Competition between CRM superpowers

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I had visited 1,849 clients. I had engaged in conversations with 828 of them, had closed 65 sales and my commission had risen to $4,251.82. [...] With each visit I had earned $2.30. [...] At first there was 1 sale for every 29 visits, later the ratio was 1:25, then 1:20, 1:10 and finally one deal was closed for every 3 visits."

In the excerpt from the book "Live with enthusiasm and win", Frank Bettger, a successful insurance agent from the beginning of the 20th century, gives his impressions of his customer service and management. Back then, he still worked with pen and paper.

Why are CRM platforms essential today?
A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system is characterised by precise sales-specific reports and data management and forecasts of customer behaviour. The main task is to manage customer part time data relations using a 360-degree view. Most companies considering using a CRM system, or already using one, want above all to improve the quality and continuity of their customer relations and, above all, to strengthen their loyalty.

According to a study by Software Advice, contact management is the most important feature that CRM users expect, at 88%. Next comes tracking interactions and planning and reminding tasks:


Most Requested CRM Software Features,

It is also interesting to look at which industry segments have the most potential buyers and users:


Industry segments of potential buyers, source:

After real estate and manufacturing, consulting is in third place. CRM is increasingly tailored to a vertical market where different business areas have specific needs. CRM providers are therefore also developing industry-specific solutions that allow specific processes to be automated. This ensures greater efficiency and scalability.

Who are the main characters?
Customer relationship management is one of the most important areas of a company. Demand for CRM systems continues to grow, as does the software offering.

According to Statista, these are the top 5 CRM vendors in terms of global revenue market share:

Salesforce is by far the market leader. Salesforce is very easy to use for medium-sized and large companies alike, despite its wide range of functions. Salesforce manages to provide an overview of all sales activities. Sales opportunities and forecasts are also very easy to recognise. What makes Salesforce special is its high scalability, its adaptability to all needs, the high level of user security and the fact that it is online-based. Open interfaces allow it to connect to numerous systems, such as ERP systems or external service providers.

Another decisive factor is the price-performance ratio. Unlike its competitors, Salesforce is cheaper.

Salesforce will also launch a new CRM platform in 2022. “Genie” is advertised as the world’s first real-time CRM. According to this claim, companies should be able to process data more efficiently and effectively. Specifically, it aims to automate all parts of Customer 360 and process them in real time. The platform also uses the AI ​​recommendation engine “Einstein”, which is part of Salesforce. This makes more responsive actions and interactions possible.

That's why CEO Marc Benioff says: "We're on the cusp of overtaking SAP." ("I think very highly of SAP," Benioff says. "They had a great quarter - we had a better quarter. That means Salesforce is the largest enterprise applications company in the world."

Who are the hidden champions?
Not only well-known and prestigious multi-million dollar companies are competing, but also small companies and start-ups.