Data held center-stage through most of 2018, as companies raced towards treating customers with the best experience throughout their journey. Needless to say, every customer data strategy discussion pulled up CRM and demanded some hard answers. This December roundup is a reflection of the emergence of data, both internal and external, as the true conductor of customer engagement, and the key role that CRM has been called upon to play in its assimilation and delivery.
Happy 25th, CRM: A critical review of the journey – By CustomerThink
Here’s an article that takes us down memory lane to when CRM was first born and has grown since to influence the playing field for businesses, big and small. Not quite there yet, CRM took some bold leaps towards processes and data management to enhance lead management, ABM strategies and improving overall CX to name a few.
Not without its set of failings and competition from technology disruptions, CRM still has a lot to offer to businesses.
Read More Thank you, CRM for bringing marketing and sales together more than ever before. Here’s to many more!
The future of CRM: Insights and analysis – By AgileCRM
All-in-one CRM is in the new vogue and challenges data silos to deliver one source of data truth for a consistent customer experience. These CRMs include traditional CRM capabilities, as well as sales enablement, marketing automation, and help desk modules all on the same platform. Another trend trying to make data management all-encompassing is CRMs’ coming with built-in capability to integrate with various third-party applications. When a business uses an all-in-one CRM and incorporates integrations and plugins, they can complete nearly every business function in the same system.
Personalization is at the forefront of CX. With all the data you are now able to store and manage, expect to see new features added to CRM solutions that make personalization even easier—it’s an inevitable aspect of the future of CRM.
CRM for Late Adopters – By CRMBuyer
CRM has largely dispensed with the big vs. small company divide, as companies have risen to the importance of CRM to drive their sales function. But, while the market is trending towards all-in-one CRMs, a lot of companies are seeking core CRM without too many of the add-ons available now. They want to implement something that will get their basic business functions running. And clean, functional data will, of course, always top data enormity for most businesses out there that want to make those million bucks. Read More
Where is CRM Headed in 2019? – By Business to Community
And while CRM may be getting a dress-down to suit the late adopters, here’s a peek at what will keep CRM providers busy in 2019, brought to you by Business to Community. Collaboration, automation and artificial intelligence are touted as the big winners as per the article. Read More
Forrester Makes 5 Bold Predictions that will Impact B2B Marketers Next Year – By Forbes
This article from Forbes features excerpts from an interview with Caroline Robertson, vice president & research director at Forrester as it looks at data management from a marketers point of view. The article highlights some key trends such as the emergence of Customer Data Platforms (CDPs) as a new technology vertical alongside CRM; tools to support partner marketing, to name a few. The article also takes a deep stab at issues that bog down most Account Based Marketing (ABM) programs. Read More
