By 2025, two out of three French SMEs will be equipped with customer relationship management software, making it the third most widely used type of software. This adoption rate reaches over 90% for companies with more than 10 employees.
Yet the question ofCRM investment has never been so strategic. Against a backdrop of unbridled technological innovation, even companies already equipped with a CRM system are questioning the evolution of their current tools.
This article explores the crucial issues of CRM investment in six areas:
The term CRM (Customer Relationship Management) refers both to the customer relationship management (CRM) strategy and to the technological tools that support it. These solutions centralize and automate all sales and marketing interactions.
CRM software generally includes the following functions:
Most modern CRMs are offered in SaaS (cloud) mode and include mobile applications optimized for field teams, a crucial aspect in sectors such as distribution, where sales reps carry out point-of-sale surveys.
These solutions may be specialized (e-mailing, teleprospecting), or vertical (mass retailing, VSEs, etc.). They generally integrate different modules addressing all or part of the functions related to commercial relations (prospecting, invoicing, reporting, etc.).
Optimal business relationship management ensures that prospects and customers receive answers in line with their expectations. This satisfaction in turn drives sales growth, and an effective CRM solution boosts results in terms of acquisition, additional sales and customer loyalty. Integrated CRM has become a real pillar of profitability for companies.
To understand the importance of optimized business processes, let's just remember that :
A well-implemented CRM solution generates value at different levels. For each pain point, the company finds an associated actionable benefit.
💡TheCRM evolves with the company. It adapts to new needs, integrates other tools, and accompanies the expansion of markets or teams. Through its flexibility and impact on overall performance, it is the structuring lever for sustainable growth.
CRM has never stopped evolving since its inception. But today marks a significant turning point.
Historically, CRM was born of the need to centralize and report sales information. Over time, automation (notably via SFA software) has enabled organizations to boost their efficiency. In 2025, artificial intelligence will transform these tools into veritable operational assistants that :
Chatbots, AI agents and other virtual assistants are being democratized, enabling sales reps to concentrate on selling and negotiating. The scale of these changes is leading companies to question how their current customer management tools work: having already invested in a CRM is no guarantee of being ready for the revolution that's underway!
The central role of CRM means it must evolve with its ecosystem: it must integrate into a constantly changing technological environment, to become the central hub that connects :
This interconnection makes it possible to create coherent omnichannel customer paths, meeting today's expectations for personalization and fluidity. In the age of Big Data, only a modern, powerful CRM can aggregate and compile the multiplicity of data that nourish the relationship between a brand and its customers.
This technological acceleration should lead companies to focus their research on publishers who are experts in their industry and have a strong culture of innovation, such as scale-ups that have already been validated by the market. Such is the case with Sidely CRM, the French leader in CRM for distribution networks.
CRM is a long-term strategic investment. Unlike a one-off purchase, its deployment is part of an in-depth transformation of business processes, and the many benefits listed above give rise to measurable results.
To assess the impact of CRM, several indicators can be tracked. A reliable analysis should compare metrics before and after deployment of the new sales software.
* This list is by no means exhaustive, but it does contain some essential indicators.
The formula for calculating ROI for a CRM is :
ROI = (Earnings - CRM costs) / CRM costs × 100%
According to Nucleus Research, companies achieve an average return of $8.71 for every dollar invested in CRM. With modern SaaS solutions, the monthly cost per user becomes very low, enabling rapid ROI.
Once the decision to invest has been made, you need to choose from a wide range of CRM software products. Here are a few strategic avenues to explore internally.
To find out more :
Successful CRM implementation rests on several pillars:
Does your company market its products through a distribution network?
Sidely is for you!
Whether you work with supermarkets, hypermarkets, hypermarkets, catering or even drugstores, Sidely CRM is designed to make life easier for your field sales forces and sales managers:
Sidely is an SFA (Sales Force Automation) CRM available in web, mobile and tablet versions, distinguished by its ease of use and administration, and its adaptability to field requirements.
Ready to see how a Commercial CRM can revolutionize your business?
→ Try Sidely free for 15 days or request a demo to discover its potential!
In this context, companies that choose not to equip themselves with a CRM system, or opt for in-house development, expose themselves to a number of risks. They could see their competitors gain significant advantages in business management:
Profitability gaps could also widen, as a result of the various points listed.
All the more so as, by 2030, several trends are set to take hold: AI is expected to facilitate hyper-personalization of interactions and automatic generation of sales and marketing content, and predictive and prescriptive analytics could become the norm, something that only a tool can do.
As the French become accustomed to ultra-powerful, customer-centric digital service levels, only companies equipped with a modern CRM will be able to meet the new expectations of the contacts they target.
🇫🇷 Finally, digital sovereignty issues will continue to grow in importance, and more and more French companies will choose a French CRM offering solutions developed locally, hosting their data in the EU, and with French-language support.
