The Ultimate Guide to Using Airtable vs. Asana for CRM

Airtable and Asana may not be primarily designed as CRM software, but either could up your customer relationship management strategy—keep reading to determine which tool is a perfect match for your business.

Which CRM tool is the best? What is Airtable used for? What exactly does Asana do? American businessman Sam Walton once said, “The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best, but legendary.” We’ll consider how either of these tools can help you do just that.

Disorganized data, difficulties visualizing data, time-consuming input methods, and a lack of personalization options are common pain points when using CRM software. Invest Northern Ireland also cites cost, poor communication, and lack of leadership as common CRM complaints. This breakdown can lead to a lack of customer trust and engagement, eventually lagging sales.

As a long-time solopreneur and small business owner, I understand barriers such as software cost and learning curves. I know what it feels like to spend hours manually inputting data into an Excel spreadsheet. For these reasons, I want to share my experiences with Asana and Airtable to help you find time-saving and efficient solutions for your business.

The good news is that you don’t have to be a CRM specialist to make an effective software choice. In this article, we’ll look at the pros, cons, and features of two popular cloud-based software solutions: the project management tool Asana and the database tool Airtable. We will consider how each can be utilized for CRM so that you can make an informed decision.

Airtable vs. Asana: Are They CRMs?

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is designed to help businesses manage their interactions with potential and current customers. This includes collecting, organizing, analyzing, and visualizing data to build and improve customer relationships. CRMs store contact details, track sales activity, generate leads, and securely exchange data between internal departments.

Before diving into Airtable and Asana, consider Flatlogic as a superior alternative tailored to your unique business needs. Flatlogic excels at delivering custom business software that ensures complete code ownership and extensive customization capabilities without the usual scalability issues. This makes it an excellent choice for enterprises that need specific, customized functionality in their ERP, CRM, or other administrative systems.

Some of the most popular CRMs are HubSpot, Salesforce, and Zendesk. You will notice that both Airtable and Asana are absent from that list. Why?

Technically, Asana and Airtable are not dedicated CRMs. Airtable is a cloud-based database tool that does not require coding expertise. At its most basic level, it functions as a spreadsheet — a repository for information. It is designed to be more intuitive and less complicated than Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets.

Asana is a project management tool. Its primary function is acting as a “central hub” for communications within and between teams. It also has extensive task management features that track progress and extend reminders.

Why, then, are we considering the use of Airtable vs. Asana as a CRM? 

• Both Airtable and Asana contain features that allow them to be used as a CRM, even though this is not their primary function.
• Many companies are already using these tools for their communication and database features. It may be easier to integrate their use as a CRM into the company culture than it would be to introduce completely new software and additional logins.
• Both Asana and Airtable let you get started with a free version and a free trial of advanced features, with paid scalable options for larger teams and client bases.

Now, let’s take a deep dive into the stats of each program to help you decide whether you should use Airtable vs. Asana as a CRM.

Using Airtable as a CRM

If a spreadsheet and a database had a baby, Airtable would be it. Its primary purpose is organizing data—inventory, projects, or anything else. Its databases are flexible, customizable, and sortable. Airtable also has collaboration features and integrates well with other tools such as Facebook, Evernote, Eventbrite, Basecamp, Dropbox, Github, Salesforce, and various email providers. It can even integrate with Asana to create a CRM powerhouse!

How to Set Up Airtable as a CRM

Because of its inherent flexibility, setting up Airtable as a CRM is relatively easy. Login to your Airtable account and complete the following steps.

1. Set up a new base. You can use one of Airtable’s ready-made templates or create one from scratch. Don’t forget to name the base.
2. Set up and design your tables. Most CRMs will require multiple tables to store different datasets. For example, you might set up a Customer Contacts table with fields for name, address, email, phone number, company name, contact date, follow-up date, and follow-up assignee. A similar table can be used for Leads. You may also want a separate table tracking customer interactions.
3. Link the tables. When leads become customers or when an interaction occurs, you won’t need to enter the data into multiple tables. Create relationship links so that data entered into one table auto-populates the appropriate fields on other tables.
4. Customize. Airtable offers many customization features. For example, you can choose from grid, kanban, calendar, or gallery views—whichever is most effective for your needs. After creating custom views, you can share them with other stakeholders. You can also set up integrations and automation, such as Mailchimp automation to send out email reminders.

