efficy publishes the results of their survey The 2024 European state of CRM

"CRM is still considered as the best way to streamline and automate processes"

Brussels, 29th  of January 2024 - efficy, the European leader in CRM and marketing automation, publishes the 1st edition of its survey, “The European State of CRM”. While the CRM market is getting more mature, this software solution remains the cornerstone of every customer relationship strategy.

"CRM is the enterprise software with the highest potential. We wanted to draw a precise landscape of this market and collected data across the whole European territory. With almost 2.000 respondents, we have a global overview of the market: CRM is perceived as a strategic tool in each organization. And we wanted to share those insights.”  Laëtitia Baret, Head of Brand Positioning, efficy.

Four 4 lessons from “The European State of CRM”

1 – Process automation, 360° customer view and knowledge sharing are the 3 main outputs considered when buying a CRM solution

The survey findings indicate that 42% of respondents focus on streamlining and automating processes to improve operational efficiency. A close 39% emphasise having a 360° view of customers, with the aim of optimising interactions and better understanding their needs to build lasting relationships. In addition, 24% prioritise internal knowledge sharing, recognising the value of seamless communication and collaboration between teams.

If we focus on ultimate decision-makers, such as CEOs or senior executives, they insist also on increasing sales (36%). This because decision influencers aim to provide reporting and analysis, recognising its value in informed decision-making and better performance.

2 – Features, customizability and integrability are the 3 main deciding factors in selecting a CRM software

When choosing a CRM solution, certain decisive factors emerge as key priorities. The survey results indicate that 46% of organisations emphasise product features, looking for a comprehensive tool that meets their specific business needs. This is closely followed by the ability to customise the CRM to suit specific needs, with 36% highlighting its importance. In addition, 35% of respondents prioritise CRM's ability to integrate seamlessly with existing systems, recognising the importance of streamlined workflows and data accessibility.

3 – Everyone is looking for an easy-to-use CRM  

When looking to purchase a CRM solution, ease of use remains a top priority for decision-makers in most of the countries surveyed, with most of the CRM users preferring ease of use over functionality. One exception, though, is The Netherlands, where they put the quality of the service above the user-friendliness of the solution.

4 – Organisations still need to listen to final users  

Even if they won’t be specifically final users of the CRM solution, IT professionals are the most influential at 29%, closely followed by CEOs at 22%. The former are highly involved in the CRCM deployment, this may be the reason why they have quite an important say in the decision-making process.  

Sales leaders contribute 15% to the final decision, recognising their impact on customer interactions and revenue. Finance and marketing each account for 10% of decision-making responsibility, and customer service plays a 9% role. The remaining 5% represent other roles, indicating the collaborative nature of CRM procurement.

These figures are taken from the survey “The European State of CRM”. If you'd like to find out more, all the results are available here. 

About efficy:  

efficy is a European customer relationship management (CRM) software company that provides companies of all sizes with comprehensive, flexible, and scalable software to help them grow. This comprehensive platform brings together solutions for marketing, sales, customer service, project management and customer satisfaction. More than 300,000 users in 60 countries currently use efficy solutions.

Founded in 2005 and based in Brussels, efficy has more than 500 employees working in offices in Belgium, France, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Hong Kong and remotely.

efficy's mission is to contribute to the success of every company by helping them transform customer data into customer knowledge while simplifying the work of their employees.

Press contact
Laëtitia Baret 
Head of Brand Positioning 
Tel. : +33 (0)6 13 03 63 67
laetitia.baret@efficy.com