As an Outlook user managing a sales team of 20-50 people, coordinating emails, contacts, and tasks across your entire team can become overwhelming as your client base grows.

Integrating a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system with Outlook can help your medium-sized sales team streamline these tasks by organizing contacts, tracking interactions, and automating follow-ups all within your existing workflow. The right CRM will enhance your team's productivity, allowing you to manage customer relationships more effectively without leaving your inbox. But it can be overwhelming navigating a saturated marketplace without understanding what you should look out for when managing a sales team of this size.

In this blog post, we'll explore the best CRM options for Outlook users with teams of 20-50 sales professionals, highlighting tools that seamlessly integrate with Outlook to boost your team's efficiency and help you stay organized at scale.

Why Outlook teams of 20-50 need a CRM

If you're using Outlook for your sales team of 20-50 people, integrating a CRM can be a game-changer for team coordination and performance tracking. You'll no longer have to comb through countless team inboxes for contact information, and will have somewhere to bring all your team's contacts into one centralized place, allowing your sales team to fully leverage your collective network. It also streamlines your processes and enhances your overall team efficiency while providing the visibility needed to manage a medium-sized sales operation.

👉🏼 Try folk now to unify your Outlook team inboxes and never miss a follow-up

Challenges without a CRM

Managing Outlook across a team of 20-50 sales professionals without a CRM can present several critical challenges that impact team performance and scalability. You may already be experiencing these challenges with your growing sales team.

• Team disorganization: Emails, contacts, and tasks scattered across 20-50 individual inboxes become nearly impossible to manage collectively.
• Missed opportunities: Without a centralized system, important follow-ups and leads can slip through the cracks when team members are unavailable or leave.
• Inefficient team processes: Manual data entry and task management across multiple team members consume valuable time and create inconsistencies.
• Lack of team insight: Limited visibility into team-wide customer interactions and sales performance makes it difficult to coach and optimize.
• Inconsistent team communication: Difficulty in maintaining consistent and professional communication flow across all team members.

Benefits of a CRM

Fortunately, with the right CRM in your tech stack designed for teams of 20-50 people, it can address the above challenges and bring some added benefits specifically for medium-sized sales teams.

• Centralized team information: All emails, contacts, and tasks from your entire sales team are stored in one place for easy access and collaboration.
• Enhanced team efficiency: Automate routine tasks across your team and reduce manual data entry for all 20-50 team members.
• Improved team customer relationships: Track interactions across your entire team and personalize communication to build stronger relationships collectively.
• Better team decision-making: Gain insights through analytics and reporting to make informed business decisions based on your team's collective performance.
• Increased team sales: Streamline your team's sales process and improve lead conversion rates across all team members.
• Consistent team communication: Ensure all 20-50 team members have access to the same information, maintaining a unified approach.
  

How to evaluate and choose a CRM

With a lot of CRMs on the market to go through, it can be hard to figure out which one fits your exact requirements for managing a sales team of 20-50 people and your specific business goals. To help you with your decision making process for your medium-sized sales team, we've put together some tips below for you to bounce ideas off, or add to your list.

1. Define your requirements

Before diving into research mode, make sure you're clear on exactly what you're looking for when managing a sales team of 20-50 people. If you're using Outlook for your sales team, chances are you need a CRM that seamlessly integrates with Outlook, offering features like email tracking, calendar synchronization, and contact management that can scale across your entire team. Additionally, consider whether you need advanced functionalities such as sales automation, team performance analytics, customer support, or reporting that provides visibility into your team's collective efforts. Clearly outlining these needs will help narrow down your choices and ensure you select a CRM that enhances your existing team workflow.

Key features of a CRM for Outlook

• Automated team processes: Streamlines tasks by automating repetitive workflows across all team members.
• Contact enrichment: Automatically finds leads, customers, and prospects' email addresses and contact information for your entire sales team, enhancing team-wide efficiency.
• Team contact management: Brings all your team's contacts into one place from multiple inboxes to social media to help you outline your team pipeline, identify bottlenecks and coordinate communication strategy across 20-50 sales professionals.
• Structured team pipeline: Tracks leads, customers, and opportunities through defined stages for your entire team, ensuring process clarity and effectiveness at scale.
• Email sequences: Increases team communication efficiency with follow-up templates and automated sequences that can be used consistently across your sales team.
• LinkedIn connection: Seamlessly imports contact information from LinkedIn to leverage your team's collective network within the CRM.
• Team analytics: Provides essential data analysis and predictive insights for better team planning and performance management.

