September 2023

Magazine Features

The Best CRM Software, Solutions, and Innovators: The 2023 CRM Industry Awards

Our 22nd annual awards recognize the vendors and innovators that shone the brightest in the past year.

The Best CRM Software and Solutions: The 2023 CRM Industry Leader Awards

Our top five picks in 11 categories point the way forward with the best products and capabilities hitting the market in customer service, marketing, and sales.

Five Top Innovating CRM Companies for 2023: The CRM Conversation Starters

These vendors kept the industry abuzz with products, services, and integrations that add up to innovation in sales, marketing, and customer service.

The Best Enterprise CRM Software and Solutions: The 2023 CRM Industry Leader Awards

The Best CRM for Midsize and Small Businesses: The 2023 CRM Industry Leader Awards

The Best Contact Center Infrastructure: The 2023 CRM Industry Leader Awards

The Best Contact Center Interaction Analytics: The 2023 CRM Industry Leader Awards

The Best Workforce Engagement Management (WEM): The 2023 CRM Industry Leader Awards

The Best Contact Center Outsourcing: The 2023 CRM Industry Leader Awards

The Best Business Intelligence and Analytics: The 2023 CRM Industry Leader Awards

The Best Customer Data Platforms (CDPs): The 2023 CRM Industry Leader Awards

The Best Marketing Automation Software and Solutions: The 2023 CRM Industry Leader Awards

The Best Sales Force Automation (SFA) Software and Solutions: The 2023 CRM Industry Leader Awards

The Best E-Commerce Platforms: The 2023 CRM Industry Leader Awards

ChurnZero Makes Customer Success Priority No.1: The 2023 CRM Conversation Starters

DoubleVerify Is Making Advertising Safer for All: The 2023 CRM Conversation Starters

Meta Threads Together Some Serious Business Tools: The 2023 CRM Conversation Starters

OpenAI and Its ChatGPT Upended Everything: The 2023 CRM Conversation Starters

UserTesting Turns Feedback Into Human Insight: The 2023 CRM Conversation Starters

Reality Check

Writing Checks for CRM, or Writing Invisible Checks

The cost of under-investment is hidden but painful nonetheless.

The Tipping Point

Where Should CX Leaders Spend Their Budgets in 2024?

Amid a decline in customer experience quality, leaders will need to demonstrate value.

Scouting Report

Workforce Management for the 21st Century: Helping Deliver a Great CX

With a big assist from AI, these solutions are delivering better experiences for customers and employees.

End Notes

A Call for Boldness in Customer Service

Can you dare to be so good you make yourself obsolete?

Customer Experience

Spatial Computing: The Power to Transform CRM

AR/VR is already making inroads with consumers, and CRM won't be far behind.

Insight

35 Percent of CROs to Establish a Generative AI Team Within Two Years

Generative AI will democratize, accelerate, and enable buyer-centric messaging, Gartner reports.

62 Percent of Customer Service Handoffs Are High-Effort

Transitions between self-service and assisted channels lead to worse CX outcomes, Gartner finds.

Conversational AI Spending in Contact Centers to Rise

Gartner eyes huge spending increases this year and next on conversational AI and digital assistants.

Marketers Need Generative AI Guardrails

Forrester warns that generative AI can't be unleashed without human supervision.

Required Reading: Ad Agencies Need a Radical Makeover

Fees should be based on quality and quantity rather than hours.

Sales Challenges Remain Consistent

There's been little change in sales priorities and problems over the past four years, RAIN Group finds.