around solution for marketing businesses or departments.