2. Budget considerations

Balancing cost and return on investment is essential when choosing a CRM for a team of 20-50 people, as costs can add up quickly at this scale. While some CRMs offer free or low-cost options, they may lack the advanced features and team collaboration capabilities necessary for growing sales teams of this size. On the other hand, premium CRMs come with a higher price tag but offer robust functionalities that can significantly improve productivity and customer relationship management across your entire team. Evaluate your budget considering the per-user costs multiplied by 20-50 team members and consider the long-term benefits of investing in a comprehensive CRM solution that integrates well with Outlook and scales with your team size.

3. Selection process

Choosing the right CRM vendor for your sales team involves thorough research and comparison, especially when considering the needs of 20-50 users. Start by compiling a list of reputable CRM providers that offer Outlook integration and can handle teams of your size effectively. Look for user reviews, case studies, and testimonials from similar-sized sales teams to gauge customer satisfaction. Additionally, consider the vendor's customer support, training resources, and community forums, as these become crucial when onboarding and supporting a team of 20-50 people. Engaging with other users can provide valuable insights into the CRM's performance and reliability at scale.

4. Get a demo

Once you have shortlisted your favorite CRMs for your team size, take advantage of free trials and demos. This hands-on experience will allow you to assess the CRM's usability, integration with Outlook, and overall functionality for a team of 20-50 people. During the trial period, involve key members of your sales team to gather feedback and ensure the CRM meets everyone's needs and can handle your team's volume of activity. Compare the features, pricing, and user experience of each option before making an informed decision. Get started with a demo of folk – it's specifically designed for teams of your size and is fully compatible with Outlook and Gmail.

👉🏼 Try folk now to unify your Outlook team inboxes and never miss a follow-up

3 tips for implementing a CRM

At this stage, it's time to get excited about your new CRM for your sales team. To help you make the most of it when managing 20-50 team members, we suggest keeping these things front of mind during your implementation stage.

1. Import your data into your new CRM

Transitioning to a new CRM involves migrating your existing team data from all 20-50 team members. Export your current team data as CSV files to ensure a seamless import process that captures all your team's valuable contact information. Proper data migration ensures that you retain all critical information from your entire sales team and can hit the ground running with your new CRM. All without having to manually add contacts from each team member individually.

2. Create your first pipeline

Once your team data is imported, it's time to set up your first pipeline that works for your entire sales team of 20-50 people. Tailor the pipeline stages to reflect your team's Outlook-related processes and ensure consistency across all team members. For instance, you might have stages like "New Lead," "Contacted via Outlook," "Follow-Up Scheduled," and "Deal Closed" that every team member can use uniformly. Customizing your pipeline ensures that your CRM aligns perfectly with your team workflow, making it easier for all 20-50 team members to adopt and use effectively.

3. Onboard your team

Effective onboarding is key to maximizing the benefits of your new CRM across all 20-50 team members. Schedule training sessions to familiarize your entire sales team with the CRM's features and how it integrates with Outlook. Provide them with resources and support to address any questions or challenges that arise during the transition. A well-onboarded team of 20-50 people will be more confident and efficient, leading to better CRM adoption and improved business outcomes across your entire sales organization.

The 5 best CRMs for Outlook

1. folk

folk is the ideal CRM platform for sales teams of 20-50 people managing contacts, workflows, and relationships through Outlook. It offers customizable pipelines, AI-driven tools, and seamless integrations specifically designed to enhance deal management and prospecting for medium-sized sales teams.

Key features

• Mail merge and email sequences: Full email sync compatible with Outlook and Gmail, access to templates, and tracking features, enabling your entire sales team to manage all communications directly from the CRM.
• Contact enrichment: Automatically enriches contact details by finding emails and LinkedIn URLs for your entire team, enabling efficient outreach across all 20-50 team members without manual data entry or additional costs for email services.
• Social media integration: Seamlessly import contacts from LinkedIn, Sales Navigator, and other social media platforms such as Instagram and X to track contacts across the web within folk, allowing your sales team to use templates for quicker, streamlined communication.
• AI-powered features: AI tools assist your sales team in managing contacts and relationships, automating routine tasks, and suggesting actions to improve team productivity across all members.
• Team integrations: folk integrates seamlessly with over 6,000 apps, including Gmail, Zapier, and Make, allowing your sales team to centralize their workflow and reduce manual data entry across all team members.

