In the Future, Will There Be Flying CRMs?

This week:

• SaaS-y crystal ball

• A one and a two

• More new AI

Stat of the Week

In 2024, will Enterprise Software have a moment?

Ah yes, enterprise software—feeling a bit snubbed these days, what with genAI sipping up the attention juice.

But is that changing? Will 2024 be the year CRM, ERP, SCM, and HCM leap into the future like a caffeinated squirrel?

Research and advisory firm Forrester say yes, in so many words.

Organizations, once as excited about software innovation as watching that 10 hour movie about paint drying, are now eagerly joining the cloud bandwagon like it's the last train out of SaaS-ville. 

In 2024, the report predicts, 75% of companies will have gleefully abandoned “computer room”-era proprietary software for the cloud. The remaining 25% will be like tech hipsters refusing to sell their vinyl. And hey, respect.

Then there’s the knock-on effects of AI. To turn genAI and machine-learning into tangible results, companies will need to modernize. Forrester predicts a whopping 90% will be slapping on some software. 

Supposedly there’s also a blockbuster $5 billion-plus software acquisition lurking in the shadows, ready to drop like a confetti ball. And the band is playing Auld Lang Syne… 

Welcome to 2024, where enterprise software has resolved to “glow up.”

The Week @ CRM.org

Lattice Review. Yes, it probably will make HR feel less like herding cats.

EngageBay Review. A versatile, affordable CRM for small biz.

NetSuite CRM vs Salesforce. Of the two big players, which is the better bet?

ServiceNow vs Jira Service Management. It may be a tortoise and the hare-type situation. 

The Best Project Plan Templates. 22 project plan templates. Because who has time to work from scratch?

🌸 Weekly Bloom 🌸 

Design Thinking. Navigating business complexity requires creative thinking—sometimes even “Design Thinking.”

This Week’s Deal 🎁

Get HubSpot CRM for free!

A One and a Two

And now, not one, but two pieces of news from CRM & biz app giant Zoho.

1. Zoho Finance Platform Grows, Zoho Practice Goes to Market  

Zoho’s dropped off a shiny new toy called Zoho Practice. It’s intended to be a one-stop-shop practice management solution for everything from client tantrums to terrifying tax returns. 

The app-maker’s also riding high on a 45% surge in customer sign-ups for their Finance Platform. They put this down to features like AI anomaly detection, built-in chit-chat capabilities, and a unified platform that's basically the Swiss bank of client services.

They've buffed up that platform too, adding a whopping 230+ extensions in the Zoho Marketplace, and a developer portal so fancy it might just wear a top hat.

2. New Canada Data Centers

Zoho glides into the Great White North, opening new data centers in Montreal and Toronto. 

Canada’s a hottening market for Zoho, where they’ve seen 36% five-year CAGR for mid-sized business clients, and a general customer increase of 24%.

This strategic play aims to provide local businesses a cozy home for their data. It also meets Canada's growing emphasis on data privacy. 

Because, when it comes to data custodianship, the lower 48 can’t have all the fun. 

New AI from “The Force” 

Who spaketh? It is I, the keyboard warrior. But a deal-closing charmer is what I wisheth to be.

Ahem. Salesforce announced some new AI tools, with the idea of automating more tedious tasks away.

Enter the "Copilot for Sales," a virtual sidekick that's far less annoying than 90s Microsoft’s Clippy. It’s supposed to do everything from researching accounts to jazzing up CRM updates. Meanwhile, "AI-powered Call Summarization" promises to turn rambling sales calls into pithy, shareable pearls.

It’s not over yet. Salesforce also announced new “Automated Prospecting,” powered by Data Cloud. It’s like a digital matchmaker for sellers and customers, conjuring up prospect lists with the magick of real-time data. 

For the busy salesperson toggling between Gmail and angst, Salesforce brings Sales Cloud Everywhere, turning email into a sales command center.

Once more, the idea is to take sales teams from anonymous admin and data-entry doldrums into schmoozy sophistication. All this in their new Sales Cloud Unlimited Edition+ offering—because who doesn't love a '+' in a name!

Tasty Tidbits

CRM blips from around the web

Clari doubles customer base across Europe, Middle East, Africa. The revenue platform got a boost after acquiring Wingman and Groove.

Slack’s new CEO is Salesforce exec. Denise Dresser will take over—she’s currently president of accelerated industries. Salesforce acquired Slack in 2021. 

ON24 sweeps TrustRadius’s “Best Of” Awards. The B2B sales and marketing platform won for “Best Feature Set,” “Best Value for the Price,” and “Best Relationship.”

Stocks of the Week

^{*Figures are for the previous week (11/13/23-11/17/23), price calculated at close of markets on Friday, November 17th. We look at publicly listed CRM-related vendors only. This is not financial advice, and we make no claims on the accuracy of these figures.}