What to Expect From CRMs in 2022

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms are a fundamental digital tool for businesses that want to strategically manage interactions with prospects, leads, and current clients. CRM tools are used to manage customer relationships through the entire customer lifecycle and at every marketing, sales, and service touch-point.

Every year, CRMs evolve and become more and more transformational, and with this in mind, we will be discussing what you can expect from CRMs in 2022.

5 CRM Trends for 2022

1. The Rise of Artificial Intelligence

CRMs were born out of the need to add to current marketing and sales software and have evolved into a complete tool. Today, most businesses rely on Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) cloud-based technology for marketing CRMs.

However, 2022 will see the inclusion of AI in the software. According to a report released by HubSpot, 14% of global CIOs have already deployed AI and according to Gartner’s 2019 CIO Agenda Survey, it’s estimated that AI associated with CRM activities are projected to increase worldwide business revenue by an astounding $1.1 trillion by the end of 2021.

With these stats in mind, AI is becoming linked to specific business KPIs to measure ROI and Gartner has forecasted that "half of AI investments will be quantified by 2024.”

2. Focus on Marketing CRMs

Customer Relationship Management software was introduced as a solution for sales and sales management. The system was designed to help sales professionals to view the sales pipeline and score leads based on marketing and sales qualification, and nurture them toward purchase.

Just about all CRMs offer the above tools, but 2022 will see a rebranding of these capabilities for marketing professionals and not just sales representatives. CRMs are now giving marketers even greater insight into lead patterns and by using these patterns they are able to further personalize campaigns to reach the lead where they are at in the buyer's cycle. This has been a part of HubSpot Marketing Hub for a while but the capabilities are continually evolving and lead scoring and pipelines are becoming even easier to manage and track.

Thanks to marketing CRMs marketers are now able to eliminate second-guessing the next steps in marketing strategies. Make sure your teams understand how to use these marketing tools to better their marketing strategies, from email integration to workflow automation and lead generation, the CRM capabilities are invaluable.

3. CRMs and Social Media Integration

Marketing CRMs such as HubSpot Marketing Hub integrate with paid and organic social media marketing and this has changed the game for advertisers. Marketing CRMs are now being optimized to integrate with most social media platforms including LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook.

The fact is no matter your industry, your customers are active on social platforms and you need to meet them where they're at, online. CRMs are now allowing your marketing teams to track new followers and engage with them through the CRM itself. Essentially, if you want to strengthen your online presence and online brand identity, CRMs that successfully integrate with social media will rise in 2022 and it's important you get ahead of your competitors as the new year rolls around.

4. Voice Search to Transform the User-Experience

Adobe recently published research that stated that 94% of users are considering voice technology as it saves time and improves user experience. CRM companies are constantly looking to improve their user experience and are adjusting their capabilities to suit the needs of the user. Another goal is for CRMs to store voice conversations between sales reps and clients. This helps salespeople drive the sales process further without becoming lost in translation.

In 2022, CRMs will slowly introduce voice assistants and supporting hardware to better processes and user experience.

5. Niche Markets and Customized CRMs

As CRMs evolve, vertical markets will be able to receive personalized and customized CRM software from the start. These will automate their workflows and consider niche pain points as opposed to generic issues. Personalized CRMs will adjust to specific industry regulations and work for industries such as Healthcare and finance.

Essentially, CRMs will be vertical-orientated and this is something niche industries can look forward to in the coming year.

In Summary

2022 is the year of customer relationship management and using CRMs in conjunction with your marketing and sales tactics, you will improve all your client dealings from start to finish.

Artificial-Intelligence is on the rise
Social media integration will streamline your marketing efforts
Voice features will benefit the CRM user and make for an effortless experience
Niche or vertical markets will be able to make use of highly personalized CRMs that abide by industry regulations

No matter how small or large your business is, having an organized single space to store your customer data undoubtedly makes your processes easier, and your business more efficient. A CRM completely streamlined customer service experience - and this is vital to marketing in 2022.