You can also use specific Airtable features to create custom reports. Group, sort, and filter your tables to display specific data sets—for example, your top customers. In the Pro version, you can also set up blocks on your dashboard that automatically display key metrics like total sales or new leads.

Pros and Cons of Using Airtable as a CRM

Pros:

• Allows for highly customizable CRM database creation—an ideal solution if traditional CRMs have not provided enough customization options.
• Filtering features double as report creation and data visualization tools.
• Intuitive controls make CRM setup quick and easy.

Cons:

• Airtable does not show an email history. This makes it possible for a customer to be contacted by multiple employees if some sort of notification workaround is not devised.
• The lack of email history also means that information is siloed in individual inboxes and can be lost if an employee leaves the company or is transferred from the team.
• Building a CRM using Airtable’s spreadsheets can be time-consuming. It is also possible that your decisions on what fields to include incorporate unneeded information that slows down your sales reps during the data input stage.

Airtable: Vital Statistics

Key features:

• Highly flexible and customizable data organization
• Ideal for projects that require extensive customization; consider using if traditional CRMs have failed to meet your needs

Price 

• The Free version is ideal for small teams or trying out the product as a CRM. It includes the creation of unlimited bases with 1,000 records per base.
• The Team tier is $20.00 per month billed annually or $24.00 per month if billed monthly. It increases records per base to 50,000 and includes Gantt and timeline views, sync integrations, and additional formatting options.
• The Business level increases records and data storage and enables two-way since. It is $45.00 per month billed annually or $54.00 per month if billed monthly.
• Custom enterprise-level solutions are also available.

Additional Stats

• Website: airtable.com
• Organization Size: Teams of all sizes, with pricing tiers for small teams, larger businesses, and enterprise-level companies.
• Language: Airtable is currently only supported in English.

Using Asana as a CRM

Asana was primarily designed as a project management and team collaboration tool with a focus on task tracking. This includes tools dedicated to team collaboration, workflow automation, project timelines, analytics, and reporting. 

How to Set Up Asana as a CRM

Setting up Asana is a bit more complicated than setting up Airtable, as discussed above. Still, it is doable in light of the following steps. Instead of a database, you will be using the project and task management features to track your sales pipelines and customer relationships.

1. Start a new project. From your Asana workspace, create and name a new project. You can use a template or create your own. We recommend using the “Sales Pipeline” template.
2. Set up sections. For customer management, consider using sections entitled “New Leads,” “Active Customers,” “Follow-Up,” “High-Priority,” and “Closed/Inactive Customers.” Customize these section titles to align with your needs.
3. Establish custom fields. Create text fields and drop-down boxes for important information, such as contact information (address, phone number, and email address), lead sources, and follow-up dates. Include custom fields for notes and other relevant information.
4. Create customers as tasks. After setting up the above parameters, you can begin creating your customers. You will use a separate Task for each customer. 
5. Assign the tasks. Each customer can be assigned to a team member who will be responsible for managing interactions with that customer. Set due dates for follow-ups and other actions. The comments section can be used for reporting progress.
6. Organize leads using tags. Because Asana does not have the lead management features of a traditional CRM, you can use tags to do the job. Assignees can use tags like “Requires Attention,” “Important,” or “Hot Lead” to make sure customers and sales don’t fall through the cracks.
7. Set up automation. You can use the “Rules” feature to enable automation. For example, a task (the customer) can automatically be moved to a different section when a specific field is updated. New leads can be auto-assigned to predetermined team members, and due date reminders can be routinely sent as dates in the “Follow-Up” field.

Once your Asana CRM is in motion, you can create custom reports using the Advanced Search feature as a filter. You can also use the Asana dashboards to visualize key metrics through quantitive data, pie charts, and bar graphs.

Pros and Cons of Using Asana as a CRM

Pros:

• Asana’s interface is user-friendly and already familiar to many teams.
• Its collaboration tools are extensive. Team members can leave comments and attach files that will be available to all team members.
• Task management features can be used as automatic reminders for follow-ups and other tasks.
• Asana integrates easily with other communication and time management tools, including Gmail, Outlook, and Google Calendar.

