Compare the 7 best CRM software options for utilities in 2027, from Salesforce and Microsoft to HubSpot, Zoho and SMART360, by fit and pricing.
For US Utilities serving 3,000-100,000 meters and for operations team, billing team and utility managers. For Heads of Billing who own collections accuracy and revenue leakage.
The best CRM for utilities depends on one question: are you keeping your customer information system (CIS)? If the CIS stays, a CRM layer such as Salesforce Energy & Utilities Cloud, Microsoft Dynamics 365, ServiceNow or SEW adds contact center, field and engagement tools on top of it. HubSpot and Zoho CRM fit commercial account sales. If the CIS itself is the problem, a utility customer information system with service requests, the consumer portal and customer communication built in, such as SMART360, replaces both layers with one record per account.
Customer pressure on utilities is at a record high. Residential electric customer satisfaction fell to 499 on a 1,000-point scale in 2025, the lowest score J.D. Power has recorded, while average monthly electric bills rose 34% since 2020, according to J.D. Power's 2025 study as reported by T&D World. The same study found that clearer billing, digital self-service and timely outage alerts lift satisfaction even when costs are high.
That puts the customer record at the center of the software decision. When a customer calls about a high bill, the representative needs the account, the meter reads, the bill, the payment history and any open service order on one screen. The right CRM depends on what already holds that data.
A CRM built for general sales teams tracks leads and deals. A CRM for utilities has to work with service accounts that never close and bills that repeat every cycle. At minimum, utility CRM software should handle:
How these tools fit across web, phone, field and portal touchpoints is covered in the utility customer journey digital guide, which maps which system owns each step.
Is your problem the customer experience on top of a working CIS, or the CIS underneath it?
A CRM manages relationships and interactions. A CIS is the utility's system of record for accounts, premises, meters, rates and bills. Large utilities often run both, with an integration between them. Smaller utilities, with one team and little IT staff, usually need the CIS to cover the CRM jobs too.
If you are still defining the CIS side of this decision, the guide to what a customer information system is covers the core record. For a side-by-side of CIS vendors rather than CRM layers, see the best utility customer information systems.
Which of these products holds your account data, and which one would need an integration to read it?
Type: Utility customer information and billing platform with customer service built in.
SMART360 is a cloud-native platform for US water, electric and gas utilities with 3,000 to 100,000 connections. Billing, customer information, meter data, service orders, assets and the consumer portal share one database, so the account record is the same one billing uses. Island Water Authority reached 99% billing accuracy and 38% faster meter-to-bill on SMART360 after migrating more than 35,000 consumer records.
Key capabilities:
Pricing: SMART360 is priced per account with unlimited users, so adding customer service staff does not change the price. Bynry provides a quote based on account count and scope.
Best for: Utilities that want the CRM jobs inside the CIS rather than a second system, with a planned 20 to 24 week implementation.
Type: Industry CRM for energy and utility companies.
Salesforce describes Energy & Utilities Cloud as designed for the energy and utility industry, and says it integrates with major utility billing systems and CIS through pre-built integrations, MuleSoft or APIs. It says 70 of the 100 largest energy and utility companies worldwide use Salesforce.
Key capabilities:
Pricing: Each Energy & Utilities Cloud edition is priced per user per month, billed annually. Editions range from Service Core to Sales & Service Max.
Best for: Large utilities and energy retailers that keep their CIS and want a contact center, sales and program management layer.
Type: Business platform with customer service and field service apps.
Microsoft's energy industry offering combines Dynamics 365 Customer Service and Field Service with Power Platform, Azure, Fabric, Copilot and partner solutions. A utility or its implementation partner configures these apps for utility processes, and billing stays in the CIS.
Key capabilities:
Pricing: Dynamics 365 Customer Service and Field Service are licensed per user per month.
Best for: Utilities and enterprises standardizing on Microsoft across departments, with IT staff or a partner to configure it.
Type: Enterprise workflow, customer service and field service platform.
ServiceNow's Energy and Utilities solution runs on the Now Platform, a horizontal enterprise workflow platform. It works across the systems a utility already runs, including the CIS, rather than replacing them.
