Top 7 CRM tools for effective customer emailing
Emailing is a very important lever in any CRM (Customer Relationship Management). It enables us to recruit, retain and follow-up with customers, in short, to create a bond.
When it comes to optimizing prospecting budgets, digital marketing departments don't hesitate to use this cost-effective tool as part of their multi-channel strategy.
Discover CRM tips, best practices and the best software for managing your email campaigns in 2025.
A look at the concepts of CRM and emailing
Customer Relationship Management, or Gestion de la Relation Client, is "the set of marketing and sales tools and operations designed to optimize the quality of customer relations, build loyalty and maximize sales or margin per customer. "(source: Marketing Definitions).
It's the art of optimizing your company's interactions with your customers and prospects.
The aim is to :
- collection,
- process,
- and analysis of information on each customer and prospect to support customer relationship management.
Several tools exist to achieve these ends: software to create and feed a qualified database (contact details, purchasing habits, seniority, birthdays, etc.), customer satisfaction questionnaires, loyalty programs, after-sales service and the star of the day: emailing.
Emailing, or mass emailing, is a marketing campaign carried out via the email channel.
Often cited as the lever with the best return on investment, it's an excellent marketing tool for customer relationship management, thanks to the interaction between your emailing solution and your CRM database.
A marketing CRM and a sales CRM differ in their specific objectives and functionalities.
-
- Marketing CRM is designed to engage and retain customers. It can segment contacts, automate campaigns and analyze results to maximize the impact of marketing communications.
- In contrast, sales CRM focuses on sales: it helps teams manage leads, opportunities and conversions by tracking each stage of the sales cycle, facilitating personalized customer follow-up and day-to-day sales performance.
Comparison table of the 7 best CRM emailing tools
1 of 8
 ActiveCampaign |  Brevo (ex Sendinblue) |  Copper CRM |  Creatio |  HubSpot CRM |  Nutshell |  Zoho CRM |  monday CRM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| For all companies | For all companies | For companies with more than 50 employees | For companies with more than 250 employees | For companies with more than 1 employees | For companies with more than 5000 employees | For all companies | For companies with 1 to 5000 employees |
| See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software | See software |
| Learn more about ActiveCampaign | Learn more about Brevo (ex Sendinblue) | Learn more about Copper CRM | Learn more about Creatio | Learn more about HubSpot CRM | Learn more about Nutshell | Learn more about Zoho CRM | Learn more about monday CRM |
TOP 7 CRM tools with emailing
ActiveCampaign
ActiveCampaign's email marketing tool is all about personalization and automation.
In particular, it offers rich and varied creation options, so you can fine-tune your mails as you wish.
The editor features an easy-to-use drag-and-drop system. You can add :
- CTAs,
- images
- videos,
- social links,
- and HTML blocks...
in just a few clicks.
And the personalization doesn't stop there. The tool also lets you segment your audience according to how they interact with your e-mails. This allows you to offer unique content tailored to all your prospects.
When it comes to automation, you're in complete control. For example, if someone subscribes to your newsletter, they can be added directly to a contact list, receive a welcome email, or be assigned a specific tag. The choice is yours.
And, of course, the CRM gives you access to customized reports to evaluate the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.
ActiveCampaign combines all the features to maximize the ROI of your marketing efforts. The deserved top 🥇 of our ranking.
ActiveCampaign
Brevo
Brevo is a free (up to 9,300 mails/day), high-performance French mailing platform. 3 good reasons to choose it to create your future email marketing campaigns.
With this tool, you have access to a wide range of templates that you can customize as you see fit, thanks to an intuitive drag-and-drop system.
The software also integrates automation functionalities to respond to all possible scenarios:
- shopping cart abandonment,
- welcome message,
- birthday, etc.
Brevo even offers personalized messages based on the pages visited and the response to campaigns. All the more reason to boost your conversion and customer retention rates.
In addition to its email marketing-specific features, Brevo also lets you extend your campaigns to SMS and WhatsApp.
And that's all for the free version. For €13.50 a month, you'll also have access to:
- comprehensive reporting tools,
- premium telephone support,
- predictive sending and A/B testing.
Quite simply, a complete tool.
Brevo (ex Sendinblue)
Copper
Copper is a solution reserved exclusively for users of Gmail and the Google Workspace suite. It does not integrate with other tools such as Microsoft Outlook or Office 365.
A limitation indeed, but one that allows you to exploit the full potential of Google's mailbox:
- update your customer database with every e-mail you receive,
- use of CRM functionalities directly from Gmail,
- send personalized, automated e-mails...
All the basic functionalities are there.
