25 Free Customer Relationship Management Courses Online
Most think of CRM as “the software the sales team complains about. It doesn’t. Basically, Customer Relationship Management is the way a business begins to know its customers, maintains the accuracy of their information, tracks a customer from initial contact to the point of sale, and converts a one-time customer into a long-term customer. The software is only the means to do so. The logic behind it, that’s the one most people don’t ever take the time to master, is what’s really got the juice.
That’s the gap that you’ll see everywhere. A rep walks into their office on the first day and is assigned a fresh logon to their shiny new CRM, and expected to learn a ton about contacts, pipelines and lead scoring on the spot. A small business man purchases a subscription because a competitor is using one and does not ever get beyond the free trial because no one told him what all this was. None of this is software fault. It’s a training gap, and training gaps are generally the most easily closed, particularly if the training is ‘free’.
As a sales, marketing or support professional, or if you are a small business owner, understanding the basics of CRM will pay you quickly, and it’s not a requirement of business school! We’ve compiled a list of 25 free CRM courses available on sites such as Alison, HubSpot Academy, Salesforce Trailhead, and Coursera. Some are completely free end to end, and a select few allow you to study free of charge but pay a small amount for a certificate. Anyhow, you can begin studying today for free.
Note: Course availability, certificates, badges and paid add-ons are subject to change on these platforms very frequently. Some have no entry or exit fees. Some provide free learning content and then take payment for the exam or a hard copy certificate. Below all the entries are marked as to which is which but always checks on the platform before investing their time in it.
1. Customer Relationship Management – Great Learning Academy
- Platform: Great Learning Academy
- Level: Beginner
- Language: English
- Duration: About 2.25 hours
- Cost: Free
- Certificate: Free
The course is free to access and has no fixed time; it will take approximately 2.25 hours to complete, but you can finish it in half an hour or more if you want to.This course is free and you can access it at any time, for the duration of approximately 2.25 hours, but can be completed in half an hour or less if you wish.
Great Learning’s basic CRM course does just what a beginner needs to know; it explains the fundamentals of CRM, the reason companies care about CRM in the first place, and how it works from the moment a potential customer is identified, through to years later when they become loyal to the company. It is based on examples such as Apple or Amazon, which provides concrete demonstrations of the ideas.
You will learn: CRM basics, CRM advantages, customer targeting, customer retention, lead management, sales operations, service operations, customer satisfaction, CRM processes, and a couple of real-world examples of strategies.
It’s for: beginners, students, sales reps, customer-service employees, and small-business owners who want to get the basics before they get their hands dirty with any actual CRM software training.
Why it’s worth your time: It’s short, practical and has an identifiable brand to make concepts easy to understand.
2. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Essentials – Alison
- Platform: Alison
- Level: Beginner
- Language: English
- Duration: 1.5–3 hours
- Cost: Free
- Certificate: Optional paid certificate
The Alison Course is an optional paid certificate.The Alison Course is a free to study certificate course.
This one examines the “how it works” of how customer data is utilized within a business, a good CRM paper plan, and how to look at the numbers a CRM system generates and understand where customer service is failing.
You will learn: Basic concepts of CRM, Customer information, Customer Data types, CRM Strategy & Planning, Communication, CRM Data Analysis, Customer Engagement, CRM Performance and Process Improvement.
Ideal for: Beginners, Customer Service, Sales and Business students wanting to gain an understanding of how CRM aids day to day customer facing work.
Why it is worth your time: You are not required to learn a certain platform first and is a good groundwork for platform-specific CRM training.
3. An Introduction to Customer Relationship in Management – Alison
- Platform: Alison
- Level: Intermediate
- Language: English
- Duration: 1.5–3 hours
- Cost: Free
- Certificate: Optional paid certificate
This course is open for free and available for study on the platform for 1.5 — 3 hours, depending on your time commitment.This course is available for free to study, and with optional paid certificate, depending on your time commitment.
While the last course focused on the basics, this one moves to the next level and examines how CRM relates to growth, marketing and just basic bottomline profitability – and why lots of companies have turned to a customer-centric approach rather than just new sales.
You will learn about the basics of CRM, drivers of CRM development, customer retention, customer-centric strategies, marketing & service benefits of CRM, customer management, challenges to CRM, business profitability, and customer-based practices.
Who it’s for: Business students, marketing and sales people, customer-service workers and entrepreneurs who have some business background.
Why it’s worth your time: It moves past definitions and shows how customer relationships actually feed the bottom line, making it a natural next step after a basics course.
4. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) for Small Businesses – Alison
- Platform: Alison
- Level: Intermediate
- Language: English
- Duration: 1.5–3 hours
- Cost: Free
- Certificate: Optional paid certificate
Here small business owners have a dedicated course. Rather than abstract theory, it addresses how to choose the right CRM system, how to deal with customer-facing workflows, how to measure the right KPIs and how to leverage customer data to inform the way you communicate with them.
The skills you will be able to learn: CRM basics, selecting CRM software, CRM features and costs, customer engagement and loyalty, CRM KPIs, customer data, personalised communication and customer experience.
For whom: Small business owners, entrepreneurs, and managers who want to link CRM action to actual decisions, such as the CRM platform they choose to purchase.
Why it’s worth your time: It’s based on real-world queries that a small business encounters, not on theoretical information from a book.
5. Managing Customers Using Technology – Alison
- Platform: Alison
- Level: Intermediate
- Language: English
- Duration: 1.5–3 hours
- Cost: Free
- Certificate: Optional paid certificate
This course is a mix of both CRM theory and the technology used for CRM. They will know how CRM is structured, why it is important for a business to be customer-focussed and how technology enables a business to engage in customer relationships at scale.
You will learn: CRM basics, CRM structures, CRM technology, customer-centric business, nurturing the customer, customer information, technology enabled management, and benefits of CRM.
It’s for: Business students, beginners, and customer-service personnel who want to get a look at how technology can be used to manage customer relationships but have not decided on a platform like HubSpot.
Why it’s worthwhile: It’s a great introduction to platform training, as it connects theory to tools.
6. Getting Started with HubSpot – HubSpot Academy
- Platform: HubSpot Academy
- Level: Beginner
- Language: English
- Duration: 18 minutes
- Cost: Free
- Certificate: No separate certification for this lesson
Want to know without reading theory, this quick lesson will show you how to get setup with an actual CRM. It’s four videos and a quiz and by the end you’ll be able to see how and why CRM is important, and how to get HubSpot’s free CRM setup and working with basic use.
What you will learn: CRM’s importance for growth, CRM setup and configuration, initial tasks when you are in an account, and a few tips on how to keep your CRM going smoothly.
Best for: Beginners and small-business owners who are looking to implement HubSpot for the first time.
What you get: A working CRM rather than notes; and why you shouldn’t waste 18 minutes.
7. Managing Your Contacts With the HubSpot CRM – HubSpot Academy
- Platform: HubSpot Academy
- Level: Beginner
- Language: English
- Duration: 20 minutes
- Cost: Free
- Certificate: No separate certification for this lesson
Contact management, which sounds like a dull topic, is at the heart of CRM. If contact info is messy and disorganized, your sales reps will have a difficult time keeping track of conversations and your customer support teams won’t be able to help customers effectively. This lesson will take a look at how HubSpot manages that end of things.
You will learn: Contact management within a CRM, structuring of customer information, contact records, managing and cleaning up CRM data and how to use contact information.
It is for: People new to CRM software, salespeople, support teams, customer record managers, etc.
Why it is good for your time: Contact management is an essential component of any other element, and this could be an extremely practical place to start.
8. Lead Management With HubSpot – HubSpot Academy
- Platform: HubSpot Academy
- Level: Beginner
- Language: English
- Duration: About 4 hours
- Cost: Free
- Certificate: Check the current Academy page for status
CRM is not just about data storage, it’s also about structuring leads to ensure they don’t get lost. This extended course explores the buying journey that prospects go through, and when to follow up with them using CRM data.
You will learn: How to get to basics of lead management, how to organize leads in a CRM, the importance of lead qualification, how to align sales and marketing, how to follow up leads in time, and how to manage the whole customer journey process from prospect to buyer.
For whom it’s for: It’s for sales and marketing professionals, small business owners, and anyone with a basic understanding of CRM who is looking to use it for lead generation.
Why it’s worth your time: It brings together the dots between CRM and actual revenue, which is something that most beginners lack.
9. Managing Customer Relationships in B2C and B2B Markets – Alison
- Platform: Alison
- Level: Advanced
- Language: English
- Duration: : 4–5 hours
- Cost: Free
- Certificate: Optional paid certificate
The Alison Platform is designed for advanced learners, with an English language course that takes 4-5 hours to complete and is free to study; a paid certificate is available.
Selling to individuals and selling to businesses are two different games and this course is designed that way, dealing with the topic of acquisition, retention, why customers walk away and how businesses recoup their losses when a service fails.
You will learn: B2C and B2B customer relationships, acquisition and retention, customer satisfaction and perceived value, customer defection, service recovery, and the B2B buying process.
