Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Emblaze have partnered to bring the inside sales community research in 2021. 

In this fifth installment of an ongoing series, we assess the perspective of inside sales teams about CRM systems. The survey of C-suite-level business leaders at Fortune 500 companies finds that although CRM systems are largely effective in boosting productivity, room for improvement remains. Specifically, companies are not consistently generating a 360-degree view of their customers, and they lack a consistent framework to guide their ongoing CRM upgrades and customization efforts.

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Quick Findings: 

1. Sales executives believe that their CRM systems generate value.
2. Companies are using advanced analytics to generate insights and drive better decision-making. Early adopters are also deploying artificial intelligence (AI) in strategic areas.
3. Most companies leverage customer data and business performance insights to perform three key functions
4. Yet less than a quarter of companies have a comprehensive view of their customers—a central component of a best-in-class CRM system.
5. Sales executives have clear suggestions for how to improve CRM systems.
6. However, only a third of companies use a framework to determine when to deploy standard CRM functionality or develop customized solutions.