From graphic design to competitor audits, it seems like there is no end to the various applications of artificial intelligence in today’s digital marketing landscape. While CRM (Customer Relationship Management) platforms are a key component of marketing automation, AI can take that one step further and liberate companies from the manual processes that all CRMs entail, allowing for improved customer engagement and enhanced sales forecasting.
Here are just some of the ways that AI is improving CRMs today:
SEGMENTATION SUPREME
Any CRM Manager worth his or her salt will tell you how important customer segmentation is to a given CRM strategy. Identifying things like spending patterns or seasonal interests can be an arduous process, but with the introduction of AI and natural language, these ranging customer behaviours can be identified and presented almost instantaneously.
CHATBOT COGNISANCE
Most CRMs have incorporated a chatbot function as part of their sales side, but only now are we beginning to see what these bots are capable of. The advancement of AI and the development of NLP (Natural Language Processing) means that AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants are now able to understand much more, including conversational nuances and even slang.
LEAD-SCORING LAYMEN
Historically, we’ve always relied on a rule-based approach to lead scoring as part of our CRMs, but this approach is now outdated. AI primes marketers to supercharge their lead scoring with predictive analytics, analysing millions of attributes in real time to determine which leads are ready to buy and which leads require some more nurturing.
PROMOTING PERSONALISATION
As with lead scoring, content personalisation in CRMs has always followed a “if this, then that” model, showing tailored content based on things like lifecycle stage or list membership. AI-based CRMs can push this to the next level, analysing historical data and trends to fully personalise all kinds of customer interactions, from CTAs (Call to Actions) to emails, tailoring each message accordingly.
DROWNING IN DATA
Data integrity is a huge part of CRM maintenance these days, and cleaning up inaccurate, unwanted or duplicated data can be a terribly time-consuming process. If left unchecked, dirty data can disrupt sales pipelines and cause absolute chaos. This is where AI comes in: it can help to detect irregularities and anomalies, cleansing data so you don’t have to.
Ready to implement an AI-powered CRM? Get in touch today.