On the reporting and analysis side, Copper offers targeted capabilities such as the ability to check :
- whether your recipients have also visited your site,
- on which pages did they land?
- for how long?
Interesting insights, but relatively limited.
Finally, Copper offers a feature called the "relational strength score". An index based on your e-mail traffic.
An excellent tool for managers wishing to analyze their teams' exchange flows.
Copper CRM
Creatio
Creatio marketing (Creatio's dedicated emailing tool) combines absolutely all the features of the other tools in our top ten. Not a specialist in any field, but effective everywhere.
It offers :
- an extensive template library,
- block-based customization functions,
- and even ChatGPT integration to help with copywriting.
It lets you segment your mailings with relevant filters and split tests.
And don't forget the analysis options, with :
- opening rate reports,
- UTM code tracking,
- click heatmap, etc.
Creatio
HubSpot
HubSpot is an all-in-one platform offering solutions for inbound marketing, sales and customer service. Naturally, it also includes options for email marketing.
We recommend HubSpot if you want to benefit from a complete arsenal dedicated to your digital marketing, but without the need to integrate several dedicated applications.
Everything is centralized in a single CRM. This facilitates the coordinated use of all the functionalities on offer, but still requires time to adapt.
HubSpot's great strength for your email campaigns is its comprehensive marketing automation management.
The solution also offers all the basic functions you'd expect:
- choice of predefined templates
- creation of personalized email sequences,
- precise tracking of opens,
- clicks and downloads, etc.
Perfect for integrating your emailing strategy into a global digital marketing ecosystem.
HubSpot CRM
Nutshell CRM
Nutshell makes it easy to manage your email marketing campaigns. Its main strength is its ease of use and well-designed automation functions, particularly when it comes to email sequencing.
Thanks to templates and simple filtering, you can create mass-targeted campaigns effortlessly and optimize your lead nurturing strategy. Sequences are automatically deactivated as soon as a recipient responds.
For analysis, Nutshell tracks response rates to help you identify the most effective messages.
It integrates seamlessly with Gmail and Office 365.
Nutshell
Zoho CRM
We end our top list with Zoho CRM. A solution that balances ease of use and performance.
Not surprisingly, Zoho CRM also offers ready-to-use templates and customization options with an easy-to-use drag-and-drop system (Canvas Builder).
However, please note that massive email campaigns are not natively integrated into Zoho CRM. To access it, you'll need to use Zoho Campaigns.
Apart from that, there's nothing to say. The reporting tools are complete with :
- dispatch information,
- opened
- and read information.
Zoho is compatible with the industry's leading mailboxes (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc.).
Zoho CRM
How to choose your email marketing CRM?
CRM essentials for successful email marketing
Email marketing is one of the most effective (and economical) digital marketing techniques. But to get the most out of it, your CRM needs to offer features tailored to your needs. Which are the most essential?
👉 The simpler a tool is to use, the better it performs. So opt for emailing CRMs with :
- well-stocked libraries of ready-to-use templates,
- a clear interface,
- and a no-code email builder.
Your sales teams will thank you.
👉 The challenge of a successful emailing strategy is to maintain a constant balance between automation and personalization. Your CRM tool must reflect this balance, with options for :
- audience segmentation,
- predictive sending,
- intelligent triggered scenarios.
👉 A good emailing CRM doesn't just send messages, it also helps you analyze them. To do this, it offers comprehensive dashboards with :
- open rates,
- clicks,
- conversions,
- and heat maps to adjust your campaigns in real time.
A/B tests are also highly relevant.
👉 Above all, don't overlook the modularity of your tool. It needs to adapt to your evolution and remain high-performance as you grow. It must also be compatible with the applications you use now and will use in the future.
Summary table of emailing CRMs
|
CRM tools |
Main features/Strong points |
Prices and packages |
|
ActiveCampaign |
|
From €15 / month / user. |
|
Brevo |
|
Free offer. Then from €6.33 / month / user. |
|
Copper |
|
From €10.24 / month / user. |
|
Creatio |
|
From €25 / month / user. |
|
Hubspot |
|
Free offer. Then from €882 per month. |
|
Nutshell CRM |
|
From €11.09 / user / month. |
|
Zoho CRM |
|
From €14 / month / user. |
Free turnkey emailing service providers
Platforms called "routers" exist, with free but limited formulas, on which you can use a template from among several options, then, after first exporting a mail listing from your database, import this file into it in .csv or .txt format.
✅ Advantages:
- cost-effective,
- intuitive,
- easy to use,
- no commitment,
- you can switch from the free to the paid version at any time,
- some analytical data available.
❌ Disadvantages:
- the emailing solution offers you 6,000 free sends per month and you've got a big campaign to send? Often, you won't be able to exceed 200 mailings per day;
- you'll have to generate the file yourself, then integrate it into the emailing platform.
