CTO of Pipedrive with expertise in scaling technology and organizations. Experienced as an innovator, founder and C-level manager.

As the chief Technology officer at a global SaaS provider, it’s important my company keeps its ear to the ground and understands what customers need. This helps us to innovate in good time to meet the changing requirements of our SMB customers.

For all tech leaders in similar positions, the good news is that some signals are loud and clear. First, in our annual research into the state of sales and marketing, Crm Users told us the major trends that move the needle for their organizations over the past year are:

• Technology adoption is aiding growth and employee satisfaction.
• Integration of platforms and tools is boosting revenue.
• Remote work has been contributing to higher productivity.

That’s very positive for a SaaS provider to hear! Macroeconomic weather patterns permitting, the future is bright for technology businesses able to stay current with their changing customer requirements driven by the economy and the customer’s own end-user experiences.

These CRM users are clear that adopting the right technologies helps them grow and make better employee experiences. Those who over the past 12 months had used technology to automate routine tasks were 16% more likely to hit targets. Satisfaction went up too: They were 22% more likely to be happy with their technology. This aligns with other reports that show automation boosts employee efficiency and satisfaction at work.

Looking at what these CRM users spent their time doing, it’s clear that technologies that boost the hours spent performing their primary occupation naturally boosts customer ability to produce and secure higher revenues. Activities that take away from this, like business operations (35%), account management (33%), managing teams (24%), administrative support (19%) and technology support (8%) are not those that mark success in the role. Automate, automate, automate. Investment in technology that removes these distractions allows for high performance where it matters most.

CRM customers were reporting back on their sales and marketing integration, but it’s reasonable to say that well-integrated functions will boast better performance across an organization.

When managed well, with empathy and a focus on results rather than presenteeism, remote work definitely contributes to better business productivity. According to research from Ergotron (via Business News Daily), 40% of the 1,000 remote and hybrid employees it surveyed work longer hours at home than when in the office. Not only that, but 75% of the respondents shared that their work-life balance has improved since leaving the office. And two-thirds of our survey’s respondents told us remote work had made a positive change to their days, with 46% claiming it improved productivity.

What these CRM users tell me is that a strong measure of business and technology hygiene goes a very long way to business success. Look closely at the technology stack, the tools and the processes in operation, and do not be afraid to make changes supported by best practice. Giving teams autonomy and treating their needs with empathy is a great way to bond them, improve morale and knit a team together to increase what any group of individuals could achieve. Teams win over individuals, every time.

However, resilient leadership is vital to continued success. The survey respondents shared that of those who did not reach sales goals in the previous year, almost 40% believed their leadership and management needed fixing. However long the recession and continued volatile economic and geopolitical times last, remember that leadership and teams mark out the highest performers from those who lag behind.

Uncovering ways to support teams and remove unneeded or unpleasant administrative toil will be key to getting the best from teams. Digitization and automation will help increase the quality of customer service and can even bridge talent gaps caused by potential hiring freezes. Technology is key to helping professionals thrive and drive higher results.

You should also integrate functions and ensure data can be turned into insights. Make sure that everyone in the organization understands the right principles for success. Teams will come across ambiguous situations, but if they have the right data and know the principles that should guide them, they should be able to take the right, quick, action in every instance.

A powerful and straightforward place to learn is through customer support requests and exit interviews with churning clients. By asking proper questions, you can learn much-needed details on sometimes easy-to-fix but hard-to-discover needs.

A final, tangential thought from my own business experience is that it’s clear that the holacracy model at Pipedrive has helped shape our success as a thriving global business. It’s part of that people and process triad along with technology. A holacracy is a decentralized way of organizing an organization’s management and talent.

As the world continues on the volatile path it’s been on for nearly a decade, business leaders need to bring together their technology investments, their talent and their systems of organizing in more nimble and productive ways. All elements of life, society, the tech stack, economies and geopolitics are growing ever more complex. The right investments to help provide transparency, productivity and agility are vital. Rather than a business cost that can afford to be cut back on during trying times, business technologies need to be acknowledged as an imperative investment in the future success of a company.

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