CRM-Connected AI and the Fight to Control Customer Data
CRM providers are competing to connect customer information with real-time engagement and AI-driven action, with this week’s announcements highlighting different approaches to integration, automation and control. Can businesses turn these connections into better customer experiences?
Nicole Willing · 27 Oct 2026
ServiceNow: The CRM Shift from Records to Resolution
CRM can no longer stop at storing customer records. Daniel Wilks, Vice President of ServiceNow CRM EMEA, explains why enterprises need connected workflows, smarter AI, and shared accountability to turn customer context into faster resolution and better experiences
Rob Wilkinson · 26 Oct 2026
NHS 24 Scotland Shows Why CX Leaders Must Design Around Outcomes
NHS 24’s customer experience transformation shows why CRM modernization should start with customer outcomes, not internal systems. By redesigning journeys around access, continuity and safety, it offers CX leaders a practical model for outcome-led service change.
Nicole Willing · 23 Oct 2026
CRM Vendors Tackle AI Costs and Customer Data Access
CRM vendors are connecting customer data to AI-driven sales, marketing and analytics while addressing spending and governance. This week’s updates include HubSpot’s pricing changes, Salesforce Hunter’s Demandbase partnership and Adobe’s customer journey analytics features.
Nicole Willing · 20 Oct 2026
Will Consumer AI Agents Force Businesses to Rethink CRM?
Consumer AI agents could change how people make purchasing decisions and interact with customer service teams. That raises questions for CRM leaders about customer relationships, data and how businesses maintain their place in an increasingly AI-mediated customer journey.
Nicole Willing · 16 Oct 2026
From Heathrow to the Bundesliga, CRM Gets Closer to the Customer
Can CRM turn customer data into better experiences? Adobe and Heathrow are targeting more personalised passenger journeys, while ServiceNow reports 89% first-contact resolution for Bundesliga fan enquiries. Salesforce, HubSpot and Zeta Global also make moves across CRM and customer data.
Nicole Willing · 13 Oct 2026
Your CRM Data Could Hold the Key to AI Differentiation
Enterprises may not find their AI advantage in the latest model. It could be buried in years of proprietary CRM data. John Cheney, CEO Founder and Founder at WorkBooks, explained how AI can help businesses clean up that data and turn internal knowledge into a competitive asset.
Nicole Willing · 9 Oct 2026
HubSpot Cuts 660 Jobs as AI Strategy Reshapes Business
The layoffs are part of HubSpot's strategy to reorganize around AI-powered customer outcomes. The vendor insists the move is not driven by AI efficiencies, but the distinction between AI efficiency and AI-led reorganization may not mean much to employees whose roles have been eliminated.
Rhys Fisher · 7 Oct 2026
AI Agents Trigger a New Battle for Customer Data Control
As AI agents begin to retrieve, interpret and act on customer information, the CRM and CDP market is shifting from data unification to governed decision-making. Oracle, Microsoft, Braze, SAP and Iterable are competing to control how customer intelligence is used.
Nicole Willing · 6 Oct 2026
Cox Fleet’s CRM Lessons for High-Urgency Customer Service
When customers are stressed, stranded, or losing revenue, CRM has to do more than hold records. Alex Fraser, VP of Customer Operations at Cox Fleet, explains how connected data, AI, agents and service partners can turn urgent contact into coordinated action and customer advocacy.
Nicole Willing · 2 Oct 2026
HMRC Selects Salesforce for £2.4BN CRM Program as Overhaul Takes Shape
HM Revenue & Customs has chosen Salesforce over Pegasystems in a £2.4BN contract tender for its CRM program. The decade-plus agreement adds an AI-driven customer data layer to a wider transformation of the U.K. tax authority’s contact center and digital services.
Nicole Willing · 1 Oct 2026
As Contact Center AI Grows, Payment Data Needs Boundaries
AI is changing contact center operations, from summaries and analytics to bots and agent assist, but payment data needs firm boundaries before it reaches those workflows. De-scoping PCI data early is the simplest way to keep compliance firmly under control
Nicole Willing · 30 Sept 2026
Why Claudeforce Indicates CRM Complexity Is Breaking Customer Experience
UJET CEO Vasili Triant explains why bolting AI onto CRM and ticketing stacks may add complexity instead of improving customer experience.
Nicole Willing · 23 Sept 2026
Optimove AI Is Betting Big on Agentic Marketing. Most CRM Teams Aren’t Ready
Agentic AI is moving into the CRM and marketing stack, Optimove AI is betting it has the controls businesses need.
Rebekah Carter · 22 Sept 2026
CRM’s Great Escape: Salesforce, HubSpot, Zeotap, and Zendesk Redraw the Data Battle
This week’s CRM news covers Salesforce’s Dreamforce vision, HubSpot’s Smart CRM, Zeotap’s Open CDP, and Zendesk AI agents.
