Bowimi vs HubSpot: Why Field Sales Teams Need a Dedicated CRM
Why does your business need a CRM?
When implementing or upgrading a customer relationship management system (CRM), your goal is to make work easier for your team. From streamlined activity tracking to automated tasks and optimised insights, you need a system that’s both easy to set up and intuitive to use.
We have a lot of love for Hubspot as a software for joining up different teams in a business, but it’s not a CRM built for field sales. HubSpot’s strength lies in its ability to connect with other CRMs, enhancing capabilities for departments like inside sales, marketing, and customer service. However, field sales have unique needs. So let’s get into what differentiates a field sales software CRM.
Field Sales CRM Misconceptions
HubSpot is a prominent name in the CRM space—and rightly so. It’s a powerful tool for tracking customer interactions, supporting inside sales, marketing, and customer service teams. We use HubSpot at Bowimi to streamline a unified view of business activity. However, there are significant limitations when it comes to using HubSpot as both a CRM for field sales activity and as a tool.
Why? For one, field sales teams operate very differently from inside sales teams. They’re often on the road, meeting clients face-to-face, planning routes, and managing customers across specific territories. Field reps need tools to map their contacts, optimise route planning, and identify new prospects. HubSpot lacks these capabilities, forcing reps to rely on separate tools and manually update spreadsheets. This not only increases the chance for human error but also affects the reliability of your reports.
Why HubSpot isn't a CRM for field sales
One of the challenges with HubSpot is its pricing structure. Most of its critical, advanced features—such as in-depth reporting, custom workflows, and certain integrations—are locked behind higher-tier, premium plans. For businesses needing these tools, the costs can quickly add up, turning what seems like an affordable solution into a significant monthly expense.
HubSpot Pricing Comparison with Bowimi
Bowimi
£59/mo per user
£499 onboarding fee (one-time)
HubSpot
Starter Hubs
£45/mo for 2 users, £21/mo per additional user
Sales Hub Professional
£396/mo for 5 users, £77/mo per additional user
Required for free, unlimited customer service
Required for deal and task automation (for lead nurturing emails and campaigns, Marketing Professional Hub is required)
Sales Hub Enterprise
£1,310/mo for 10 users, £135/mo per additional user
Marketing Professional Hub
£702/mo for 2,000 marketing contacts, £207/mo per 5,000 additional marketing contacts
Moreover, while HubSpot’s customer service team is great with routine support, many companies find that they need external HubSpot experts to come in and tailor the CRM to meet their specific business goals. From mapping workflows to creating detailed dashboards and aligning sales strategies, this level of customisation demands both time and resources, adding hidden costs to the platform’s total price tag and efficiency.
For a Technical Consulting Project with HubSpot, which can include automation processes, reporting customisations, creating custom objects, and partner services, you’re looking at a standard offering starting at £1,740 for 8 hours. And that’s on top of your existing subscription.
While HubSpot is okay for online conversations and call tracking, it falls short in providing the visibility, tracking, and reporting necessary for field sales (Community HubSpot). Relying on your field team to bridge the gap between HubSpot’s capabilities and their own needs can mean more time on manual tasks and less time driving results. Field teams need tools designed specifically for their workflows—that’s where Bowimi comes in.
Bowimi is a CRM built for field sales
Bowimi was developed specifically for field sales by field sales experts. With over a decade of firsthand experience, we understand the tools reps and managers need to perform at their best and communicate effectively with stakeholders. Our platform empowers reps with everything they need to not only meet targets but to exceed expectations and grow your business.
As Bowimi is purpose-built for field sales teams. Our CRM comes ready with all the core tools and field-specific functionalities built in, so you don’t need a separate specialist to optimise your setup. With an intuitive, user-friendly interface, Bowimi is designed for immediate impact, helping reps and managers hit the ground running without extra setup costs or technical hurdles.
Here’s why Bowimi is the top choice of CRM for field teams:
1. Route Planning
Bowimi makes it easy for field reps to optimise their daily routes, ensuring they spend less time travelling and more time engaging with customers. With Google Maps API integration, there are no limitations on the number of locations you can manage at once. The app also provides up-to-date details, such as venue opening hours and contact information, with just a click.
This allows reps to optimise their routes from start to finish in seconds, eliminating the hassle of constant route adjustments. Any unfinished visits remain in the Bowimi app for easy follow-up the next day.
Watch our case study with Budweiser Budvar to hear how Bowimi makes having ‘no sense of direction’ a thing of the past:
2. Prospecting
Prospecting is essential for brands at every stage, whether building a local presence or planning for global growth.
Our built-in prospecting tools also enable your teams to identify and target potential clients along their routes, so that they can be flexible and reactive when in the field. With a powerful platform behind them to capture surveys for cohesive insights and follow-up tasks, your teams are well equipped for the best customer conversations, data collection, and setting up follow-up tasks. To check out our AI Prospecting feature, simply click here.
3. Customer & Location Management
For regional sales managers and field reps, tracking both customers and locations is vital. Bowimi provides a centralised platform for all customer and location data, helping teams stay organised and effective on the ground. Your managers also gain full visibility into their team’s routes and can set standard surveys, track KPIs, and monitor performance with ease.
4. Transfer Orders
With Bowimi, transfer orders are straightforward, allowing reps to process orders from anywhere. No more delays or missed follow-throughs—your team can close deals on the spot.
5. Real-Time Insights
All of your field activity is fed into a cohesive dashboard, providing managers with a real-time, comprehensive view of their team’s performance and key insights. This is key for dynamic reporting, setting and following KPIs for your teams, and informing future field sales strategies.
While HubSpot remains a great tool for various business functions, Bowimi provides the specialised functionality that field sales teams need to thrive. Want to discover how Bowimi can drive your field sales success? Book a quick, no-obligation demo with our team. Use the calendar below to choose a time that works best for you!
