The Evolution of Business Analysis in the Era of Intelligent CRM Systems

Abstract

The concept of a business analyst has changed drastically, and the business analyst has now become a 'strategic' 'data-driven' role that supports decision-making at the highest level of the organization. Business analysts have been traditionally understood to be limited in roles, inhale channels, analyzed typified, even recording data growth, and taking long trips to hear what customers have to say. In short, business analysts were seen as passive recipients of customer insight through time-consuming data analysis. However, contemporary business analysts operate within the framework of customer relationship management (CRM) systems that incorporate AI, smart analytics, and process automation tools. In other words, business analysts who work with intelligent CRM systems are active in usage, extracting and applying insights in real-time to formulate strategies driven by customer needs, operational excellence, etc. So, these analysts, together with the AI-powered CRM platforms, herald moving towards more forward-looking, value-creation-oriented modes of analysis through predictive and prescriptive analytics, respectively. This paper characterizes the evolution of business analysis in the set-up of intelligent CRM systems and discusses how the introduction of new technologies along with other factors is influencing the changing roles, methods, and organizational significance of business analysts. This study is qualitative and conceptually based; it does a literature survey on the topic and also an analysis of the current industry practices to identify trends and catalysts for changes. The results show that intelligent CRM systems through features such as task automation, data cleansing, and better customer understanding greatly contribute to making business analysis more efficient, accurate and strategically relevant. Additionally the analysis brings out that business analysts will need increased capabilities to work across departments, continually learn, and be proficient with technology to meet the challenges of the evolving environment.