Doing more with less: 4 trends and predictions for 2023

Those who expected a quiet year after the pandemic were in for a real surprise. Due to a confluence of circumstances, 2022 has presented businesses and people with even more challenges. Inflation, the energy crisis, the war in Ukraine… Time to look back and share a few predictions or trends that will allow you to succeed more in 2023.

The economic climate has pushed most companies to their limits. While CRM used to drive a growth story primarily – generating more revenue by attracting new customers and creating new business through cross- and up-selling – many organisations are now looking to digital solutions to help them cut costs and become more efficient. Of course, some industries (pharma, luxury goods, etc.) are more recession-proof than others. Still, everywhere we see that customer experience and operational efficiency are converging and are no longer separate strategies.

In addition, the Salesforce State of Commerce report shows that 56% of customers want a personalised experience. At the same time, 85% expect this experience to be consistent across all touchpoints.

These trends will continue to shape the world in 2023. Here are four predictions for next year:

1. Focus on operational efficiency will increase

CRM will do more than support revenue growth; it will help improve efficiency and productivity across the organisation: from sales representatives and marketers to the agents in a call centre. For IT, a customer platform also provides an opportunity to see which applications the company uses and which can be consolidated to create an economy of scale. The link to operational efficiency will only grow stronger in the coming year, which is why Salesforce continually invests in automation features.

2. Data is becoming more critical than ever

Digital transformation and data transformation have become almost synonymous. While the third-party cookie story is entering its final chapter (Google decided to give them one last year in 2023), companies will have to focus on developing a first-party customer data strategy. As we mentioned above, customers want you to personalise and stay relevant, but you can only do that if you know who they are and what they need.

Fortunately, people are more willing to share their personal data if you explain how you collect that data, what you will use it for and how it will benefit the customer. Eventually, every company – both B2C and B2B – will become a data-driven business.

3. Real-time events will enrich traditional data

Sociodemographic and transactional data will no longer be enough to make a difference. Companies with higher data maturity will begin to incorporate information from real-time events (e.g. web and mobile clicks, machine data, data from wearables…). You want to capture all the relevant data and signals your marketers can use to segment, better understand your customer, and ensure you stay consistent across all touchpoints and channels. For example, what did a customer do on your website right before calling the contact centre?

With this in mind, Salesforce recently introduced Genie , the first real-time CRM that takes your customer experience to a new level.

4. Sustainability remains top of mind

Even if companies look for solutions to cut costs, they will not do so at the expense of sustainability. By now, every business in the world is at least thinking about how to become Net Zero . To achieve that goal, they need to look not only at their own business but also at the footprint of suppliers. It all starts with measuring and developing the right scenarios.

Some final advice for 2023

In conclusion, the new year will be about becoming more efficient. What companies should definitely not do is try to save money by cutting the budget for experimenting with new technologies. Research by McKinsey has compared financially successful organisations with their less successful counterparts. It found that the first group are usually early adopters of new technology. Ultimately, technology investments often don’t require additional resources; an efficient platform can replace smaller applications and cut costs – or allow you to do more with the same/less.

At Salesforce, we understand these evolutions, which is why we are developing our technology to help your business become more (cost-)efficient. For additional tips on achieving more with less, read our 5-part ITdaily series , where experts from different fields share their ideas.