Pega CRM: Managing Customers with AI-Powered Insights

An Overview of Pega CRM

Pega CRM’s parent company, Pegasystems, was founded in 1983. They are a global provider of platform and website development solutions that acquired the customer relationship management (CRM) and workflow automation software Chordiant, which was then rebranded to take on their name.

Their unique CRM approach revolves around their enterprise-grade AI-powered cloud-based platform that simplifies complex processes, enhances decision-making, and automates workflows without requiring extensive coding knowledge. As a low-code platform, they offer businesses a flexible way to manage customer relationships, making it an ideal solution for a wide range of industries, including finance, healthcare, government, and telecommunications. They feature a robust set of tools for sales, marketing, and customer service teams, from sales automation and intelligent, real-time recommendations to customer behavior analysis. 

They also adhere to some of the major industry standards, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA), and the Federal Risk and Authorization Management Program (FedRAMP), to name a few. As for security measures, they enact role-based access control (RBAC), field-level security, data encryption and masking, consent management, multi-factor authentication (MFA), and single sign-on (SSO).

Despite their long-standing industry presence, they are not accredited by the Better Business Bureau (BBB). However, they were named a Leader in The Forrester Wave™  customer service solutions for their real-time interaction management (RTIM) for the first quarter of 2024. In fact, according to Forrester, organizations that implement the company’s solutions have achieved an impressive 489% return on investment (ROI), over $600M in revenue growth, and more than $12M in cost savings.

Pega CRM Features & Services 

This CRM provider offers three main areas of service with a variety of features that fall under them. These areas are divided into a customer decision hub, customer service center, and sales automation center. You can find the main features of those service areas listed under each one of them, below: 

Customer decision hub 

Their customer decision hub provides advanced real-time decision-making capabilities, empowering your company to optimize customer interactions across all channels. AI-driven insights can help you personalize customer experiences at every touchpoint, predicting issues before they arise and adapting strategies in real-time.

• Next-best-action designer: This helps configure and control one-on-one customer engagement strategies from a single interface. It ensures that each customer interaction is tailored based on real-time data, driving higher response rates and operational agility
• Service personalization: This feature uses digital touchpoint data to personalize and adapt the user experience in real-time, based on the customer's changing signals
• Outbound marketing: Their AI-powered outbound marketing can help you increase relevance, boost conversions, and drive long-term loyalty
• Agent-assisted channels: Their next-best-action advisor will give you insights on conversations with clients, whether they happen over the phone, in the store or branch, or via chat
• Paid advertising: They offer a paid media manager that integrates first-party data into platforms like Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn, using AI to generate next-best-action audiences and optimize the offer mix and ad spend for each individual

Customer service

They provide AI-powered tools to automate and streamline customer service processes. Users receive task suggestions and real-time coaching, while customer inquiries are resolved faster with an intelligent AI copilot that personalizes interactions across digital and traditional channels.

• Contact center desktop: This central dashboard can help connect and automate work across people and systems to resolve customer inquiries faster with AI-powered task suggestions, coaching, content, and a full, relevant customer view across all channels
• AI guidance: Their AI copilot can understand customer intent and dynamically guide customer service employees through interactions with customers. It also automates tasks and recommends the next best actions
• Digital engagement: You can connect and integrate your CRM with the consumer-preferred digital channels, including web and mobile chat, Facebook, WhatsApp, and SMS
• Self-service tools: They have a self-service natural language processing (NLP), knowledge management, and intelligent chatbots driven by customer history and case information. This results in faster time to resolution and improved containment rates
• Call and voice service: You can integrate your CRM with telephony systems, allowing you to manage customer interactions through a unified interface that improves workflow and communications

Sales automation

Their sales automation tools enhance the selling process through features like opportunity insights, next-best actions, and guided selling powered by AI. 

• AI-powered sales: They provide real-time AI-driven insights, next best actions, and guided selling to empower sales teams to take action when it’s relevant
• Email and calendar integration: The AI and natural language processing (NLP) analysis sends you real-time messages, triggers suggested actions, and automatically syncs emails and calendar activities together
• Lead management: The intelligent lead routing and scoring capabilities they offer help prioritize leads based on relevance and engagement level, allowing sales teams to focus on the most valuable prospects

Pega CRM Plans & Prices 

The company’s pricing plans are based on the size of the business team and their desire to either minimize or completely eliminate coding support from the adopted CRM. Below is an overview of their primary plans:

• Low-code plan: Priced at $35 per user per month, this plan is ideal for businesses aiming to acquire the platform with minimal coding
• Standard plan: At $90 per user per month, this plan includes comprehensive features suitable for more extensive CRM needs 
• Enterprise plan: This is designed for large-scale enterprises with complex requirements, this plan offers customized pricing. For detailed information, you can contact them directly to obtain a personalized quote from here 

Additionally, they provide a free 30-day trial, allowing businesses to explore their CRM’s capabilities before making a commitment. This trial includes access to essential features and can be initiated through their website 

