Leading analyst firm Gartner Inc. recently shared its assessment of the future of CRM. In this comprehensive assessment Gartner outlined that customer relationship management (CRM) solutions will be at the heart of digital initiatives in 2014. The key focus of these initiatives targets improving the customer experience. Gartner Analyst and RVP, Joanne Correia, states "Hot areas for CRM investment include mobility, social media and technologies, Web analytics and e-commerce." 

These findings align closely to the results of our annual State of Salesforce report, where we surveyed over 500 leading global organizations. The results showed that 84% of organizations believe customer engagement will be the primary driver of profitable growth. Let’s look at how Gartner’s Nexus of Forces key themes align to what Bluewolf has seen in our experience with Salesforce projects.

Mobile

• Salesforce.com has given mobile adoption a shot in the arm with its investment in Salesforce1. The ability to access and manage your Salesforce instance no matter your location will increase user adoption and allow users capitalize on customer moments wherever they occur.
• Salesforce customers are taking Mobility a step further, our findings in the SOSF show that 52% of organizations already have, or are planning to create custom mobile apps on the platform. 

Social

• One of Bluewolf’s key pillars of becoming a customer-obsessed enterprise is that nobody owns the customer, but somebody always owns the moment. Organizations that are taking their customer support directly to social media and engaging customers in their preferred channel are differentiating themselves from the competition.  
• Enterprise adoption of the Salesforce Marketing Cloud will continue to grow, and the emerging capabilities of Salesforce Communities will only create more opportunities for you to engage with your customers on non-traditional channels. 

Big Data

• The cutting edge of big data is the addition of predictive analytics to your sales strategy. We’ve seen innovative organizations bring predictive analytics into their sales process as a way to assess risk in client relationships and find new revenue opportunities before they present themselves. 

Internet of Things

• At Dreamforce 2013, salesforce.com CEO, Marc Benoiff’s anecdote about his Philips Smart Toothbrush, and the vision of Stanley Black & Decker’s connected tools show that we are shifting away from just ‘hype’ around the Internet of Things. 
• Imagine the prospect of your connected products providing additional opportunities to service, market, and sell to your customers.

See how others are innovating on the Salesforce Platform in the State of Salesforce Annual Review. Download the free report and benchmark yourself against the latest industry trends.