December 8, 2016
CRM Predictions for 2017
BY Caitlin Delohery IN CRM Software 0 Comment
It’s prediction season! It’s that time of year when we all get together and think about what the future holds for our industries, our tools, and our lives.
Aren’t you psyched?
Let’s take a look at where CRMs are headed.
Well, isn’t that special? CRMs go niche
The one-size fits all approach to CRM is falling by the wayside.
And it makes sense, right? Think about how many athletic shoes there are out there. Runners can get running shoes, hikers opt for hiking boots, soccer players go with cleats. And we love our shoes.
We love them, in large part, because they help us do exactly what we most want to be doing.
The same is true of niche CRMs, those built with a specific industry in mind. These systems cater to the precise needs of your customer, the patterns of your unique sales funnel, and the challenges of your vertical.
Yes, that is totally special! Like the right shoe, the niche CRMs of the future will help you perfect your game and get where you want to go, faster.
Automate this – CRMs go the way of the robots
OK, so your CRM probably won’t start making you coffee five minutes before your final sleep cycle ends or drive your car for you (good thing driverless cars are on their way!).
But, as we strive for more efficient workflows and speedier connections, automation becomes more valuable.
Look for CRMs to automate the most time-consuming and repetitive parts of your customer interactions, such as lead nurturing, survey touches, and product or service follow-up.
Soon, CRMs may even be able to help find customers for you. (Crazy, right!?)
Come 2017, you may have more business than you can keep up with.
CRMs like big data and they cannot lie
Pop quiz!
Big data is:
- The nefarious conglomerate of big wig data collectors who secretly control our perception of reality
- Statistics and demographics kept about large objects, such as refrigerators, windmills, and horse trailers
- A catchall term referencing the ever-increasing amount of data that we as a society produce
- Like the Star Trek character, but supersized
If you chose A, B, or D, I like the fun, weird world you live in! But these are not right, at least not in the conventional sense.
(Let’s pause for a moment of silence that this is not about a Giant Data.)
You may be used to mining your company’s own data to get insight into what’s best for strategy or for customer happiness.
But more and more, business and their CRMs are turning to the society-wide insights that big data can yield. Look for tomorrow’s CRMs to be more and more fueled by the constant, quick stream of big data customers create.
Using a CRM powered by big data helps in tons of pretty neat ways.
- Amps up customer analysis
- Curates info about customer-facing operations
- Drives your decision-making
- Boosts benchmarking
- Powers predictive modeling
Future’s so bright – CRMs look into their crystal balls
And speaking of predictive modeling, big data does more than give you granular insight into the now. It helps you do the impossible: gaze into your own future.
And into the future of your customers. Experts predict that CRMs will help you make “real-time offers to customers based on predicting what they will want next or what kind of product or service they might buy next.”
That’s right, with future-powered CRMs, big data will help you figure out what your customers want before they even realize they want it.
So, there you have it — our CRM predictions for 2017! We’re looking forward to 2017 blowing 2016 out of the water.
Want tips to amp up your game right this minute? Check out these 15 tools to help you meet your customers where they are.
