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Zendesk Sell is the sales CRM available from Zendesk, a popular and robust platform that many consider to be the best helpdesk software out there. Our expert testers found it was the best small business CRM for fast-loading reports. So, does Zendesk Sell live up to the hype of its customer service counterpart or are sales not really its strong suit?
Our research found that while Zendesk is the best helpdesk software, Zendesk Sell on its own doesn’t offer much, particularly when compared to other top CRMs for sales. However, when joined with the top tier helpdesk software, it can be a formidable combination offering a lot of seamless integration between customer service and sales teams. The real question is: should you invest in Zendesk Sell?
In this review, we’ll cover everything from features and pricing to competitors and FAQs, to make sure you fully understand what you’re getting into with Zendesk Sell.
Pros
- 14-day free trial
- Provides great security options to secure data
- Offers good customizability including custom fields
- Lots of infrastructure to manage teams long term
Cons
- Very few digital selling tools for ecommerce businesses
- No quotes or proposal features
- No onboarding support for team members
- Team: $19/user/month
- Growth: $49/user/month
- Professional: $99/user/month
Zendesk Sell Quick Fact File
Zendesk Sell has a lot of competition when it comes to Sales features and functionality, but there are still some bright sides that make it an option on its own. Here’s a quick fact file to help you get a clear picture of what Zendesk Sell has to offer.
- Zendesk Sell has good customization options, including custom dashboards, VoIP functionality, and seamless integration with Zendesk’s helpdesk software.
- Zendesk Sell offers robust team and project management features, but they are relegated to the more expensive plans, starting at $99 per user, per month.
- Zendesk offers limited Sales features and customer support options compared to other CRMs for sales teams.
- Zendesk Sell is on the expensive side of the sales CRM spectrum while not offering much to make up for it.
- Zendesk Sell is more scalable the other options due to its potential integration with the Zendesk helpdesk software.
Check out our Zendesk pricing guide for more information on the full Zendesk suite.
Zendesk Sell Pricing
Zendesk Sell offers four different pricing plans: Team, Growth, Professional, and Enterprise. These plans range in price from $19 per user, per month to $150 per user, per month, offering more features the more you pay.
Take a look at how these pricing plans match up below and keep scrolling to learn more about each plan:
| Plan | Price Billed annually | Users | Storage | Lead scoring | Custom automation builder | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BEST FOR SMB  | | | | |||
| Sell Team | Sell Growth | Sell Professional | Sell Enterprise | |||
| Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | |||
| 2GB per user | 5GB per user | 10GB per user | 25GB per user | |||
| | | | | |||
| | | | |
Zendesk Sell Team – $19 per user, per month
While this plan is certainly cheaper than the $25 per user, per month starter plan from Salesforce, the Team plan isn’t necessarily cheap. Zoho CRM, for example, starts at only $14 per user, per month and offers a lot more when it comes to features. Heck, you don’t even get web forms for lead capture with this plan, so you’ll almost certainly need to upgrade if you want to reach your more eager potential customers.
Zendesk Sell Growth – $49 per user, per month
This plan jumps up big in price and it doesn’t add that much more than access to more advanced analytics. You’ll add web forms for lead capture and email templates for email communication, but you’re still missing out on all the team infrastructure plans that make Zendesk Sell a viable option for businesses. And with Freshsales offering the same features at only $39 per user, per month, it’s hard to justify Zendesk Sell at this price point.
Zendesk Sell Professional – $99 per user, per month
This is the plan that really unlocks some of the value of Zendesk Sell. Team and project management tools, custom automation builders, and lead scoring, all features that can save you a lot of time and make you a lot of money. Still, at $99 per user, per month, you’re investing a lot when those same features are available for cheaper ($90 per user, per month) with HubSpot.
Zendesk Sell Enterprise – $150 per user, per month
If you’re a larger business and need stuff like advanced customization and unlimited pipelines, this plan might be your move. However, there are other CRMs much better suited to enterprise-level businesses, like Salesforce or HubSpot, and unless Zendesk is your go-to helpdesk software, you might be better off elsewhere.
Does Zendesk Sell Have a Free Plan?
Unfortunately, Zendesk Sell does not have a free plan, unlike other tools like Zoho CRM and HubSpot. However, it does offer a 14-day free trial for all its plans, so at least you can test it out for two weeks before you make a commitment.
Zendesk Sell Review: Key Features
Zendesk Sell didn’t score particularly well in our research when it came to features, but it does shine in some areas, which could be exactly what you’re looking for. Here are a few features that Zendesk Sell offers that may be of interest to your business:
Contact database
While it’s not necessarily the best CRM for contact database management, Zendesk Sell does offer some robust functionality when it comes to keeping track of your customer information. You can see the entire communication history and utilize list segmentation features with duplicate detection. It doesn’t offer social media integration, though, which more popular options like Zoho CRM do.
