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Close Review: The CRM Built for Cold Calling Teams

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Close Review: The CRM Built for Cold Calling Teams

Last updated: January 2025

Close CRM Review: Quick Recommendation

Close is best for: Sales teams doing 50+ calls per day who want calling, SMS, and email sequences in one tool. If your reps live on the phone, Close is built for you.

Skip Close if: You primarily sell via email (Pipedrive is cheaper), you need visual pipeline (Pipedrive is better), or you’re on a tight budget ($99/user is premium pricing).

Bottom line: Close is the best CRM for phone-heavy sales teams. The built-in power dialer and SMS justify the premium price if your team actually makes calls. If you don’t, you’re overpaying.

Who This Is For

  • SDR/BDR teams doing high-volume outbound calling
  • Inside sales teams with 50+ daily calls per rep
  • Businesses wanting calling + SMS + email in one tool
  • Teams upgrading from spreadsheets + separate phone system
  • Ops-focused companies wanting clean API for automation

Who This Is NOT For

  • Email-only sales (Pipedrive is half the price)
  • Field sales teams (mobile calling is secondary)
  • Solopreneurs (overkill and overpriced)
  • Teams wanting visual drag-and-drop pipeline
  • Those on strict budgets ($99/user minimum for power dialer)

Close CRM Review: What It Does

Close (close.com) is a CRM with built-in communication tools:

  • CRM – Contacts, leads, opportunities
  • Power Dialer – Auto-dial through call lists
  • Calling – Built-in VOIP, call recording
  • SMS – Two-way texting from within CRM
  • Email Sequences – Automated multi-step outreach
  • Reporting – Activity and conversion analytics
  • API – Developer-friendly for custom builds

The philosophy: calling shouldn’t require switching apps. Click to dial, log automatically, move to next lead. Eliminate friction.

Key Features Deep Dive

Power Dialer (The Killer Feature)

The power dialer auto-dials through your lead list:

  1. Click “Start Calling”
  2. Close dials first number
  3. If no answer, logs result, dials next automatically
  4. If answered, conversation timer starts
  5. After call ends, take notes, set disposition
  6. System dials next number

Time savings: Manual dialing takes 30-45 seconds per call. Power dialer: 0 seconds. At 100 calls/day, that’s 50+ minutes saved per rep.

Features:

  • Predictive dialing (dials ahead for zero wait)
  • Local presence (use local area codes)
  • Voicemail drop (pre-recorded voicemails)
  • Call recording (automatic, stored in CRM)
  • Call scripts (displayed during calls)

Built-in Calling

Even without power dialer, Close includes:

  • Click-to-call – Dial from any contact
  • Inbound routing – Receive calls in Close
  • Call recording – Automatic, tied to contact
  • Call transfer – Transfer between reps
  • IVR – Basic phone tree capability

Pricing: Per-minute charges apply (~$0.01/min domestic). Budget $20-50/user/month for moderate call volume.

SMS

Two-way SMS built into the CRM:

  • Send texts from contact records
  • Receive replies in conversation thread
  • Automated SMS in sequences
  • Templates for common messages
  • SMS + calling + email in unified view

No Twilio integration needed. It’s native.

Email Sequences

Multi-step automated outreach:

  • Email + calls + SMS in one sequence
  • Conditional logic – If no reply, do X
  • Templates – Personalized with merge fields
  • A/B testing – Test subject lines, content
  • Analytics – Open, click, reply tracking

Example sequence:

  • Day 1: Send email
  • Day 3: If no open, send follow-up
  • Day 5: If no reply, make call
  • Day 7: Send SMS
  • Day 10: Final email

This replaces tools like Outreach or Salesloft for SMB budgets.

CRM Core

  • Leads and Contacts – Standard contact management
  • Opportunities – Track deals with values and stages
  • Custom fields – Flexible data structure
  • Activities – All calls, emails, SMS logged
  • Notes – Team collaboration on records
  • Tasks – Reminders and follow-ups

Honest take: The CRM is functional but less visual than Pipedrive. List-based rather than drag-and-drop. Works fine once you’re used to it.

Reporting

  • Activity metrics – Calls made, emails sent, SMS sent
  • Conversion rates – Lead → Opportunity → Won
  • Rep leaderboards – Compare team performance
  • Call analytics – Talk time, outcomes, recordings
  • Pipeline reports – Revenue forecasting

Pricing Breakdown

Plan Price/User/Month Key Features
Startup $49 Basic CRM, calling, email
Professional $99 Power dialer, sequences, SMS
Enterprise $139 Custom objects, advanced permissions

What You Actually Need

  • Startup ($49): Only if you make few calls and don’t need power dialer
  • Professional ($99): Required for power dialer and sequences – most teams need this
  • Enterprise ($139): Only for large teams with complex permission needs

Additional Costs

  • Calling: ~$0.01-0.03/minute (usage-based)
  • SMS: ~$0.01-0.03/message
  • Phone numbers: ~$1-3/month per number

Real-world cost: 5-person team on Professional = $495/month + ~$100-200/month usage = $595-695/month total.