Rhys Fisher · 21 Sept 2026
CRM's Next Challenge Is Making Customer Context Useful to AI Agents
PwC leaders explain how AI agents, connected data, and intelligent enterprise models are reshaping the future of CRM modernization.
Nicole Willing · 14 Sept 2026
Customer Context Becomes CRM’s Next Competitive Battleground
Vendors are competing to make fragmented customer data useful, as AI agents increase demand for trusted, actionable customer context in CRM.
Nicole Willing · 9 Sept 2026
5 Questions to Ask Before You Buy an AI-Ready Customer Data Platform
The appeal of an “AI-ready customer data platform” is easy to understand. Organizations want more joined-up customer journeys, faster service, better recomme...
Nicole Willing · 9 Sept 2026
Where Does the CDP Fit in an Agentic AI Strategy?
In this CX Today interview, Nicole Willing speaks with Richard Manthorpe, Director of Product Management at Content Guru , about the changing role of custome...
Nicole Willing · 1 Sept 2026
Big CX News From Salesforce, Zoom, Meta and Google
The latest news and insights from the biggest vendors in the CX and customer service space, including Salesforce, Zoom, Meta, Google
Rob Wilkinson · 28 Aug 2026
Salesforce’s Claudeforce Deal With Anthropic Points to What Comes After the CRM UI
Salesforce and Anthropic launch Claudeforce, bringing Salesforce data and workflows into Claude as CRM moves beyond the traditional UI.
Nicole Willing · 27 Aug 2026
Marc Benioff Maintains "There is No SaaSpocalypse" as Salesforce Argues AI Models Need Software
Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff rejects the SaaSpocalypse narrative, arguing enterprises will consume AI through the software they already use.
Nicole Willing · 27 Aug 2026
What AI Needs to Actually Be Useful in a Contact Center
Contact center AI is only as useful as the environment it works inside. That may sound obvious, but it is where many AI projects start to fail. Leaders inves...
Rob Wilkinson · 20 Aug 2026
The CRM Trap: Why Most Contact Centers Are Paying for Integrations That Don't Actually Work
Many contact centers have CRM integrations that technically work, but still fail the people who use them every day. That distinction matters because agents a...
Rob Wilkinson · 13 Aug 2026
Gartner Magic Quadrant for CRM Sales Platforms 2026: The Rundown
Gartner’s 2026 Magic Quadrant for CRM Sales Platforms ranks Salesforce and Microsoft as Leaders, while others shift position.
Rhys Fisher · 12 Aug 2026
Salesforce Says Agentforce Adoption Is Accelerating but Enterprise CX Readiness Remains in Question
Salesforce reports rapid Agentforce adoption, but data readiness and unclear AI success metrics could challenge enterprise CX teams.
Nicole Willing · 10 Aug 2026
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Uses Qualtrics to Turn Reviews Into Revenue
Chris Sasser explains how Tropical Smoothie Cafe uses Qualtrics to connect customer feedback operational speed, and sales growth.
Nicole Willing · 7 Aug 2026
HubSpot Got the Blame, But Does the Whole Industry Have the Same Problem?
Acoustic CMO Alexi Hatch on "signal debt," the opt-in line brands keep crossing, and why borrowed enrichment data is a major CX problem.
Rhys Fisher · 4 Aug 2026
The AI Personalization Trap CX Leaders Must Avoid
Kristen Zhou of Treasure AI and Guy Bourgault of Concentrix warn that AI personalization could damage customer trust without strong consent.
Nicole Willing · 30 Jul 2026
PUMA Shows Why Omnichannel Retail CX Now Runs on Data
PUMA omnichannel CX analysis: how customer data, app engagement, DTC growth and cross-sell automation shape retail journeys.
Alex Cole · 29 Jul 2026
ServiceNow on the CX Shift Legacy CRM Can’t Handle
Rob Wilkinson speaks with Mark Ashton, VP Solution Consulting CRM, EMEA at ServiceNow , about why traditional CRM is no longer enough for modern customer exp...
Rob Wilkinson · 29 Jul 2026
When Legacy Vendors Pull Support, Enterprise Buyers Should Rethink More Than the Replacement
With legacy vendors retiring products, here are six questions buyers should ask before choosing between legacy and AI-native platforms.
Nicole Willing · 28 Jul 2026
Amperity Customer Data Cloud: The 2026 Roadmap Bet on Real-Time Context and Identity AI
Amperity customer data cloud is betting on real-time customer context and identity resolution to solve the CDP problem.
Rebekah Carter · 27 Jul 2026
SAP's CMO on Why Brands Are Sitting on a "Dark Data" Time Bomb
SAP Engagement Cloud CMO on why 43% of Gen Z using AI agents to buy is forcing brands to rethink how they act on customer data.
Rhys Fisher · 24 Jul 2026
ServiceNow Takes CRM Fight to Salesforce as AI Strengthens SaaS Case
ServiceNow challenges Salesforce in CRM, arguing AI strengthens demand for workflow automation, data context and predictable SaaS pricing.
