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Salesforce Essentials Reviews

Vendor: Salesforce
4.0 out of 5
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What is Salesforce Essentials?

Salesforce Essentials is a cloud-based CRM tool for businesses seeking flexible, scalable, and customizable solutions to enhance sales and customer support processes.

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Buyer's Guide
Salesforce Essentials
August 2025
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Helped 866,218 peers since 2012

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Salesforce Essentials mindshare

As of August 2025, the mindshare of Salesforce Essentials in the CRM category stands at 0.4%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
CRM Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Salesforce Essentials0.4%
Microsoft Dynamics CRM9.9%
SAP CRM9.1%
Other80.6%
CRM

PeerResearch reports based on Salesforce Essentials reviews

TypeTitleDate
CategoryCRMAug 29, 2025Download
ProductReviews, tips, and advice from real usersAug 29, 2025Download
ComparisonSalesforce Essentials vs Microsoft Dynamics CRMAug 29, 2025Download
ComparisonSalesforce Essentials vs Salesforce Sales CloudAug 29, 2025Download
ComparisonSalesforce Essentials vs SAP CRMAug 29, 2025Download
 
 
Key learnings from peers

Valuable Features

Salesforce Essentials combines scalability and flexibility with seamless integration for business processes. Users appreciate its intuitive interface and mobile app transparency. Essential tools include Sales Cloud and Service Cloud for managing customer interactions. AI features like predictive analytics enhance productivity. Users value customization, performance tracking, and easy deployment. The system’s high adaptability and standardized processes enhance customer management and lead tracking, promoting efficient sales operations and data management. High costs pose a consideration.
  • "We use Salesforce Essentials for everything we do on the sales side."
  • "The combination of product and service are exceptional."
  • "High availability is really important for us when getting our reports as a vendor."

Room for Improvement

Salesforce Essentials requires improvements in integration with complex ERP systems like SAP and enhancements in user-friendliness for reporting and UI. Users report challenges with language options and online connectivity. Pricing is a concern, with competitors offering similar features at lower costs. Automation capabilities and simplified licensing options are suggested. Users also desire more AI functionality and better support. There is a need for streamlined processes to assist users without extensive training.
  • "The cost of running Salesforce Essentials is significant. The licenses are expensive, and the operational costs are considerable, including the necessity to maintain a team of approximately 15 people to run the system."
  • "The primary area for improvement in Salesforce Essentials is its pricing. There are other competitors, like Zoho CRM, that offer similar features at a lower cost."
  • "I have seen Salesforce evaluate a lot of AI and analytics into that. But as an end user, I don’t have that much input."

ROI

Salesforce Essentials delivers a quick return on investment as evidenced by its ease of implementation and intuitive user interface. Users report accelerated sales processes, improved opportunities for the sales team, and automated sales tasks. Daily application development and testing across entire teams highlight its utility. Teams have noted its user-friendliness and seamless navigation.

Pricing

Salesforce Essentials users find it significantly expensive with high licensing and operational costs. Annual payments are typical, although quarterly options exist. Pricing is rated between eight to nine out of ten, indicating a high cost, especially when compared to alternatives. Beyond subscription fees, additional expenses for professional services and third-party integrations contribute to the overall cost. Despite the expense, users acknowledge the platform's value, flexibility, and comprehensive features, making it a worthwhile investment if budget allows.
  • "The pricing is a bit on the expensive side."
  • "We chose quarterly payments."
  • "I rate Salesforce Essentials' pricing an eight out of ten."

Popular Use Cases

Salesforce Essentials is primarily used for managing leads, customer interactions, and sales processes. Companies use it for CRM purposes, including opportunity management, report generation, and customer data handling. It streamlines sales workflows, enhances transparency in order processing, and supports forecasting and planning. It also automates applications, manages billing, and handles customer complaints with a ticketing system. Organizations benefit from improved sales performance, easy integration with marketing systems, and streamlined collaboration with vendors.

Service and Support

Salesforce Essentials provides efficient technical assistance with fast response times and minimal need for frequent interactions. Some users find the service decent, while others highlight room for enhancement. Feedback indicates that Salesforce Essentials' customer support is highly responsive, with their service and uptime praised as phenomenal. The team ensures users face no significant systemic issues, allowing for smooth operations without frequent contact.

Deployment

Salesforce Essentials' initial setup varies in duration, typically taking one to eight months based on factors like data migration and integration needs. It is often described as straightforward, easy, and requires steps like obtaining an architecture license, creating a user ID, and cloud deployment. Customization and testing are necessary for large clients such as government agencies. Implementation might involve multiple consultants and can differ based on existing company policies and third-party integrations.

