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My days were 36 hours when I was a part of a sales team.
Some people misconstrue the work of a sales team as limited to calling and selling. But it is much more than that. I remember spending my days frantically calling, emailing, and texting clients, but at the end of the day, no conversation bore any fruit.
Other than maintaining quarterly sales targets, we were also responsible for client acquisition, pipeline visibility, revenue growth, and deal closures. But I remember most of my time being eaten up in manual CRM workflows. Had I known about sales engagement software back then, I wouldn’t have pulled my hair or blamed the marketing team every now and then for sourcing low-quality leads.
A sales engagement software automates multi-channel lead distribution, offers personalized coaching, and integrates with CRM to analyze lead histories, lead progress, and sales conversations. It also tracks sales performance, ensures consistency, and converts with a higher potential.
Carrying a bag of prior experience, I went to the market and evaluated 10+ sales engagement software to assess their role in lead generation to convert better.
According to G2 Grid Reports, these sales engagement software are top-rated in their category. I’ve also included their monthly pricing to make comparisons easier for you.
When I set out to to evaluate sales engagement tools, I first made a list of major sales-related challenges and growth areas. As I recalled my own experience, the picture got clearer. The day-to-day struggle comprised of calling prospects, manually updating records and personalizing content for each prospect from the start.
My personal reason for evaluating sales engagement software was to support sales and marketing teams in the process of creating sales journeys. That's when I came across some tools which played a major part in automating sales activities to improve conversions.
If you are looking for a sales engagement software and don't know where to start from, consider this list to further fine-tune your requirements.
I spent weeks trying and testing various sales engagement software and evaluating its key features, such as multi-channel sourcing, personalized reporting and analytics, performance tracking, AI coaching, and lead profiling.
In addition to analyzing the top features, I factored in other important parameters in the experimentation, like pricing, pros and cons, user reviews, benefits, and drawbacks. I also used AI to narrow down key headliners and differentiators of each product to collate an unbiased software analysis.
In cases where I couldn’t test the tool due to limited access, I consulted a professional with hands-on experience and validated their insights using verified g2 reviews. The screenshots featured in this article may be a mix of those captured during testing and ones obtained from the vendor’s G2 page.
I also paid close attention to user sentiments, emotions, and market trends for the sales engagement software mentioned below. I identified the trends
to portray a complete picture of the sentiments and reviews that exist in the market. This list properly evaluates details like market presence, cost-effectiveness, budget satisfaction, and real market sentiments shared by the users.
My prior experience with the sales team proved monumental in the entire lifecycle of software evaluation. I tried to analyze the sales engagement software on crucial sales targets. The ultimate goal here was to evaluate how each tool matches up to the end goal of sales revenue, high-quality lead generation, and repeat consumer rate.
The ideal sales engagement software is a catalyst to the CRM tool that optimizes outbound sales, manages lead journeys and ensures consistency in overall sales connections.
By collating the experience of my prior sales job and shortlisting key differentiators of the tools mentioned below, I was able to sum up my experience:
Based on the above factors, I initially narrowed down a dataset of 40+ sales engagement platforms. 10 tools surpassed all these conditions and bagged top spots in the G2 grid report.
The list below contains genuine user reviews from sales engagement software. To be included in this category, a solution must:
*This data was pulled from G2 in 2025. Some reviews may have been edited for clarity.
The best thing about Salesforce Sales Cloud is that it offers a centralized platform for monitoring all sales activities and operations and providing real-time insights.
It is one of those tools that can completely transform how a business operates, but only if you harness its full power. I was able to streamline my sales processes, manage customer interactions, and get analytical reports to improve the strategies for the future.
What I absolutely loved about Salesforce Sales Cloud is the ability to centralize everything. Every lead, every customer interaction, and every deal in progress is in one place.
I built automation workflows for lead nurturing and eliminated manual data entries or email creation workflows. Features like Einstein AI-driven analytics helped me prioritize leads and forecast sales with surprising accuracy. I also had access to the custom dashboard that allowed me to visualize performance metrics and easily plan team tasks.
I also appreciated how flexible it is—whether I needed to customize fields, automate follow-ups, or integrate third-party apps from the AppExchange, I was able to do everything.