It’s for: Marketing professionals, sales managers, business students and anyone with experience in customer-facing roles who want to take it beyond the basics.
What it offers: This is a relatively rare course offering as it addresses B2B and B2C relationship management together.
10. Technology in Customer Relationship Management – Alison
- Platform: Alison
- Level: Intermediate
- Language: English
- Duration: : 1.5–3 hours
- Cost: Free
- Certificate: Optional paid certificate
This one looks behind the scenes and guides you through the nuts and bolts of a CRM system: electronic CRM, data warehouses, data mining, and how a CRM system works technically.
The learning outcomes will be: Electronic CRM, CRM technology and platforms, data warehouses and data mining, CRM architecture, implementation of strategy, and global account management.
For who: Business students, CRM professionals, and tech-savvy learners seeking more than mere usage, more the mechanics.
Why it’s worth your time: It’s one of the few free products that does more than just a CRM relationship-building, it’s a data and infrastructure-based approach.
11. HubSpot Sales Hub Software – HubSpot Academy
- Platform: HubSpot Academy
- Level: Beginner
- Language: English
- Cost: Free
- Certificate: Depends on the specific course
If you want to move beyond basic CRM concepts and learn how a CRM is actually used during the sales process, HubSpot’s Sales Hub Software course is a practical option. It introduces the tools sales professionals use to organize prospects, manage contacts and deals, and keep track of activities throughout the sales process.
The course covers the prospecting workspace, contact and task organization, deal management, sales processes, and reporting. It also explains how HubSpot’s sales tools can help identify suitable leads, connect with customers, and monitor sales performance. This makes it particularly useful for beginners who already understand the basic idea of CRM and want to see how those concepts work inside an actual CRM platform.
The course includes six lessons, 20 videos, four quizzes, and five practical exercises. HubSpot currently lists it as a free certification course, making it a stronger fit for this free CRM course collection.
12. CRM Fundamentals – Salesforce Trailhead
- Platform: Salesforce Trailhead
- Level: Beginner
- Language: English
- Cost: Free
- Certificate: Trailhead badges
Salesforce created Trailhead to be an interactive way to learn rather than a traditional video-lecture approach. You get badges for learning CRM and the learning becomes a bit more like a game, thanks to short lessons, quick questions and hands-on challenges instead of passive watching.
You will learn: CRM Basics, CRM Terminology, Hands-on Practice of the platform, Sales Processes, Customer Data, and CRM Fundamentals.
For whom it’s for: Everyone from novices to students, sales people and anyone even considering a Salesforce or CRM-based career.
Why it’s worth your time: The hands-on, gamified approach keeps you engaged, a quality that video content can’t match.
13. Customer Relationship Management Course – Simplilearn
- Platform: Simplilearn SkillUp
- Level: Beginner
- Cost: Free
- Certificate: Option available
If you want a straightforward introduction to customer relationship management, this free course from Simplilearn SkillUp is a useful starting point. It explains the fundamentals of CRM and how businesses can use CRM strategies and software to manage customer interactions more effectively.
The course covers CRM concepts, customer data management, CRM software, and the role of CRM in improving customer satisfaction and business growth. It also introduces the connection between AI and CRM, giving learners an idea of how customer management is evolving.
The course is self-paced and takes around two hours to complete. Simplilearn also provides a completion certificate, making it useful for learners who want to document their CRM knowledge.
14. Customer Relationship Management – IIT Kharagpur / NPTEL
- Platform: SWAYAM / NPTEL
- Level: Beginner
- Language: English
- Cost: Free
- Certificate: Paid certificate available separately
This course from IIT Kharagpur focuses directly on Customer Relationship Management, making it a strong fit for an article specifically about free CRM courses. The course explains how businesses use CRM strategies, practices and technologies to acquire and retain customers profitably. It covers the foundations of CRM and the practices businesses can use to build long-term customer relationships.
The course is designed as a structured learning program rather than a short software tutorial, so it is suitable for learners who want a deeper understanding of CRM concepts. It can also work well for students and professionals interested in business management, marketing, sales or customer-focused roles.
Class Central currently lists the course as a free online course, with a six-week duration and a paid certificate option. It is available in English and is listed as a beginner-level course.
Why it’s relevant: CRM is the actual subject of the course, rather than CRM being only one small component.
15. CRM Course – Salesforce
- Platform: Salesforce
- Level: Beginner
- Language: English
- Cost: Free
Salesforce offers free CRM training for learners who want to understand the fundamentals of customer relationship management and how CRM software is used in business. The training introduces core CRM principles before moving into practical areas such as customer data management, sales and lead management, marketing automation, and customer support.
