Salesforce: AI and combining data sources more frequently used for customer management

Marketers are using more and more artificial intelligence (AI) and combining different sources of data to improve their relationship with customers. According to research by Salesforce, marketers mainly want to use this to bring more personalization in customer interaction and to increase their knowledge about these customers.

In the fifth edition of its global State of Marketing survey, the CRM giant indicates that today’s marketers have more challenges for their customer knowledge than their predecessors. Expectations in this area are high for both the business and customers. More than ever, the pressure on marketers to achieve an optimal customer experience or customer journey is high. For marketeers, the study shows, the most important thing at the moment is to make contact with their customers in real time. For example, almost half of the Dutch respondents indicated that they are already interacting with their customers in real time via various channels.

However, many respondents from the global survey recognise that this real time approach means that campaigns need to be more dynamic. In addition, bringing the most relevant marketing message to the market, regardless of the channel used, is often a difficult task. Only a third of the respondents are really satisfied with their ability to have good customer interaction through the various channels.

Use of artificial intelligence for personalisation

Marketers ultimately see personalization as the most important key to achieving their marketing goals in the best possible way, including issues such as brand building, lead generation and customer acquisition. For example, two thirds of the Dutch marketers surveyed indicated that personalisation improves their marketing programme.

Artificial intelligence (AI) can be very useful for this personalization. According to the CRM specialist, this enables marketers to better identify their customers and involve them in the right information on the right channels.

Dutch marketers like the use of artificial intelligence for their customer interaction. Nearly a third said they had used AI this year to optimize their customer interaction. In addition, half of them expect to use this technology for this purpose within two years.

Combination of data sources

Finally, the researchers found that the combination of different data sources can also help marketers in further developing their contacts with customers. Salesforce notes that today’s marketers are using every possible source of data, from email opening rates to web activities and demographic data, to give customers more context. However, many marketers see the disadvantage that these sources of data still use many different technologies, so that collecting them in one place is a difficult task.