What I didn't appreciate about Salesforce Sales Cloud is the steep learning curve that it comes with. Setting up Salesforce Sales Cloud and managing the configuration process is difficult. The configuration is overwhelming, especially if you are managing complex sales pipelines or multiple teams.
Some G2 users also shared that they had to spend significant time (and money) on training and admin support just to get the system running in the way they wanted. Also, while its capabilities are impressive, the user interface sometimes feels clunky.
I also learned that Salesforce Sales Cloud isn't cheap. Pricing varies based on tiers: Essential, Professional, Enterprise, and Unlimited. Each plan offers a different level of customization, automation, and support.
You'll want Enterprise or Unlimited for advanced AI-powered insights and deeper automation. While the platform is incredibly powerful, some advanced features like CPQ (Configure, Price, and Quote) will come at additional costs.
Overall, Salesforce Sales Cloud is a comprehensive sales and marketing suite that provides effective sales automation and pipeline management features to help you reach your revenue.
"Salesforce Sales Cloud is a powerful, all-in-one CRM that helps businesses streamline sales processes, improve productivity, and drive revenue growth. One of its standout features is its AI-powered automation, which makes lead management, forecasting, and pipeline tracking incredibly efficient.
Another major advantage of the platform is its customizability. Businesses can tailor workflows, reports, and dashboards to fit their unique needs. The platform's integration capabilities with other tools like Slack, Outlook, and third-party apps make collaboration seamless.
- Salesforce Sales Cloud Review, Assay Poulose P.
"One challenge I’ve faced is user adoption. While Salesforce Sales Cloud is intuitive, the sheer number of features can be overwhelming for new users. However, Salesforce’s in-app guidance and training resources, such as Trailhead, have made onboarding easier. As an admin, I’ve spent considerable time customizing layouts, automating tasks, and creating user-friendly interfaces to improve adoption rates across teams."
- Salesforce Sales Cloud Review, Shireen S.
Train your sales team adeptly by forming a brand new sales script and encouraging them to face clients head-on with improved communication skills.
I have spent a good deal of time evaluating HubSpot Sales Hub, and I love how it centralizes inbound and outbound sales actions, pipeline visibility, and lead progress onto one platform.
The first thing that stands out is how seamlessly it integrates with partner applications. It offers email automation, lead tracking, and CRM insights for you to stay aware of what is happening at the tail end of your sales pipeline.
The email tracking and automation features make it effortless to monitor conversations with prospects. I get a real-time notification when someone opens a mail, which helps me time my follow-ups correctly.
I was particularly impressed with the deal tracking dashboard, which provided a clear view of where my leads are in the funnel.
The CRM itself is incredibly user-friendly, which is a relief because I have had a fair share of struggles with clunky sales software in the past. I was happy with the automated data logging that stores every email, call, and interaction in the system without any manual intervention.
HubSpot's ability to help with email blasts, automated follow-ups, and integration with tools like Apollo makes it a great asset for outbound sales teams.
However, as much as I like the tool, it does have some limitations. The pricing model is a little tricky, and I feel I was lured in with the free version only to realize that I needed the premium version.
Features like automated reminders, advanced reporting, and deeper workflow automation are locked behind high-tier plans (such as professional or enterprise applications). For smaller teams or startups, the cost adds up fast.
The lead generation tools can also use some work. HubSpot makes it a little difficult to differentiate between a lead and a deal, which can get a little confusing.
Also, if you are using HubSpot's invoicing system, you need to take some tutorials. Some G2 users shared that the platform doesn't let you create credit notes from existing invoices. Also, some basic features, like automated reminders, aren't included in the starter plan. Apart from that, HubSpot also has a slightly longer onboarding curve that might take some time.
Overall, HubSpot Sales Hub is a powerful sales collaboration tool that can create transparency in deal funnels, metrics, and lead-generation tasks for you and your teams.
"What I really appreciate about HubSpot is its easy use, especially the kanban-style layout for managing deals. It makes it really simple to visualize where everything stands, and I love how it keeps my emails automatically recorded. Plus, it's quite affordable compared to other tools, which is a big plus, especially considering the range of features I get access to. Most of my lead generation tools can be integrated with HubSpot. It can be easily implemented with other tools."
- HubSpot Sales Hub Review, Roselle P.
