Binovist and Robosme co-founder Engin Alan argues that CRM and AI should be considered together, supported by reliable customer data and clearly defined business decisions.
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From recording activity to supporting decisions
As companies place AI higher on their technology agenda, the role of customer relationship management systems is changing. Binovist and Robosme co-founder Engin Alan says the central question is not whether to invest in CRM or artificial intelligence, but which commercial decisions a business wants to improve.
Traditional CRM systems have concentrated on recording customer information, sales activity and opportunities. Alan expects the next phase to place greater emphasis on extracting useful insights and helping sales teams identify appropriate actions.
Potential applications across the sales process
Alan identifies lead prioritisation, purchase-probability prediction, customer-churn detection and action recommendations as potential areas for AI-supported CRM. He also sees change in the process of reaching businesses that are not yet customers.
AI could assist teams with identifying target companies, conducting research, segmenting prospects and preparing personalised communication. In his view, these capabilities can help sales professionals direct their time towards opportunities with stronger potential, provided the underlying information is suitable for the task.
Company data provides the commercial memory
Alan cautions that adopting AI alone does not establish financial success. He highlights records showing why an opportunity was won or lost, which customer interaction accelerated a sale and which campaign worked for a particular segment. Those details form part of a company’s commercial memory.
If such information is not recorded consistently, producing reliable predictions and useful action recommendations becomes more difficult. Alan therefore rejects treating CRM and AI as competing alternatives. He argues that managing customer and sales-process data coherently is a prerequisite for making better use of AI.
Start by identifying the information gaps
Alan says companies should examine what data they already hold, which information they fail to collect and how records are distributed across different systems. Defining those needs should precede a comparison of technology features.
He describes CRM, AI, automation and analytics as tools within that wider structure. His view of future CRM is a commercial platform that continually learns about customers and markets, anticipates opportunities and recommends actions. The emphasis is on connecting technology investment to specific business objectives rather than adopting a new system simply because it is fashionable.
