Bigin (by Zoho CRM) is a pipeline-centric CRM designed for small and micro businesses that want the essentials—fast: simple setup, easy navigation, and standout affordability. This guide distills the webinar’s walkthrough into a practical playbook you can follow today.
Why Bigin (vs. full CRM)?
Pipeline-first: Focuses on moving deals through stages to won—no bloat.
Simple UI: The right features in the right place; little to no training.
Affordable: Priced for startups and lean teams.
Upgrade path: Grow into Zoho CRM when you need advanced features (e.g., territories, Blueprint, custom functions).
Core Modules at a Glance
Deals: Visual, drag-and-drop pipeline to track revenue by stage.
Contacts & Companies: People and the organizations they belong to.
Products: What you sell, tied to deals.
Activities: Tasks, calls, and events for airtight follow-ups.
Dashboard: KPIs and charts for quick health checks.
Getting Set Up (10–30 minutes)
Add users & roles
Settings → Users & Control → Invite teammates, assign Role (hierarchy) and Profile (permissions).Customize fields
Settings → Fields → Pick a module (e.g., Contacts) → Add custom fields (text, picklist, phone, etc.).
Tip: Add an Alternate Phone and Lead Source picklist early.Connect email (IMAP)
Settings → Email → Gmail/Zoho Mail/Office 365/Other.
Turn on Email Insights for opens/clicks/bounces; create templates for quick, consistent outreach.
Pipelines & Stages (your daily cockpit)
Drag deals across stages; no editing screens required.
Create multiple pipelines (up to five) for different lines of business (e.g., General Insurance vs. Health Insurance), each with its own stages.
Edit stage names, add/delete stages anytime.
Automate the Busywork (Workflows)
Goal: Reduce manual data entry and follow-ups.
Trigger on create/edit (e.g., when a new Contact arrives from your site).
Actions: Send email (use templates), create task, update fields, apply tags.
Example: “Welcome” workflow
When Contact is created → Send welcome template → Create follow-up task for owner (due in 1 day).
Capture Leads from Your Website (Web Forms)
Settings → Web Forms → New Web Form
Drag fields, style the button/background, set thank-you/redirect.
Embed the generated code on your site; submissions land in Bigin automatically (perfect with the “Welcome” workflow above).
Calling, Logged Automatically (Telephony)
One-click numbers (select regions): Buy and connect a number directly from Bigin; calls auto-log with duration and call recording attached.
Or integrate a provider via Marketplace (e.g., RingCentral, Avaya).
Click-to-call right from a Contact or Deal.
Dashboards You’ll Actually Check
Create a custom dashboard with up to 10 components:
Deals Closed (This Month) by owner or pipeline
New Contacts by Source
Stage-wise Deal Value
Overdue Activities
Use charts (bar, line, donut, funnel) or KPI tiles for quick wins.
Handy Integrations
Google/Office 365: Sync Contacts & Calendar.
- Zoho Desk: Turn tickets into contextual sales insights.
- Zoho Meeting: Schedule and run calls from records.
- Zoho Campaigns/Mailchimp: Email marketing hand-in-glove.
- Zoho Flow / Zapier: Connect almost anything without code.
- Zoho CRM: Direct integration for an upgrade path or hybrid setups.
Zoho Card Scanner: Snap business cards into Contacts.
Mobile First, Truly
Bigin’s Android/iOS apps mirror the essentials: view pipelines, log calls/notes, work activities on the go.
Pricing Snapshot
Designed for small teams with a low monthly cost (annual plans are the best value). It’s an easy step up from spreadsheets—and a gentler entry than enterprise CRMs.
Pro Tips
- Name your pipelines clearly (e.g., Inbound Sales, Renewals).
- Standardize stage definitions (what qualifies a move to the next stage?).
- Template everything (emails, common tasks).
- Automate early (welcome emails, SLA follow-ups).
- Measure what matters (won rate, cycle time, stage aging, next-step coverage).
