The

20242024

StateofCRMReport

Insightsfrommorethan800sales,

marketing,service,andITprofessionals

FROMOUR

CEO

AWORD

%

OFRESPONDENTS

reportthatCRMismoreimportantforachievingsalesandmarketinggoalsthanfiveyearsago.

60

Ifyou’relikemostorganizationsmakingalarge-scaleinvestmentinCRM,

thenyouunderstandit’simportanttostayfocusedonwhatmattersmost:winningandkeepingcustomers.That’swhatCRMisallabout.Ifcustomerrelationshipsarethelifebloodofyourbusiness,thenCRMoptimallyimplementedcanserveastheheartbeatthatkeepsyourentireorganizationhealthy.

CRMhasevolvedinthelastfiveyears,andasourcustomerstellus,ithas

reachedacriticaltippingpointastheyconsiderthehealthandwellnessoftheircustomer-facingoperations.CRMcanworkwondersforyourbusiness,keepingsales,marketing,andserviceteamsinsyncsotheycansuccessfullyprovide

thosegreatexperiences.Almost60%ofourrespondentsreportedthatCRMismoreimportantforachievingsalesandmarketinggoalscomparedtofiveyearsago.That’sapowerfulstatementonCRM’sevolution.

Our2024StateofCRMReportsurveyedmorethan800sales,marketing,

service,andITprofessionals.Surveyresponsesvarybythespecificneedsof

METHODOLOGY

TogetapulseonthestateofCRMinorganizations,SugarCRMsurveyed800+globalB2Bsales,marketing,service,andIT

leadersacrossvariousindustriesfromMay15toJuly1,2023.

OurgoalwastogaininsightsonnotonlyhowcompanieshavechangedtheirCRMuseoverthepastfiveyears–butalsoto

eachuser,aswellasindustry,businesssizeandotherfactors.Still,theycanall

agreethatCRMcanandshouldbeakeydriverofcollaboration,connection,andgrowththatmakesbusinesssuccessfulandmeetscustomerneeds.

Here,weprovidearangeofinsightsuncoveredfromourreportdata,aswellasanactionplanforcompaniestofollowastheyworktogetthegreatestreturnfromtheirCRMinvestment.

-了

learnwhatnewCRMprioritiesareemerginginthemonthsandyearsahead.OurrespondentsrepresentbothSMBs(54%)andlargeenterprises(46%),andthesurveyincludes16detailed

questionswithmultipleresponseoptions.

CraigCharlton,CEO

2

The2024StateofCRMReport

KEYINSIGHTSFROMOURCRMREPORT

REPORTHIGHLIGHTS

1

CRMIsYourHub

forBuildingBetter

CustomerRelationships

60%

CiteusingCRMasa

centralizedcommunication

hubfornurturingleadsor

customersastheirtoppriority(#1response)

Sixintensayutilizingacentralizedcustomerhubistheirtoppriority

Themoreyouknowaboutyourprospectsandcustomers,

theeasieritisforyoursales,marketing,andservice

teamstoworktogethertodeliveronyourpromise

ofgreatcustomerexperiencesandstrongcustomer

relationships.Whatmattersmostishowyouhoneyourfocusoncustomerneedstoensureinformed,robust

interactionsthatimprovethecustomerexperience.

4

SixintenofourrespondentstoldusthatusingCRMas

Citegettingacompleteviewofcustomerinteractionsas

thetoppriorityformaximizingCRMoverthenextfiveyears(#1response)

acentralizedcommunicationhubfornurturingleadsandcustomersistheirtopprioritytoday(andthreeintenciteitasamajorareaofstruggle).Movingforwardoverthe

nextfiveyears,45%(alsothetopresponse)saythetoppriorityformaximizingvaluefromCRMwillbegaining

acompleteviewofallcustomerinteractions.Working

3

Citecustomerserviceand

upsell/cross-sellopportunitiesasthepartofthebuyer

journeytheyfocusonmost(#1response)

fromasinglesourceoftruth–whereeverystakeholderhasaclearviewofallcustomer-facingactivity–your

teamscancraftthemostrelevantengagementtomovecustomersdowntheirjourneywithyourbrand.

