CRM tools and strategy
Customer relationship management combines various tools -- like marketing and sales force automation software -- and strategies to help organizations maintain, manage and learn from customer interactions. Find out the latest news and expert advice for your CRM approach.
Top Stories
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Feature
12 Jun 2026
How AI is reshaping the software build vs. buy decision
AI is making custom development more accessible, but it also shifts governance, integration responsibility and long-term cost back onto the enterprise. Continue Reading
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Tip
11 Jun 2026
Understanding CX buying committees and decision dynamics
CX data is now more integrated with other departments. As a result, CX tech buying decisions include more stakeholders. Vendors need to understand this dynamic. Continue Reading
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Tip
09 Jun 2026
Vibe coding in CX: Benefits, risks and real-world uses
CX vibe coding should be a safe sandbox play that looks to quicken internal tasks. For now, the security risks are too great for production-level customer interactions. Continue Reading
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Feature
08 Jun 2026
AI feature spend is the new software cost-control problem
Embedded AI features turn software cost control into an operating problem involving usage, ownership, renewals, value tracking and budget accountability. Continue Reading
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Feature
05 Jun 2026
CX orchestration is the new hard part
Enterprises have plenty of CX tools, channels and AI features. The harder problem is coordinating the work, data, handoffs and ownership behind them. Continue Reading
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Answer
05 Jun 2026
Is average handle time obsolete?
No, average handle time is not obsolete. This key metric, when analyzed with other metrics, can help determine contact center staffing levels and improve agent efficiency. Continue Reading
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Feature
04 Jun 2026
AI decision trails are the new audit trail
As AI tools summarize, score, route, recommend and move work forward, enterprises need records that show what the AI shaped, what humans reviewed and who owned the final decision. Continue Reading
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Feature
03 Jun 2026
Autonomous service still needs a human handoff
AI agents, robots and automation can handle more service work, but customer service still needs human judgment, clean handoffs and coordinated ownership. Continue Reading
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Tip
03 Jun 2026
How to choose a B2B e-commerce platform
When choosing a B2B e-commerce platform, businesses should prioritize scalability and composability, evaluate native features and consider cost and integration challenges. Continue Reading
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Feature
28 May 2026
Context is key: The limits of experience analytics software
Experience analytics can show behavior, journeys and sentiment, but without operational, cultural, service and workflow context, organizations risk optimizing the wrong things. Continue Reading
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Feature
27 May 2026
AI agents can speed up work without simplifying it
AI agents might simplify work for users, but enterprises still need workflow mapping, process visibility and human oversight to manage hidden complexity. Continue Reading
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Tip
27 May 2026
How AI inferred sentiment analysis unlocks customer insights
Automated customer sentiment evaluations can help organizations understand their customers better, replace manual tasks and boost revenue by uncovering buying signals. Continue Reading
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Feature
15 May 2026
How cohort analysis improves marketing decisions
Data scientist Arun Prem Sanker explains how cohort analysis can improve segmentation, retention, personalization and customer lifetime value. Continue Reading
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Feature
08 May 2026
Answer engines put marketing tools on notice
Answer engines are changing how buyers find info, shifting marketing software beyond SEO and campaigns into brand interpretation, data synthesis and AI decisions. Continue Reading
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Feature
08 May 2026
AI should remove friction, not agents, from contact centers
No, AI will not fully replace contact center agents. Human, voice-based customer conversations that are transcribed are becoming a data gold mine for organizations. Continue Reading
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Tip
24 Apr 2026
12 generative AI tools for marketing and sales teams
Generative AI tools can automate content creation, personalize outreach and analyze customer data. Compare 12 tools for marketing and sales teams. Continue Reading
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Feature
22 Apr 2026
Fix the service path before you optimize it with AI
Contact center AI can improve routing, self-service and agent support, but it cannot fix weak journey design, broken handoffs or service problems created upstream. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 Apr 2026
How to centralize customer interaction data in one platform
Organizations often have reams of customer interaction data. But how do they centralize and unify this information? Well, a customer data platform helps. Continue Reading
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Feature
16 Apr 2026
AI pricing is turning into a software management problem
As vendors embed AI into products, bundle it into suites and add orchestration layers, enterprises are finding AI harder to price, isolate and manage. Continue Reading
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Tip
14 Apr 2026
How agentic AI modernizes outbound sales campaigns
AI agents can contact customers, make decisions, act autonomously and close a sale with little or no human involvement. They can also renew orders and attempt upsells. Continue Reading
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Feature
13 Apr 2026
The front office is being rebuilt around AI workflows
The front office is being rebuilt as AI moves from add-on features into connected workflows spanning customer service, research, marketing, data and business outcomes. Continue Reading
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Feature
09 Apr 2026
Orchestration is becoming enterprise AI's real test