Paid emailing service providers, integrated into your database
You choose a paid emailing provider that can integrate with your existing tools.
✅ Advantages of interoperability between your emailing solution and your CRM tool:
- saves time,
- customization to suit your needs,
- easy management of mailing lists,
- multi-criteria targeting from your CRM database,
- synchronization of new contacts, unsubscribes and errors,
- follow-up behavioral analysis with tracking,
- measurement of commercial impact,
- traceability of your emailing operations in your CRM database.
❌ Disadvantages :
- tool training time,
- budget depending on the formula chosen.
10 tips for optimizing your CRM with emailing
Emailing is one of the strings you need to add to your CRM "bow".
As part of a multi-channel marketing campaign, emailing with data from your CRM database will reinforce the effectiveness of your communications with your customers.
Tip 1: Determine your objectives
Do you want to acquire new customers? Retain existing ones?
Customer acquisition can be a strategy of conquest or prospecting, necessary for the development of any business, but with an uncertain return on investment (ROI).
Email is 40 times more effective than Facebook and Twitter for acquiring new customers (source DigitaWeb).
According to several sources, customer acquisition costs 5 to 7 times more than customer retention.
And according to the Pareto principle, 80% of sales are generated by the best 20% of customers, which is why it's important not to neglect a loyalty strategy.
Every company needs to achieve these two objectives, taking into account its current situation (start-up, mature company with strong competition, etc.).
Tip 2: Sort, target, segment
1- Clean up your database
It's a good idea to update your database on a regular basis (change of reported email address, geographical location, unsubscribe requests) to optimize your emailing campaigns in advance and ensure good deliverability.
Too many errors in your mailing list are likely to cause you to be detected as a spammer by the e-mail services, to be blacklisted and thus blocked.
You also need to have opt-in subscribers. Don't take the risk of being moved into junk mail.
In short, take good care of your database - it's the foundation of your CRM.
2- Target
Knowing your targets, their behaviors and habits, is essential for both acquiring customers AND retaining them.
You can have a very precise target, or a very broad one. This is called marketing targeting.
In the latter case, you won't send the same campaigns to your customers and your prospects, to those aged 18-25 and those over 50, and so on.
3- Segment
Whether or not your emailing service provider is integrated with your CRM software, segment for the most targeted and effective emailing.
Select recipients according to the information you have at your disposal: age, gender, department, prospect, customer, purchasing habits, etc.
77% of email ROI comes from campaigns that are segmented and well-targeted from the outset (source DigitaWeb).
Several advantages:
- The recipient is more likely to be interested, and therefore to read you next time too. The risk of unsubscribing is reduced.
- Cost is optimized: Depending on the emailing provider you use, the number of emails sent can be limited, but above all they can be invoiced per unit, whether they are delivered, opened or deleted without being read. Do you see the importance of sorting? You can then optimize your marketing budget and allocate these substantial savings to other complementary levers.
⭐️ Congratulations, you've broken through the first barrier - your email is delivered!
Tip 3: Be catchy
According to Jeff Rosenblum, American expert and founder of the Questus digital agency, consumers are confronted with 5,000 marketing messages a day. The key is to stand out!
The subject line is very important: it's the gateway to your emailing. It must be intriguing, personalized and not sound like spam.
Discover some words to banish (source le blog du modérateur).
A personalized email is 26% more likely to be opened (source: Marketing Management).
An eye-catching preheader is also recommended. Preheader elements are displayed first and are visible in preview windows and on mobile devices. They are also visible when image display is not activated.
⭐️ Second barrier crossed, your emailing is open!
Tip 4: Take care with content
- Content should be short and interesting for your target, alternating text and images (for a 70%/30% ratio).
- Links should be visible but few in number, and the design should be pleasing.
- Don't include too much information, written or graphic, so as not to drown the reader and make him or her miss the main message (new product, current promotion).
- As personalization is king, remember that it improves click-through rates by 14% and conversion rates by 10%.
- Last but not least, don't hesitate to use storytelling: whether it's your company's history or customer testimonials, building loyalty now depends on the emotional factor.
Tip 5: Interact with your customer
In your content, it's essential to interact with the customer or prospect by inserting call-to-action buttons, such as "learn more", "read more" or "download your coupon here".learn more", "read more" or "download your coupon here".
🛬 The landing page, literally the page where they land, must also be neat, up to date, operational (no 404 errors) and deliver on the button's promise, or risk angering the reader.
An email with a single call to action boosts clicks and sales by up to 371% (source DigitaWeb).
