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RevOps Guide
A New Era Alternative to Legacy CRM
Understanding the Evolution of New Era CRM
Introduction
Revenue Operations (RevOps) professionals are the unsung heroes of any fast-growing organization. They play a critical role in driving growth, efficiency, and alignment across sales, marketing, and customer success. Yet, their efforts are often hindered by the very tools meant to enable them. Legacy CRM systems—rigid, complex, and disconnected—add layers of inefficiency and frustration, demanding costly customizations and significant IT support to adapt to the evolving needs of modern businesses. Instead of empowering teams, traditional CRMs too often slow them down.
And today, speed is the name of the game. According to Ray Kurzweil and the concept the “Law of Accelerating Returns”, the rate of technological progress doubles roughly every decade, meaning that by 2040, businesses will experience changes nearly 16 times faster than today. This need for speed outpaces the capabilities of the tools available to RevOps teams. While today’s SaaS applications offer a breadth of out of the box features, their “one-size-fits-all” approach frequently has left businesses constrained, unable to tailor solutions to their unique workflows.
Its high time RevOps teams took control of the future and leveraged a new era of innovation, where composable
This guide is designed to help RevOps professionals modernize their tech stack. It explores how a
Figure 1. Comparing Legacy CRM to New Era Approaches
Limitations of Legacy CRM: Monolithic SaaS Models
Figure 1 illustrates some of the differences between legacy CRM and more modern approaches. Let’s start by examining four primary challenges that sales organizations face with monolithic CRM platforms:
1. Rigid Customization
One of the primary drawbacks of legacy CRMs is its rigid customization capabilities. Legacy CRM systems typically are broad in functionality but are challenging for RevOps to customize and evolve because they require significant development efforts to tailor the platform to specific business needs. These systems usually rely on proprietary coding languages and fixed architectures, which demand specialized developer skills and in-depth knowledge of the platform.
Example:
A CRO of a mid-sized Enterprise demands the latest capabilities and streamlined user experiences to compete in the market.
Meanwhile, RevOps is stuck trying to drive these changes with outdated tools, almost like being asked to race in a Formula 1 event while driving a go-kart. The cumbersome process of customizing their CRM stack leaves them unable to keep up with the speed of business demands. This typically involves complex, IT-dependent processes that are time-consuming and costly. It can take months or even years to implement changes, depending on the complexity and scale of the modifications. Even introducing minor changes, such as adding new fields or modifying workflows, requires technical expertise as everything needs to be coded by hand. This prolonged development cycle hinders RevOps’ ability to respond quickly to the CRO’s demands or evolving customer needs. It can also negatively impact businesses’ desire to innovate, as RevOps professionals may be reluctant to implement new ideas and optimize workflows since it takes considerable amount of time and effort.
2. High Cost of Ownership
Legacy CRM system ownership costs are notoriously expensive and may include hidden charges. Implementation fees are often steep, and ongoing licensing fees, coupled with the need for continuous updates and maintenance, can escalate costs over time. Due to the need for constant technical support and developer resources, RevOps professionals must include in their budgets the high costs of IT departments or external technical experts' support, which can significantly drive the total costs of legacy CRM software ownership.
Example:
RevOps struggles to find resources for innovation, as most of their budgets are tied up with high costs and complexity of system implementation, maintenance and support.
Meanwhile, RevOps is stuck trying to drive these changes with outdated tools, almost like being asked to race in a Formula 1 event while driving a go-kart. The cumbersome process of customizing their CRM stack leaves them unable to keep up with the speed of business demands. This typically involves complex, IT-dependent processes that are time-consuming and costly. It can take months or even years to implement changes, depending on the complexity and scale of the modifications. Even introducing minor changes, such as adding new fields or modifying workflows, requires technical expertise as everything needs to be coded by hand. This prolonged development cycle hinders RevOps’ ability to respond quickly to the CRO’s demands or evolving customer needs. It can also negatively impact businesses’ desire to innovate, as RevOps professionals may be reluctant to implement new ideas and optimize workflows since it takes considerable amount of time and effort.
