During the thirty years of independence, Ukrainian businesses actively used russian software. Many companies continued to use the software even after 2014, ignoring that russian developers pay taxes on the budget of the aggressor country. However, after the full-scale invasion, Ukrainians began to boycott russian services en masse.

How difficult is it to change the CRM system, which popular analogs will suit your business, and why is it becoming more and more dangerous to stay on russian software? We’ll talk about new opportunities for Ukrainian businesses.

Russian software in Ukraine in numbers

It was found from open sources that at least 25,000 Ukrainian businesses use russian services. Among them are such business giants as Eldorado, Apteka911, EVA, Ukrtelecom, Citrus, and Kyivstar.

The most popular russian software on our market includes AmoCRM, InSales, RetailCRM, and Bitrix. The last one is used by more than 3,000 Ukrainian businesses, according to data from the BuiltWith service, as of September 12, 2022.

How much does a Ukrainian business pay for the aggressor's services?

Tragically, this amount reaches almost 4.5 million UAH per month. During 10 months of full-scale war, Ukrainians paid 45 million UAH to the country, which turned this money into tanks, artillery, missiles, and kamikaze drones. All of these were used by russians against Ukraine.

Why has the Ukrainian business community not switched to analogs yet?

The essential thing in this matter is the financial component. Many businesses have subscribed to russian CRM and CMS and do not want to lose money. At the same time, the transition to Western services is scary because their price is too high for small and medium-sized Ukrainian businesses.

The time for the transition is the second reason entrepreneurs often delay giving up russian products. Ukrainians have been using Russian tools for years, they are used to the interface, functionality, and algorithms of the software. Transitioning to new programs will require staff training, which may temporarily slow down some business processes.

What do Ukrainians risk when using Russian CRM systems?

Everything russian is toxic. Including software. This is important to remember when using any products and services of a country recognized as a sponsor of terrorism by the civilized world.

This country gives security guarantees and breaks them. At the same time, the country is people: the military, entrepreneurs, and managers of the company whose services you can use. Can you be sure that your data, the personal information of your customers, and the entire mass of data on money circulation in the hands of the russians is safe? Of course not. As long as you store all your data in russian systems, there is a risk that they will be "leaked."

What is the best way to switch from russian software to Ukrainian or global analogs?

1. You need to determine which functionality is vital for your business and which options you use all the time. Make a list of features for your future CRM system.
2. Analyze the market and evaluate the offer and price of CRM systems relevant to you. Find reviews and ratings on different products, and evaluate the pros and cons. If the tool has a trial period or a free plan, use this opportunity to understand better whether this software is right for you.
3. Inform the team about the company's plans to change the CRM system and start training on using the new tool.
4. Find out from the service representative or developer how long it will take to transfer data from the old software to the new one. Consult to understand what functionality you need, what plan is right for you, and what business processes need to be preserved and taken care of.
5. Back up your databases and all critical information. Make sure to save customer names, phone numbers, and other important information.

Currently, Ukrainian systems are becoming the most attractive option for the transition. They are cheaper, focused on Ukrainian business and the peculiarities of the market and audience, and are also intuitive to use.

Analysis and comparison of CRM systems

The full-scale invasion of russia became the impetus for developing Ukrainian CRMs capable of competing with foreign counterparts.

Sales Creatio

This is a popular CRM system by Ukrainian developers. More than 700 employees work in 7 offices of the company around the world. Sales Creatio is a ready-made tool for automating business processes: from lead generation to repeat orders. In the configurator, there are many templates for each business process, and you can also set up marketing SMS and email messages in a couple of clicks. In terms of capabilities, the service is similar to AmoCRM and Bitrix24. After the invasion, Sales Creatio completely withdrew from the russian and belarusian markets. The lack of integration with social networks can be attributed to the shortcomings of this CRM system.

CRM Sales Creatio advantages:

• No-code editor
• Many Ukrainian and foreign integrations
• Convenient chat system for interaction with customers
• Free demo version and test drive
• Regular updates
• Cloud services
• Fast support

Subscription prices:

KeepinCRM

KeepinCRM is a smart solution for small and medium-sized businesses. This CRM system is easy to set up. It has an intuitive menu and business process analytics. You can automate and optimize processes between employees and customers in a few clicks. The company has been operating since 2017 and serves 1,500+ websites in 7 countries. Since KeepinCRM is young and growing fast, updates are frequent here. The team constantly receives customer feedback and asks what feature to add next. This software is also a good analog of russian Bitrix and AmoCRM. A large number of bugs can be attributed to the shortcomings of this CRM system.