"One area where HubSpot Sales Hub could improve is its user-friendliness when creating dashboards. While the platform offers powerful reporting and analytics tools, the dashboard customization process can be a bit cumbersome and less intuitive than it could be."
- HubSpot Sales Hub, Maddalena B.
Learn how to tackle sales objections during the sales lifecycle to build trust and improve the possibility of sales deals.
ZoomInfo Sales provides premium features like lead management, call tracking, personalized reports, and performance tracking to optimize your sales and marketing workflows.
If you are in sales or marketing, you know the struggle of finding contacts and ensuring that their information is up to date. That's where ZoomInfo came in.
It provided insight into the lead database and eased the process of information retrieval. The biggest perk was the depth of contact and company information it provides. Whether I am looking for direct mail, phone numbers, or organizational structures, it's all there in one place.
One of my favorite features of ZoomInfo is how easy it is to search for leads. The platform has powerful filtering options, letting me narrow down prospects by job title, company size, industry, and even specific technologies in their business. It saves me hours of manual research and lays out the data in an easy and intuitive way.
I also love it's integration with Salesforce CRM. When it works smoothly, the data transfers are done seamlessly. I can pull data in my CRM without any hassle.
However, Zoominfo Sales can improve in a few areas. Sometimes, data doesn't sync properly, which can delay the work, especially when I am trying to update lead records quickly.
While Zoominfo Sales does a solid job of providing up-to-date details, it is not perfect. I have encountered instances where phone numbers were outdated or emails bounced back. This isn't the only flaw, but it sure means that I need to double-check critical contact details before reaching out.
Another thing that needs mentioning is the pricing. Its premium plans offer features like advanced automation, enriched prospecting data, and deeper integrations that can benefit your sales pipeline. But, the cost involved is high.
ZoomInfo can also improve its filtering features. While it's powerful, there are times when I wish there were granular filters to filter out prospects that work in a specific business or technology. And if you ever need customer support, do not expect instant help. It's decent, but getting personal assistance does take some patience.
Overall, ZoomInfo is a robust and powerful sales engagement system that optimizes your nurturing workflows via multiple channels and helps you monitor the efficiency of sales processes.
"As an outsourced SDR/Lead Generation business, having great data is fundamental to us delivering successful campaigns for our clients. ZoomInfo gives us direct access to the stakeholders that are able to influence the procurement of our client's services, saving us valuable time and stopping us from getting blocked by gatekeepers. It also integrates seamlessly with our CRM, saving wasted time on administration."
- ZoomInfo Sales Review, Eddy R.
"Some records are incorrect or not completely current. This is somewhat expected and not an issue for me to this point. Some of the AI features are repetitive and predictable. Having said that, there are always opportunities to revise and make changes. AI is a great starting point when it comes to email, outreach, and planning."
- ZoomInfo Sales Review, John F.
Not able to track prospect signals to provide accurate data to sales teams? See how buyer intent activates the right sales enablement signals to easily secure new accounts.
Apollo.io provides multi-channel sales prospecting and enables you to personalize your lead engagement processes based on recent communication. It tracks inbound emails, helps create outbound emails, and offers personalized text generation to improve engagement.
If you are in B2B sales, lead generation, or recruitment, Apollo is a unified platform that offers all these features under one roof.
To start with, I want to highlight the reporting and analytics features. Apollo just doesn't give you basic engagement stats; it provides deep insights into email performance, outreach effectiveness, and conversion metrics. It offers granular campaign data to improve future outreach efforts as well.
One of the standout features for me is the automation. The workflow automation lets me set up entire outreach sequences and follow-ups and even trigger actions based on engagement. I can literally "set and forget" my campaigns, and the tool ensures that the leads don't go cold.
It also offers powerful filters that enable you to narrow down prospects based on industry, company size, job title, or even intent-based data. It comes with LinkedIn integration, so finding and reaching out to the right client is pretty efficient.
Apollo.io also excels in email outreaches. It doesn't just provide verified emails; it also helps personalize and schedule outreach campaigns. The built-in sequencing tool means that I don't have to rely on multiple tools for cold emails. And the best part? It tracks everything. I can see when someone opens an email or clicks a link.