3

The2024StateofCRMReport

KEYINSIGHTSFROMOURCRMREPORT

EXISTINGCUSTOMERBASEMATTERS

Oneinthreeofourrespondentsreportthatthemostimportantpartsofthecustomerjourney(overthelastfiveyears)arecustomerserviceandcreatingupsell/cross-sell

opportunities.Oncecustomershaveboughtintoyourproductecosystem,yourabilitytoprovideincisive,world-classservicecanhelpbuild“stickiness”anddriveadeeper

ongoingfootprintwithyourbrand.CRMisthatcentralhubthatconnectsyourprioritiestodaywiththoseoftomorrow.

1IN3

cite

46%

sayakeypriorityis

COLLECTINGCUSTOMER

FEEDBACK

toalignmarketingandsalesstrategy

MARKETING

AUTOMATIONANDEMAIL

MARKETING

asthetoptechnologyintegratedwithCRM

The2024StateofCRMReport

4

TOPTIPS

MakeYourCRMaCentralizedHubandSingleSourceofTruth

upsell),generatedata-driveninsightsforadeeperpictureofcustomerrelationships,andcreateaconsistentcadenceofpersonalized

1

UseyourcentralizedCRMinstallationtoevaluateeverykeytouchpointalongthecustomerjourney(frommarketingandsalestoserviceand

engagementactivities.

2

3

Builda360-degreeviewofcustomeractivitythateverystakeholder

inyourorganizationcanaccess,witheveryoneworkingfromthesameplaybook,andbesurethatdataiscontinuallyupdated(andvisualized)inreal-time.

Worktoensureefficientbusinessalignmentacrosssalesand

marketingteams,defininganddocumentingaseamlesshandoff

processandcreatingsharedKPIsthatcanmovetheneedleon

customerexperience,suchasretentionrates,customeracquisition

cost(CAC),customerlifetimevalue(CLV),monthlyrecurringrevenue(MRR),andNetPromoterScore(NPS).

Trustonlyafullyaccount-basedCRMdataarchitecturethatensures

4irl,cluuntisconnected,providingyouwitha

The2024StateofCRMReport

5

KEYINSIGHTSFROMOURCRMREPORT....

2

REPORTHIGHLIGHTS

UseYourCRM

TopareasCRMhashelpedto

optimizeforthecustomerjourney:

toHelpYouMasterSalesAutomation

7%

Mostrespondentswanttoimprovethequality,quantity,andvisibilityofleads

PipelineVisibility

QualityofLeads

QuantityofLeads

Anysalespersonwilltellyouhowimportantitistotheirjobtopullinhigh-qualityleads(andlotsofthem)andtoattainandmaintainahealthy,robustpipeline.Oursurveyresults

concur.Whenaskedaboutthemostimportantareasof

%

salesandmarketingthatCRMhashelpedoptimize,thetopthreeanswerswerepipelinevisibility(37%),qualityofleads(35%),andquantityofleads(31%).

Foraccountreps,nothingcouldbemorevitalthan

understandingwhotheirtopleadsareandwhatittakestomovethemdownthepipelinetoclose.Takingacentralized,data-drivenapproachtotrackingopportunitiescreatesa

%

moredynamicandproductivesalesprocess.Andforsalesmanagers,pipelinevisibilityisalsocriticalfortrackingteamperformance,forecasting,andreportingtomanagement.

Revenuegrowthwasalsocitedasthefourthmost

importantoptimizationcriteria,justanotherreminderofhowimportantCRMistothestrategicwell-beingofthesales,marketing,andserviceorganizations.

6

The2024StateofCRMReport

KEYINSIGHTSFROMOURCRMREPORT....

Moreover,forecastingandpipelineinsightswerecitedasthesecondmostimportant

CRM-relatedactivity(at43%,behindonlyacentralizedleadhub),andcapturingintentdataandleadscoringwasthirdat41%.CRMisincreasinglyusedasanintelligenttooltoaccuratelypredictfuturesalesactivityandgainkeyinsightsonprospectsandexistingcustomers.

Allofthesetactical“nutsandbolts”ofday-to-daysalesactivityareessentialforquotaattainmentandsalesteamresilience,andtheyarejustthesortofthingsinwhichtherightCRMplatformexcels.

Themostimportant

ACTIVITIES

fororganizations:

43%

ForecastingandPipelineVisibility

41%

IntentData/LeadScoring

The2024StateofCRMReport

7

TOPTIPS

MakeSalesEasier,

Faster,andSmarter

1

2

3

4

Trackopportunitiesseamlesslythrougheverystageofthesalescycle,providingcompletevisibilitytoremoveroadblocksandeliminateblindspots.

