Half of enterprises will need to modernize CRM by 2026 to reap benefits of AI, new ISG research predicts

Firms Face Critical Decision on AI-Driven CRM, ISG Says

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Will Thoretz, ISG
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New research from leading global technology research and advisory firm Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III) predicts that half of all enterprises will need to modernize their customer relationship management (CRM) systems by 2026 to take advantage of new AI capabilities.

The ISG Buyers Guides™ for Customer Relationship Management, produced by ISG Software Research (formerly Ventana Research), say modern CRM systems have evolved from simple data repositories to complex, AI-driven platforms that help maximize sales effectiveness and achieve revenue and customer service targets.

These systems improve data management and deliver predictive analytics and insights that enable sales teams to understand and manage sales opportunities and engagement, and customer service teams to resolve customer issues and generate new revenue opportunities.

“CRM ensures that all customer-facing teams have access to up-to-date information, but outdated CRM systems can force teams to employ inefficient workarounds,” said Stephen Hurrell, director of research, Office of Revenue, ISG Software Research. “New data-driven AI technology is necessary to gain market and competitive insights, engage effectively and achieve optimal outcomes. To stay competitive, continuous alignment of CRM systems with business needs is imperative.”

Many enterprise approaches to CRM rely on scattered methods of interacting with customers and consume unnecessary resources, limiting revenue growth. Some providers have delivered add-ons that improve the ability of CRM systems to provide relevant, actionable insights, but the efficacy of these add-ons depends on the quality of the original base data, including customer information and activity records. The ISG report says enterprise CRM users now face a critical decision to reimplement existing systems or shift to a new provider to gain AI-driven capabilities.

Modern CRM systems should support integrated prospect and customer engagement, standardized processes and automated data collection. Newer capabilities, many driven by AI, are designed to improve the quality and speed of responses to customers and prospects. In the field of sales, these capabilities provide new insights into who and when to engage, and in the area of service, they provide more integrated insights into new opportunities that turn service into an additional sales and engagement channel.

For its 2024 Customer Relationship Management Buyers Guides, ISG evaluated software providers across eight CRM-related software categories – Suite, Platform, Digital Commerce, Marketing, Partners, Sales, Sales Engagement and Service. For each category, ISG produced a separate Buyers Guide. A total of 37 providers were assessed: Adobe, Akinon, Apollo.io, Aviso, BigCommerce, Clari, commercetools, Creatio, Elastic Path, Gong, HCLSoftware, HubSpot, Intershop, Kibo, Mediafly, Microsoft, Monday.com, Netsuite, Oracle, Outreach, People.ai, Revenue Grid, Sage, SalesDirector.ai, Salesforce, Salesloft, Sana, SAP, Shopify, Shopware, Spryker, SugarCRM, VTEX, Xactly, Zendesk, Zoho and ZoomInfo.

ISG Software Research designates the top three software providers as Leaders in each category. For the 2024 study, the leading providers in ranked order are:

CRM Basic: Oracle, Salesforce, Zoho
CRM Platform: Salesforce, Oracle, HubSpot
CRM Marketing: Salesforce, Oracle, HubSpot
CRM Partners: Salesforce, Oracle, HubSpot
CRM Sales: Salesforce, Oracle, HubSpot
CRM Service: Salesforce, Oracle, HubSpot
Digital Commerce: Salesforce, Oracle, Adobe
Sales Engagement: Oracle, Salesforce, Zoho

“Today’s CRM platforms should be intelligent systems that help marketing, sales, service and partner teams achieve enterprise and individual objectives by optimizing customer interactions and driving business growth,” said Mark Smith, partner, ISG Software Research. “Unfortunately, the reality is that enterprises have disconnected and very customized deployments that are not easily advanced into the era of automated and AI capabilities. As a result, they struggle with internal inefficiencies.”

The ISG Buyers Guides for Customer Relationship Management are the distillation of more than a year of market and product research efforts. The research is not sponsored nor influenced by software providers and is conducted solely to help enterprises optimize their business and IT software investments.

Visit this webpage to learn more about the ISG Buyers Guides for Customer Relationship Management and read executive summaries of each of the eight reports. The complete reports, including provider rankings across seven product and customer experience dimensions and detailed research findings on each provider, are available by contacting ISG Software Research.

About ISG Software Research

ISG Software Research, previously Ventana Research, provides authoritative market research and coverage of the business and IT software industry. It distributes research and insights daily through its user community, and provides a portfolio of consulting, advisory, research and education services for enterprises, software and service providers, and investment firms. Its on-demand service provides structured education and advisory support through subject-matter experts. ISG Buyers Guides support the RFI/RFP process and help enterprises evaluate and select software providers through tailored assessment services and the ISG Software Research Value Index methodology. Visit www.ventanaresearch.com for more information and to sign up for free community membership.

About ISG

ISG (Information Services Group) (Nasdaq: III) is a leading global technology research and advisory firm. A trusted business partner to more than 900 clients, including more than 75 of the world’s top 100 enterprises, ISG is committed to helping corporations, public sector organizations, and service and technology providers achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm specializes in digital transformation services, including AI and automation, cloud and data analytics; sourcing advisory; managed governance and risk services; network carrier services; strategy and operations design; change management; market intelligence and technology research and analysis. Founded in 2006, and based in Stamford, Conn., ISG employs 1,600 digital-ready professionals operating in more than 20 countries—a global team known for its innovative thinking, market influence, deep industry and technology expertise, and world-class research and analytical capabilities based on the industry’s most comprehensive marketplace data. For more information, visit www.isg-one.com.

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