Tip 6: Anticipate bugs and blockages
In the digital age, bugs are still possible, depending on your recipient's hardware and connection.
1- Format
Your emailing is in HTML format.
Have you spent time researching and integrating images? Few recipients won't be able to read your emailing, but...
In your campaign settings, if you can, offer a text version of your emailing to ensure that it's readable, even without the images. With this in mind, fill in the ALT tag of images (the field displayed when the image is uploaded to the platform) so that a text appears in their place in the event of a problem.
In all cases, images should not be too heavy to optimize display time.
Include a link in the preheader to enable the email to be viewed in a browser: "If this message doesn't display properly, click here".
2- Think responsive
61% read their emails on a smartphone (over 23 million people in France - source Marketing Management).
This means that your content needs to be displayed correctly according to the medium used, whether it's a 20-inch computer, a tablet or a smartphone.
Don't take the risk of your message being truncated or illegible!
3 - Test
Most emailing service providers offer a preview of your emailing and a test send to the email address used to create your account.
If possible, test several email services, as Gmail does not handle the display of emails in the same way as Outlook, for example.
Before you click on "send", take the time to proofread and correct any small errors you find.
Tip 7: Create links
Display your social network buttons and link to your website.
One of your main objectives is to generate traffic to your site.
Make it easy to share your content via dedicated buttons.
A great promotional operation or the launch of an innovative product is likely to be shared with friends by e-mail or on social networks, and therefore to go viral.
This will generate clicks and meet your twofold expectation: to win over new targets and stay connected to loyal customers.
Tip 8: Be impeccable
Your information
In the parameters, when entering your sender e-mail address, avoid neutral or no-response addresses such as noreply@domaine.com, even if it means creating one dedicated to the newsletter if you're afraid of being swamped by returns.
You must be identifiable for the recipient (logo, company name, address, email address...).
Compliance with the law
Your reputation is at stake.
There are therefore legal imperatives to take into account, such as the mandatory and obvious presence of an unsubscribe link.
The new RGPD regulations also require you to obtain the prior, express and explicit consent of the person concerned before sending advertising messages.
Please note: accepting general terms and conditions of sale in a contract is not equivalent to consent, nor can you pre-check consent boxes or influence consent through prizes or discounts.
Tip 9: Get the timing right
Plan your mailing according to your target's habits.
Here are a few tips, to be adapted according to your KPI analysis:
- If you're in a BtoB model, working hours are preferable.
Tuesdays and Thursdays are preferable, with Mondays being a day for "catching up" on all e-mails received since Friday, Wednesdays being a slower day at work, and Fridays being the preferred day for taking a day off.
Time slots for arriving at the office and returning from lunch are also strategic. - For BtoC, it's more or less the other way around, with early mornings, lunch breaks, evenings and weekends being the preferred reading times.
☝️ Please note that, depending on the number of recipients, some free emailing solutions defer part of the mailings, which they send in "packets". This can affect your timing strategy.
Paid emailing software, on the other hand, offers options such as mass or regulated throughput and deferred or immediate sending, as well as behavioral analysis functions to help you find the ideal day and time to send each email.
Above all, dose your mailings: 78% of customers unsubscribe from a newsletter when they receive too many emails from the same recipient (source DigitaWeb).
Tip 10: Analyze your successes and mistakes
Deliverability rate
This is your e-mail's ability to pass the increasingly stringent anti-spam filters of ISPs and corporate IT departments.
If your rate is poor, it's probably because your database is out of date and contains too many errors. You need to remedy this as quickly as possible, or risk being blacklisted.
Open rate
This is the number of times the email was actually opened by the recipient.
If it's not satisfactory, review your targeting as well as your subject line.
Click-through rate
The number of times the recipient clicked on the links contained in the emailing and on the "call to action" buttons.
Observe what works best in different campaigns and adjust accordingly.
Engagement rate
This is the ratio between the click rate and the open rate.
Email conversion rate
This is where your campaign's objective and success come into play.
It's the number of people who have actually carried out the action you expected of them (subscription, purchase, quote request, etc.).
🛠 monday CRM is a CRM software package that lets you create, store, send and track e-mails quickly and easily. Thanks to customizable email templates, you can create email campaigns that reflect your personality, and save time by automating their delivery. Finally, analyze your campaigns with key indicators updated in real time!
monday CRM
CRM emailing, an attractive marketing tool
Emailing is a cost-effective marketing tool of choice. It's highly effective for acquiring and retaining customers, provided you know how to dose the information and frequency of the mailing, and have taken the time to study your target audience.
Its interoperability with your CRM database enables you to track your customers' habits and behaviors, which can help you make strategic decisions for your company.
Don't wait any longer!