Gartner Research

Hype Cycle for CRM Sales Technology, 2020

Published: 16 July 2020

Summary

This Hype Cycle will help application leaders supporting sales to assess the relative maturity and business impact of sales technologies. New technologies are emerging on the Hype Cycle due to COVID-19, and there are shifts in others as a direct result of changes in selling and buying behavior.

Included in Full Research

  • What You Need to Know
  • The Hype Cycle
  • The Priority Matrix
  • Off the Hype Cycle
  • On the Rise
    • Blockchain for Lead Generation
    • IoT for CRM Sales
    • Extended Planning & Analysis
    • Partner Data Exchange Platforms
    • Knowledge Graphs for Sales
    • AR and VR for Sales
    • Account and Contact Psychographics Profiling
  • At the Peak
    • Conversational Engagement Analytics for Sales
    • Sales Enablement Platforms
    • Digital Adoption Solutions
    • Sales Bots
    • Voice-Driven Sales Apps
  • Sliding Into the Trough
    • Natural Language Query
    • Embedded Analytics
    • Relationship Intelligence
    • Customer Success Management
    • Quota Planning and Optimization
    • Strategic Account Management
    • Account-Based Marketing Platforms
    • Sales Training and Coaching Solutions
    • Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
    • Sales Acceleration
    • Mobile Sales Productivity
  • Climbing the Slope
    • Sales Predictive Analytics
    • Sales Performance Management
    • Visual Configuration
  • Entering the Plateau
    • Recurring Revenue Management
    • Partner Relationship Management
    • Price Optimization and Management for B2B
    • Territory Planning and Optimization
    • Data Intelligence Solutions for Sales
  • Appendixes
    • Hype Cycle Phases, Benefit Ratings and Maturity Levels

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The Hype Cycle: Understanding the pitfalls and opportunities of innovations

How does a Gartner Hype Cycle™ work?

A Gartner Hype Cycle provides an objective map that helps you understand the real risks and opportunities of innovation, so you can avoid adopting something too early, giving up too soon, adopting too late, or hanging on too long. Every Hype Cycle includes five phases:

The innovation trigger starts when an event, like a technological breakthrough or a product launch, gets people talking.

The peak of inflated expectations is when product usage increases, but there’s still more hype than proof that the innovation can deliver what you need.

The trough of disillusionment happens when the original excitement wears off and early adopters report performance issues and low ROI.

The slope of enlightenment occurs when early adopters see initial benefits and others start to understand how to adapt the innovation to their organizations.

The plateau of productivity marks the point at which more users see real-world benefits and the innovation goes mainstream.

The Hype Cycle is more than just a diagram. You also get:

Evidence-backed insight

Hype Cycles tap into deep research, surveys and conversations with technology suppliers and Gartner clients.

An analysis of objective and value

The y-axis measures expectations. The x-axis relates them to the proven value of that innovation over time.

A long-term view

It often takes between three and five years for an innovation to move through the Hype Cycle, but some fall off along the way.

Gartner Hype Cycle is just one of our many offerings.

We provide actionable, objective insight to help organizations make smarter, faster technology decisions to stay ahead of disruption and accelerate growth.

Pick the right provider with confidence

We work with you to select the best-fit provider to avoid the costly repercussions of a poor decision.

Align deal structures and optimize spend

We benchmark pricing against the market so you avoid unnecessary charges.

Reduce complexity and risk

We analyze contract terms and conditions to protect you against future price increases and unanticipated costs.

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