Vendors can ship agents. The harder challenge is orchestrating how they work across applications, workflows and human handoffs without creating more risk. Continue Reading
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Tip
24 Mar 2026
B2B martech stack core components and how to build one
A B2B marketing technology stack can have several components. Therefore, integration and ongoing optimization of those tools are paramount to meet business goals. Continue Reading
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Tip
18 Mar 2026
Modern CX tech stack: The core components and how to build it
A CX tech stack should integrate key components to unify customer data and support personalization. But the stack should be simple and include only essential tools. Continue Reading
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Tip
04 Mar 2026
Omnichannel orchestration engages customers, drives revenue
Omnichannel orchestration enables businesses to personalize customer interactions, reduce friction and coordinate teams for lasting business outcomes and customer loyalty. Continue Reading
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Feature
27 Feb 2026
Beyond containment: Structuring IT for enterprise AI at scale
Enterprise AI is moving beyond pilots and into infrastructure. That shift exposes structural weaknesses -- and demands governance, observability and integration built directly into the stack. Continue Reading
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Feature
26 Feb 2026
5 conditions for durable enterprise AI
Enterprise AI becomes durable when experimentation matures into governance, integration discipline and production-grade infrastructure. Continue Reading
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Feature
25 Feb 2026
4 governance pressures shaping enterprise AI
Enterprise AI may move fast, but institutional accountability does not. Governance and structural alignment determine how safely AI expands into customer-facing systems. Continue Reading
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Feature
24 Feb 2026
4 structural foundations of reliable enterprise AI
Enterprise AI reliability is shaped less by model advances and more by structural alignment. Integration, process logic and visibility determine whether AI can scale. Continue Reading
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Feature
20 Feb 2026
Enterprise software at scale: risk, governance, stability
Risk concentration, vendor instability and governance maturity are emerging as core scale constraints. Continue Reading
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Feature
20 Feb 2026
Enterprise AI adoption: What drives AI at scale
Enterprise AI does not scale through experimentation alone. It requires structural integration, governance enforcement and disciplined architectural alignment. Continue Reading
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Feature
10 Feb 2026
10 early decisions that shape enterprise software outcomes
Early planning choices quietly shape enterprise software outcomes. These 10 decisions influence flexibility, governance and how teams handle change later. Continue Reading
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Feature
22 Jan 2026
AI didn't break enterprise systems -- it exposed them
As AI moves from experimentation into operations, long-standing assumptions about data, people and control harden into requirements. When those assumptions are weak, failure shows up fast. Continue Reading
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Feature
22 Jan 2026
What happens when buying outpaces procurement
From shared devices to AI copilots, decisions about access, behavior and day-to-day workflow are shaping technology outcomes well before formal buying begins. Continue Reading
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Feature
12 Jan 2026
How enterprise software planning is taking shape for 2026
See what's influencing enterprise software decisions, from governance and cost pressure to AI adoption and operating model constraints, as organizations plan for the year ahead. Continue Reading
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Feature
07 Jan 2026
Why enterprise AI is becoming a governance issue
As teams plan for the year ahead, AI decisions are shifting away from capability questions and toward ownership, control and accountability. Continue Reading
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Podcast
29 Dec 2025
How a distributor used AI-driven dynamic pricing for quick ROI
In this podcast, Turtle CTO and CISO David Magee explains why price optimization is so important to electrical distributors and how an Infor ERP 'widget' automates the task. Continue Reading
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Tip
23 Dec 2025
7 customer experience trends to know in 2026
Customer interaction analytics, autonomous agents and AI-driven upsells are some of the CX trends that could boost revenue, cut costs and improve customer service. Continue Reading
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Tip
14 Nov 2025
How accounts receivable AI increases cash flow and efficiency
AI in accounts receivable is a financial force for many businesses as it accelerates cash collections and predicts payment behavior. The ROI is really good, too. Continue Reading
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Tip
23 Sep 2025
12 sales pipeline management best practices
A few sales pipeline management best practices include monitoring key metrics, ensuring data is accurate and prioritizing high-value and high-intent prospects. Continue Reading
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Infographic
09 Sep 2025
The history and evolution of CRM
Early CRM systems only stored basic contact information. Yet, they have evolved into complex AI platforms that automate various sales, marketing and customer service tasks. Continue Reading
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Tip
03 Sep 2025
How to manage your sales pipeline
Proper sales pipeline management can enhance forecasting, spot bottlenecks and drive revenue growth. Learn essential strategies to manage a sales pipeline effectively. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 Aug 2025
9 sales pipeline management tools
CRM platforms and sales tools can help teams manage their sales pipelines and improve productivity across the board. These tools include Freshsales and Salesforce Sales Cloud. Continue Reading
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Tip
04 Aug 2025
CRM vs. CMS: How they differ and how to integrate them
CMSes and CRM systems serve different purposes, but together, they can help organizations improve customer data management and automate sales and marketing strategies. Continue Reading
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Definition
30 Jul 2025
What is mobile CRM?
