55 percent of IT and CX leaders think CRM will replace contact center platforms within five years.
This surprising statistic comes from Metrigy's recent Technology Spending Forecast.
As if on queue, Salesforce went all in on CCaaS just days after its release.
The CCaaS Incentive for CRM Vendors
The move into CCaaS is an obvious adjacent play for Salesforce, as almost every contact center vendor integrates with its technology.
Yet, Robin Gareiss, CEO of Metrigy, highlights numerous benefits for businesses if CRM vendors can close the gap with CCaaS. On LinkedIn, she writes:
The main driver is general access to customer data records, followed by the ability to consolidate platforms, and automate communications from customer data records.
"As more customers conversations start in channels other than voice (35% as of April 2022), CX leaders see promise in using their CRM providers for those types of interactions."
Vendors like Salesforce will undoubtedly wish to deliver these benefits to customers. Yet, the contact center also offers an opportunity for increased client spending.
Indeed, AI innovation – including agent-assist – is high in contact centers. With this innovation comes the opportunity to increase cost per seat.
Moreover, the number of people using contact center technology is also growing as marketing, sales, field service, and many more departments access CCaaS tools.
The opportunity to do so through a technology they are more familiar with, like a CRM (or possibly a UCaaS platform), is likely an attractive option for many.
Can CRMs Compete In the Mid-Market and Enterprise Space?
While they have a strong incentive, it seems unlikely that CRM will take over CCaaS in the coming years, as many CX leaders predict.
Of course, a significant acquisition could change the status quo – perhaps if Salesforce made a play for a well-established CCaaS vendor, like Genesys, Talkdesk, or Five9. Indeed, it has the resources to roll them up.
Yet, it seems more likely that Salesforce will first focus on SMBs. Why? Because mid-market and enterprise CCaaS deployments are often complex, with lots of application integrations that require technology and considerable expertise.