Team and task management
Another area in which Zendesk Sell excels is team and task management, which can help you organize your projects a bit more effectively. Across all paid plans, Zendesk Sell offers task management and team communication, as well as calendar management, although it does require an integration. It doesn’t offer a unified inbox like Pipedrive and other options, but still, that’s a good setup at the starting price.
Scalability
Zendesk Sell’s highest score across our research was for scalability for one particular reason: integration with Zendesk helpdesk software. Because we consider it to be one of the best helpdesk software out there, this integration brings Zendesk Sell from a middle-of-the-pack sales CRM to a top tier sales and customer service hub for your entire business.
How Does Zendesk Sell Compare to Other Providers?
If Zendesk Sell doesn’t sound like the right sales CRM for you and your business, have no fear! We’ve done a lot of research on these business tools, so you can choose the right one on the first try. Take a look at the Zendesk Sell alternatives below and check out our best CRM for sales guide for more information.
All in all, Zendesk Sell is a solid, mid-tier option in the CRM for sales world. It’s not less expensive than budget options like Zoho CRM and Freshsales and it doesn’t offer more features than the top dogs like Salesforce and HubSpot, making it hard to recommend on its own. Still, with that Zendesk helpdesk software integration in its back pocket, you can never count it out as a option for your business.
| Best for | Starting price | Free plan | Free trial | Verdict | Data cap in basic plan | Lead capture | Accept payments | Onboarding | Get started Click to get started and compare prices for your business | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | BEST ALTERNATIVE  |  |  |  |  |  |  | ||||
| Zendesk Support users | Small businesses | Sales analytics | Growing businesses | Customization | Beginners | Microsoft users | Sales and marketing | ||||
| | | | | | | | | ||||
| 30 days | 30 days | 30 days | | 7 days | 21 days | 30 days | 14 days | ||||
| Solid feature set and team management infrastructure | An attractive option, with lots of features for a low price | A scalable, highly customizable platform that’s great for managing teams | A scalable tool that’s perfect for managing contracts and payments | A reasonably priced platform offering solid customization options | A low-cost option that’s great for engaging potential customers online | An expensive, robust tool for analytics that’s better suited to current Microsoft users | A suitable all-in-one platform for sales and marketing but a bit expensive | ||||
| 2GB per user | 200MB | File storage: 1GB | 5 documents | 60GB | 2GB per user | Database: 10GB | Unlimited | ||||
| Web forms only | | Web forms only | | Web forms only | | | Web forms only | ||||
| | | | Stripe integration | | | | | ||||
| | | | | | | | | ||||
| Try Zendesk Sell | Try Zoho CRM | Try Salesforce | Try HubSpot | Get Quotes | Try Freshsales | Get Quotes | Try Keap |
We take our impartial research and analysis seriously, so you can have complete confidence that we're giving you the clearest, most useful recommendations.
After conducting an initial exploration to identify the most relevant, popular, and established CRM tools in the market, we put them through their paces to find out more about their strengths and weaknesses. In total, we analyzed 13 CRM systems, grading them across 84 areas of investigation.
Based on years of market research and CRM product testing, we've established a CRM research methodology to score products, which consists of six main assessment categories and 13 subcategories. This covers everything from the available features and scalability capacity to the product's value for money and much more.
Our main testing categories for CRM systems are:
Features: The functionalities and capabilities provided by the CRM software, such as contact management, lead and opportunity tracking, and task and activity management.
Help and Support: The resources and assistance available to users when they encounter issues or require guidance while using the CRM software.
Customization: The ability to tailor the CRM software to suit the specific needs and processes of the organization, e.g. customizing fields, layouts, and workflows.
Scalability: The ability of the CRM software to accommodate the growth and changing needs of the organization, such as the capacity to handle a growing customer database.
Price: The cost associated with using the CRM software. It includes factors such as licensing fees, subscription plans, and additional charges for add-on modules or features.
Team Structure – Sales CRM: Determining if a platform makes it easier to manage large sales teams, including team dashboards, team hierarchies, and team inboxes.
Usability – Small Business CRM: Assessing the simplicity of the interface, the ease of navigating through menus and options, and the overall user experience.
When it comes to calculating a product's final score, not all testing areas are weighted evenly, as we know some aspects matter more to our readers than others, which are merely "nice to have." After hundreds of hours, our process is complete, and the results should ensure you can find the best solution for your needs.
At Tech.co, we have a number of full-time in-house researchers, who re-run this testing process regularly, to ensure our results remain reflective of the present day.
Verdict: Is Zendesk Sell a good option?
When combined with the Zendesk helpdesk software, Zendesk Sell can provide a seamless sales experience combined with the popular customer service platform. However, on its own, our research found that there are more affordable, more robust options available, particularly Zoho CRM, which we’ve found to be the best for sales and small businesses.
If you’re in the market for a CRM for marketing, sales or customer service, we can help!
Check out our CRM comparison page to learn more about the alternatives to Zendesk Sell and see what’s out there for your business.
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