Are CRM Fields Dead?

Guest AuthorsArtificial Intelligence (AI)Predictive Analytics

By Martin Heibel On May 25, 2021

Editing, updating, inputting…all tasks that take up time, but which are essential to keeping up your CRM fields and data insights. But how much longer will sales professionals have to put up with the admin stink of classic CRMs and their multiple input fields…

Well, I’ve got some good news, I’m here to announce the death of the CRMs fields, let me explain why.

Originally designed to speed up tasks and bring more data-orientated detail to organizations and users, solutions including CRMs have evolved to have the opposite effect. Much of the business software that we use today simply serves to slow us down and fails to boost productivity in any meaningful sense of the word.

Take a minute to think about what your business software really offers you, and what you offer as a sacrifice in return. Take CRMs and CRM fields, for example, the key concept of this type of software is built around humans simply filling in a bunch of databases. To receive any meaningful metrics or insights, classic CRM users must first decide on the fields they want to focus on, then they must enter data into these multiple fields and later search for data to pinpoint key information. This is not only time-consuming, but it can also be frustrating and distracting. As a result, sales professionals or customer success managers are unable to concentrate on high-value tasks such as prospecting, customer calls, and proposal meetings.

Added to this there is high scope for human error in software like CRMs. The value of any data or insights provided by CRMs relies heavily on users imputing the right data, correctly. What happens if users forget to set details and fields, update lifecycle stages or move deals forward in a pipeline? The insights from your CRM will eventually lack context and omit key details which in turn slows users down and leaves them working on incorrect assumptions and inaccurate next steps.

The truth is, the business software of yesterday no longer offers real value to individual users or for the organizations they serve. And CRMs fields? Well, maybe it’s about time they died a death the same way the dial-up internet and brick cell phones did.

How can we update business software?

So how can corporations overcome this huge user frustration and invest in business software that will provide real value to their organization? And what can tech providers do to make sure their product offers value to end-users without the need for manual data entry.

Future business software must work in real-time with its users. Instead of a user filing in CRM fields after a call or meeting, software must capture and interpret what is happening in real-time to provide users with the ultimate power of decision making.

The advent of voice technology and artificial intelligence signals a new era of business software that centers on memory and a decision-making “mind” which can help users make the right decision or next steps and which works in parallel with users at human speed. Gone are the days of CRM fields and time spent filtering through data to find insights to help you sell.

But don’t just take my word for it, 62% of high-performing salespeople foresee a significant role for guided selling tools which then rank potential opportunity value and suggest next steps.*

Software ranging from conversation intelligence to sales acceleration assistants will evolve to replace classic CRMs and in turn, give frontline salespeople the power and time to actually sell. The next generation of sales and business software will breathe life into sales and customer orientated tasks, whilst automating data entry and providing deal insights in real-time.

RIP to CRM fields, it’s time to embrace the next generation of sales technology.

* Redefining sales to thrive in the connected economy: The future of sales,” KPMG, 2020