While Apollo.io puts you out there and bolsters your outreach, there are also a few downsides. While it offers all that a sales team needs, the pricing is a little tricky. The credit system for email lookups and LinkedIn extensions means that you have to be strategic about the credits. I wish there were more flexible pricing options for mobile number access - it feels a bit steep for independent users.
Another thing that G2 users mentioned was the lack of lead text messaging abilities. With so many sales teams incorporating SMS into outreach strategy, it feels like Apollo.io should have capitalized here as well. And if you are on a lower-tier plan, some restrictions, like the 25-emails-per-day limit, can be frustrating.
Overall, if you are looking for a viable outreach and email marketing solution, then you should choose Apollo.io as it has the best in-house features for you.
"Within only two months already have driven new business. It slotted into my workflow very easily and was an immediately impactful addition. All of the information is very searchable and actionable. I have used this daily, and team members are also eager to use it for their workflows. My company appreciates that it implements well with salesforce and other programs, as we look to deploy at scale across the organization it will make this process easier."
- Apollo.io Review, Joey L.
"It doesn't handle all use cases for existing contacts/customers - some of the contact collection automation is limited, such as pulling associated contacts to upcoming opportunities that we'd like to use to automate communicating upcoming renewals."
- Apollo.io Review, Lachlan C.
ActiveCampaign is a sales engagement platform that builds personalized email outreach and drip campaigns and improves conversion metrics, all from a unified platform.
It offers a distinct level of control and customization for email marketing, customer segmentation, and CRM automation, which is something I haven't seen on many platforms.
One thing I absolutely love is how flexible the automation builder is. Whether I am setting a simple welcome sequence or a complex multi-setup workflow, it automates follow-ups and notifications based on past actions.
The automation flowchart makes it easy to visualize where each contact is in the funnel. With integrations into tools like ClickFunnels, Kajabi, and EverWebinar, it becomes a powerhouse for managing customer journeys.
ActiveCampaign also does a solid job of giving me data regarding open rates, click-through rates, and automation performance. The fact that I can preview emails within the automation workflow prevents me from juggling between multiple platforms.
While most people know ActiveCampaign as an email marketing tool, the built-in CRM is surprisingly powerful. It allows for detailed contact tracking, deal pipelines, and automated lead scoring, making managing sales funnels seamless.
However, each tool has its drawbacks, and ActiveCampaign can improve in some ways. The interface, while powerful, can feel a bit clunky, especially for beginners. A ton of functionality is packed into the platform, which can sometimes feel a little overwhelming.
If you are just starting out with ActiveCampaign, expect a learning curve on how to use it properly. Also, customer support can be hit or miss.
Some G2 users feel that ActiveCampaign can work on the branding on forms and emails in the Lite version. It's a bit restricting if you try to keep everything clean and professional with the lite version. While importing contacts is mostly smooth, I have run into issues where blank fields overwrite existing data, which requires manual editing.
That said, ActiveCampaign is an end-to-end automation and campaign management platform that improves sales engagement and lead management workflows and integrates sales and marketing operations.
"ActiveCampaign is an incredible platform that is very easy to use. It has multiple capabilities for automated journeys and one-off eDMs. I also love that we can save our Outlook emails with supporters on AC so the whole team knows what's happening.
There is also amazing customer support that we can use whenever we need it (not that we need it often). I use ActiveCampaign every single day at work and will continue to do so!"
- ActiveCampaign Review, Cassie F.
"I think they are weakest in sales/client follow-up tools. Managing Deals and activities with contacts (making calls, sending emails, etc) is quite cumbersome, and having good visibility of what is happening is difficult.
I also think the way of handling contact lists and unsubscribes is not optimal, and the automations lack some basic functionalities (e.g., updating contact/deal information with dynamic values).
- ActiveCampaign Review, Felipe S.
Instantly offers a lead generation and marketing platform to personalize engagement, run marketing campaigns, and stay active in sales communication.
Setting up Instantly was very easy. It's not just about blasting emails; it ensures they land where they're supposed to, i.e., in inboxes and not spam folders.
Instantly's backend optimization is proficient in handling email followups and warmups, and I saw a noticeable rate of difference between it and other platforms.
What I love most about Instantly is the built-in analytics. I get a clear view of how my campaigns are performing, who's opening, who's clicking, and who's ghosting me. It's like having an insights dashboard that actually gives me actionable data.