Useenhancedforecastingtoolstoexaminepipelineaging,movementinandoutofthepipeline,what’slikelytoclose,opportunitiesthatneedattention,andmonth-over-monthoryear-over-yearsalesmetrics.

Avoid“deathbyathousandwindows.”Relyonasingletabtoseeallyourcustomerinformationinoneplace(withouthavingtoopenupnewtabsorwindows)andtakeaction,workrightinsidereports,andconfiguredashboardsontheflyeasilyandquickly.

Don’tforgettheimportanceofagreatmobileinterfacethat’seasyto

configureandcanmakelifemucheasierforreps,especiallyinthefieldbeforeandaftercustomervisits.

8

The2024StateofCRMReport

KEYINSIGHTSFROMOURCRMREPORT

REPORTHIGHLIGHTS

3

AnalyticsandAIAreCriticalfor

MaximizingCRMValue

Integratedanalyticsand

41%

Saycapturingintentdataand/orleadscoringisahigherprioritytodaythanfiveyearsago

80%

WillturntoAItomaximizethevalueoftheirCRMplatform

overthenextfiveyears

AIarekeytoolsfortrackingcustomerintent

Q

Secondonlyto“marketingautomation”inoursurvey,thetoptechnologythatcompanieshaveintegrated

withtheirCRMoverthelastfiveyearsisanalytics

andmeasurementdashboards,at35%.AnalyticsarebecomingoneofthemostimportantcomplementaryfieldstoCRM,allowingsalesandmarketingteamstomakebetterpredictionsbasedonintentdata,targetthebestopportunities,andspendtheirtimemore

intelligentlyonoutreachandrelationship-building.

Andnowcompaniesnolongerneedtorelyonseparatebusinessintelligence(BI)toolstotalktotheirCRM.Nowit’sallembeddedintheCRMplatform,withanalytical

capabilitiesavailableatyourfingertipswithouthavingtoenlisttheservicesofadatascientist.Salesteamsthat

canquicklyevaluateopportunitiesbasedondataarebetterpositionedtomaintainahealthypipeline.

9

The2024StateofCRMReport

KEYINSIGHTSFROMOURCRMREPORT

AIisanimportantpartofthisstoryaswell.WhenaskedtheirtopprioritiesformaximizingvalueoftheirCRMplatformoverthenextfiveyears,thenumbertworesponsewas

usingAI,behindonly“completeviewofcustomerinteractions.”Thenextgenerationof

generativeAIisprovingtobeakeydriverofpersonalizedengagement,contentcreation,andmorecustomer-centricdecisionmaking.

The2024StateofCRMReport

5%

ThesecondmostpopulartechnologytointegratewithCRMtodayis

ANALYTICSANDMEASUREMENTDASHBOARDS

behindonlymarketingautomation

10

TOPTIPS

BeSureAIandAdvancedAnalytics

AreEmbeddedinYourCRMStrategy

Don’toverthinkyourAIstrategy.AIcapabilitiesarenowavailable

pre-packagedanddeliveredoutofthebox,withallofthedifficultAImodelingchallengesandpre-bakedAIquestionssolvedforyou.

LeveragegenerativeAItocreatemorepersonalizedandimpactfulcustomerengagement,campaigns,andprograms.

AddAItopoweryoursalesforecastingprocesses,includingpredictinglikelinesstocloseandpipelineaging.

Superchargeyouranalyticstohelpturndataintoinsights,andinsightsintobettercustomerexperiences.

1

2

3

4

The2024StateofCRMReport

11

KEYINSIGHTSFROMOURCRMREPORT

4

REPORTHIGHLIGHTS

It’sTimetoMakeCRMEasier

ThemostprominentCRM

challengesfaced:

“Customizable”and

41%

“easytouse”describetheidealCRMplatform

NomatterhowmuchyouinvestinCRMtomakeyour

salesteams’day-to-daymoreproductive,you’llnever

realizeitsimmensebenefitsifnoonebuysintoyour

visionandactuallyusesittoitsfullestpotential.That’s

whyit’ssocriticalthatyourCRMbeeasytosetup,easy

TechnologyIntegration

4o%

Platform

Feature

Limitations

toconfigure,andeasytouse–callitmore“accessible”toyoureverydayusers.Respondentsconcur;thetoptermstodescribetheSugarCRMplatformwerecustomizable

(56%)andeasytouse(46%).

7%

Internal

KnowledgeandSkills

12

The2024StateofCRMReport

KEYINSIGHTSFROMOURCRMREPORT....

