Reinventing CRM with an AI-first approach

The customer relationship management (CRM) market has long been filled with opportunities for innovation. Dominated by a few major players, the market has seen incremental improvements but few big, bold advancements. Many platforms still rely on fragmented, legacy architectures, with systems that require extensive customization and integration.

Amit Zavery, chief product officer and chief operating officer at ServiceNow, framed it perfectly: “Traditional CRM is a patchwork of point solutions held together with duct tape and chewing gum. The result? More complexity, more cost, and less value.”

There may be buzz about dropping AI agents into existing products, but that just adds to the patchwork. The opportunity instead is reinventing CRM—addressing real customer needs—through a true end-to-end AI-first approach on a single platform.

Disrupting the CRM market

Traditional CRM platforms have focused on sales pipeline management and customer support case intake, functioning as tools for forecasting and recordkeeping. At ServiceNow, we see CRM differently: We see a best-in-class, intuitive customer journey—a workflow-driven, AI-first orchestration of intelligent experiences—all on one platform.

With the promise of AI, customers expect better experiences across the enterprise, and their success in the era of AI-driven business transformation depends on it. The CRM market has to step up to the challenge, fast.

Here’s how:

1. Innovation is overdue

For too long, businesses have had limited choice with CRM providers. There are big names but too few options, stifling innovation. Competition fuels progress, pushing the industry to improve and ultimately benefiting customers. A new level of innovation, agility, and customer-centricity has been missing from the market and is desperately needed.

2. A workflow-centric approach is a must

Traditional CRM tools often center on building sales and customer support forecast systems—essentially, complex calculators that predict revenue. But the reality of customer engagement is far more dynamic and requires more than stacking systems on top of one another.

Organizations need to power hundreds of go-to-market (GTM) workflows that span the entire customer journey, from initial interest to ongoing support. ServiceNow’s strength in workflow automation fills this critical gap, enabling businesses to operate with greater speed, efficiency, and cohesion.

3. CRM is a team sport

Customers don’t just interact with a single department. They engage with sales, marketing, customer service, and finance. Siloed applications that create fragmented customer experiences only increase the cost of serving customers and erode brand loyalty.

A truly effective CRM system has an AI-first approach and unifies teams across the entire organization, ensuring seamless collaboration and a holistic customer view.

4. AI is a game changer

AI is top of mind for every organization, and its full potential in CRM has yet to be realized. Reinventing CRM on a platform that encompasses AI, data, and workflows with an AI-first approach creates new opportunities for automation, intelligence, and customer engagement.

By embedding AI deeply into CRM workflows, we help businesses make smarter decisions, resolve customer issues faster, and provide personalized experiences at scale. That’s why Gartner named us a leader in CRM customer engagement.

Decades of excellence in customer relationships

Fred Luddy founded ServiceNow with the mindset that you put the customer first, second, and third. Every day since our humble beginning, we’ve dedicated ourselves to continuous and relentless innovation—transforming organizational workflows, optimizing business processes, and enhancing customer interactions.

Our commitment to a human-centered approach in deploying our products and services has garnered the trust of companies across industries—including public sector, financial services, healthcare, and manufacturing—setting a benchmark for quality and reliability.

The pace of innovation is set by those in front. Currently, organizations helping customers harness the power of AI and navigate the complexities of AI-powered business transformation are leading the way.

Looking ahead

The CRM space is ready for a new narrative. It’s time to say goodbye to incremental improvements and attempting to layer one solution on top of another. Instead, the only way forward is an end-to-end AI-first strategy, continuous improvement, strategic foresight, and relentless pursuit of excellence.

ServiceNow is hungry for new competitors to push us further. We’re eagerly working with our customers to drive value right now, addressing their real needs, always keeping an eye on what’s next. We’re taking big, bold steps. With our acquisition of Logik.ai, we’re reshaping the CRM landscape, offering businesses unprecedented opportunities for growth and success.

Moving forward, our legacy of trust, innovation, and customer-centricity will continue to ground us as we pave the way for a new era in CRM.

This is just the beginning. We’re working with our customers to rethink what’s possible in CRM, using workflow automation, AI, and an integrated approach to customer relationships. The future of CRM isn’t just about managing relationships—it’s about transforming them.

Find out more about how ServiceNow helps power customer experiences with CRM AI agents, data, and workflows.