Mobile CRM, or mobile customer relationship management, enables those working in the field or remote employees to use mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, to access customer data and customer accounts wherever they are. Continue Reading
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Podcast
17 Jun 2025
Pegasystems founder and CEO Alan Trefler on future of GenAI
The tech pioneer is optimistic about generative AI -- as long as users are aware of its capacity for mistakes. Continue Reading
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News
27 May 2025
Salesforce to acquire Informatica in $8 billion deal
A rumored $11 billion was too much last year, but $8 billion this year was too good to pass up. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 May 2025
Compare the top 20 CRM software options
With the right CRM software, CX leaders can improve customer interactions and enhance their support strategies. Top providers include HubSpot, Microsoft and Salesforce. Continue Reading
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Video
06 May 2025
An explanation of customer relationship management (CRM)
CRM systems combine data, strategies and technology to manage customer interactions. Features include automation, lead tracking, and analytics to improve service and drive sales. Continue Reading
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News
10 Apr 2025
HubSpot users get more Breeze generative AI agents
HubSpot users get agents for sales, service and marketing. Continue Reading
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News
24 Mar 2025
OpenAI targets customer service with new audio models
The models build on GPT-4o and 4o mini architecture. With it, developers can control tone so that contact center agents can effectively help customers on the other end of the call. Continue Reading
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News
20 Mar 2025
Oracle launches new AI Agent Studio in Fusion suite
The studio is designed for Oracle customers that already have most of their data situated in the Fusion suite. It includes new libraries and a trust and security framework. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 Mar 2025
What are the pros and cons of a CRM platform?
CRM platforms can improve CX, but they often require significant investment. CX leaders should understand the pros and cons of these platforms before purchasing. Continue Reading
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Tip
14 Mar 2025
How to choose the right CRM software for your organization
Choosing the right CRM software can be daunting for organizations. These seven steps and best practices ensure the search, adoption and deployment processes go smoothly. Continue Reading
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Definition
13 Mar 2025
What is quality of experience (QoE or QoX)?
Quality of experience (QoE or QoX) is a measure of the overall level of a customer's satisfaction and experience with a product or service and the vendor that's providing that product or service. Continue Reading
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News
05 Mar 2025
Microsoft rolls out sales agents, connector to Salesforce
Microsoft joins the autonomous sales agent fray. Continue Reading
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News
05 Mar 2025
Salesforce banking on autonomous agents with Agentforce 2dx
Salesforce keeps up torrid pace for agentic AI development. Continue Reading
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News
27 Feb 2025
Data, training complexities make DIY AI agents difficult
Agentic AI is complex, so choose your development path carefully. Continue Reading
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News
25 Feb 2025
Salesforce, Google ink $2.5B deal to bring Gemini to Agentforce
The deal gives Salesforce customers multi-cloud and LLM flexibility. Continue Reading
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Definition
25 Feb 2025
What is voice of the customer? A guide to VOC Strategy
Voice of the customer (VOC) is the component of customer experience (CX) that focuses on customer needs, wants, expectations and preferences. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Feb 2025
Understanding the 3 types of CRM systems
To get the most out of a CRM system, organizations must decide whether an operational, analytical or collaborative CRM system is right for them. Continue Reading
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Definition
12 Feb 2025
What is CRM (customer relationship management)?
CRM (customer relationship management) is the combination of practices, strategies and technologies that companies use to manage and analyze customer interactions and data throughout the customer lifecycle. Continue Reading
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Definition
10 Feb 2025
What is a customer journey map?
