Kintone is unique amongst CRM and no-code platforms. Instead of offering multiple pricing plans based on features, usage limits, etc. it only offers a single pricing plan. Customers get access to all features and there are no usage limits to speak of.

The pricing plan itself is $24/mo per user. The challenge is that you’ll need to pay for at least five users so the true entry level price is $120/m. This may be due to the fact that Kintone only shows its true power when you’re using it to collaborate with other team members to optimize sales processes.

Because of the 5-user requirement, Kintone’s starting price is higher than most other CRMs on the market. If, on the other hand, you have more than five users then Kintone is an inexpensive option when you consider what it’s offering.

Kintone is a subsidiary of the organization named Cybozu. Founded in 1997 by David Landa, it has been growing for over two decades. Today, it’s a robust no-code/low-code platform that allows brands to create custom workflows and databases. With its tools, you’re able to create a truly custom CRM to meet the needs of your organization.

Kintone is a bit different from other CRMs because it’s a workflow builder. That means you’re able to construct unique sales pipelines that don’t have the traditional constraints of a CRM. This is both positive and negative. It’s positive because you have more flexibility to create workflows that mirror your internal processes. It’s a negative because it can take longer to get ramped up. With that being said, there are templates (referred to as apps) for CRMs that you can access with a click and many other features to enhance your work.

Built-in messaging

The platform comes with a feature known as conversations. It allows you to append chats/conversations alongside the specific piece of information you’re interested in. Instead of adding files to your discussion, you can have a discussion right on the file. This is applicable to any kind of data within the application. These conversations can be grouped by project or text for easy discoverability.

Automated workflows and reminders

As mentioned previously, you can build custom workflows to match your internal processes. Those workflows aren’t static. You’re able to set up custom rules that reduce manual labor and increase efficiency. For example, if a lead has been identified as an SQL, you can change a contact record and then it’ll automatically notify the right person. This is just one of the many ways to use the automation tools.

Spaces

Kintone gives you the ability to create areas in the application that contain grouped information such as sales workflows, documentation, related conversation, etc. It’s a hub for your team to come together and collaborate while saving time and resources looking for the right files or tools.

Kintone has spent a lot of time working on its application so that users with varying technical abilities can quickly get up to speed. Even though they’ve done a lot in this regard, there’s still a learning curve that new users need to tackle before they can become proficient with the tool. This is alleviated a bit by the pre-built app templates.

The challenge with Kintone is that its knowledgebase doesn’t go in-depth into the best ways to create workflows and how to use other features of the tool. Because of this, it may be more difficult than other platforms to achieve the same outcome. The customer support team is usually responsive so if you reach out to them, they can guide you through most challenges.

There are multiple ways to add contacts to Kintone. It can be pulled from other projects and databases within the software, you can manually enter them, take advantage of the API, or even upload a file with contact information.

After contacts have been added, you can interact with them using a table view. Each record contains information such as company name, name of contact, title, etc. Of course, these records can be customized to fit the needs of your business. Clicking any contact will open another page with more information related to your contacts. You can also tag teammates and send messages related to the contact record.

One of the areas Kintone excels is the reporting. Instead of static prebuilt reports, you can analyze almost any type of data you’ve collected. This includes sales pipeline information, closed deals, lead velocity, etc. In fact, it’s only limited by your imagination. Data can be presented using different types of graphs and charts such as pie charts, line charts, bar graphs, etc.

You can further extend the functionality of Kintone using third-party integrations. Kintone refers to these as extensions and there are a few dozen of them in its library. This isn’t as varied as other CRM tools but it should be enough to get you started. If the integration you’re looking for isn’t available, you can build your own API connection to the apps you use. Some of the notable integrations include QuickBooks, Box, Formstack, and Gmail.