Pros

• Perfect for team size: folk is specifically designed for teams of 20-50 people, providing the right balance of features and simplicity that larger teams need without overwhelming smaller teams.
• Team ease of use: folk is praised for its intuitive interface, making it accessible across your entire sales team with quick onboarding and a minimal learning curve for all 20-50 members.
• All-in-one team solution: folk streamlines your team workflow by allowing all members to import contacts from LinkedIn, automatically find their emails, reach out through customizable email sequences, and track interactions in a shared pipeline, eliminating the need for multiple tools and saving time and money for your entire team.
• Full team personalization: Custom fields, pipelines, dashboards, automation and workflows that can be tailored to your team's specific needs and shared across all members.
• Comprehensive team integrations: folk integrates seamlessly with over 6,000 apps, including Gmail, Zapier, and Make, allowing your entire sales team to centralize their workflow and reduce manual data entry.

Cons

• Advanced reporting and analytics: folk provides pipeline and deal-stage analytics, weighted revenue forecasting, performance breakdowns by owner/channel/industry/region or any custom field, plus revenue insights—available today.
  

Price and plans

You can try folk for free with a 14-day free trial, perfect for testing with your team of 20-50 people. After that, a monthly or annual subscription plan is as follows.

• Standard: $20 per user, per month (ideal for teams of 20-50 people).
• Premium: $40 per user, per month (recommended for larger sales teams).
• Custom: Starts from $60 per user, per month (for enterprise needs).

2. HubSpot

HubSpot CRM is a user-friendly, scalable platform offering integrated tools for managing sales, marketing, customer service, and operations, though it can become expensive for teams of 20-50 people at higher tiers.

Key features

• Marketing Hub: Includes email marketing, ad tracking, landing pages, and lead generation tools, suitable for teams managing multiple campaigns through Outlook.
• Sales Hub: Provides deal tracking, pipeline management, sales automation, and reporting, making it easier for sales teams to manage customer relationships.
• Service Hub: Offers customer service tools like ticketing, live chat, and knowledge bases, ensuring customer support capabilities for your Outlook contacts.
• Operations Hub: Syncs and automates business processes across different systems, ensuring integration with Outlook across team workflows.
• Lead scoring: Prioritize leads with predictive scoring to improve sales efficiency, though this can become complex for medium-sized teams to manage.

Pros

• User-friendly interface: Easy-to-use interface that integrates with Outlook, though onboarding 20-50 team members can be time-consuming.
• Comprehensive free plan: Robust free version that includes essential CRM features, but limitations become apparent with larger team usage.
• Marketing integration: Integrates smoothly with marketing, sales, and service hubs, though this can be overwhelming for sales-focused teams of 20-50 people.
• Automation capabilities: Powerful automation tools, though they require significant setup time for teams of this size.
• Learning resources: HubSpot Academy offers free courses, though training 20-50 team members requires substantial time investment.

Cons

• High cost for teams: Pricing becomes very expensive for teams of 20-50 people at higher tiers, with costs potentially reaching $22,500+ per month.
• Limited customization in lower tiers: Free plan and lower tiers have limited customization options, restricting flexibility for growing sales teams of this size.
• Complexity in advanced features: Advanced features have a steep learning curve and may require extensive training for all team members.
• Email marketing limits: Email marketing functionality in lower-cost plans is restricted, which can be problematic for teams managing large prospect lists.
• Reporting limitations: Detailed reporting features are often locked behind higher-priced plans, limiting insights for teams on lower tiers.
  

Price and plans

Prices and plans on the CRM suite for an annual subscription are as follows (costs multiply significantly for 20-50 users).

• Starter: $15 per user, per month ($300-750/month for your team).
• Professional: $450 per user, per month ($9,000-22,500/month for your team).
• Enterprise: $1,500 per user, per month ($30,000-75,000/month for your team).

3. Salesforce

Salesforce is a robust CRM platform designed for large enterprises, offering extensive tools for sales, marketing, service, and analytics, but it can be overly complex and expensive for teams of 20-50 people.

