Gartner released its Hype Cycle for CRM Sales Technology 2022 report. The in-depth analysis uses Gartner’s Hype Cycle research methodology to highlight new and growing technology innovations to inform investor decision-making.
“Sales technologies must continue to adapt to buyer demands while improving sales outcomes in a flexible work environment,” note the report’s authors Melissa Hilbert, Adnan Zijadic, and Ilona Hansen.
“Application leaders supporting sales must assess the impact that new and maturing technologies can bring to the organization to improve buyer experiences and empower sellers.”
Gartner’s Hype Cycle research methodology gives investors a tool to measure the potential impact of emerging technology. Given a personal appetite for risk and industry context, investors can determine whether to become an early adopter or wait until the technology has greater market penetration.
The Hype Cycle reflects the five key phases of a technology’s life cycle. Initial breakthroughs and buzz give way to disappointment and waning interest. Later generations of the technology demonstrate its real potential, and enterprises back the technology once again. Finally, interest plateaus with mainstream adoption.
Next Quarter (formerly ForecastEra) is one of the Account Planning Tools featured by Gartner in its Hype Cycle Report. Gartner has identified Account Planning Tools as achieving a significant place in the market, with 20% to 50% penetration of the target audience.
“We are thrilled that Gartner has once again recognized Next Quarter (formerly ForecastEra) as a leader in its field,” said Rahul Shah, Next Quarter’s CEO. “Next Quarter’s innovative Account Growth (formerly Account Plan Navigator) features cutting-edge analytics and unique benefits such as opportunity influence paths.”
CRM in 2022 supports flexible work and putting the customer at the center of sales efforts. Sales leaders must support these initiatives with composability. CRM technologies must support customer experience, flexible channels, ecosystems, and the buyer journey.
Gartner has identified the Hype Cycle stage and potential for the following CRM technologies in 2022:
On the rise:
- Digital twin of a customer
- Blockchain for lead generation
- Metaverse
- Partner ecosystem management platforms
- IoT for CRM sales
- AR and VR for sales
- Self-integrating applications
- Total experience
- Digital sales rooms
- Knowledge graph for sales
At the peak:
- Customer psychographics
- Emotion AI
- Product-led revenue
- Composable applications
- Continuous intelligence
- Revenue enablement platforms
Sliding into the trough:
- Digital adoption platforms
- Voice-driven sales apps
- Revenue intelligence
- Hyperautomation
- CSM platforms
- Account planning tools
- Natural language query
Climbing the slope:
- Embedded analytics
- Sales engagement applications
- Account-based marketing platforms
- Quota planning and optimization
- Relationship intelligence
- Mobile sales productivity apps
Entering the plateau:
- Visual configuration
The report offers a detailed analysis of each innovation, including importance, impact, drivers, obstacles, recommendations, and key players. Clients of Gartner can download the full report on the company’s website. Read the full report here.
About Gartner
Gartner is a global firm with an unparalleled reputation to deliver actionable, objective insights to executives. Our expertise supports faster and smarter decision-making. Gartner’s Hype Cycle research methodology helps executives discern hype from commercial potential.
About Next Quarter
Next Quarter is a customer-centric revenue intelligence platform native to Salesforce that improves sales productivity and accurately predicts forecast performance. Next Quarter simplifies the overall sales process through account growth, revenue intelligence, and financial clarity, offering a clearer path to drive revenue growth. For more information, please visit https://nextq.ai.