Close CRM Review: Pros and Cons

Pros

  1. Built-in power dialer – Game-changer for call volume
  2. Native SMS – No Twilio integration needed
  3. Unified inbox – Calls, emails, SMS in one view
  4. Excellent API – Best-in-class for developers
  5. Email sequences – Replaces Outreach/Salesloft
  6. Call recording – Automatic, searchable

Cons

  1. Expensive – $99/user for power dialer
  2. Less visual – Pipeline isn’t drag-and-drop
  3. Steeper learning curve – More features = more to learn
  4. Usage costs – Per-minute/message charges add up
  5. Overkill for email teams – Paying for features you won’t use
  6. Mobile calling limited – Desktop-focused power dialer

Real-World Use Cases

Use Case 1: SDR Team Outbound

Setup:

  • 5 SDRs doing cold outreach
  • Target: 80 calls/day per rep
  • Sequence: Email → Call → Email → SMS → Call

Daily workflow:

  1. Morning: Load leads into power dialer queue
  2. Call blocks: 2-hour dialing sessions
  3. Auto-log: All calls recorded, outcomes tracked
  4. Follow-up: Sequences handle email/SMS automatically
  5. Reporting: Manager reviews daily activity

Result: 400 calls/day with 5 reps, impossible with manual dialing.

Use Case 2: Sales + Customer Success Hybrid

Setup:

  • Sales reps for new business
  • Same reps handle renewals
  • Single view of customer history

Daily workflow:

  1. Check tasks and follow-ups
  2. Make renewal calls with full history visible
  3. Send proposals via email templates
  4. Log everything automatically

Result: No context switching, all communication in one place.

Use Case 3: Real Estate Investment (Cold Calling Sellers)

Setup:

  • Skip-traced lists loaded into Close
  • Power dialer for high-volume outreach
  • SMS for follow-up with interested sellers

Daily workflow:

  1. Import skip-traced data
  2. Power dial through lists
  3. Log motivated sellers as opportunities
  4. Automated SMS nurture for warm leads

Result: Talk to more sellers per hour, better data hygiene.

Close vs Alternatives

Close vs Pipedrive

Pipedrive has better visual pipeline, lower cost ($29 vs $99), but no built-in calling. Choose Close for phone-heavy teams. Choose Pipedrive for email-focused teams. Full comparison.

Close vs HubSpot + Phone Add-on

HubSpot CRM is free but calling add-ons are expensive and less integrated. Choose Close for seamless calling experience. Choose HubSpot if you’re committed to the HubSpot ecosystem.

Close vs Salesforce + Dialers

Salesforce + Dialpad/Aircall can match Close features but at higher complexity and cost. Choose Close for SMB simplicity. Choose Salesforce for enterprise customization needs.

Close vs HighLevel

HighLevel is all-in-one (CRM + email + SMS + funnels + phone). Close is sales-focused with better calling features. Choose Close for dedicated sales teams. Choose HighLevel for all-in-one needs.

Getting Started with Close

Day 1: Setup

  1. Create account, import contacts
  2. Set up phone numbers
  3. Connect email accounts
  4. Define opportunity stages

Week 1: Core Workflow

  1. Build first email sequence
  2. Configure power dialer settings
  3. Create call scripts and templates
  4. Set up activity goals

Week 2: Optimization

  1. Refine sequences based on data
  2. Set up reporting dashboards
  3. Train team on power dialer
  4. Configure integrations (Slack, etc.)

Expect 6-10 hours for setup. More complex than Pipedrive due to phone configuration.

Close CRM Review: The Bottom Line

Close is the best CRM for teams that sell on the phone. The power dialer, built-in SMS, and unified inbox eliminate the tool-switching that kills productivity.

At $99/user, it’s premium pricing justified by premium features. If your team makes 50+ calls/day, the productivity gain exceeds the cost. If not, Pipedrive at $29/user is better value.

Best for: Cold calling teams, inside sales, high-volume outbound.

Skip if: Email-focused sales, tight budget, need visual pipeline.

Try Close Free for 14 Days

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Close worth 3x the price of Pipedrive?

For calling teams, yes. Power dialer saves 30-60 minutes per rep per day. At $99/user, you’re paying ~$5/day for 1+ hours of productivity. The math works.

How does SMS pricing work?

Per-message charges (~$0.01-0.03). Budget $20-50/user/month for moderate SMS usage. Check Close’s current rates for exact pricing.

Can I use my existing phone numbers?

Yes, you can port existing numbers or use Close-provided numbers. Local and toll-free options available.

Is the power dialer hard to use?

No, it’s intuitive. Load a list, click “Start Calling,” and the system handles dialing. Training takes 30 minutes.

What about international calling?

Supported with per-minute rates. Domestic US/Canada is cheapest. Check Close’s rate card for international pricing.

Related Content

This review is based on hands-on testing of Close Professional plan. Pricing and features verified January 2025.

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