It also has a very streamlined approach to campaign management and lead attribution. I can easily set up sequences, tweak followups, update or modify content, and automate everything, which saves me a ridiculous amount of time.
Also, the support team is incredibly top-notch—responsive, helpful, and actually understands their own product (which isn't always the case with SaaS support teams).
However, there were a couple of misses as well. While Instantly does integrate with some tools, I wish they'd expand their integration options. I'd love deeper connections beyond the usual features or transfers with CRM platforms.
Some G2 users were not happy with their tagging system. While it works, they still feel there is an even better way to manage and organize my leads. I also felt that campaign filtering could be a little better as sometimes all I want is to have a clear and uninterrupted view of my campaign metrics.
Overall, Instantly is one of the most adaptive and workable sales engagement tools. It can pivot your deals towards conversion and keep track of new and existing marketing campaigns.
"Plain and simple, the #1 in the outreach game. I have been studying cold outbound reachouts for the past year, and every single road I took to discover knowledge about this topic led me to Instantly. They have a revolutionary tool that just continuously keeps growing. I also want to mention their customer support, as it truly is one of the most responsive teams out there. I log into my account every single day and am constantly looking for ways to improve, for which they've also provided material. Its interface is super easy to use; anyone could use it."
- Instantly Review, George N.
"I wish there were more advanced customization options to tailor the platform to specific needs. Occasionally, I find that some features lack the flexibility I’m looking for. Additionally, enhancing the reporting and analytics section with more detailed insights would help fine-tune my campaigns even further. Also, please update the app. Make it more feature-rich."
- Instantly Review, Jordan M.
Salesloft provides built-in multi-channel marketing features and AI automation to empower sales and marketing teams to manage leads better and improve their revenue.
After spending some time evaluating Salesloft, I have to admit that it has some serious plusses. At its core, Salesloft is an outbound marketing and sales tool that enables your client-facing teams to structure and organize sales accounts. It also helped me manage cadences.
I no longer have to worry about setting follow-ups or updating lead stages. Salesloft keeps everything organized and automates outreach and client nudges. The AI just works in tandem with all the operations. It predicts when my prospects are most likely to engage and even suggests email templates based on past interactions.
I really appreciate how well it integrates with Salesforce. With the sync, it is easier for me to view all my activities in one place and deal with sales queries smartly. The advanced analytics dashboard provides insightful metrics like open rates, click rates, or call conversion to analyze what's working and what's not.
Having said that, it is not always up and up. Setting up Salesloft was a little confusing. The interface isn't always as intuitive as I'd like, and I found myself clicking through several menus just to tweak cadences.
Also, while the AI-driven recommendations are helpful, they aren't always spot on. Sometimes, the recommendations didn't make much sense for the sales prospect.
But, having said that, Salesloft caters to various sales teams and provides data-driven and personalized account-based automation to drive quick sales growth.
"I absolutely love cadences and how easy it is to create them for targeted use and consistent messaging. I'm not the most organized person, so ensuring I am making outreaches with proper spacing and messaging is amazing. Being able to listen back to my calls was something I never thought would be so valuable from both an info perspective but also from a coaching perspective. The analytics is just the right amount, showing you how your efforts stack up against your peers. Insight into cadence performance such as number of views, clicks or replies, and prospects showing interest."
- Salesloft Review, Kevin S.
"It has significantly improved our sales process by helping us engage with prospects more efficiently. I like that the platform is straightforward, and the mobile app and browser extension are very helpful in tracking notifications and updates. They also seamlessly integrate with other tools like Gmail, LinkedIn, and ZoomInfo."
- SalesLoft Review, Clifford T.
Clari is a revenue generation tool that provides a bird s-eye view of active sales pipelines, predictive analytics, and sales patterns and trends to capitalize on won deals.
If you scramble through spreadsheets and second-guess your efforts, Clari is an having an AI-powered sales coach that personalizes interactions. It helped me eliminate the guesswork out of forecasting and crunch numbers in real time, so I know which deals are moving, which ones are stuck, and which ones are likely to close.
One of the things I love most about Clari is that it integrates with Salesforce. It pulls in data automatically, cleans up inconsistencies, and updates CRM effortlessly.