A customer journey map is a visual depiction of the stages customers go through when interacting with a company -- from buying products online to accessing customer service on the phone to airing grievances on social media. Continue Reading
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News
31 Jan 2025
Oracle Cloud Sales users get GenAI agents at no extra cost
The new AI features provide sales force automation and time-savers similar to what competitors have added. Continue Reading
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Podcast
08 Jan 2025
Reshaping UX with behavioral data and AI
Companies are using AI to strengthen insights from behavioral data, transforming how they understand and respond to customer interactions. Continue Reading
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Infographic
06 Jan 2025
Salesforce's 2024 acquisitions reveal a mature M&A strategy
After two years of minimal big or small purchases, 2024 was the year of Salesforce's most cohesive and mature mergers and acquisitions strategy so far. Continue Reading
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Feature
26 Dec 2024
Generative AI in CX promises benefits, but obstacles remain
Generative AI promises to boost efficiency in CX, but businesses face adoption and compliance hurdles. Continue Reading
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News
18 Dec 2024
With Agentforce 2.0, Salesforce closer to autonomous AI
Agentforce 2.0 is here as Salesforce pushes for Slack to be its foundation. Continue Reading
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Definition
11 Dec 2024
What is an AI assistant?
An AI assistant, or digital assistant, is software that uses artificial intelligence to understand natural language voice commands and complete tasks for the user. Continue Reading
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Tip
10 Dec 2024
The top 15 event marketing tools
Marketers rely on a combination of tools, such as CRM systems and marketing automation platforms, to manage events. Top tools include Salesforce, ActiveCampaign and Eventbrite. Continue Reading
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News
25 Nov 2024
Salesforce CIO: How agents change internal workflows
In this Q&A, Salesforce CIO and Executive Vice President Juan Perez discusses the company's internal Agentforce rollout, among other topics. Continue Reading
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Definition
20 Nov 2024
What is contact center infrastructure?
A contact center infrastructure (CCI) is a framework composed of the physical and virtual resources that a contact or call center facility needs to operate effectively. Continue Reading
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Definition
20 Nov 2024
What is a cloud contact center?
A cloud contact center is an internet-hosted service, typically managed by a third party, that handles all inbound and outbound customer communications for an organization. Continue Reading
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Definition
07 Nov 2024
What is customer profiling?
Customer profiling is the detailed, systematic process of constructing a clear portrait of a company's ideal customer by gathering and analyzing information about their demographic, psychographic and behavioral attributes. Continue Reading
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Definition
07 Nov 2024
What is mindshare (share of mind)?
Mindshare, also known as share of mind, is an approach to marketing that involves attempting to make a company, brand or product the first one that comes to mind when a customer thinks of a particular market. Continue Reading
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Feature
05 Nov 2024
Salesforce Agentforce: An answer in search of a question?
They used to be named Einstein Copilots. Now they're Agentforce autonomous agents. Salesforce's latest upgrade might be more than words. Continue Reading
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Definition
29 Oct 2024
What is market segmentation?
Market segmentation is a marketing strategy that uses well-defined criteria to divide a brand's total addressable market share into smaller groups. Continue Reading
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News
21 Oct 2024
Microsoft adds Copilot agents, design tools for 365, Dynamics
Microsoft hopes the new tools will be enough to convince enterprises to move beyond testing and fully adopt Copilot. Continue Reading
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Definition
16 Oct 2024
What is Salesforce Marketing Cloud?
Salesforce Marketing Cloud is a customer relationship management (CRM) and digital marketing platform that enables marketers to generate better marketing outcomes and ROI. Continue Reading
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Definition
15 Oct 2024
What is IoT Cloud (Salesforce IoT Cloud)?
IoT Cloud is a Salesforce platform designed to store and process internet of things (IoT) data. Continue Reading
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Definition
11 Oct 2024
What is Salesforce Work.com?
Salesforce Work.com is a set of solutions from Salesforce that enable organizations to simplify return-to-work processes, maintain safe workplace operations, assess and promote employee health, safety and well-being, and communicate with customers in an open, honest, trustworthy manner. Continue Reading
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Definition
10 Oct 2024
What is Salesforce Journey Builder?
Salesforce Journey Builder is a campaign planning tool in Salesforce Marketing Cloud to build personalized customer journeys and deliver unique campaigns and content that enhance customer experiences and secure their loyalty. Continue Reading
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Definition
01 Oct 2024
What is customer intelligence (CI) and how does it help business?
Customer intelligence (CI) is the process of collecting and analyzing detailed customer data from internal and external sources to gain insights about customer needs, motivations and behaviors. Continue Reading
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Definition
27 Sep 2024
What is lead scoring?
