Save time and customers with the 10 best CRMs for training organizations
In recent years, the training sector has experienced an unprecedented boom, forcing market players to redouble their ingenuity and efficiency to remain competitive while competition gains ground.
One of the keys to success? The digitization of activities and processes, essential for increasing productivity while working smarter. In this sense, a CRM for training organizations is THE answer. It helps you find more prospects, convert them more easily into customers, and then maintain a fluid, personalized relationship with them, guaranteeing a better experience with your training organization.
But which customer relationship management software is best suited to the specific needs of your industry? There are 10, and we present them to you in detail in this comparison of the best CRMs for training centers.
Why use a CRM for training organizations?
Customer Relationship Management(CRM) software is designed to help companies manage all their interactions with customers and prospects.
👉 Discover the full definition in our article What is a CRM.
What about training organizations?
For these professionals, it's above all important to increase the number of registrations and then maintain relationships with their learners throughout their training path, but also with other stakeholders: employees, companies, prescribers, etc.
With this in mind, here are the functionalities expected of a good CRM for training centers:
- Management of contacts and prospects, with centralization of associated information such as their contact details, age, interests, training history, interactions with your structure, etc.
- Track opportunities throughout the sales process, from initial contact with the prospect through to conversion into a customer.
- Communicate with your learners and other key contacts, using emailing tools, SMS text messaging, dedicated spaces, etc.
- Processing registrations for the various training sessions offered by the organization.
- Automation of repetitive, low value-added tasks, such as sending training reminders, creating quotes or invoicing.
- Analysis and reporting to monitor your activities and performance in real time, so you can make better strategic decisions.
The benefits of CRM for training organizations
For a training organization, taking the CRM step means digitizing its activities, with the aim of improving efficiency. And that can clearly make all the difference in a highly competitive training sector. 💥
More concretely, you'll reap many benefits from equipping yourself with this type of platform, starting with :
- better management of your leads, which inevitably increases your chances of converting them ;
- personalized interactions with your various contacts, enhancing the customer experience;
- automation of time-consuming administrative tasks, resulting in considerable productivity gains for employees;
- smoother in-house collaboration, since the consolidation and unification of data in the software streamlines communication and coordination between teams;
- enhanced analytical vision, thanks to real-time access to relevant and reliable data.
In short, a CRM is the promise of working faster and better, while working to fully satisfy the requirements of your customers/learners.
However, there are many solutions capable of offering you such benefits. Which one should you choose 🤔?
The following comparison of the 10 best CRMs for training centers is here to guide you in your decision-making 👉.
Summary table of the 10 best CRMs for training centers
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 Cirrus Shield |  Digiforma |  Eforma CRM & LMS |  HubSpot CRM |  Infocob CRM |  SC-Form |  SmartOF |  Youday CRM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For companies with more than 50 employees | For all companies | For all companies | For companies with more than 1 employees | For companies with 2 to 250 employees | For all companies | For companies with more than 1 employees | For companies with more than 250 employees |
| See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software |
| Learn more about Cirrus Shield | Learn more about Digiforma | Learn more about Eforma CRM & LMS | Learn more about HubSpot CRM | Learn more about Infocob CRM | Learn more about SC-Form | Learn more about SmartOF | Learn more about Youday CRM |
Cirrus Shield
French low-code CRM, Cirrus Shield supports the processes of SMEs in a variety of sectors. However, Cirrus Shield has also developed a business vertical for training centers, in full awareness of their specific needs.
Cirrus Shield guarantees significant time savings (up to 10 hours per week) on sales, marketing and customer service operations, thanks in particular to the automation of numerous tasks.
For FOs, the platform supports 100% of their operations, with a wide range of functionalities, from emailing to analysis and reporting, document editing and schedule management.
👍 Cirrus Shield benefits and key features:
- A free offer allowing you to test a number of features (marketing, sales, learner management, document management, etc.).
- Centralization of your entire customer base in the software.
- Automatic creation of training sessions based on an agreement or estimate.
- A portal for learners and a portal for trainers.
- Premium support from Cirrus Shield teams, from identifying your needs to optimizing your CRM.
- A software solution that will help you obtain and maintain your Qualiopi certification.
💶 Cirrus Shield rates:
Cirrus Shield offers the following 3 paying packages:
- Standard, at €99/month,
- Professional, at €149/month,
- Enterprise, €249/month.
Cirrus Shield
Digiforma
Digiforma is an all-in-one software package for training professionals. It covers sales and marketing, administrative management, e-learning, quality control and digital enrolment.
Digiforma's value proposition lies in its ability to centralize all relevant functionalities in a single integrated platform, designed and developed by training professionals aware of the sector's business challenges.
It's no surprise, therefore, that the software is particularly comprehensive in the CRM area: catalog, pipeline, quote and invoice management, online payment, marketplace, etc.
👍 Key benefits and features of Digiforma :
- Easy tracking of your sales cycle through a highly intuitive pipeline view.
- A complete invoicing module, including invoice preparation, payment tracking and profitability.
- Automatic, real-time generation of your Pedagogical and Financial Balance Sheet.