3. High Complexity and User Adoption Challenges
Monolithic SaaS models often fail to provide a seamless and intuitive user experience. Its overcomplicated design, combined with unintuitive interfaces, requires extensive training and specialized expertise to operate effectively. Non-technical users often struggle with the platform’s complexity, which negatively affects their productivity and leads to frustration. When employees find it difficult to complete tasks efficiently or locate the information they need, they may avoid using the system altogether, further reducing the user adoption rates. Low user adoption, in turn, hinders the organization’s ability to fully benefit from their investment.
Example:
RevOps professionals often face significant challenges with low user adoption due to the complexity (and the high costs associated with customization) of traditional monolithic CRM apps.
These CRM apps are typically rigid and require extensive technical expertise to tailor them to specific business needs, leading to user frustration and reluctance to fully engage with the system. Studies have shown that low user adoption is a primary cause of CRM implementation failures1, with estimates indicating that around half of all new CRM projects fail within the first year. Even with those that succeed, only 46% of organizations reported CRM adoption rates greater than 90%.
4. Dependence on IT and Technical Resources
A significant limitation of legacy CRMs is their reliance on IT departments and technical resources. Monolithic CRM platforms require technical support to customize the system to fit unique business needs, manage updates, or implement changes. This dependency not only delays software deployment and the introduction of new functionalities, but also creates bottlenecks, as IT resources are often stretched thin across various projects. The shortage of skilled workers is only going to grow, with a global gap of 82.5 million skilled professionals by 2030, according to Forbes.
Example:
RevOps teams often find themselves in a constant tug-of-war with IT departments over limited resources and competing priorities.
Every request—whether it’s for a simple workflow update, a new dashboard, or an integration with another tool—must navigate the maze of the IT backlog. In most organizations, IT teams are stretched thin, juggling infrastructure projects, security updates, and system maintenance, leaving little room for RevOps requests to take precedence. This delay creates bottlenecks, stifling innovation and leaving teams stuck with outdated processes that don’t reflect the dynamic needs of the business.
5. Complex, Over-Engineered Solutions and Fragmented Stacks
Legacy CRMs often rely on complex, over-engineered solutions that fail to align with the streamlined needs of modern RevOps teams, or their needs for agile and rapid response to dynamic business priorities. These fragmented systems are typically built with multiple, often incompatible technology stacks, leading to significant integration challenges. RevOps professionals are forced to piece together disconnected tools for analytics, sales automation, and customer success, resulting in inefficiencies and data silos. The lack of seamless integration not only hampers operational efficiency but also creates barriers to delivering cohesive customer experiences.
Example:
RevOps teams frequently spend valuable time reconciling data from disparate systems to generate actionable insights.
For instance, integrating customer lifecycle data from a marketing platform, sales automation tool, and support system often requires costly middleware or custom development. These fragmented stacks create delays and frustration, leaving RevOps unable to act quickly or strategically. Instead of focusing on driving revenue growth and process optimization, teams are bogged down by the inefficiencies of maintaining and connecting overly complex systems.
Taken together, the challenges outlined above are experienced with the use of traditional monolithic SaaS and the adoption of "vanilla" out-of-the-box (OOTB) CRM packages. Businesses now have a growing demand for CRM platforms that align with their unique processes, goals, and strategies. By prioritizing flexibility, ease of customization, and user-centric design, New Era solutions like Creatio empower organizations to create tailored tools that not only address current challenges but also position them for future success in a dynamic marketplace.
Introducing the Advantages of New Era CRM
To address the high costs and complexity of legacy CRM systems, a The New Era approach to CRMs offers solutions that prioritize flexibility, efficiency, and ease of use. With a
Figure 2. How No-code and AI enable a New Era of CRM automation
This New Era of CRM (see Figure 2) combines the transformative power of AI and
Here’s how New Era CRM stands out compared to legacy CRM systems:
1. No-Code Platform for Business Agility
So, what exactly is no-code? Simply put, no-code platforms allow non-developers (RevOps teams) to participate in the application development process through visual drag-and-drop tools or natural language interfaces. Users can visually compose the parts of an application by assembling it from reusable blocks, without understanding a programming language or having formal software development training. Users can also now leverage AI-assisted development to easily ask questions or give directions to the
A New Era CRM’s no-code platform empowers business users with no coding experience to create, modify, and optimize processes with a maximum degree of freedom. This approach offers an intuitive interface and drag-and-drop tools that allow non-technical users to participate in system development. With
The no-code platform is designed to be intuitive and efficient, simplifying the configuration and customization of the CRM system. By removing the need for coding and IT professional support, it eliminates the delays often associated with traditional development cycles, enabling organizations to swiftly adapt to changing business and market demands.