Clari sets sales automation so that I don't have to spend time mindlessly updating lead stages or engaging in manual CRM activity. That drives my focus to actual selling. The system also proactively nudges me about deal risks and AI-driven sales projections and even suggests next steps based on past interactions.
I also want to highlight Clari's "forecasting engine" that improves the probability of scoring a deal. It just doesn't show me what's happening now- it predicts where my numbers are headed based on historical data and current deal activity.
I can also see my entire revenue funnel at a glance, from the early stages to closed deals. Clari also provides accurate contact information drilled down to the most granular level. And if you work on a leadership team that constantly asks for updated projections, Clari offers a one-view analytical dashboard for you.
Some G2 users mentioned that while the sync with Salesforce is mostly solid, it can sometimes be a bit slow. If you need real-time updates on every little change, it might take a little time.
Also, I wish the reports were a bit more customizable so that they could fit my workflows. And while the AI insights are great, it would be even better if Clari provided more prescriptive recommendations rather than just pointing to tasks.
All in all, Clari is a robust revenue management and sales engagement platform that monitors your lead generation workflows and gives you a prediction for revenue growth.
"I like how Clari integrates with Salesforce and makes updating and managing my deals easy. The opportunity grid is particularly useful because it puts all the key information I need right in front of me. I can update fields like close dates and next steps directly in Clari, and it syncs back to Salesforce, which saves me a lot of time. The ability to configure the columns and views to match my workflow is also a big plus. It helps me prioritize my tasks and stay organized."
- Clari Review, John D.
"What I find least helpful is that some of the features that are reported don't actually tell me where that information is coming from. I.e. Where my weighted number is coming from or how it is being calculated would be helpful. I wish I could also apply the same next action to multiple workflows instead of manually entering it in."
- Clari Review, Jezni W.
FlashIntel is a conversational AI agentic tool that streamlines sales discussions, resolves ad-hoc consumer queries, and extracts valid data points from sales conversations to gauge the potential of the lead. It also helps achieve around 30% customer retention.
One of the standout features for me is Flashinfo, which is their sales intelligence platform that makes prospecting easy. Their data accuracy has ridiculously improved over time, and it allows me to pull accurate lead information for nurturing.
With just a few clicks, I can pull enriched, high-quality, verified information for distinguished decision-makers. It also integrates well with multiple CRMs, though I found that some integrations need a bit of manual tweaking.
One of the key differentiators is also AI-powered lead scoring. FlashIntel helps prioritize leads based on real engagement metrics, which means that I don't have to waste time chasing low-quality prospects.
Another feature, email automation, and deliverability tracking are also super handy. It's like having an AI sales assistant working in the background who knows when to send which email and personalizes the response while logging the number of delivered emails.
But FlashIntel lacks a little in terms of providing outdated contact information. Sometimes, I extract inaccurate details about a contact that deteriorate the chances of a lead response or future conversion.
Another aspect that FlashIntel can improve is its pricing. As I glanced at the pricing, I noticed that it appears more suitable for enterprises than small businesses. This may create budget problems for early adopters or small business owners with limited revenue.
Overall, FlashIntel automates consumer queries and sales objections, integrates with CRM, and offers personalized content creation tools to simplify the lead journey.
"This program is the perfect solution for sales and marketing folks since it contains all of the capabilities that a sales and marketing geek requires. This is the reason why I like this platform a lot and subscribed to it myself. The customer support is also good, which further makes things easier. I integrated it into my CMS, which was a work of a couple of seconds."
- FlashIntel Review, Maxwell L.
"Inaccurate prospect data poses a substantial issue for me as a marketer. Even verified data can be riddled with errors, which is unsatisfying. They really need to update the data almost twice a week."
- FlashIntel Review, Jennifer N.
Bigin by Zoho CRM is a start-to-end sales enablement platform that helps your sales team to onboard, nurture and convert leads.
What immediately sold me was drag-and-drop pipeline management. It was smooth and intuitive and let me track my deals without any fuss. I've also used other CRMs that are pretty chaotic and require a lot of time, but Bigin contradicts that.
Plus, the Bigin mobile app was outstanding in function. My team was up and running in minutes and started managing and closing sales accounts with ease.