- Link Digiforma to your accounting solution (Sage, Cegid, EBP, etc.) to import your invoices and streamline your accounting processes.
- Send a payment link to your customers to receive payments by credit card or SEPA.
- Enhanced protection for your data and that of your learners (128-bit encryption).
💶 Digiforma rates :
Digiforma offers 4 different formulas:
- Starter, at €19 excl. tax/month (50 learners/year),
- Indep+, at 99 € HT/month (200 learners/year),
- Team, at €179 excl. tax/month (500 learners/year),
- Orga, at €299 ex VAT/month (1,500 learners/year).
Digiforma
eForma
A 360° solution, eForma is positioned as both a CRM and an LMS, for training organizations, companies, consultants and independent trainers alike.
eForma's main strength lies in its ability to centralize all your activities in a single workspace, from sales and administrative management to training management.
As far as CRM is concerned, the solution is designed to meet all your specific needs and help you boost productivity, thanks to its powerful and extensive functional coverage.
👍 eForma's key benefits and features :
- Management of all your marketing activities: reception of leads from various sources, allocation of teleoperators and performance monitoring.
- Automatically send context-sensitive email or SMS messages to your leads and learners.
- Generate comprehensive, reliable statistics (on prospects, customers, employees, etc.) to optimize your strategy.
- Electronic signature of documents to speed up processing.
- A commissioning system for headache-free calculation of your sales reps' bonuses.
- Fast, personalized software installation in less than 24 hours.
💶 eForma pricing:
eForma rates are available on request. Contact one of their consultants for a quote.
Eforma CRM & LMS
e-parcours
Developed by Axess, e-parcours is a complete business solution, available in SaaS mode, specifically designed for training organizations, regardless of the type of training provided: continuing or initial training, inter-company and intra-company, face-to-face, e-learning, blended-learning, common or individualized courses, etc.
To meet all the needs of an OF, e-parcours offers extensive functional coverage, from the training catalog to trainee administration, including financial management and, of course, CRM.
The e-parcours solution is part of a project-based approach, which means that Axess supports your teams from A to Z in the implementation of the solution: assistance in getting started, training, updates, dedicated experts... All of which will fully satisfy your ambitions to digitalize your activities, and thus develop your business.
👍 e-parcours key benefits and features:
- Handling of all sales management: tracking of customers and prospects, opportunities, appointments and sales team tasks, etc.
- Trainee and trainer areas to encourage exchanges between all stakeholders.
- Editing and management of all your commercial and administrative documents.
- A clear, visual dashboard to monitor your activities in real time, so you can better anticipate your actions.
- Software that meets Qualiopi criteria, guaranteeing compliance with your quality approach.
- Customized support throughout your implementation project, from deploying e-parcours to updating it to ensure regulatory compliance.
💶 e-parcours rates :
e-parcours offers 3 different packages:
- Essential, at €160 excl. tax/month - for 3 or more users,
- Collaborative, at €380 excl. tax/month - 5 users,
- eXperience, at €580 excl. tax/month - 8 users.
HubSpot
The well-known HubSpot CRM, unlike some of the other software products in this comparison, has not been developed specifically for training organizations. However, thanks to its extensive functional coverage, it is perfectly capable of meeting their specific requirements.
But how does HubSpot stand out on the market? In a nutshell, it's an all-in-one sales, marketing and customer service solution, perfect for managing your relationships and delivering a differentiating experience to your learners.
To do this, HubSpot centralizes all interactions with your contacts, providing an overview of the sales and administrative actions to be taken. All this in a tool that's easy to use, yet capable of evolving in line with your needs.
👍 HubSpot's key benefits and features:
- Free tools to get you started.
- Support for marketing actions, to generate traffic on your website, and thus attract potential candidates.
- Easy communication with your learners via a wide range of devices and channels: chatbots, live chat, online appointment booking, emails, etc.
- Advanced analytics and reporting, enabling you to monitor numerous indicators such as your conversion rate or the source of your leads.
- Integrations with third-party applications (Gmail, Outlook, Messenger, etc.).
- A market leader, with a large community... and therefore lots of online resources to help you progress with CRM!
💶 HubSpot pricing:
For the CRM suite, HubSpot offers the following formulas:
- Starter, at €45 excl. tax/month,
- Pro, at €1,580 ex,
- Enterprise, at €6490 ex VAT/month.
HubSpot CRM
Infocob CRM
Although Infocob CRM is not specifically designed for OFs, the publisher's promise is nonetheless interesting: to design digital ecosystems that are entirely modular and parameterizable.
Training centers will be delighted with this tailor-made solution, which will provide them with a 360° view of their activities, from a commercial, financial, organizational and pedagogical point of view.
If we focus on customer relationship management, Infocob CRM integrates all the tools you need to process your leads, contacts and business opportunities more efficiently.
👍 Infocob's key benefits and features:
- Interfacing your training catalog with your website to increase your online visibility and reach more prospects.
- A complete emailing and SMS module, with parameterization of your segmentation criteria.
- Generate all your sales documents (quotes, sales proposals, etc.) in just a few clicks.
- Workflows aligned with your own processes.
- Visual, customizable dashboards that let you track your KPIs at a glance.