Key capabilities:
Pricing: ServiceNow licenses its platform per user and does not publish pricing on its product pages. Contact ServiceNow for a quote.
Best for: Large enterprises already on ServiceNow that want customer service and field workflows across existing systems.
Type: Customer experience, workforce and payments platform for utilities.
SEW runs on top of a utility's existing CIS and adds a customer and field experience layer. SEW states it serves 470+ energy and water utilities across 47+ countries.
Key capabilities:
Pricing: SEW does not publish pricing on its website. Request a quote through its demo or contact form.
Best for: Large energy and water utilities that keep their CIS and want a modern customer and field experience on top.
Type: General CRM and customer platform.
HubSpot is a general-purpose CRM used across many industries. In a utility, it fits sales and marketing work such as commercial account pipelines, program outreach and new-development leads, while accounts and bills stay in the CIS.
Key capabilities:
Pricing: HubSpot's free CRM covers up to 2 users, and the Starter edition is priced per seat. Higher editions are quoted through HubSpot sales.
Best for: Utilities and energy suppliers with a commercial sales team that need pipelines and campaigns next to the CIS.
Type: General CRM.
Zoho CRM is a general CRM with five editions, from a free edition to Ultimate. In a utility, it fits commercial account sales and outreach, with account data synced from the CIS.
Key capabilities:
Pricing: Zoho CRM is priced per user per month, with a free edition for up to 3 users and lower prices on annual billing.
Best for: Small commercial sales teams that want a low-cost CRM alongside the CIS.
Energy utilities with commercial and industrial customers often need tools a residential billing team does not. Key accounts have multiple sites, negotiated contracts and an account manager.
The practical rule: the CIS should own the rate, the meter and the bill, and the CRM should own the sale.
Public utilities buy CRM software under different conditions from investor-owned utilities and energy retailers. A municipal or district utility usually has:
Those conditions favor fewer systems and pricing that follows accounts rather than users. A per-user CRM on top of a CIS adds licenses and an integration to maintain. A CIS that covers service requests and the portal keeps one record and one contract. For how notices across email, SMS and phone fit that model, see omnichannel communication for utilities.
Before you compare features, have you written down which system will own the account record?
The portal often decides how many calls reach the CRM at all. The utility service portal software guide covers which platforms include a portal and which need a separate one.
Choosing a CRM for utilities starts with the account record, not the feature list. If your CIS works and you need a contact center, sales pipeline or program layer, an industry or general CRM on top of it is a sound choice. If your team works around the CIS every day, adding a CRM adds a second system without fixing the first. In that case, compare platforms that put service requests, the portal and billing in one record.
SMART360 gives utilities with 3,000 to 100,000 connections one platform for billing, customer information, meter data, service orders and the consumer portal. More than 50,000 accounts run on SMART360, customer retention is 95%, and the platform is SOC 2 Type II certified. Book a demo of the SMART360 customer information system to see a service request go from call to field to bill.
A CRM for utilities is software that manages customer interactions such as calls, service requests, complaints, notices and sales. For utilities, it has to work with the account, meter and bill data held in the customer information system, either by integration or by being part of the CIS.
No. A CIS is the system of record for accounts, premises, meters, rates and bills. A CRM manages interactions and sales. Modern utility CIS platforms such as SMART360 include service requests, the consumer portal and notifications, which covers most CRM jobs for small and mid-sized utilities.
For a public or municipal utility with 3,000 to 100,000 connections, a CIS with customer service built in usually fits best, because it keeps one record and one contract. SMART360 is priced per account with unlimited users, so adding staff does not raise the price.
No. Salesforce says Energy & Utilities Cloud integrates with the utility's billing system and CIS through pre-built integrations, MuleSoft or APIs. Billing and rating stay in the CIS.
Most CRM products, including Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics 365, HubSpot and Zoho CRM, are priced per user or per seat. SMART360 is priced per account with unlimited users. Ask each vendor for a quote at your staff and account count before comparing.
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