Cons:

• CRM features must be manually set up and maintained by creating custom fields. This process is time-consuming and may require other software integrations such as the workflow automation tool Zapier.
• Since Asana is not primarily a CRM, it lacks some features, such as sales forecasting and customer support ticketing. Users must rely on workarounds to imitate these features.
• Asana’s analytics and reporting features may not be robust enough for a detailed CRM analysis, since they are focused on task and project management.
• Asana is more cumbersome than other databases when handling large numbers of customers. 

Asana: Vital Statistics

Key features:

• Asana is one of the most affordable CRM options. Its Personal plan offers unlimited input and may be sufficient for most businesses. Paid services are also less expensive than those of most competitors.
• Task management features provide timely reminders and promote personalized attention to customers.
• Team members can share unlimited amounts of data through comments, text boxes, drop-down menus, and file attachments.

Price 

• Asana’s Personal plan is designed for sole proprietors and small teams. It is “free forever” and allows the creation of unlimited tasks, projects, due dates, and file storage. Up to 10 teammates may use this plan.
• The Starter tier is priced at $10.00 per month when billed yearly or $13.49 per month when billed monthly. It expands collaboration to up to 500 team members and incorporates timeline and Gantt views, AI capabilities, and up to 250 automation per month. It also facilitates the creation of private teams and projects that can’t be accessed by all team members.
• The Advanced plan costs $24.00 per month when billed annually or $30.49 per month when billed monthly. It increases automation to 25,000 per month and includes time-tracking features and scaled security.

Additional Stats

• Website: asana.com
• Organization Size: Teams of all sizes with scaled solutions 
• Language: Asana is supported in 13 languages, including English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Traditional Chinese, Polish, Dutch, Swedish, and Russian

Using Asana and Airtable in Tandem

Unito is a sync platform with enterprise-level security that enables two-way syncing across your cloud-computing stack. Unito prides itself on its simplicity. According to their website, “You don’t need a dedicated IT professional or months-long implementation plan in place.” Setup is estimated to take about 15 minutes.

In a few clicks, you can connect your accounts and decide whether you want data to flow in one direction only or in both. You can also set “rules” that dictate which tables will communicate or parameters based on dates, assignees, and more.

Why sync Asana and Airtable? Automatic disbursement can save you the time of copying and pasting data and eliminate the chance of human error.

Pros and Cons of Using Airtable and Asana with Unito

Pros:

• Enables the use of both applications’ strong points, combining task management with data management.
• Two-way syncing that saves time and automatically updates your data in real-time.

Cons:

• Requires the use of three different systems, potentially necessitating monthly fees for each.

Sync Asana and Airtable: Pricing

Unito offers a free trial. After the trial period, various levels of service are charged monthly.

• The Basic plan allows to to sync one tool with every other available integration. Syncs occur at 15-minute intervals. The Basic plan costs $65.00 per month.
• The Pro plan adds the ability to sync sub-items, checklists, and custom fields at 5-minute intervals. The Pro plan costs $299.00 per month.
• The Business plan allows you to sync all available programs to one another—currently, Unito supports 53 different online tools. Updates occur in real-time. You can also take advantage of live Customer Success Manager (CSM) coaching. The Business plan costs $1,439.00 monthly.
• Custom options are also available at the Enterprise level. This includes advanced security benefits.

Conclusion

CRMs that are available to your team anytime, anywhere are essential in today’s business landscape, especially when managing a business with a global scope or a remote team that is separated geographically.

When comparing Asana, Airtable, and even other CRM options, it is important to consider both their core functionalities and their strengths and weaknesses in CRM. Some of the most important issues to consider are whether your workforce is already familiar with a given system and whether you might use the two programs in tandem to your best advantage. Price and available languages should also be noted.

Remember, while both Asana and Airtable can function effectively as CRMs, setting them up can take time. Airtable may be more suited to the largest databases, while Asana is a good fit for teams that are concerned with team member assignments and meeting deadlines.

Of course, you may find that you need custom solutions tailored to the unique needs of your business. In that case, you can check out the Flatlogic generator and its customization services to create personalized business software.