Getting Started with CloviCRM¶
What This Tool Does¶
CloviCRM is a lightweight CRM for freelancers, consultants, and small teams who need to track clients and close deals without paying for software built for a 50-person sales department. It gives you a single place to manage contacts, move deals through a visual pipeline, and log every call, email, and meeting against the right record. If you currently track client relationships in a spreadsheet or inbox, CloviCRM replaces that with a clear system that tells you what to do next.
Quick Start¶
- Create your account — No credit card required. The Free plan is permanent.
- Import your contacts — Upload a CSV from any spreadsheet or lead list. CloviCRM maps columns to contact fields and checks for duplicates before importing.
- Build your pipeline — Name your stages to match how you sell (Prospect, Proposal Sent, Closed Won) and drag your first contact into the opening stage.
- Log an activity — Open any deal and add a note, call, or meeting to start the activity timeline.
- Set a follow-up date — CloviCRM alerts you when the date arrives with no action logged, so deals stop falling through the cracks.
Core Features¶
Contact Records¶
Every client and prospect lives in a structured record with name, company, title, email, phone, and a LinkedIn URL field. Each contact has its own activity timeline showing every interaction in order. On the Pro plan, pasting a LinkedIn URL automatically pulls verified company and title data.
Visual Deal Pipeline¶
A Kanban board shows every open deal grouped by stage. Drag cards between columns as deals advance. Each card displays the contact name, deal value, and date of the last activity — so you can see which deals are moving and which have gone cold without opening individual records.
Activity Timeline¶
Notes, calls, emails, meetings, and stage changes are all logged on a timeline attached to each contact and deal. Any team member can see the full relationship history without asking the account owner. On the Pro plan, calendar meetings sync to the relevant contact automatically.
Follow-Up Reminders¶
Set a "follow up by" date on any deal. If that date passes with no logged activity, CloviCRM surfaces an in-app alert listing stalled deals — removing the mental overhead of tracking who to reach out to and when.
CloviLeads Integration¶
If you use CloviLeads to find and verify prospects, you can push verified leads directly into a CloviCRM pipeline in one click. The contact record arrives already assigned to the stage you choose. On the Business plan, CloviCRM fires a webhook when a deal closes to trigger an invoice in your billing tool automatically.
Tips for Best Results¶
- Log activities the same day. A quick note after a call prevents reconstruction later.
- Set deal values on every card. Rough estimates still give you a useful total pipeline value on the dashboard.
- Set a follow-up date on every stage change. A deal with no next action is a deal at risk.
- Name stages after your actual process. Rename generic labels so the board reads at a glance.
Frequently Asked Questions¶
Is the Free plan a trial? No. The Free plan is permanent. When you reach a limit, CloviCRM shows a specific upgrade prompt — it never silently blocks an action.
Can I import contacts from a spreadsheet? Yes. CloviCRM accepts CSV files. A field-mapping screen lets you match columns before anything is written, and duplicate detection flags matching email addresses first.
Can my team share the same account? Team access is on the Business plan. Every invited user sees the same contacts, deals, and timelines in real time.
Does CloviCRM sync with my email inbox? Yes, on the Pro plan. Outbound emails and replies for any contact are automatically logged on the activity timeline — no BCC or manual step required.
What happens when I close a deal? CloviCRM records the close date and value on the contact. On the Business plan, you can fire an outbound webhook at that moment to trigger an invoice in your billing tool.
Usage Limits by Plan¶
| Feature | Free | Pro | Business |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contacts | 250 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Pipelines | 3 | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Email sync | No | Yes | Yes |
| Calendar sync | No | Yes | Yes |
| Webhooks | No | 5 | 20 |
| Team seats | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| API | Read-only | Read/write | Full |
| Price/month | $0 | $19 flat | $49 flat |
Flat-rate pricing — no per-seat fees.