Lead scoring is a methodology sales and marketing departments use to determine the worthiness of leads, or potential customers, by attaching values to them based on their behavior relating to their interest in products or services. Continue Reading
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Definition
27 Sep 2024
What is CPQ software (configure price quote software)?
CPQ (configure, price, quote) is programming that helps sales representatives and self-service customers quickly generate accurate quotes for configurable products and services. Continue Reading
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News
23 Sep 2024
Salesforce Agentforce, Microsoft Copilot AI battle heats up
After rebranding Einstein copilot products as 'agents,' Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff likened Microsoft Copilot AI to Clippit, also known as Clippy, the original intelligent agent. Continue Reading
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Opinion
23 Sep 2024
Benioff’s Agentforce gambit might just work
At Dreamforce 2024 in San Francisco, Salesforce announced the potential for its customers to embed virtual agents on its platform, so avoiding what the supplier dubs DIY GenAI. Will it work? Continue Reading
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Definition
19 Sep 2024
What is Salesforce Sales Cloud?
Salesforce Sales Cloud is a customer relationship management (CRM) platform designed to support sales, marketing and customer support in both business-to-business and business-to-consumer contexts. Continue Reading
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News
17 Sep 2024
Salesforce's ambitions for Agentforce platform come to light
Salesforce aims for the stars with its Agentforce platform; it remains to be seen how far it will get at a time when many companies still need to get their data ready. Continue Reading
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News
12 Sep 2024
Salesforce reveals more on Agentforce autonomous AI agents
Salesforce seizes on the concept of agentic AI to automate sales and service processes. The company holds fast to the idea the AI agents will assist humans -- not replace them. Continue Reading
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Definition
12 Sep 2024
What is Salesforce Platform (formerly Force.com)?
Salesforce Platform (formerly known as Force.com) is a platform as a service (PaaS) product that simplifies the development and deployment of cloud-based applications and websites. Continue Reading
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Definition
12 Sep 2024
What is Salesforce Developer Experience (Salesforce DX)?
Salesforce Developer Experience (Salesforce DX) is a set of software development tools that lets developers build, test and ship many kinds of applications on Salesforce Platform (formerly called Force.com). Continue Reading
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Definition
12 Sep 2024
What is SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences)?
SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences), also known as IBM SPSS Statistics since 2009, is a user-friendly software package used for the analysis of statistical data and to make data-driven decisions. Continue Reading
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News
11 Sep 2024
Oracle focuses on CX platform as it exits ad business
Oracle rolls out generative AI tools for sellers, beefs up CDP to reinforce B2B buying and selling team interactions, and adds industry-specific features. Continue Reading
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Definition
10 Sep 2024
What is Salesforce Commerce Cloud?
Salesforce Commerce Cloud is a cloud-based suite of products that enable e-commerce businesses to set up e-commerce sites, drive more automation and provide customers with seamless shopping experiences. Continue Reading
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News
09 Sep 2024
Salesforce Industries clouds for verticals adds 100 AI features
A new AI toolkit for Salesforce's industry-specific clouds delivers more than 100 features for companies in 15 industries to automate common tasks, each with their own data model. Continue Reading
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News
06 Sep 2024
In $1.9B deal, Salesforce buys data backup company Own
In the lead-up to its annual user conference, Salesforce buys Own Company for $1.9 billion, its second acquisition of the week and its third for 2024. Continue Reading
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Definition
06 Sep 2024
What is multichannel marketing?
Multichannel marketing refers to the practice of companies interacting with customers via multiple direct and indirect channels to sell them goods and services. Continue Reading
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News
05 Sep 2024
Salesforce Foundations opens up marketing, ecomm features
Enterprise Salesforce users will get Foundations, a basic set of tools and Data Cloud functionality to complement their Sales and Service modules. Continue Reading
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News
29 Aug 2024
Salesforce and Genesys discuss CX strategy, coopetition
Competing tech companies are partnering up to give customers what they need faster. Salesforce and Genesys share how they're doing just that in the contact center market. Continue Reading
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Definition
28 Aug 2024
What is voice recognition and how does it work?
Voice or speaker recognition is the ability of a machine or program to receive and interpret dictation or to understand and perform spoken commands. Continue Reading
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News
22 Aug 2024
Salesforce GenAI, data tools likely major Dreamforce themes
We read the tea leaves of Salesforce's summer product releases, executive interviews and Winter '25 release notes to figure out what's coming at Dreamforce. Continue Reading