Kartra certainly boasts a lot of features, but which ones are good for CRM, and should you use it for this purpose?
I took a close look at Kartra’s CRM capabilities, and this is what I found.
Key Takeaways:
- Manage contacts and communicate via email and SMS
- The platform includes native calendar and helpdesk features
- GoHighLevel and ClickFunnels are good Kartra alternatives for CRM
Is Kartra a CRM? The Quick Answer
Yes, Kartra is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform with plenty of tools for nurturing leads and managing existing customers.
However, it’s not the most comprehensive CRM system out there (more on that later). The platform strongly focuses on those who want to create and sell digital products like courses, so the CRM features are geared toward that purpose.
What Makes Kartra a CRM, Exactly?
Contact Management Tools
First, we have the contact management feature, which is where you collate and organize all your precious lead data.
You can add individual contacts or bulk upload them. If you’ve got campaigns running, you can set up automation so contacts are automatically added when they sign up.
Each contact entry has a series of tabs along the top so you can see which products they’ve bought, any survey data, calendar entries, email conversations, and other important information.
Each contact also gets assigned a value so you know how much they are worth, and you can keep everything organized by adding tags and notes.
What don’t I like?
Well, the plan limits for contacts are annoying. If you reach your limit, you are forced to upgrade your plan and pay more just for the privilege of adding more:
- Starter plan: Costs from $119/month, maximum 2,500 contacts
- Growth plan: Costs from $229/month, maximum 12,500 contacts
- Professional plan: Costs from $549/month, maximum 25,000 contacts
Inbuilt Calendars
Calendars are an (in my opinion) integral part of CRM, so it’s really important for a platform to include this feature. Unfortunately, many don’t, and you’re often forced to integrate with a third-party app.
However, Kartra has an in-built calendar system that allows you to create several different types of calendars:
- Consultant model: For one-off appointments with individuals
- Recurrent class model: For regular recurring sessions
- Gym model: Recurring sessions that multiple people can sign up for
- Live event model: One-off appointments that multiple people can sign up for
To set up each calendar, you get a range of customization features, such as setting your availability and creating automated booking reminders. You can even choose how far in advance classes can be booked and the maximum number of bookings.
I particularly like the syncing tool that works across multiple classes and calendars so you can avoid overbooking.
I’m also a fan of the feature where you can choose to have customers pay upfront for their booking. This feature really helps reduce no-shows and cancellations because people have already committed financially.
Client Helpdesks
Another vital aspect of CRM is providing enough help and support options, and Kartra’s helpdesk feature allows you to facilitate this in a variety of ways.
The live chat widget is probably the best tool because it lets you engage with your customers in real-time. However, the email ticketing service is also valuable for allowing people to contact you outside of business hours.
For common questions and queries, you can create a wiki page full of helpful articles and set up automated “canned” responses for live chat and email conversations.
Overall, I feel this is a very valuable and useful feature for delivering top-end customer service. My only gripe is that you have to subscribe to the Growth plan to access it.
Email and SMS Communication
Kartra has moved beyond the usual email communication method and has also expanded to include SMS. You can use both email and SMS to send broadcasts and automated sequences.
Another good feature is the ability to use split A/B testing for your campaigns.
The email editor is pretty straightforward, allowing you to opt for either plain text or rich HTML. For HTML, you get a nice selection of templates to pick from.
One important thing to note is that Kartra does not facilitate the actual sending of text messages or the purchasing of phone numbers. To do so, you have to use a third-party provider.
Kartra offers direct integration with Twilio, Plivo, and Vonage. Using any of these apps will cost you extra, so keep that in mind.
Thankfully, Kartra does have a native emailing service, and it is included in your subscription price. But if you prefer to use a third-party app for this purpose, the platform offers several integrations, including MailGun.
Is Kartra Missing Any CRM Features?
One or two things are definitely missing from the Kartra platform that I consider important for CRM.
First, there’s no proper pipeline management system. Sure, you can view individual lead values or use the analytics tab to view the overall value of all leads, but that’s about it.
There’s no tool for setting up multi-step pipelines that you can move your leads through, which makes it really difficult to get a complete picture of lead status and values. Because of this, it’s hard to tell which leads need attention and when.
Second, the platform doesn’t offer a way to connect your social media accounts or communicate with your customers via social platforms.
This is a big fail in my book because social media is now a fundamental part of CRM, especially for finding and nurturing leads.
Third, I would love to see Kartra expand its communication capabilities beyond email and SMS.
Many CRM platforms now offer phone, voicemail, WhatsApp, and social media messaging. Kartra, on the other hand, offers none of these services.
Should You Use Kartra for CRM?
If you’re a digital learning product creator, then sure. Kartra will likely provide you with more than enough CRM tools to run your business and marketing campaigns effectively.
However, I don’t recommend Kartra for brick-and-mortar or local businesses or marketing agencies. I would even have doubts about whether or not it’s suitable for service-based businesses.
It just doesn’t offer enough features for these niches, particularly where customer communication and social media are concerned.
Are There Alternative CRM Platforms Worth Considering?
GoHighLevel
GoHighLevel is probably the most advanced and comprehensive CRM platform around. It has everything that Kartra offers and more, including social media management, messaging, and just about every communication method you can think of.
Better still, all its features are unlimited, and it only costs from $97 per month.
It’s suitable for most business niches and industries and, in my mind, is the best option out there.
ClickFunnels
It genuinely feels like ClickFunnels is trying to rival GoHighLevel because it has recently introduced similar features and pricing structures. However, it’s not as comprehensive, though it does have the best funnel builder on the market.
I also find that ClickFunnels has a better user experience than Kartra. Kartra is quite clunky and annoying, whereas ClickFunnels is very intuitive.
If your focus is on creating and running marketing campaigns, ClickFunnels is a more satisfactory option than Kartra. And, from $97 per month.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Kartra’s CRM Features Available on All Plans?
No, some of Kartra’s CRM features are only available on the higher-tier plans. For example, each plan limits the number of contacts you can add, and helpdesks are only available on the Growth and Professional plans.
Does It Cost Extra to Use Kartra’s Email Service for CRM?
No, it does not cost extra to use Kartra’s email service. All paid plans include unlimited emails, so you can send as many as you want without paying more.
Can I Integrate Kartra with Third-Party CRM Tools?
Yes, you can integrate Kartra with third-party CRM tools, and it is necessary to do this if you want to send SMS messages (MailGun, etc.) and take payments (Stripe, etc.). Kartra also integrates with apps like Zoom, Google, and Zapier.