Key features

• Comprehensive ecosystem: A unified platform offering CRM, marketing automation, customer service, and custom app development, though often more than what teams of 20-50 people actually need.
• Enterprise customization: Highly customizable and scalable, though this complexity can be overwhelming for medium-sized sales teams.
• AI integration: Salesforce Einstein offers AI-driven analytics, though implementation requires significant expertise and time investment.
• Integration capabilities: Extensive third-party integrations through AppExchange, though managing these becomes complex for smaller teams.
• Enterprise security: Robust security measures designed for large organizations, though this adds complexity for teams of 20-50 people.

Pros

• Comprehensive features: Extensive range of features, though many are unnecessary for teams of 20-50 people and add complexity.
• Highly customizable: Very customizable, but this requires significant time and expertise to implement properly for your team.
• Extensive integrations: Integrates with many third-party applications, though managing these integrations can become overwhelming.
• Enterprise scalability: Highly scalable for very large organizations, but this comes at the cost of simplicity for medium-sized teams.
• Advanced analytics: Powerful reporting tools, though they require significant training for teams to use effectively.

Cons

• Very high cost: Extremely expensive for teams of 20-50 people, with costs potentially reaching $8,250+ per month for advanced features.
• Steep learning curve: Requires extensive training and time investment for all team members, which can be disruptive for sales teams.
• Complex setup: Initial setup and customization often require certified consultants, adding significant additional costs.
• Outdated interface: Interface is not as intuitive as modern CRMs designed for medium-sized teams.
• Overwhelming for medium teams: Salesforce's extensive features are often overkill for teams of 20-50 people, leading to poor adoption and wasted resources.

Price and plans

On an annual subscription plan, Salesforce's Service Cloud plan is as follows (costs add up quickly for teams of 20-50 people).

• Starter suite: Starts from $25 per user, per month ($500-1,250/month for your team).
• Pro suite: Starts from $100 per user, per month ($2,000-5,000/month for your team).
• Enterprise: Starts from $165 per user, per month ($3,300-8,250/month for your team).
  

4. Capsule CRM

Capsule CRM is a user-friendly customer relationship management platform designed for small and medium-sized businesses. While it offers a clean interface, it may lack some advanced features needed for growing sales teams of 20-50 people.

Key features

• 1 sales pipeline: Single pipeline structure that may be limiting for teams of 20-50 people who need multiple pipelines for different products or regions.
• 30,000 contacts: Contact limit that could become restrictive for growing sales teams managing large prospect databases.
• Basic task management: Simple task tracking that may lack the sophistication needed for coordinating across 20-50 team members.
• Limited reporting: Basic activity reporting that may not provide the insights needed for managing larger sales teams effectively.
• Standard integrations: Basic integration capabilities with Outlook and other tools, though less extensive than what larger teams typically require.

Pros

• Simple interface: Clean and intuitive design, though it may be too basic for the complex needs of 20-50 person sales teams.
• Basic contact management: Straightforward contact organization, though it lacks advanced features for team collaboration and contact sharing.
• Some customization: Limited customization options that may not meet the diverse needs of larger sales teams.
• Microsoft integration: Integrates with Microsoft 365, though integration capabilities are more basic compared to specialized solutions.
• Affordable for small teams: Competitive pricing for very small teams, though costs can add up for teams of 20-50 people without proportional value.

Cons

• Limited advanced features: Lacks sophisticated analytics and complex reporting capabilities that teams of 20-50 people typically need for performance management.
• Basic email marketing: Email marketing features are quite limited, requiring additional tools for comprehensive sales campaigns across larger teams.
• Limited support: Primarily email-based support, which can be problematic when supporting 20-50 users who may need immediate assistance.
• No advanced communication features: Lacks built-in phone or SMS functionality that larger sales teams often require for comprehensive communication strategies.
• Scalability limitations: May not scale effectively as teams grow beyond basic needs, potentially requiring platform changes as teams expand.
  

Price and plans

On an annual subscription plan, Capsule's pricing is as follows (costs for teams of 20-50 people).

• Starter plan: Starts from $21 per user, per month ($420-1,050/month for your team).
• Growth plan: Starts from $38 per user, per month ($760-1,900/month for your team).
• Advanced plan: Starts from $60 per user, per month ($1,200-3,000/month for your team).
• Ultimate plan: Starts from $75 per user, per month ($1,500-3,750/month for your team).

