As 2024 unfolds, CRM software is evolving beyond its traditional role as a tool for marketing and sales follow-ups. It’s emerged as a driving force for business and market growth.
According to a Forrester report, CRM software is now widely used—70% of organizations use it for customer service, 64% for B2B marketing and salesforce automation, and 62% for field service.
This shift is primarily fueled by the wealth of customer data within CRM systems and the advanced analytical power of AI and machine learning (ML).
Understanding the future of CRM will help you set the most effective CRM strategy for your business. To help you get up to speed, here are the key CRM trends redefining customer engagement and business strategies in 2024 and beyond.
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1. The AI-Driven Automation Revolution
In 2024 and beyond, CRM initiatives focusing on the fusion of AI and automation are set to fundamentally reshape CRM systems.
This trend represents a convergence of intelligent data processing, predictive analytics, and automated workflows, streamlining the CRM landscape significantly.
“Whether you work as a marketer, lawyer, customer support representative, or software engineer, we need to learn how to use AI to fundamentally do our jobs differently.
It’s just like 20 years ago when email and Google search changed what we spend time on, except now it’s happening much faster, so we have to approach learning with greater urgency.”
Clara Shih, CEO of AI, Salesforce
AI and Predictive Analytics in Customer Engagement
AI-driven predictive analytics are playing a pivotal role in understanding customer behaviors and preferences. With historical data, AI can elevate customer service and marketing efforts by:
- Forecasting customer needs
- Anticipating churn risks, and
- Tailoring marketing strategies
Moreover, integrating natural language processing (NLP) and conversational AI, including chatbots and virtual assistants, further bridges the gap between human and machine communication.
These technologies understand and respond to customer queries with nuanced, contextually relevant solutions, enhancing the overall customer interaction experience.
“We have spent the last 40 years teaching humans to speak to computers in weird languages that machines can understand. I think we are about to see a world where machines start learning how to speak to us in our language.
That role reversal will have such a big impact because the friction of knowledge sharing and learning is just going to collapse dramatically because now natural language becomes the language of machines.”
Abhay Parasnis, Founder and CEO of Typeface
Generative AI in Personalized Experiences
Generative AI represents a leap forward in CRM. It can be used to create and automate new content and solutions tailored to individual customer needs. This can include:
- Targeted emails
- Personalized ad copy, and
- Customer interaction scripts for chatbots or virtual assistants
It achieves this by analyzing historical customer data and engagement patterns, ensuring responses aren’t only relevant but also highly personalized.
“AI will help make our employees smarter. Integration with our CRM solution will help us answer our customers’ questions better, make better recommendations, proactively answer questions they haven’t yet thought of, and more.
The ability to support our customers and personalize their experience will be better and more powerful than ever.”
Shep Hyken, Customer Service Expert
Automation — The Backbone of CRM Efficiency
CRM automation is revolutionizing the efficiency of processes, simplifying complex workflows like data entry, lead scoring, and report generation, ensuring accuracy, and reducing manual effort.
Automated customer service tools provide quick, consistent support, improving satisfaction and freeing human agents for complex issues.
Also, automation is crucial for optimizing marketing campaigns and facilitating sales forecasting, thereby enhancing decision-making and resource allocation.
Operational Impact and Cost Savings
Integrating AI and automation into CRM initiatives leads to significant operational efficiencies and cost savings. Automating routine tasks, for example.
This lets you reallocate resources toward growth and innovation. This trend streamlines data management and ensures CRM systems are more responsive and adaptive to the evolving needs of customers and businesses alike.
2. Personalization Will Redefine Customer Experiences
Personalization isn’t just about addressing the customer by name. It’s about curating experiences and offers that resonate with them to deepen the relationship and enhance customer lifetime value.
By leveraging AI and ML, you can:
Tailor every campaign to match each customer’s preferences, demographics, and past interactions, ensuring the messages they receive are relevant and engaging.
Use customer purchase history, browsing behavior, and expressed interests to offer personalized product suggestions, thereby enhancing the potential for cross-selling and upselling opportunities.
Offer real-time support through chatbots that are capable of understanding and responding to customer needs with tailored solutions.
This level of personalization is a cornerstone in the future of customer service, as it significantly impacts customer loyalty and retention.
