C3.ai, Microsoft and Adobe are pumping artificial intelligence in Microsoft Dynamics 365 to counter Salesforce's CRM cloud.
The new solution will integrate Dynamics 365 with Adobe’s customer experience management solutions alongside C3.ai’s enterprise AI capabilities, the companies said.
C3 AI CRM is an AI-driven, industry-specific CRM that can integrate and unify structured and unstructured data from various sources into a unified, federated image, according to the statement. The C3 AI CRM helps enterprises to forecast revenue, predict demand, identify customer churn and enable AI-driven segmentation, marketing and targeting, according to the statement.
C3 AI CRM is pre-built and configured for industries – financial services, healthcare, telecommunications, oil and gas, manufacturing, utilities, aerospace, automotive, public sector, defense, and intelligence – enabling customers to deploy and operate C3 AI CRM and its industry-specific machine learning models quickly. In addition, C3 AI CRM leverages the common data model of the Open Data Initiative (ODI), making it easier to bring together disparate customer data from across the enterprise, the three companies said.
Dedicated sales teams will target enterprise accounts across multiple industries, targeting vertical markets including financial services, oil and gas, utilities, manufacturing, telecommunications, public sector, healthcare, defense, intelligence, automotive and aerospace, according to the statement.
The new AI CRM solution is available now, with Adobe Experience Cloud sold separately. C3 AI CRM powered by Dynamics 365 will be available from C3.ai, Adobe and Microsoft and through the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketplace, dedicated sales teams, agencies and partners, the companies said.
AI-Enabled CRM: Executive Commentary
“Microsoft, Adobe, and C3.ai are reinventing a market that Siebel Systems invented more than 25 years ago,” said Thomas M. Siebel, CEO of C3.ai. “The dynamics of the market and the mandates of digital transformation have dramatically changed CRM market requirements. A general-purpose CRM system of record is no longer sufficient. Customers today demand industry-specific, fully AI-enabled solutions that provide AI-enabled revenue forecasting, product forecasting, customer churn, next-best product, next-best offer, and predisposition to buy.”
“This year has made clear that businesses fortified by digital technology are more resilient and more capable of transforming when faced with sweeping changes like those we are experiencing,” said Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft. “Together with C3.ai and Adobe, we are bringing to market a new class of industry-specific AI solutions, powered by Dynamics 365, to help organizations digitize their operations and unlock real-time insights across their business.”
“We’re proud to partner with C3.ai and Microsoft to advance the imperative for digital customer engagement,” said Shantanu Narayen, president and CEO of Adobe. “The unique combination of Adobe Experience Cloud, the industry-leading solution for customer experiences, together with the C3 AI Suite and Microsoft Dynamics 365, will enable brands to deliver rich experiences that drive business growth.”
Microsoft and Salesforce: Competing and Cooperating
Microsoft and Salesforce have a longstanding history of competition and cooperation. The two companies expanded their partnership in November 2019.
As part of the relationship, Salesforce named Microsoft Azure as its public cloud provider for Salesforce Marketing Cloud. Also, Salesforce built integrations that connect Salesforce’s Sales Cloud and Service Cloud with Microsoft Teams.