- Software made in France, with a team that will work closely with you to ensure the success of your CRM project.
💶 Infocob rates:
Infocob rates are available on request. Contact one of their consultants for a quote.
Infocob CRM
SC-Form (Galia)
SC-Form is more than just a CRM for training organizations: it's a complete ERP integrating all the functions essential to this type of structure: pedagogical, commercial, administrative, financial management, and so on.
But SC-Form also offers three different business software packages, depending on the nature of the activity: Galia for diploma courses, Sofia for courses aimed at jobseekers, and Gessica for continuing education courses.
However, for the purposes of this comparison, let's focus on Galia, which offers the most interesting customer relations options for its target market.
👍 Key benefits and functions of SC-Form/Galia :
- Management of all sales activity, including candidate and company follow-ups.
- The ability to generate marketing campaigns by email, post or SMS.
- EDM (Electronic Document Management) functions to centralize and efficiently manage all your documentation.
- Candidate segmentation, with infinitely configurable fields, to match candidate profiles to company needs.
- Statistics on your sales forecasts to help you anticipate your actions.
- A pedagogical portal, with unlimited access, for learners, lecturers, tutors, etc.
💶 S C-Form/Galia rates:
SC-Form rates are available on request. Contact one of their consultants for a quote.
SC-Form
SmartOF
SmartOF is an elegant, comprehensive platform for training organizations. A good management solution, it includes modules for administrative management, CRM, financial monitoring and quality management.
The software's strength? Accessibility, ease of use and customization. All qualities that will appeal to training professionals eager to save time in the execution of their processes, without any headaches.
SmartOF also delivers on its sales management promise, integrating all the functionalities you need to boost sales and build customer loyalty.
👍 S martOF benefits and key features:
- A product library that's easy to edit and modify, to make the most of your offer.
- Optimized tracking of sales opportunities and relationships, with list or Kanban view.
- Centralize the collection and processing of your complaints, for the benefit of your customers' satisfaction and the quality of your training courses.
- A reminder and notification system that prevents you from forgetting deadlines and other actions to be taken.
- Customizable interface and documents - logo, text, fields, etc.
- A dedicated team of experts ready to support you in using the solution (training, customization, updates, etc.).
💶 S martOF pricing :
SmartOF rates are available on request. Contact one of their consultants for a quote.
SmartOF
Youday CRM
100% French and hosted in France, Youday CRM is all about ultra-customization. This makes it ideal for VSEs and SMEs in all sectors, starting with training centers.
Featuring an easy-to-configure interface (with support from Youday's project teams if required), this software allows the creation of as many fields and functionalities as necessary, to best suit the environment of each organization.
All in all, it's a very interesting solution for managing both your administrative obligations and your sales follow-up, with a view to boosting performance and customer loyalty.
👍 Youday's key benefits and features :
- Precise and comprehensive administrative and commercial follow-up, from prospect management to invoicing, including budget management.
- Simplified management of learners' learning paths, by centralizing all their information and interactions within Youday.
- A document database to gather and generate all your key documents in just a few clicks: attendance sheets, agreements, pedagogical reports, etc.
- Creation and updating of a complete training catalog.
- Intuitive dashboards for tracking KPIs and improving performance.
- A simple, scalable tool, with no need to master IT development.
💶 Youday pricing:
Youday rates are available on request. Contact one of their consultants for a quote.
Youday CRM
Zendesk
Well-known on the CRM market, Zendesk stands out for its strong "customer experience" focus. Its promise can be summed up in a few words: centralize support, sales activity and customer engagement within a single omnichannel platform.
More concretely, Zendesk consists of a multitude of tools covering all interaction and communication needs, wherever your contacts may be: support, guide, chat, talk, message and explore.
This software has everything you need to support training organizations in maintaining relationships with their prospects and learners. All with a solution that's simple to use, easy to implement and scalable.
👍 Key benefits and features of Zendesk :
- Unification of all your contact data, from all your channels.
- Customizable pipeline views to track the evolution of your interactions, whether with trainers, learners, potential customers, etc.
- Maintain communication via all media: email, chat, telephone, messaging applications such as Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, etc.
- Automate online registration for your training courses.
- The ability to create a personalized knowledge base so that the various stakeholders can access the information they need autonomously, 24/7.
- A powerful solution, equipped with artificial intelligence technology capable of providing more relevant answers to your interlocutors.
💶 Zendesk pricing:
Zendesk Sell, aimed at sales teams, consists of 3 formulas:
- Sell Team, at 19 € HT/month/agent,
- Sell Growth, at 55 € HT/month/agent,
- Sell Professional, at €115/month/agent.
Zendesk Suite, for customer service, comprises 4 formulas:
- Suite Team, at €55 ex-VAT/month/agent,
- Suite Growth, at €89 ex VAT/month/agent,
- Suite Professional, at €115 excl. tax/month/agent
- Suite Enterprise, prices on request.
Have you chosen the CRM for your training center?
😀 That's it, you now know the 10 best CRMs for training centers. All that's left is to find your own, taking care to formalize your needs beforehand, why not with the help of a specification document.
Article translated from French