Customers who receive personalized experiences are more likely to engage with the brand, make repeat purchases, and become brand advocates.
“Personalization will continue to trend in the positive direction of importance. The more data we put into a CRM about the customer, the better we’ll be able to automate the personalization. Customers will get the feeling the company knows them better than ever.”
Hyken
3. Integration and Omnichannel Strategies Will Become the Norm
In today’s interconnected world, customers demand a seamless and consistent experience across all touchpoints, from website interactions and social media engagement to in-store visits.
According to a McKinsey report, B2B customers use an average of 10 or more channels to interact with suppliers.
“It’s time to lose the concept of omnichannel. Let’s call it any channel. The customer doesn’t think about what channel they are using. They just want to connect when they want to connect and do so in the easiest and most convenient way possible.
That could be on their mobile device, desktop, or any other channel. If we can put a man on the moon and send spaceships to Mars, we should be able to create an easy and seamless communication experience between channels.”
Hyken
Unified Customer View
Integrating various channels and data points into a single CRM system means merging customer interactions from sources like emails, social media, and purchase history.
This approach creates a complete customer profile, offering a 360-degree view that’s key for delivering consistent and personalized experiences.
Such integration ensures uniform communication across different platforms, helping to maintain a coherent brand voice and message. It also allows for tailored interactions based on customer data.
This includes things like customizing product recommendations or providing more informed customer service, all of which enhance satisfaction and loyalty.
Cross-Channel Coordination
Omnichannel strategies in CRM facilitate coordination across different platforms, such as email, social media, and customer service.
This coordination ensures customers receive coherent and contextually relevant interactions and helps to identify those likely to be interested in additional products or services.
Data Integration and Accessibility
Seamless data integration allows for data pooling across various sources, such as social media interactions, email communications, website analytics, customer service records, and feedback surveys.
It makes data readily accessible for analysis and decision-making while also breaking down data siloes and enabling cross-departmental use.
Comprehensive data integration is critical to understanding customer needs and preferences; it consolidates various information sources and provides a holistic customer view.
A unified perspective reveals patterns and insights that isolated data sets can’t, such as preferences, buying behavior, and engagement trends.
Obtaining a complete customer profile is essential for creating targeted marketing strategies, personalized experiences, and effective customer service, ultimately leading to stronger customer relationships and business success.
4. Mobile CRM Apps Will Empower On-the-Go Business
Customers are increasingly interacting with businesses through mobile devices, especially since the pandemic. So, it’s essential companies adapt to this by adopting mobile CRM solutions.
“As workforces became distributed and remote almost overnight, many companies struggled to get people access to the basic systems they needed to effectively work. This means accessibility from anywhere, anyplace and anytime is going to be very important.”
David Dozer, Business Consultant and IT Specialist
Mobile CRM solutions enable businesses to:
Provide customers with a consistent and personalized experience by managing interactions and accessing customer information at any time, from any place.
Use push notifications to keep customers informed and engaged with relevant offers, product updates, or account-related information.
Mobile apps in CRM systems allow agents to provide customer service remotely or on the go.
Use mobile surveys or feedback forms to collect customer feedback, gain insights into customer satisfaction, and identify areas for improvement.
Mobile CRM aids field service teams by facilitating efficient scheduling, route planning, and on-site customer service management.
5. Data Security Will Be Paramount to Earn Trust
In an age of data breaches and privacy concerns, businesses must prioritize data security, privacy, and compliance to protect customer trust and prevent reputational damage.
“As regulations become more focused on topics like liability and copyright for AI, the technology will take center stage in corporate boardrooms.
Some boards will bring in outside experts for AI governance, while others will think about this expertise as a factor in recruiting, especially for audit/enterprise risk committees.
We’ll see a similar trajectory with AI as we saw when cybersecurity emerged as a board priority and grew over the last few decades in formality and universality. This time, however, the growth will be much faster.”
Paula Goldman, Chief Ethical and Humane Use Officer, Salesforce
Let’s examine the specific strategies businesses are implementing to enhance data security and maintain customer trust.
Increased Security Standards
The increasing threats of data breaches and cyber-attacks necessitate higher security standards in CRM systems. Businesses are investing more in secure data storage, encryption, and robust access controls like multi-factor authentication to protect sensitive customer information.
