Rethinking CRM and Embracing Agentic AI: Towards a New Era of Customer Experience
According to IDC research, 77% of consumers currently prefer to buy products and services through a mix of digital channels, and customer expectations relating to personalization, immediacy and cross-channel consistency are only becoming more demanding. Customer journeys are not linear, and consumer engagement is expected to become increasingly contextual, not just at the initial stages of the journey but also in terms of customer support — from sales and marketing to customer service. To meet these demands, organizations are reimagining traditional customer relationship management (CRM) systems, which involves actively implementing AI in multiple ways. As part of this, exploration of agentic AI is ramping up.
The Evolution of CRM: from Systems of Record to Systems of Action
Customer relationship management has evolved beyond merely storing contact details and tracking interactions. CRM platforms need to be designed or re-designed following a omnichannel and cross-functional approach to customer data collection, enabling profile reconciliation through data integration from various sources such as online purchases, in-store transactions, social media interactions, and customer service incidents. This integration should ensure a comprehensive and unified view of customer data, allowing organizations to gain valuable insights and provide personalized experiences. By consistently providing personalized and meaningful interactions, companies can foster loyalty, resulting in increased customer retention and positive word-of-mouth referrals. Modern CRM systems must be dynamic, real-time, and deeply integrated across the entire customer journey, encompassing marketing, sales, service, and support. Key shifts in CRM thinking include:
- Real-Time, Contextualized Data: Modern CRM platforms need to reflect customer data in real time, providing contextual and intent-driven insights that empower every function within the organization.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Effective CRM now requires multiple departments to work together, breaking down data silos to ensure a comprehensive view of the customer.
- Automation and AI Integration: AI-enhanced automation is foundational, enhancing customer service, streamlining operations, and ensuring consistency across channels.
IDC Insight: Organizations are rethinking CRM through collaborative, AI-enhanced approaches that connect data across functions and eliminate silos.
Agentic AI: Bringing Intelligence to Unstructured Work
Organizations are already gaining experience in leveraging AI in multiple ways to serve customers — from proposing next-best actions to making sense of documents and knowledge articles, analyzing customer sentiment and more. Agentic AI represents a new frontier here, and pulls AI capabilities towards task and workflow automation. Unlike traditional rule-based systems, where workflows and processes are designed statically up-front, the emergence of AI agents is starting to show how organizations can bring more nuanced automation capabilities to less structured, unpredictable environments. AI agents are therefore conceptually a great fit for complex service scenarios that can come into play at critical moments in the customer journey. At IDC, we see three waves of AI agents playing out:
- Knowledge Agents: Enhance decision-making by integrating relevant information into workflows
- Action Agents: Execute tasks (including taking actions in external systems) and assist in decision-making processes
- Orchestration Agents: Coordinate entire workflows, based on goals and insights into patterns of past behavior and positive outcomes
IDC Research: 41% of organizations say they are already investing in AI agents, recognizing their value in case management and service operations where flexibility and responsiveness are critical.
The Role of Platforms in Enabling AI and CRM Synergy
CRM systems are increasingly pivotal in the integration of customer data and AI across organizational value chains, serving as a foundational element for collaboration between IT and business units. Agentic AI, in this context, acts as a transformative accelerator, converting insights into actionable strategies and enhancing decision-making processes at scale. Organizations wanting to implement AI quickly, safely, and securely into CRM practices and capabilities will benefit from platforms that provide:
- Managed Access to Enterprise Data: Secure, broad access to corporate knowledge, documents, and data is essential for AI systems to function effectively.
- Integrated Automation Tools: A unified platform combining AI with existing automation capabilities reduces complexity and accelerates time to value.
- Scalability and Agility: Platforms can help organizations quickly adapt to changing market conditions and customer needs without extensive customization.
Trend: In the context of modern CRM strategies, AI is most effective when integrated into a platform that spans front-, middle-, and back-office functions, enabling seamless customer experiences and operational efficiency.
Measurable Impact: What Organizations Are Achieving
Organizations embracing AI and modern CRM strategies are witnessing significant results:
- Escalations reduced by approximately 90%
- Case resolution time decreased from 7 hours to 2 hours
- Customer satisfaction increased from 80% to 99%
- 17% reduction in staff needed to handle more cases
- 7% increase in billable utilization
These outcomes highlight the transformative potential of combining CRM modernization with AI and point towards an exciting future powered by agentic AI.
The Bottom Line
Organizations that rethink CRM as a real-time, AI-powered system of action — and embrace agentic AI to handle complex, unpredictable work — are better positioned to deliver exceptional customer experiences. This approach not only enhances satisfaction and loyalty but also drives operational efficiency and business agility.