Edwin Otieno

 2019 CRM Forecast: 5 CRM Trends to Adopt Next Year CRM vendors have reported upturns in adoption rates in the past Qs of the year. But for companies, the challenge is to keep up with the changing trends of this extremely competitive market. So, what CRM trends do we expect in 2019? Well, we know that leading CRM service providers like Salesforce, SAP and Oracle have been making enhancements to streamline key CRM functionalities. All boast of Artificial Intelligence (AI) competencies, and have the knack to increase conversion rates, boost up sales, collect crucial (valid) data, and improve consumer fulfilment to help companies counter the challenging task of "standing out from the masses." And with the tweaks and upgrades in technology, we see 2019 as a revolutionary year for CRM as we anticipate the shift from basic to more complex functions and features. Here are 5 top CRM trends that will prove useful to your organization next year. 1. IoT in CRM Incorporating IoT (internet of things) to CRM will shape the future of consumer service by ensuring hands-on, predictive and personalized customer service. IoT is anticipated to be one of the critical drivers of CRM as it will streamline the working of systems to help organizations drive sales, and boost customer service and fulfilment. An excellent example of this incorporation is the ability to scrutinize info generated from connected devices and fix any arising issues remotely. As the online shift reaches its peak, various industries will change, and IoT in CRM will match up to these transformations powered by its fast, automated customer service that fixes solve problems quicker and more competently, and even beforehand. According to Statistica.com, by 2020, up to 12.86 billion installed IoT bases will be operational in the consumer segment. 2. Social CRM The social CRM market is anticipated to touch $10 billion in 2019. And this is no surprise as we've recently seen an increase in the use of social media markets by shoppers. They are also becoming a much-loved chill spot for sales teams and marketers seeking to engage in real dialogue with customers and leads. It is a useful source of first-party information into a consumer's habits, and who he/she is as a person. With new-age CRM you can analyze these clues and enhance customer satisfaction. Not even social media's massive pile of data can stop you if you incorporate automation— it enables you to analyze data in real engagement. Knowing your clients allows you to create marketing messages and offers tailored to suit their interests an organic manner; you can handle arising issues with care and have a personal touch, and keep a conversation that does not feel like plain marketing. In essence, social CRM is the seamless integration with numerous platforms to engage customers and collect insight. 3. Conversational AI-enabled CRM Merging Artificial Intelligence with CRM will upgrade conversational CRM platforms in 2019. There are several notable developments in the CRM like face and text recognition, but we expect to see voice functionalities takeover in 2019. Just like the voice assistants on your smartphone, AI-enabled CRM like Salesforce's Einstein allows companies to info (both simple and complex data) with the help of voice commands just like your smartphone's voice assistance does. Integrating the use of voice into CRM will only simplify tasks further as it has done in other aspects of life. Allowing customers to dictate (instead of type manually) speeds access to info. According to IDC's AI/CRM survey, out of the 1,028 organizations studied worldwide, 28% said they're already using AI, and around 41% said they plan to do so in two years. After all, what is CRM without AI? 4. A Rise in Mobile CRM Adoption Mobile CRM offers CRM functionalities on virtually any device that can link to the network. Plus, it enables real-time access anywhere, anytime and that explains why the trend will still thrive in 2019. Because mobile device use is persistently growing, the number of CRM users that log into their system on phones and tablets will go up as well. And with the efficiency mobile CRM offers, a rise in its usage means access to more accurate information, better customer experience, and doing away with the need to learn and pick up new software. Furthermore, with almost 91% of firms with 10 or more staff using CRM systems, it is vital to make sure that those systems are reachable on multiple devices and different internet speeds. According to Superoffice.com, 48 percent of users enter their CRM systems through their smartphones, while 45 percent use their tablets. 5. Hyper-personalization for matchless CX Companies store years of consumer data in their CRM systems to help them offer customers with unmatched hyper-personalized customer experience; as we will see in 2019. The service ensures a personalized experience in which customers feel recognized, appreciated and valued because companies know them well and understand whatever they want, and at what time. Hyper-personalization will be practiced next year and beyond as it will give businesses a competitive edge on shopper experience and engagement. The key is to gather insights that will lead to more accurate and useful suggestions, thus significantly improving customer fulfilment. A prediction by VisionCritical suggests that by 2020 customer experience will overtake price and product to become the leading brand differentiator. Other statistics from CMO.com show that in 2018, 94 percent of organizations used hyper-personalization tech, and their analytics, data, and customer profile management abilities Closing Remarks 2019 will mean stretching your CRM budget. Most companies are now realizing the significance of not understanding (and not merely knowing their customers). With the development of techs such as voice and mobile-powered CRM, we expect to see improvements not only on the customer fulfilment but the user experience too. However, it is an investment worth your attention because statistics show that the future of brand recognition will shift from price and product to customer experience. And the only way to know your customers and have the served to their fulfilment is by adopting the latest CRM trends.