Privacy-First Approach
Part of ensuring data security involves implementing transparent data collection policies and educating teams on best practices for data handling.
Businesses also need to adhere to data protection regulations like GDPR and CCPA and openly communicate their data usage policies to customers. This means:
- Being given explicit consent to use data
- Providing options to opt-out, and
- Enabling customers to have their data erased upon request
Regular Compliance Audits
Regular audits are becoming the norm to ensure compliance with evolving privacy laws and standards. They involve systematic checks and evaluations of CRM:
- Data handling practices
- Security protocols, and
- Compliance with relevant regulations like GDPR and CCPA
By conducting these audits, businesses can proactively identify and address any potential vulnerabilities or non-compliance issues in their CRM systems.
Essentially safeguarding customer data and reinforcing the system’s overall integrity and trustworthiness.
“Today’s customers communicate with brands on multiple channels, including social media. A smart company or brand will integrate a customer’s comments, conversations, purchases, and feedback on social media into its CRM.”
Hyken
Social media platforms are no longer just marketing channels but integral to customer relationship strategies.
The top CRM services will increasingly incorporate social media data and provide businesses with insights into customer preferences, sentiments, and behaviors.
Here’s how you can approach this integration:
Understand customer sentiment, identify trends, and address concerns promptly by monitoring conversations on social media.
Provide support, answer questions, and foster brand loyalty through active engagement on social media platforms.
Reach relevant customer segments with personalized messages and promotions through targeted social media advertising.
Gain a deeper understanding of customer needs, preferences, and behaviors through social listening and analysis of customer insights.
7. IoT and Blockchain Will Integrate with CRM
In 2024, the integration of emerging technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and blockchain is set to redefine customer relationship management.
When this data is integrated into CRM systems, businesses can offer highly personalized experiences. For instance, data from smart home appliances can be used to create customized product recommendations.
It provides a robust and trustworthy foundation for managing and sharing customer data, enhancing customer trust, especially in scenarios involving sensitive information.
Blockchain’s application in CRM could revolutionize secure data sharing with partners and suppliers, thus improving collaboration and overall customer experience.
Final Thoughts: Embracing the Future of CRM
Monday CRM – Affordable, Easy to Use, and Scalable
- Powerful Sales Automation
- Task and Project Tracking
- Efficient Roadmap Planning
The future of CRM goes beyond managing customer data or streamlining sales processes. It’s about creating a holistic, customer-centric approach.
From AI-driven customer engagement to the emphasis on data security and the rise of social CRM, these trends are redefining how you interact with and understand your customers.
But CRM is only as effective as the people who use it. To make the most of CRM, you need to have a clear vision of your goals and understand how CRM can help you achieve them.
Adapting to these CRM trends and investing in the right CRM solution is imperative to stay competitive. As customer expectations and preferences change, so must your business strategies and tactics.
“Generative AI’s influence is dominating all aspects of business and consumers’ lives. Despite some risks, genAI will serve as the fulcrum that businesses rely on to enhance, empower, and engage employees and customers.
In the year ahead, successful leaders will be the ones who embrace genAI and experiment further with this technology to both improve customer experiences and accelerate business growth.”
Sharyn Leaver, Chief Research Officer at Forrester
References
- Forrester’s Predictions 2024: Sixty Percent Of Generative AI Skeptics Will Embrace The Technology — Knowingly Or Not (Forrester)
- Forrester Data Shows High CRM Adoption But Low Satisfaction (Forrester)
- Machines Will Speak to Us in Our Own Language, and Other AI Predictions (Salesforce)
- The 2024 State of CRM Report (SugarCRM)
- B2B Sales: Omnichannel Everywhere, Every Time (McKinsey & Co)
Maheen Kanwal
Technology ExpertMaheen Kanwal holds an MBA and brings and 8+ years' experience working in and writing on the fields of business and people management, including a four-year stint as the HR Management Executive for a large Oil & Gas firm. Over the years, she's managed every side of business and people management, from recruitment and organizational development to performance reviews and certified skills training. She's also an experience Business Tech writer, with articles appearing in Technology Advice, Small Business Competing, Webopedia, Software Pundit, and Techopedia.
