In today’s business world, confusion between CRM and contact management often arises.

The truth is that, while those two terms share similarities, they differ greatly. In simple terms, contact management refers to just that: contact management. This type of software (or app) is there to centralize a business’ numerous contacts into one place. From account names to contact information, owning a contact management system is the best way for a company to keep track of how and where to reach their customers. Generally speaking, however, a contact management application or software is not enough. This is when CRM software that include contact management come into play.

But what exactly is CRM? Often misunderstood (much more than contact management, in fact), CRM includes several features that aim at making a business more profitable. From contact management to marketing automation, CRM is one of the most important tools for a business. Of course, CRM is much more than that, and once again, CRM software vary greatly. What you have to remember, however, is that CRM is all about making a business more efficient while contact management management plays no active role in the health of a company.

If you own a small business, don’t settle for less. We recommend that you arm yourself with a CRM as the latter is much more profitable down the road. And you know what the good news is? Plenty of CRM software integrate contact management. This ensures that you get the best of both worlds… and more.

We often encourage people to give ClickHook Beta a try. This newer CRM has caught our attention in the recent weeks and we can’t say anything else but good things about it! From contact management to integrated emails to marketing automation, ClickHook has everything that your business needs. (And it’s free for a month, yay!)