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CRM spending reached $26.3 billion in 2016, up from $23.4 billion in 2015, an increase of 12.3 percent, according to Gartner. The top five vendors account for 45 percent of the market, Gartner says. Despite this, solutions that aim to bolster the performance of CRM systems are popular.
This may be due to a disconnect in how management and sales representatives view CRM. Tellingly, Capterra research found that while factors such as mobility and collaboration capabilities drive CRM purchases, the most-used features are those that help sales reps with routine activities such as calendar management, email marketing and quote/proposal management.
After investing in big CRM systems from companies like Salesforce or Microsoft, many companies purchase solutions that supplement CRM with capabilities geared toward those mundane – but important - tasks that help sales people close deals.