Pega CRM Advantages & Disadvantages 

In order to provide you with a clearer picture of whether this CRM aligns with your business needs, we have listed down the benefits and drawbacks of their offerings:

Advantages

• AI-powered CRM: This CRM’s primary leverage lies in their AI engine, known as Next-Best-Action, which analyzes customer data and recommends optimal interactions in real-time. This feature enables businesses to tailor their services to individual preferences, significantly enhancing customer satisfaction
• End-to-end automation: Unlike many platforms that focus solely on front-office functions, they excel in integrating back-office processes and legacy systems. This holistic approach breaks down operational silos, allowing businesses to streamline workflows across departments. By optimizing all facets of operations, your business can enhance efficiency, reduce errors, and improve overall productivity
• Low-code to no-code accessibility: Their visual-based platform allows both technical and non-technical users to create applications and automate processes with minimal coding expertise. This capability fosters a collaborative environment where teams can innovate and respond swiftly to changing business demands. For organizations, this translates to reduced development time and costs, enabling faster deployment of solutions
• Advanced integration: They also stand out for their integration of various advanced technologies, including process-driven development and robotic process automation (RPA). This combination supports intelligent automation, making it an ideal choice for large enterprises aiming to optimize complex operations. By harnessing these technologies, organizations can achieve significant efficiency gains and reduce operational costs

Disadvantages

• Steep learning curve: New users may find their extensive features and interface daunting, which can require considerable time and effort to master. This complexity can hinder adoption, especially for business that need to onboard users quickly
• Costly plans and add-ons: Their pricing, which also includes licensing, implementation, ongoing maintenance fees, customization, training, and ongoing support can be a significant financial burden, particularly for smaller businesses. For businesses, especially those just starting, such costs might prove counterproductive and hinder their operations rather than smoothen them
• Cloud dependency: As a cloud-based solution, their CRM requires a stable internet connection to function effectively. Businesses in areas with unreliable internet service may experience disruptions, impacting their operations and customer service delivery

Pega CRM Customer Experience 

Their CRM has garnered a range of ratings from various customer feedback sites. They hold a 4.2 out of 5 stars rating on G2 and a 3.9 out of 5 on Capterra. On TrustRadius, however, they have a score of 5.7 out of 10. However, they are not rated by the Better Business Bureau (BBB) or Trustpilot.

Positive feedback

Customers consistently expressed appreciation for their versatility and user-friendliness. Many reviews highlight the CRM’s capability as a low-code solution, enabling even those without programming experience. Users also appreciated the platform's robust tools for streamlining processes and enhancing productivity, noting that it empowers business leaders to participate in development. Overall, customers reported high levels of satisfaction, particularly with the support provided by the company’s support team, which is perceived as knowledgeable and attentive.

Critical feedback

Despite the positive aspects, the software faces several criticisms. Common complaints included challenges with the learning curve for advanced features and concerns over fund handling, unexpected fees, and a lack of transparency. Some users reported dissatisfaction with customer support, citing slow responses, and inadequate solutions to issues. Additionally, the steep cost of the platform was a barrier, particularly for smaller businesses, leading to frustrations about the overall value proposition. There were also mentions of insufficient documentation and limited community resources, which hindered users' ability to fully utilize the platform.

Pega CRM Customer Support 

They offer support options designed to ensure that users can access the help they need 24/7. Their support channels include:

• US support: You can call 1-800-414-8064, toll-free, or 1-617-866-6700
• US sales inquiries:  1-888-PEGA-NOW
• Security questions and reporting: You may call them at 1-857-856-2100, or email them at [email protected]

You can use their Support Center to browse helpful articles on their products, or ask questions or leave support tickets after logging in. They also offer a "Contact an Expert" option on their Contact Us page, allowing users to reach out to specialists for tailored support.

Additionally, they provide a wealth of resources through their Pega Academy, blogs, and community forum.

Conclusion 

Pega CRM stands out in the competitive landscape of customer relationship management solutions due to their unique features, particularly their AI-powered capabilities, low-code platform, and end-to-end automation. These offerings cater to a wide array of businesses, allowing them to manage customer relationships efficiently across different sectors including finance, healthcare, and telecommunications. The flexibility of their CRM enables businesses to tailor customer interactions and optimize processes without the need for extensive coding expertise, thereby enhancing operational efficiency.

One of the CRM software's primary advantages is its Next-Best-Action AI engine, which empowers businesses to deliver personalized customer experiences based on real-time insights. This capability not only boosts customer satisfaction but also drives long-term loyalty. Additionally, the platform's strong integration of back-office processes enables companies to streamline workflows and improve productivity. For instance, those using their CRM reported significant ROI, with some achieving over 489% returns through enhanced decision-making and automation.

If you're looking to explore more CRM options, visit our reviews page for insights on various reliable CRM providers. You can also use our comparison tool to evaluate different software side-by-side, ensuring you find the best fit for your needs. For further information about CRM systems and their functionalities, check out our CRM blog for informative articles that can guide you through the decision-making process.

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