This makes it suitable for beginners who are new to CRM and want to understand how different business functions can work with customer information in one system. It also introduces CRM analytics and reporting, helping learners understand how customer data can support business decisions.
The training is available through Salesforce and connects learners with its Trailhead learning environment, where they can continue developing their CRM skills at their own pace.
16. Customer Relationship Management in Business Services – Alison
- Platform: Alison
- Level: Beginner
- Language: English
- Cost: Free
- Certificate: Optional paid certificate
Customer Relationship Management in Business Services is a free online course from Alison that explores CRM in the context of service-based businesses. Instead of focusing on a particular CRM software platform, the course looks at how businesses can design and manage services around customer needs and expectations. Alison lists the course as beginner level and estimates the learning time at 3–4 hours.
The course covers several topics connected to customer relationship management in services. Learners explore consumer behaviour, managing services, customer perceptions of risk, waiting lines and demand relative to service capacity. It also introduces self-service technologies and explains how they can be used in service environments. Other topics include the new service development cycle and the role of culture in service excellence.
This course is particularly relevant for learners interested in customer service, service management, business development, and customer experience. It also adds a different perspective to the list because it connects CRM with the delivery and management of business services rather than repeating general CRM fundamentals.
17. Managing Your HubSpot Account as an Admin – HubSpot Academy
- Platform: HubSpot
- Level: Beginner
- Language: English
- Cost: Free
- Certificate: Course completion/certification options available
Managing Your HubSpot Account as an Admin is a free course from HubSpot Academy for learners who want to understand how a CRM account is managed from an administrative perspective. Rather than focusing only on basic CRM definitions, the course introduces the responsibilities involved in maintaining a HubSpot account and working with its CRM environment.
The course contains nine lessons, 25 videos, seven quizzes, and two practical exercises, with a total listed duration of about 3 hours and 8 minutes. It is designed for HubSpot administrators and covers the fundamentals of managing a HubSpot account.
This makes it a useful choice for learners who already understand basic CRM concepts and want to move toward the operational side of CRM management. It can also help students understand how CRM systems are maintained rather than simply how customer information is stored.
Because HubSpot identifies this as a FREE Course, learners can access the training without paying for the course itself. It is therefore a better fit for a “25 Free CRM Courses” article than courses that only offer a free trial or free audit period.
18. Understanding the Economics in Customer Relationship Management – Alison
- Platform: Alison
- Level: Beginner
- Language: English
- Cost: Free
- Certificate: Optional paid certificate
Understanding the Economics in Customer Relationship Management is a free online course from Alison that examines the financial side of CRM. Rather than simply explaining customer relationships or CRM software, the course focuses on customer lifetime value and how businesses can use CRM-related calculations to make better marketing and branding decisions. Alison lists it as a beginner-level course with an estimated duration of 1.5–3 hours.
The course introduces customer-centric marketing and explains the importance of customer lifetime value, or CLV. Learners explore how CLV calculations can support marketing decisions and examine the relationship between customer loyalty, branding, and business performance. The course also covers CLV calculations for both B2B and B2C markets and introduces the basic CLV formula.
This makes the course a useful addition for learners who want to understand the financial and analytical side of CRM. It can be particularly relevant to marketing students, business owners, sales professionals, and CRM learners who want to understand why customer retention and lifetime value matter financially.
19. Building Your Business With HubSpot Smart CRM
- Platform: HubSpot Academy
- Level: Beginner
- Language: English
- Cost: Free
For learners who want to understand how CRM works in a real business environment, HubSpot Academy’s Building Your Business With HubSpot Smart CRM course offers a practical introduction. Instead of focusing only on CRM terminology, the course shows how businesses can organize customer data and structure it for everyday use.
The lessons cover important parts of HubSpot’s CRM, including data organization, data modeling, custom objects, and properties. This helps beginners understand how CRM systems store and manage information rather than viewing CRM simply as a contact database.
The course includes three lessons, nine videos, two quizzes, and a practical exercise. It is free and designed for business owners and learners who want to become more comfortable working with CRM tools.
20. Customer Relationship Management – LearnTube
- Platform: LearnTube
- Level: Beginner
- Language: English
- Cost: Free
LearnTube’s Customer Relationship Management course is specifically designed to teach the fundamentals of CRM. The course contains 26 video lessons and focuses on practical CRM concepts, including managing customer information, improving customer interactions, integrating CRM systems and understanding CRM reports.