KeepinCRM advantages:

• Constant updates with new features
• Easy configuration of business processes
• Accounting and warehouse automation
• Automatic creation of a client card and lead generation
• Integrations with PrivatBank, Rozetka, Prom and Ukrposhta
• Convenient chats in Telegram and Viber
• Free plan

Subscription prices:

KeyCRM

KeyCRM is a Ukrainian CRM system that helps to quickly set up business processes with the help of integrations with many platforms, including Rozetka, Prom, Amazon, Etsy, eBay, Instagram, and Facebook. The service is connected to Ukrainian IP telephony Phonet and Ringostat. Warehouse accounting is easy to create here using templates, you can connect to several warehouses at once. Accounting works automatically: it removes goods from the warehouse when buying and adds them when returning. The service updates statistics on the circulation of goods and issues them to employees as a report. You can use a barcode scanner and sort by article number. Shipments are tracked automatically in a particular window using track codes from courier services. This is a good option for companies with many stores on different marketplaces and platforms.

KeyCRM advantages:

• All information is stored in the cloud
• Integration with foreign and Ukrainian marketplaces
• Quick export of customer data and orders
• Automatic tracking of order track codes
• Fast support
• Correspondence with customers in messengers through CRM
• Intuitive interface
• Easy analysis of inventory and orders
• Constant updates and innovations
• A flexible system for setting up areas of responsibility for employees
• Customization at the client's request

Subscription prices:

SalesDrive

This is a CRM system from Ukrainian developers, which is chosen mainly because of templates, accessible modular settings, and a large number of integrations, for example, with OpenCart, WordPress, Prom, Rozetka, Horoshop, Allo, Zakúpka, Kasta, Hubber, and other CMS and website builders. And these are powerful integrations. All orders and messages are sent to CRM in a minute, which helps to communicate with customers quickly. SalesDrive has been in the automation market for 10 years, and during this time, the company has implemented many successful cases in various business processes. The disadvantages of this CRM system include poor customer manager support.

SalesDrive advantages:

• A large number of integrations
• Designers of SMS messages and newsletters
• Easy-to-use telephony with customer information
• Email marketing
• Sending receipts via email and SMS
• Electronic document management
• Free test drive for two weeks
• Functional chatbots
• Warehouse accounting
• Integration with postal services (Nova Poshta, Ukrposhta, Justin)
• Easy formation of goods and transport invoices with CRM
• Reports on the formation of orders, payment, and delivery

Subscription prices:

Pipedrive

It is a popular CRM system used by 100,000+ customers in 180 countries. Lightness and speed are the key advantages of this CRM system. With its help, you can configure routine business processes in an easy-to-understand visualization. There are many integrations and APIs available for different marketplaces and platforms. The company guarantees data protection with the help of encryption and secure connections. Support for multilingualism, including the Ukrainian language. Importing and exporting data from Google, Evernote, and other spreadsheets is possible. Cons include modest marketing settings and the lack of a free plan.

Pipedrive advantages:

• Email marketing
• Simple API and many integrations
• Automatic reporting
• Access to CRM via the mobile application
• Automatic backup to independent servers
• Forecasting and distribution of sales by sector
• A large amount of educational material in all languages
• Real-time support
• Trial version for 14 days

Subscription prices:

Zoho CRM

This is an American CRM system trusted by more than 150,000 companies worldwide. The system has powerful real-time analysis tools that allow you to make smarter business decisions. Here, the client can evaluate the effectiveness of email campaigns and track key performance indicators, including current trends and future forecasts based on a large amount of CRM data. The advantage of the software is the hierarchy of roles and departments, which can be configured independently. The client chooses what can be viewed and edited by whom. The client chooses who and what can see and edit. It allows you to store important information safely and group it in the right place and format.

You can also configure scoring rules here, which help you prioritize work tasks and focus on leads, contacts, customers, and deals. In addition, Zoho has a group of "native" products that provide seamless integration, many out-of-the-box connections to other products, and open API keys.

Zoho CRM advantages:

• Automate all aspects of business and reduce the number of time-consuming, repetitive tasks
• Multi-channel interaction by phone, email, chats, and social networks
• Receiving real-time notifications about customer interaction with the company
• Personalization of CRM work without writing code
• Measurement and management of sales figures
• Adding modules, buttons, and fields for customization
• Management of several business processes in the CRM system using templates

Subscription prices:

Hubspot

It is a top American CRM system with many functions for different industries used worldwide. Since 2006, Hubspot has had 15,000+ satisfied customers in nearly 100 countries. CRM has many modules, including SEO optimization, SMM, email marketing, and landing page builder. The service also has the following integrations: Salesforce, SugarCRM, and Microsoft Dynamics CRM. Hubspot has its academy where you can learn the basics of SMM and SEO. The lack of the Ukrainian language and the high price of services can be attributed to significant disadvantages. Hubspot advantages:

• Email marketing
• Organization of business meetings and deals
• Many modules for specific tasks
• Chatbots in popular messengers
• A convenient text generator for newsletters
• Ticket support system
• Builder of forms for landing pages
• Most features are free

Subscription prices:

So, there are many alternatives to russian software, and we believe you will find your CRM. You need to stop using the enemy's product, at least for security reasons, because with access to your data, the impunity owners of russian resources and their authorities have unlimited scope for fraud. With the onset of a full-scale war, there is an increased risk of your customers’ data loss and a complete stop of the business processes. Do not risk your reputation, personal data, and finances. Do not be afraid of changes and new challenges. Support Ukraine!