TheeasieryourCRMsystemistoconfiguretoeveryindividual’sneeds,andtheeasieritistomastertheapp,(whetherit’scheckingopportunityparticularsonmobile,drillingdownonpipelinestatus,orjustupdatingaccountdetails),thebetterandfasterROI

you’llsee.AndthemoreseamlesslyyoucanconnectCRMtoexistingsystems,thelessriskandfewerroadblocksyourITteamswillsee.“Easy”isthefastestpathtoavibrant,widelyadopted,andsuccessfulCRMimplementation.

CUSTOMIZABLEANDEASYTOUSE

arethetermsthatbestdescribetheSugarCRMplatform.

CiteusingCRMasacentralized

communicationhubfor

nurturingleadscustomersastheirtoppriority

Seethisasa

majorchallenge

The2024StateofCRMReport

13

TOPTIPS

IncreaseCRMAdoptionwith

Customizable,User-FriendlyOptions

Lookforsimpledrag-and-dropworkflowautomationinyour

CRMplatformtoacceleratedeployment,improveuseradoption,andlowerbusinessrisk.

Makeiteasierforeverydayuserstocustomizetheapptotheirpersonalneeds(withoutthehelpofyourdevelopers)andadapttochangingmarketororganizationalrequirementsovertime.

Whenitcomestoimplementationandservice,you’llwanttobesureyourCRMvendoranditspartnersareengagedwithyourteamfromdayone,allcollaboratingtoprovideacan-do,long-termexperience.

1

2

3

14

The2024StateofCRMReport

APPENDIX

REPORTHIGHLIGHTS

WHICHCRM-BASEDMARKETINGANDSALES

ACTIVITIESISYOURORGANIZATIONPRIORITIZINGTODAYTHATITWASNOTFIVEYEARSAGO?

UsingCRMasacentralizedcommunicationshub

fornurturingleadsorcustomers60%

Forecastingandpipelineinsights

43%

Capturing“intentdata”and/orleadscoring

41%

WHATPARTOFTHEBUYINGJOURNEY

HAVEYOUFOCUSEDONMOSTWITHCRMOVERTHELASTFIVEYEARS?

Customerservice/upsellorcross-sell

33%

Mid-funnelleadgen/nurturing

32%

Early-stageawareness

21%

Low-funnelactivesalesefforts

14%

WHICHOTHERMARKETINGANDSALES

TECHNOLOGIESHAVEYOUSINCEINTEGRATEDWITHYOURCRM?

Marketingautomationoremailmarketing

46%

Analyticsormeasurementdashboardplatforms

35%

Accountbasedmarketingtools

12%

WHATNEWAREASTHATCRMHASHELPEDTOOPTIMIZETHECUSTOMERJOURNEY?

Pipelinevisibility

37%

Qualityofleads

35%

Quantityofleads

31%

Revenuegrowth24%

HOWDOYOUVIEWTHEIMPORTANCEOFCRM

FORACHIEVINGSALESANDMARKETINGGOALS

VS.FIVEYEARSAGO?

Moreimportant57%

Same

33%

Less

WHATARETHEMOSTPROMINENTCRM

CHALLENGESYOURORGANIZATIONFACES?

Platformfeaturelimitations

9%

41%

Technologyintegration

41%

Internalknowledge/skills

37%

Technologyadoption

34%

OVERTHENEXTFIVEYEARS,WHATIS

THETOPPRIORITYFORMAXIMIZINGTHEVALUEOFYOURCRM?

Completeviewofallcustomerinteractions

45%

LeveragingAI

80%

Targetedorpersonalizedcontentacrosschannels

THINKINGABOUTSUGARCRM,WHICHOFTHEFOLLOWINGBESTDESCRIBESTHEPLATFORM?

Customizable

14%

56%

Easytouse

46%

Flexible

38%

Easytoonboard27%

The2024StateofCRMReport

15

ONCONCLUSIIONCO

FlexYourCRMMuscletoKeepYourOrganizationalHeartbeatStrong

It’satellingstatisticthat60%ofrespondentsviewCRMasmoreimportantforachievingsalesandmarketinggoalsthanfiveyearsago.Whenitcomestowinningcustomersandkeepingthemloyaltoyourbrand,CRMisincreasinglycrucialfororganizationalhealth.Considerthesekeytakeawaysfromourreport:

1

2

3

Thebasicsmatter:CRMsuccessultimatelyhingeson

yourabilitytoautomateandmastersalesfundamentalslikecultivatingtherightleads,keeping