Scalability

Salesforce Essentials is highly scalable, effectively supporting a wide range of users, from tens to thousands within various organizations. Many rate its scalability highly, finding it accommodates enterprise needs and growth. Some report seamless integration and ease in expanding their user base, although scalability can rely on specific features and manufacturer enhancements. Despite some connectivity challenges, users consider Salesforce Essentials among the most scalable options available.

Stability

Salesforce Essentials receives varied assessments of stability, ranging from six to ten. Many find it stable and reliable, though some report wait times during automation. Communication about downtime is appreciated. Users utilizing SAP system praise the integration's seamlessness. While some note minimal issues, others emphasize high availability. Ratings generally highlight strong stability, acknowledging no software is flawless.
These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.
Download our Salesforce Essentials Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Learn more about Salesforce Essentials

Designed for seamless integration across multiple channels, Salesforce Essentials includes Sales and Service Cloud to simplify sales tasks and customer management. It enhances finance, credit, and quality processes with user-friendly AI capabilities and predictive analytics. Despite its strengths, there is room for improvement in SAP integration, interface simplicity, and report generation. Cost-effectiveness and support for diverse languages are also potential upgrade areas. Businesses use this CRM solution for lead management, opportunity tracking, and automating sales workflows, transitioning from paper-based methods to digital efficiency.

What are the essential features of Salesforce Essentials?
  • Scalability and Flexibility: Accommodates growth and customization needs.
  • Multiple Channel Integration: Enhances finance and quality processes.
  • User-Friendly: Easy navigation with AI capabilities.
  • Cloud Deployment: Includes Sales and Service Cloud features.
  • Predictive Analytics: Improves productivity and tracking.
  • Mobile App Support: Facilitates on-the-go access and management.
What benefits or ROI can users expect from Salesforce Essentials?
  • Improved Productivity: Automation features save time and streamline tasks.
  • Enhanced Customer Management: Centralizes interaction and data handling.
  • Ease of Transition: From manual to automated workflows.
  • Performance Monitoring: Standardizes processes for better oversight.

In the retail industry, businesses employ Salesforce Essentials for customer data management and transparency in order processing. Healthcare providers use it for patient engagement and streamlined communication. Financial services utilize it for billing management and compliance, harnessing automation tools for efficient data handling.

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Salesforce Essentials Reviews Summary
Author infoRatingReview Summary
Head of Commercial Excellence at Sartorius AG4.5We use Salesforce Essentials extensively for sales, including managing leads and opportunities, and customer experience management. Its customization and updates are valuable, though AI features are basic. Integrated with SAP, it's primarily hosted on Microsoft Azure.
Senior Learning Solutions Architect at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees4.5Our company uses Salesforce Essentials for managing sales operations due to its flexibility and user-friendliness. However, the high cost is a drawback, prompting us to consider alternatives like Zoho CRM and HubSpot for their affordability and features.
Founder & CEO at imfine.club4.5I use Salesforce Essentials to manage the order-taking process, benefiting from both Sales and Service Cloud for customer interactions. It's user-friendly and offers a quick ROI, though the license packages should accommodate smaller user groups for more flexibility.
Chief Innovation Officer at VS ONE World3.5I use Salesforce Essentials to collaborate with organizations and vendors like Zendax, seamlessly registering and updating opportunities. Although its vendor portal is standardized, I'd appreciate more AI functionality. It boosts ROI by accelerating sales and automating processes.
Group IT Head at Ashapura Minechem Ltd4.0I use Salesforce Essentials primarily for CRM and lead generation. The user-friendly interface and comprehensive mobile app support enhance its functionality. However, I wish it had fewer integrations to work more independently. Overall, it meets our needs effectively.
Owner / Consultant at a marketing services firm with 1-10 employees3.5We use Salesforce Essentials to manage customer data efficiently in a B2B environment. It integrates information from multiple channels but struggles with complex SAP integration due to our highly configurable products. We prefer personal interactions over mobile apps.
Manager, Application Delivery at A W Rostamani Holdings Co. (LLC)4.0We use Salesforce Essentials for managing leads due to its scalability and flexibility, allowing customization to fit business needs. While lacking domain-specific solutions, it improved over Oracle with its cloud-based, highly scalable architecture and ease of use.
IT Consultant at Entrepreneur3.5Salesforce Essentials has increased our deal success with its upgraded interface and cloud-based features. While AI enhances customer segmentation, improvements are needed in analytics, automation, stability, pricing, and support to maximize its potential.