One thing I love, and that is easy, is automated workflows. Setting up stage automation for our sales pipeline saved us a lot of manual work. The system automatically moves leads forward based on specific conditions of lead quality.
Because Bigin integrates so well with other Zoho products, it fits neatly into the existing ecosystem without causing too many headaches.
No matter how agile and sales-friendly Bigin is, it does have some drawbacks. Some G2 users struggled with reporting and analytics features. I wish the report generation process was a bit smoother, but it takes more effort than it should.
Integration with third-party tools is limited. For example, integration does not generate native Facebook leads, which is annoying if you invest in Facebook ads to generate leads.
While the automation is great, it lacks if/else conditional logic to set conditions on email triggers and provide a good customer experience.
Further, the pricing is a bit steep. If you are just starting out, you might feel a little restricted. But upgrading to a higher plan unlocks premium features that automate end-to-end lead nurturing.
Overall, Bigin by Zoho helps build personalized marketing automation pipelines for your sales and marketing teams to improve customer touch base from multiple platforms
"Easy to use and implement for an accountant like me; if you are new to using CRMs like I was, Bigin is the place to begin with. It easily integrates with my Zoho books and has very good features considering small businesses. The app is good, need of customer Support has not arised yet. Tons of videos and notes on the internet on how to implement etc."
- Bigin by Zoho CRM Review, CA Jatin S.
"Most features my team requires are available on the express (lowest tier) subscription. However, certain useful features such as date/time triggered automation and 10+ custom fields on pipeline records are only available in the next tier (premier). You may quickly find yourself paying double in subscription costs to accomodate for business requirements - however still affordable compared to alternatives."
- Bigin by Zoho Review, Naz H.
The main difference between a CRM and a sales engagement is that the former is used to store, capture, and manage leads, while the latter is deployed to run marketing campaigns, multi-channel outreaches, and drive pipeline visibility. With a CRM, you can update lead details, integrate contact with call tracking software, or store inbound leads.
But with SEP, you can re-engage cold leads or have a better view of the lead database to personalize engagement efforts.
The best sales engagement platforms include Outreach, Salesloft, and Apollo.io, which are known for their AI-driven automation, multi-channel outreach, and CRM integrations. HubSpot Sales Hub also offers user-friendly options, while Groove offers a sales-enablement native platform to drive more pipeline management and consistently track SDR performance.
HubSpot is primarily a sales platform, but HubSpot Sales Hub includes sales engagement features like email sequences, call tracking, cadences, multi-channel outreach, and campaign optimization that scale your revenue potential and provide a data-driven way to improve conversions.
It includes Apollo.io (freemium plan) for multi-channel outreach, HubSpot Sales Hub (free tier) for basic email tracking and automation, and Mixmax (free version) for email engagement. While they aren’t feature-extensive, they provide features to improve sales cadences for new or small businesses.
Sales engagement software can seamlessly integrate with your existing CRM cloud and tech stack via an application programming interface (API) connector. Most sales engagement platforms offer native integrations with CRMs like HubSpot, Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, and Pipedrive. Users should look for a bidirectional sync ( flow of leads via ERP connector and lead tracking via CRM) to attest that the data is transferred smoothly.
The sales engagement platform offers AI-based automation that automates email delivery based on the lead stage in the purchase journey. It also extracts key insights from customer calls and associates the data with CRM accounts for real-time accountability and lead status changes, improving reps' performance.
Most sales engagement tools support emails, SMS, LinkedIn, and chat within a unified interface. These tools comply with the GDPR, HIPAA, TCPA, and CAN-SPAM by providing opt-out management, consent tracking, and dynamic email tracking. These protocols ensure that the data remains safe and compliant.
Having a clear insight into your prospect's interest level is imperative in a sales journey. Before SEP, CRM software was just a tedious medium for manual tasks and did not open any room for opportunity. Had I witnessed the revolution of a sales engagement platform, I would have experimented with a myriad of sales techniques and sales communication strategies and improved the output of my efforts.
Using these tools, I am convinced that proper SEP software, along with CRM, is the ultimate road to conversion. When you are ready to decide which software to invest in, check my two cents to refine your approach.
Refer to my peer's analysis of the best AI sales assistants to employ efficient AI selling techniques and optimize productivity in 2025.
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