5. Pipedrive

Pipedrive is a web-based CRM focused on pipeline management for small businesses, offering lead management, automation, and email integration, though it may lack some team collaboration features needed for 20-50 person sales teams.

Key features

• Pipeline-focused design: Strong pipeline management, though team collaboration features may be limited for coordinating across 20-50 team members.
• Basic automation: Workflow automation for repetitive tasks, though it may not be as sophisticated as what larger sales teams require.
• Email integration: Email sync and tracking with Outlook, though template sharing and team coordination could be more robust.
• Standard reporting: Basic reporting and analytics, though advanced team performance insights may be limited.
• Customization options: Some pipeline and field customization, though it may not fully accommodate the diverse needs of larger sales teams.

Pros

• Intuitive pipeline view: Visual pipeline approach that's easy to understand, though team-wide visibility could be improved for larger teams.
• Sales-focused design: Built specifically for sales processes, though team collaboration features are somewhat limited.
• Decent customization: Allows for pipeline and workflow customization, though not as extensive as what teams of 20-50 people typically need.
• Automation capabilities: Includes useful automation tools, though they require careful setup across multiple team members.
• Third-party integrations: Integrates with various applications, though the integration ecosystem is not as comprehensive as some alternatives.

Cons

• Limited team collaboration: Lacks some advanced team collaboration features that are crucial for coordinating across 20-50 sales professionals.
• Basic reporting for teams: Reporting in lower tiers is limited, which can be problematic for managers overseeing larger sales teams.
• No built-in email marketing: Requires third-party integrations for email marketing, adding complexity for teams managing large prospect lists.
• Support limitations: Customer support is not available 24/7, which can be challenging when supporting multiple team members across different time zones.
• Escalating costs: Costs can increase quickly with add-ons needed for teams of 20-50 people, potentially reaching $6,450/month for full functionality.
  

Price and plans

Pipedrive's annual subscription plan basis is as follows (total costs for teams of 20-50 people).

• Essential plan: Starts from $24 per user, per month ($480-1,200/month for your team).
• Advanced plan: Starts from $44 per user, per month ($880-2,200/month for your team).
• Power plan: Starts from $79 per user, per month ($1,580-3,950/month for your team).
• Enterprise plan: Starts from $129 per user, per month ($2,580-6,450/month for your team).

Conclusion

Choosing the best CRM for Outlook when managing a sales team of 20-50 people involves evaluating your specific needs, budget, and the features that will most enhance your team's operations. From the intuitive interface and perfect sizing of folk CRM to the complex enterprise solutions of Salesforce, each CRM offers different advantages tailored to different business sizes and requirements. For sales teams of 20-50 people using Outlook, folk CRM stands out as the ideal solution, offering the perfect balance of powerful features, team collaboration capabilities, and cost-effectiveness specifically designed for your team size. Integrating folk CRM can streamline workflows, improve customer relationships, and ultimately drive growth across your entire sales team. Don't miss out on the opportunity to elevate your team's efficiency. Try folk for free here.

👉🏼 Try folk now to manage contact-based reminders with your team

Need a helping hand? Use our free tool to find your perfect CRM match.

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FAQ

Does Microsoft Outlook have a CRM?

No. Outlook is an email, calendar, and contacts client, not a full CRM. To manage pipelines, track deals, share contacts, and automate follow-ups, connect a CRM that integrates with Outlook via email sync and add-ins.

Which CRM works best with Outlook for teams of 20–50?

CRMs with native Outlook sync and team features fit best. Options include folk, HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, and Capsule. folk offers shared pipelines, contact enrichment, and sequences suited to 20–50 user teams.

How much does a CRM for 20–50 users cost?

Expect $15–$165+ per user/month, depending on features. For 20–50 users, totals range from about $300 to $8,250+ monthly; advanced suites can cost more. folk plans are $20–$40 per user/month, with a free trial.

How to implement a CRM with Outlook for a 20–50 team?

Import contacts via CSV, connect Outlook mailboxes for sync, define a shared pipeline and fields, set templates and email sequences, assign roles/permissions, train users, and track adoption with dashboards and reports.