Additionally, no-code capabilities can help businesses accelerate their digital transformation. For organizations that want to modernize and optimize their operations, adopting a
Example:
A RevOps team at a mid-sized high tech company needed to streamline their lead qualification process.
Using a no-code platform with AI-assisted tools, the team created a dynamic workflow in under two days. With drag-and-drop functionality and a natural language interface, they integrated AI to automatically qualify leads based on engagement scores and historical data. Previously, this would have required weeks of IT resources and custom coding. Now, the sales team receives prioritized leads in real-time, cutting response times by 30% and boosting conversion rates.
2. Composable CRM
A composable architecture allows business users to create tailored CRM solutions that meet their specific needs. Unlike traditional CRM systems that require complex, lengthy, and costly custom development and IT professionals' involvement, New Era CRM offers a library of pre-built apps, blocks, and components that can be quickly assembled with drag-and-drop tools. Furthermore, businesses have the freedom to select only the components relevant to their needs, creating a New Era CRM experience that aligns precisely with their unique workflows, goals, and strategies.
Composable architecture enables non-technical users to quickly configure and customize each component for their processes without waiting on IT support. This means that as soon as new business requirements emerge, companies can add, remove, and modify features without disrupting their day-to-day operations.
Example:
A retail chain wanted to manage customer loyalty programs more effectively by tailoring communications based on purchase history and preferences.
Leveraging a composable CRM, the marketing team assembled a custom loyalty management solution using pre-built blocks for customer data, AI-driven insights, and email campaign automation. The drag-and-drop components allowed them to deploy the solution without needing IT support. As a result, they launched a personalized rewards program in just six weeks, which increased repeat purchases by 20% within three months.
3. Native AI for Enhanced Intelligence and Efficiency
The AI-native capabilities of a New Era CRM system will offer pre-built “AI skills”, which are a set of pre-configured, easy-to-use artificial intelligence functions that can perform specific tasks autonomously, to help organizations enhance business intelligence, reduce operational inefficiencies, and increase productivity across any business process. By providing deeper insights, AI helps companies work more strategically, empowering decision-making with actionable business intelligence.
New Era CRM AI skills streamline routine tasks, boost communication, and drive efficiency throughout the organization, helping sales, marketing, and customer service teams streamline their processes. These AI skills empower sales and RevOps professionals to work more efficiently by automating routine tasks like lead and opportunity scoring, creating sales dashboard summaries, providing cross and up-sales product recommendations, and generating communication templates.
Example:
A manufacturer implemented New Era CRM’s AI-native capabilities to enhance their customer support operations.
Using pre-built AI skills, they automated the categorization of incoming support tickets based on content, urgency, and sentiment analysis. This reduced the average time to assign tickets to the right team by 50%. Additionally, the AI analyzed resolved tickets to identify common issues and automatically generated draft knowledge base articles, which were then reviewed and published by the support team. This proactive approach improved ticket resolution rates and reduced repeat inquiries by 20%, significantly boosting customer satisfaction.
4. Empowering Non-Technical Users
New Era CRM enables non-technical users with
Since business users in Sales or RevOps are the people closest to the Sales processes, they know what adjustments will make the biggest impact. They can customize the system to meet their specific needs, increasing its efficiency in supporting their daily work. Without having to rely on IT resources, they can implement changes immediately, accelerating the CRM’s value and effectiveness across the organization.
Moreover, empowering non-technical users leads to a significant reduction in IT workload. By shifting standard customization and configuration tasks to business teams, IT departments can focus on high-priority projects and strategic initiatives, rather than handling day-to-day CRM management.
Example:
A global insurance provider faced challenges with customizing their CRM for regional insurance broker teams.
The RevOps manager trained non-technical regional leads to use the CRM’s