The Atlantic Blog
White papers and notes from real projects: CRM comparisons, migration lessons, the limitations that drive us nuts, and how AI fits into CRM workflows.
Latest5 Ways CRMs Can Exploit AI for Greater EfficiencyWhere AI adds the most to a CRM: workflows, reporting, bolt-on apps, data enrichment and tailored communication.Read the post →
- Getting More Out of Every Token: Prompt Efficiency for Claude and ChatGPTStructural prompt habits that cut token usage by 30–60% without hurting output quality.
- AI For CRM WorkflowsRules-based, generative and agentic AI workflows compared, and the real trade-offs of putting AI into CRM processes.
- Comparing HubSpot and ZohoMarketing DNA versus sales DNA: how HubSpot and Zoho differ in pricing, customization and who outgrows which.
- HubSpot vs. Zoho – The Best Choice is One of PerspectiveOne started in marketing, the other in sales. Why that origin still shapes what HubSpot and Zoho are good at.
- Migrating from Salesforce Service Cloud to Zoho DeskNine real gotchas when moving from Service Cloud to Zoho Desk, from parent accounts to custom module imports.
- When Salesforce is the Right Choice: What Salesforce Does Really WellTen areas where Salesforce is genuinely best in class, from Apex and the AppExchange to admin tools and reporting.
- The Dilemma: Salesforce or Zoho? Tips for Migrating to Zoho Now!Practical advice for moving from Salesforce to Zoho CRM: skip the migration tool, clean up data, and plan for workflows.
- Customer Engagement Management: Post Sales Transaction CRMSubscription businesses live on renewals. How usage metrics and planned touch points in the CRM protect them.
- HubSpot to Zoho Migration NotesThe order of operations for moving records from HubSpot to Zoho, and why activities are the hard part.
- Hubspot Limitations That Drive Us Nuts!A great marketing company with a CRM that doesn't compare well: pricing by contact, rigid sales processes and locked-in activities.
- SuiteCRM Limitations That Drive Us Nuts!Free to license, costly to administer: the SuiteCRM limitations we keep running into.
- Bitrix or Bitrix24 Limitations That Drive Us Nuts!Support, partners, the cloud edition and the data model: where Bitrix24 falls short, and its one big strength.
- Which is better? Splunk or ElasticsearchThe simple answer most comparisons avoid: it depends on whether your workload is read-heavy or write-heavy.
- If We Have Learned Anything in IT, Let's Consider The CRM Company's Long Term Viability.Before betting on an obscure CRM that promises everything, ask whether the vendor will still be standing in a few years.
- Stick With Standard CRM Sales VocabularyLeads, Accounts, Contacts and Opportunities mean specific things. Using them your own way causes pain for years.
- Customer Success Management Is a Key to Customer RetentionWhat customer success systems measure, and why every subscription business needs to spot non-renewals early.
- CRM Software for Constituents of Elected OfficialsHow elected officials use customized CRM systems to make sure no constituent request gets lost.
- Where Zoho is a Good Fit in the CRM MarketplaceWhy Zoho is arguably the strongest CRM for small and mid-sized businesses: breadth, price, profitability and ecosystem.
- CRMs in a Business Development EnvironmentBusiness development doesn't fit the lead-to-opportunity model. How we structured it for an investment bank on Salesforce.
- Competitive Advantage Through CRMIf everyone has a CRM, where's the advantage? In measurement, follow-up, integration and efficiency.
- Marketing to CRM Integration: True Marketing ROIWhich keywords bring in your most profitable customers? Passing analytics data into the CRM at lead creation tells you.
- When Salesforce is Not the Right ChoiceThe Lite editions of Salesforce cost more than rivals' full products and leave out workflows, reporting and the API.