Market Perspectives

The sales engagement software landscape is undergoing significant transformations driven by advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), a shift towards value-based selling, the importance of human connection and the strategic utilization of customer data. AI impacts the sales process by automating a large portion of tasks such as logging sales data and scoring leads, thus allowing sales teams to focus on high-value activities. This integration of AI tools makes sales processes more efficient,...

Contract life cycle management software is not new, operating since the ‘80s as a document management and process application. It got a boost in popularity from the launch of customer relationship management systems in the ‘90s and the cloud in the 2000s. But the advent of digitizing contracts – as opposed to an electronic version (such as a PDF) attached to an account – gave rise to a new generation of CLM providers, such as Evisort.

In today's market, businesses are facing increased competition and pressure to grow revenue. This is especially true for organizations operating in industries that have been disrupted by technology, such as media, entertainment, retail and travel. In this environment, it is essential for businesses to have a clear understanding of revenue streams and be able to quickly and effectively adjust pricing and sales strategies to capitalize on new opportunities and mitigate risks.

Ventana Research analysts participate in many meetings throughout the year to learn about software vendors’ plans and product updates. We recently attended a meeting with SugarCRM to learn about its new management and direction. Founded in 2004 as an open-source project, the company has recently focused on becoming a full-service customer relationship management vendor.

The annual Ventana Research Digital Innovation Awards showcase advances in the productivity and potential of business applications as well as technology that contributes significantly to the improved processes and performance of an organization. Our goal is to recognize technology and vendors that have introduced noteworthy digital innovations to advance business and IT.

The annual Ventana Research Digital Leadership Awards recognize organizations and individuals that utilize technology to advance business and IT. The Digital Leadership Awards showcase the professional leadership and their use of business applications or technology that contribute significantly to improved efficiency, productivity and the performance of their organization. This prestigious award recognizes leaders and pioneers who have contributed to their organization’s success and championed...

For disruptive technology companies, maturity is often accompanied by the realization that customer retention and expansion are as important as a new logo acquisition. Arriving at this realization is one thing; reorienting your organization to it is another. The necessity of aligning revenue-generating functions in business-to-business technology has been common knowledge for quite some time. Still, organizations have only recently begun to implement dedicated, centralized revenue functions.