The course also includes quizzes and practical projects, making it more hands-on than a purely theoretical introduction. Learners can study the complete course for free, while the certificate is an optional paid add-on.
The current course page describes it specifically as a Customer Relationship Management course and states that the lessons, quizzes and AI tutor are available free of charge.
Why it’s relevant: The entire course is specifically about CRM, not just sales or customer service.
21. Service Hub Software Certification Course – HubSpot Academy
- Platform: HubSpot Academy
- Level: Beginner
- Language: English
- Cost: Free
The Service Hub Software Certification Course from HubSpot Academy introduces learners to the tools and processes used to manage customer service through HubSpot’s CRM platform. It is a useful option for learners who want to understand the post-sale side of CRM, including customer support, service processes, and customer relationship management.
Rather than focusing only on CRM fundamentals, the course connects CRM with customer service operations. Learners can develop an understanding of how service teams use HubSpot tools to organize customer information, manage service activities, and create better customer experiences. This makes it relevant for customer service professionals, account managers, support teams, and CRM learners who want to expand beyond sales-focused CRM knowledge.
HubSpot Academy provides its learning resources as free online training, so learners can access the course without paying for the course itself. HubSpot’s Academy is publicly available and provides self-paced learning, courses, certifications, and training materials.
The course is a better fit for this article under its actual title than the current “Customer Success Fundamentals” heading because the destination page and course content are specifically associated with HubSpot Service Hub.
22. Salesforce Administrator Learning Path – Salesforce Trailhead
- Platform: Salesforce Trailhead
- Level: Beginner / Intermediate
- Language: English
- Cost: Free
The course is free and available on the platform, and is suitable for both beginner and intermediate users of Salesforce.The course is free and open to all Salesforce users, from beginner to intermediate level. It is available on the platform and is designed for the Trailhead level. Certification is achieved through a separate paid exam.
This is the course of action you’ll want to take if you’re looking to take CRM concepts from theory to practice and start managing a platform. It features user management, data management, security, customization, and reporting – all in interactive modules, not by passive reading.
You will learn: Salesforce CRM basics, user and data management, CRM security, CRM customization, reports and dashboards, CRM automation, and general CRM administration.
For whom: Students, CRM beginners, Salesforce users and anyone who desires hands-on Administration skills instead of theory.
Why you should do it: It’s one of the more useful courses if you’re looking to go into actual CRM admin work, not just an overview of the product.
23. Intermediate Customer Service and Retention Management
- Platform: Alison
- Level: Intermediate
- Language: English
- Cost: Free
Once you’ve acquired a customer, you’ve only just begun. This course will concentrate on the other half: why customers stay, why they go, and how businesses can foster loyalty that extends beyond a single sale.
You’ll discover: Customer retention and loyalty, relationship marketing, customer satisfaction, communication and engagement and repeat business strategies.
For whom: Marketers, sales, customer service personnel and business students who are interested in loyalty and retention.
Why it’s worth your time: It directly addresses what is often the most overlooked aspect of CRM: Building relationships.
24. Small Business CRM Courses – Salesforce
- Platform: Salesforce Trailhead
- Level: Intermediate
- Language: English
- Cost: Free
Small businesses often need CRM tools to keep customer information organized, manage leads, and maintain consistent communication. Salesforce’s free small-business training introduces these CRM concepts in a practical way for entrepreneurs and growing businesses.
The training covers CRM basics, customer data management, sales pipeline optimization, automation and workflows, and customer engagement strategies. These topics give beginners a clearer understanding of how CRM can be used beyond simply storing contact details.
The courses are available through Salesforce’s Trailhead learning platform and are designed for small business owners and startup teams. Learners can study the material at their own pace while developing a better understanding of how CRM systems can support sales, customer relationships, and business growth.
25. Stakeholder Relationship Management – Alison
- Platform: Alison
- Level: Intermediate
- Language: English
- Cost: Free
Stakeholder Relationship Management is broader than a traditional CRM software course, but it has a direct connection to customer relationship management and relationship-building practices. The course covers stakeholder rapport, customer relationship management, emotional intelligence, teamwork, business communication and strategies for building and nurturing professional relationships.
Learners also study how to approach new contacts and develop stronger stakeholder interactions. This makes it particularly relevant for people who want to understand the relationship-management side of CRM, rather than only learning how to operate a particular CRM platform.
Alison currently lists the course as free online learning and explicitly includes Customer Relationship Management (CRM) among its learning outcomes.
Why it’s relevant: CRM is explicitly included in the course curriculum, although this is broader than a dedicated CRM course.
