GEC NEWS WIREESalesforce released new research from IDC detailing the economic impact of artificial intelligence on CRM. AI-powered CRM activities will drive new efficiencies in how companies sell, service, and market, ultimately expected to create more than $1.1 trillion in new GDP impact worldwide and 800,000 net-new jobs by 2021—surpassing those lost to automation.
According to the new IDC White Paper, commissioned by Salesforce, 2018 will be a landmark year for AI adoption. More than 40% of companies said they will adopt AI within the next two years. In fact, by 2018, IDC forecasts that 75% of enterprise and ISV development will include AI or machine-learning functionality in at least one application. AI-powered CRM activities will cover a large spectrum of use cases and touch almost all facets of an enterprise, including accelerating sales cycles, improving lead generation and qualification, personalizing marketing campaigns and lowering costs of support calls.
“AI is impacting all sectors of the economy and every business. For the CRM market—the fastest-growing category in enterprise software—the impact of AI will be profound, ushering in new levels of productivity for employees and empowering companies to drive even better experiences for their customers,” said Keith Block, Vice Chairman, President and COO, Salesforce. Salesforce is leading the democratization of AI for CRM, and its customers are among the early adopters who are driving this economic impact. In fact, Salesforce customers are expected to account for $293 billion of the $1.1 trillion GDP impact and more than 150,000 of those direct jobs by the year 2021.
