New research from monday.com, the multi-product platform that runs all core aspects of work, reveals a paradox at the centre of UK sales strategy: while two-thirds of UK sales leaders (67%) say they’re satisfied with their current CRM system, 82% admit they’re likely to replace it within the next 12 months. The findings highlight mounting pressure on sales teams to improve efficiency, reduce silos, and adopt AI-driven solutions – while grappling with outdated or overly complex tech stacks.
The picture from the UK, drawn from a global survey of sales leaders, uncovers a struggle with technology-related inefficiencies. Nearly 3 in 10 UK sales leaders point to frequent software downtime (28%), duplicate data management (27%), and CRM complexity (27%) as the top technology-related time wasters. In fact, 41% estimate that their teams spend between 25% to 50% of their time dealing with these issues, reducing time for core selling activities.
Amidst this landscape, AI is one area where optimism is high. 84% of UK sales leaders say AI has positively impacted their sales performance, with nearly 1 in 5 (19%) reporting a significant boost. From forecasting and personalised outreach to smarter lead scoring, AI – when used effectively – is helping teams cut through the noise and focus on what matters most: selling.
Sales tools are essential – but silos are slowing growth
Despite nearly all UK sales leaders (99%) reporting that their teams rely on multiple sales tools, the impact on efficiency is mixed. While 60% say it somewhat improves efficiency, 30% admit it actually hurts performance. With sales stacks growing in complexity, sales teams must evaluate how each tool contributes to (or hinders) productivity. The top three most time-consuming tools for UK sales leaders include:
- Sales engagement platforms (14%)
- Data analytics tools (13%)
- Contract/proposal management tools and revenue intelligence tools (both 12%)
As part of this, sales leaders are contending with siloed data and communication. The top three causes of technological silos for UK sales leaders include:
- Limited access to shared customer data across departments (46%)
- Disjointed communication platforms (45%)
- Lack of integration between CRM and other tools (40%)
These silos aren’t just inconvenient – they’re costly. The majority of UK sales leaders (94%) say they’re experiencing negative effects, including longer post-sales cycles (34%), inhibited growth due to a lack of standardised processes (32%), and increased operational costs (31%).
CRM satisfaction hides deeper frustrations
Though most UK sales leaders report being satisfied with their CRM, dissatisfaction is quietly rising – and the pressure to change is mounting:
- 82% are likely to change their CRM in the next 12 months, with 1 in 5 saying they are very likely to do this
- 51% say the costs of their CRM outweigh the benefits
- The most cited frustrations with their current CRM systems include poor reporting and analytics (32%), slow performance (30%), and clunky, unintuitive interfaces (29%)
These findings reveal a key disconnect: even when sales leaders feel broadly satisfied, the deeper inefficiencies are forcing them to reconsider their entire tech foundation.
AI emerges as a bright spot
AI is helping sales teams become more strategic, more targeted, and more efficient – but its impact hinges on integrating it effectively into existing systems and workflows. The top three AI use-cases cited by UK sales leaders include:
- 24% use it for sales forecasting; AI predicts future sales performance and trends using historical data
- 20% use it for personalised outreach; AI helps create tailored sales messages and campaigns for individual prospects
- 19% use it for sales analytics and lead scoring; AI analyses data to provide insights and suggest actionable strategies, plus algorithms prioritise and score leads based on conversion potential
Jeff Rosenthal, Head of CRM GTM, North America, at monday.com, comments:
“With sales teams managing increasingly fragmented tech stacks, siloed data, and performance pressures, these findings point to a pivotal moment for sales technology. Rethinking CRM systems is no longer just about adding features – it’s about architecting an intelligent ecosystem that eliminates inefficiencies, surfaces real-time insights, and accelerates execution.
“The future of sales will be defined by smarter automation and AI that augments every stage of the revenue cycle. As UK sales leaders refine their tech strategies, the priority is clear: reduce friction, consolidate workflows and enable teams to focus on what truly drives growth.”
Methodology
monday.com partnered with Global Surveyz to conduct a survey in October 2024, gathering responses from 500 full-time sales leaders – including sales directors and above – across sales departments in the US (260) and UK (240).
Participants represented industries such as manufacturing, software, corporate services, finance and media & communications. Half of the companies surveyed were mid-market (100–1,000 employees), while the other half were enterprises with over 1,000 employees. All respondents used CRM systems daily.
About monday.com
The monday.com Work OS is a low-code/no-code platform that democratises the power of software so organisations can easily build work management tools and software applications to fit their every need. The platform intuitively connects people to processes and systems, empowering teams to excel in every aspect of their work while creating an environment of transparency in business. monday.com has offices in Tel Aviv, New York, Denver, London, Warsaw, Sydney, Melbourne, São Paulo, and Tokyo. Fully customisable to suit any business vertical, the platform is currently used by approximately 245,000 customers across more than 200 industries and in over 200 countries and territories.
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