Small businesses thrive on customer relationships, but managing sales, contacts, and communication without the right system can quickly become overwhelming. While large enterprises may invest in complex, expensive CRM solutions, small businesses need something simple, affordable, and effective.
This is where Zoho CRM and Zoho Bigin come in. Together, they provide flexible options for small business owners to manage their sales pipeline, automate repetitive tasks, and scale operations without breaking the bank.
AppsTech Soft, a Zoho Authorized Partner, helps startups and small businesses implement, customize, and support Zoho CRM solutions that fit their budget and needs.
Introducing Zoho Bigin: CRM Built for Small Teams
For micro and small businesses, Zoho developed Bigin—a lightweight CRM with the essentials, designed to be easy-to-use and affordable.
Key Features of Zoho Bigin:
Pipeline View: Simple drag-and-drop sales pipeline for managing deals.
Built-in Telephony: Make and receive calls inside the CRM.
Webforms: Capture leads from your website directly into Bigin.
Email Integration: Syncs with Gmail, Outlook, and Zoho Mail.
Mobile App: Perfect for small teams on the move.
Affordability: Plans starting as low as a few dollars per user/month.
Zoho Bigin is the perfect entry point for businesses new to CRM, especially those moving away from spreadsheets. As the business grows, upgrading to Zoho CRM is seamless.
Zoho CRM: Scalable Solution for Growing Small Businesses
Once a small business expands beyond a handful of users or needs advanced automation, Zoho CRM offers the next level of capability.
What Zoho CRM Offers Small Businesses:
Lead & Contact Management – Track every interaction with prospects.
Workflow Automation – Send reminders, assign leads, and trigger emails automatically.
Sales Forecasting – Predict revenue and identify bottlenecks in the sales cycle.
Multichannel Communication – Engage customers through email, phone, live chat, and social media.
Customization – Add custom fields, modules, and layouts to fit your unique process.
Integration with Zoho Suite & Third-Party Tools – Sync with Zoho Books, Campaigns, and external apps like WhatsApp or Shopify.
For small businesses planning to scale, Zoho CRM becomes the central nervous system of customer management.
Zoho CRM vs. Bigin: Which One Is Right for You?
| Feature | Zoho Bigin (For Small Teams) | Zoho CRM (For Growing Businesses) |
|---|---|---|
| Ease of Use | Very simple, minimal setup | More advanced, needs setup |
| Pipeline Management | Yes, drag-and-drop | Yes, customizable pipelines |
| Automation | Basic automation | Advanced workflows & macros |
| Integrations | Limited (Zoho + few tools) | Wide (Zoho & 100+ third-party) |
| Scalability | For micro/small teams | For SMBs & enterprises |
| Price | Very affordable | Affordable, but higher than Bigin |
When to choose Bigin?
👉 If you are a startup or micro-business (1–10 people) and want a simple CRM.
When to choose Zoho CRM?
👉 If you have multiple teams, complex sales processes, or need advanced automation.
Benefits of Using Zoho CRM & Bigin for Small Businesses
Here’s how small businesses benefit from adopting Zoho CRM solutions:
Affordable Pricing: Compared to Salesforce or HubSpot, Zoho is budget-friendly.
Ease of Use: Simple onboarding and mobile-friendly.
Customization: Fits industries like retail, consulting, healthcare, education, and e-commerce.
Scalable: Start with Bigin and grow into Zoho CRM without losing data.
360° Business Integration: Integrates with Zoho Books, Zoho Inventory, Zoho Campaigns, and more.
Better Customer Relationships: Access customer history instantly, improving engagement and loyalty.
Real-World Use Cases
Retail Startup
A clothing boutique in Bangalore uses Zoho Bigin to track walk-in customers, manage online orders, and send follow-up offers. With Zoho Inventory integrated, stock levels sync automatically, reducing stockouts and improving customer satisfaction.
Consulting Firm
A two-person consulting business in London migrated from spreadsheets to Zoho CRM. Now, client onboarding, project milestones, and invoices are all managed in one place. Automated reminders ensure no deadlines are missed.
E-commerce Seller
A Shopify seller in Dubai uses Zoho CRM integrated with WooCommerce to track online orders, customer interactions, and automate marketing campaigns through Zoho Campaigns. SalesIQ helps capture leads directly from website chats, improving conversion rates.
Healthcare Clinic
A small clinic in Mumbai adopted Zoho CRM to manage patient inquiries, schedule follow-ups, and integrate with Zoho Books for billing. The clinic also uses Zoho Creator to build a simple patient feedback form linked to CRM records.
Construction Contractor
A mid-sized contractor in Muscat uses Zoho CRM to track leads from tenders, manage project pipelines, and automate invoice generation with Zoho Books. Integration with Zoho Projects helps monitor construction timelines.
Education Startup
An EdTech company in Hyderabad uses Zoho Bigin to capture student inquiries from its website, track demo class attendance, and manage the enrollment process. Automated emails nurture leads into paid subscribers.
How AppsTech Soft Helps Small Businesses with Zoho
At AppsTech Soft, we specialize in helping small businesses adopt Zoho effectively:
Zoho Consulting – We map your processes to the right Zoho app (Bigin or CRM).
Implementation – From data migration to workflow setup, we make sure your CRM is ready on Day 1.
Customization – We tailor Zoho CRM with fields, modules, and reports specific to your business.
Integration – We connect Zoho CRM with other apps like QuickBooks, Shopify, or WhatsApp.
Support & AMC – Ongoing support via dedicated admins or shared plans.
Training – Hands-on sessions for your team to make adoption easier.
Our expertise ensures small businesses get enterprise-grade solutions at SMB-friendly prices.
Why Zoho is a Great Fit for Small Businesses
Zoho stands out as one of the most cost-effective yet powerful CRM platforms available, making it ideal for small businesses and startups that need enterprise-level tools without breaking the bank. Its subscription-based pricing ensures you only pay for what you use, while its scalability allows you to start with Zoho Bigin or Zoho CRM Standard and upgrade as your business grows.
Beyond affordability, Zoho’s ease of use, mobile accessibility, and automation features empower small teams to stay organized, save time, and deliver better customer experiences. With 45+ apps in the Zoho ecosystem, businesses can manage everything from sales to accounting under one roof.
Final Thoughts
Small businesses often think CRMs are “too complex” or “too expensive.” With Zoho CRM and Zoho Bigin, that myth is broken. Whether you’re a startup tracking your first 100 customers or a growing business managing thousands of leads, Zoho gives you the tools to centralize, automate, and scale affordably.
With AppsTech Soft as your Zoho Partner, you get more than just software—you get expert consulting, implementation, and support tailored to your business needs.
👉 Ready to grow your small business with Zoho? Contact us today for a free demo and consultation.