Nicole Willing · 23 Jul 2026
Databricks CustomerLake Puts Customer Data Governance Back on the Banking CX Agenda
Is Databricks CustomerLake governed enough for banking and financial institutions? Here's what you need to know.
Rebekah Carter · 21 Jul 2026
The CRM Stack Is Cracking, Treasure AI Warns
Treasure AI’s Rafael Flores explains why legacy CRM and CDP stacks may be too slow for AI-native customer engagement.
Nicole Willing · 20 Jul 2026
Why Is My CRM Vendor Cold-Calling My Super Admins?
HubSpot sales reps are cold-calling customer super admins to pitch prospecting tools. Days after its data enrichment U-turn, is your admin list now sales data?
Rob Scott · 17 Jul 2026
"Your AI Shouldn't Own the Relationship" The CRM Relationship Trap
Learn how to improve your AI-led CRM, reduce sales friction, and keep trust central to customer engagement.
Francesca Roche · 10 Jul 2026
Why Salesforce's Headless Contentful Deal Is Bigger Than Content Management
Salesforce's Contentful acquisition signals that structured content is becoming core infrastructure for AI-driven CX at scale.
Francesca Roche · 10 Jul 2026
Legacy CX Platforms Turn to AI-Native Acquisitions as Agent Race Heats Up
The Salesforce Fin acquisition shows legacy CRM platforms are buying AI-native CX capabilities to move fast, says John Kim, CEO of Delight.ai.
Nicole Willing · 7 Jul 2026
Klaviyo Embeds AI Agents in its CRM to Deliver Shared Customer Context
Klaviyo has added Composer and expanded Customer Agent in its CRM to share real-time customer context across marketing and service.
Nicole Willing · 2 Jul 2026
HubSpot Acquires Warmly to Fix CRM's Biggest Blind Spot
The Warmly acquisition directly tackles CRM's long-standing weakness by giving sales the AI-powered tools needed to engage and close deals.
Francesca Roche · 1 Jul 2026
Salesforce Expands Formula 1 Push as VCARB Deploys Agentforce for AI-Powered Fan Engagement
Salesforce and VCARB partner to deploy Agentforce 360, Slack, Tableau, and AI agent TORO for Formula 1 fan engagement.
Nicole Willing · 23 Jun 2026
Thames Valley Police’s Bobbi AI Agent Powered by Salesforce Agentforce Frees 3,200+ Hours in Six Months
Thames Valley Police and Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary are using Salesforce Agentforce to power police AI agent Bobbi.
Nicole Willing · 22 Jun 2026
Salesforce Futures VP: Customers Face Three Core AI Challenges as Agentic Enterprise Takes Shape
Salesforce Futures VP Mick Costigan explains the challenges customers are facing in bringing AI agents into the enterprise.
Nicole Willing · 18 Jun 2026
Databricks Signals a New Era for CDPs By Launching CustomerLake
Databricks enters marketing software with CustomerLake, an AI-native CDP designed to unify fragmented data and personalize CX.
Francesca Roche · 17 Jun 2026
The Agentforce Proof Points Hidden Inside Salesforce's $1 Billion Italy Bet
Salesforce commits $1 billion to Italy, with Agentforce deployments at Telepass and Trenitalia revealing agentic AI's role in enterprise CX
Rhys Fisher · 16 Jun 2026
Salesforce’s $3.6BN Fin Acquisition Aims to Boost Agentforce AI Strategy
Salesforce’s $3.6BN Fin acquisition expands Agentforce and its AI customer service ambitions, but raises questions over adoption.
Nicole Willing · 16 Jun 2026
Your CRM Isn’t Broken. It’s Just Filled With Data No One Entered Properly
There's nothing wrong with your CRM software, it's your issue with CRM data entry accuracy that's holding you back.
Rebekah Carter · 11 Jun 2026
Your CRM Data Isn’t Incomplete - It’s Actively Becoming Less Accurate Every Day
CRM data decays as customers change. Learn what causes stale records, how automation scales errors, and how to keep data fresh.
Sophie Wilson · 5 Jun 2026
Legacy CRM Wasn’t Built for AI: The Case for a New Stack
Jason Eubanks, Co-Founder and CEO of Aurasell, on why legacy CRM systems may struggle with agentic AI and what CX leaders should ask vendors.
Nicole Willing · 5 Jun 2026
Stop Tool Sprawl: Why Scaling Teams Need a Modern Business OS, Not More Software
Growing beyond a small, tightly knit team often marks a turning point for enterprises, where systems that once felt lightweight and efficient begin to strain...
Francesca Roche · 4 Jun 2026
How Pets at Home Is Putting the Lead on Connected Pet Care With Salesforce
Explore Pets at Home’s Salesforce CRM transformation, unifying retail, vet services and insurance with a single customer view and AI ambition.
Nicole Willing · 4 Jun 2026