Digital Trends represent the major technological and market directions that shape the future of business. They are not just trends, but real strategic guidelines for business planning in response to what we observe in the marketplace today.
For the #DigitalTrendsAW25 season, we identified three main trends:
Pervasiveness
Relationship beyond processes
Proactivity
CRM is set to become increasingly ubiquitous. How? Through widespread deployment involving:
Internal contributors: Whereas it used to be mainly the sales force, customer service and marketing that used CRM, today the entire company is called upon to participate, creating a network of shared expertise and information.
Customers and suppliers: These figures are no longer just interlocutors, but real nodes of data exchange, contributing to value creation in the business life cycle.
External systems and data providers: CRM integrates external computers that send orders and communications, including devices from customers, suppliers, partners, and data providers, enhancing business connectivity and responsiveness.
A system that collects data where it is generated: Until now, data was entered by people, on behalf of others. Thanks to pervasiveness, other people upload data themselves, increasing the volume.
Metadata: The context of data-so-called metadata-enables more precise and targeted analyses, improving the understanding and effectiveness of business strategies.
Data is essential, but for it to have value it must be available and fast and, most importantly, used. It is not enough to accumulate them, it is necessary to analyze them and make decisions in real time to turn them into concrete changes.
Devices everywhere: The smartphone allows anyone to access the CRM, anywhere, anytime.
Digital Touchpoint Management: With Soluta's “Digital Touchpoint Management” product, it is possible to have a single center for lead management, thus gaining a centralized view to streamline the multitude of all touchpoints quickly and easily by unifying metrics.
Rethinking what is handled by human transducers today, including side-by-side: Automation and artificial intelligence can also flank, rather than replace, human labor for enhanced and faster management.
Beware of the “digital lifestyle”: It is important to consider the possibility that you are using digital tools that are not environmentally friendly, too expensive, too bulky, and too slow.
Thanks to new technologies, CRM can be everywhere, without limitations.
It is crucial not to think of CRM as an exclusive, expensive or cumbersome tool intended for the few. We envision it differently: subtle, pervasive and ecological. This vision is technically feasible and also socially sustainable, with a CRM that can easily integrate and support all interactions.
In the past, relationships lacked processes: with CRM these have been introduced. Now it is time to empower relationships in processes.
Before CRM, relationships were without processes; with CRM, processes were introduced, and now it is time to empower relationships in processes.
The focus has shifted from processes and automation for its own sake to the quality of the relationships that are established. This trend is manifested through:
New focus on relationship: With metrics such as behavioral scoring, customer behaviors and preferences can be more deeply analyzed.
Win-win automation: Marketing automation must be designed to be truly useful to the customer, as well as to optimize internal processes.
Chatbots and personalization: The adoption of chatbots must meet clear objectives; their use must enhance the customer experience.
Another important aspect is adaptation to customers' preferred communication channels. In a now multichannel world, this is essential:
Recognize that omnichanneling is an established reality.
Take advantage of the amount of data available to use it strategically.
Companies should move away from “digital collecting” and embrace conscious and strategic management of data, turning it into value.
For this trend to be truly effective, two key factors must be present:
Maturity: Both on the part of customers, increasingly aware and informed, and on the part of suppliers, showing readiness to respond to these needs.
Centrality: Companies must put the customer at the center of every strategy, making the relationship the main focus.
To implement this trend, here are some concrete steps:
Touchpoint census: Mapping all customer touchpoints to get a clear and comprehensive view, this can be done with Soluta's Digital Touchpoint Management product.
Sostituzione graduale: Introdurre cambiamenti a piccoli passi, sostituendo progressivamente i processi obsoleti con soluzioni più efficaci e relazionali.
Raccogliere feedback: Utilizzare i feedback dei clienti per migliorare continuamente le strategie e i processi adottati.
Relationship beyond processes is a strategic choice necessary to remain competitive in an increasingly customer-centric market. Companies capable of seizing this opportunity and investing in authentic and qualitative relationships are the ones that can guide the future of digital business.
Proactivity means reacting quickly to customer needs but above all anticipating them, simplifying daily operations and offering experiences that are intuitive and immediate. Let's see how this trend can transform the way companies manage relationships with their customers.
One of the biggest challenges in CRM is making user interfaces truly functional. Systems often don't "get to the point," complicating processes that may be more streamlined.
Behavioral trackers: They allow you to generate useful data by analyzing user habits.
Voice commands: They offer a more natural and faster way to interact with the CRM.
Context-based awareness: Using tools such as GPS, you can adapt CRM features to your specific needs.Partire dalle situazioni più comuni
To make the most of proactivity it is essential to streamline the most frequent operations. For example: the system could pre-create a commercial visit based on existing data, leaving the user with only the need to complete it.
A fundamental element of proactivity is data analysis. However, artificial intelligence is not the only tool available: traditional statistical techniques often prove to be more reliable, especially if supported by carefully adapted databases.
Avoid trivialities and biases in analysis models.
Ensure that AI is really useful and not just an added function to follow a trend.
Proactivity is one of the keys to transforming CRM into a truly strategic tool. The next time you plan an upgrade to your CRM system, ask yourself, "What can I do to reduce the effort required of the user even more?" This is the first step towards proactive and future-oriented CRM.