Forrester: CRM systems need AI-first rebuild to escape maze-like feature bloat trap

Forrester Research identifies a pivotal moment for the CRM industry as AI fundamentally reshapes product development priorities. The analysis reveals how decades of feature bloat has created “Winchester Mystery House” complexity in CRM systems, overwhelming customers with unnecessary features, convoluted pricing, and implementation challenges. This market reckoning demands a complete rebuild with AI as the foundational element rather than a bolt-on feature—potentially transforming how businesses purchase, deploy, and derive value from their customer relationship management systems.

The big picture: The CRM market has reached a breaking point where complexity is actively diminishing product value, necessitating a complete architectural rebuild with AI at the core.

• Forrester’s CRM wave evaluation uncovered consistent feedback from major customers struggling with feature overload, adoption challenges, and byzantine pricing structures.
• The market needs a paradigm shift away from feature-focused development toward simplified, AI-driven systems that prioritize user experience.

Key problems: Current CRM systems have evolved into over-engineered labyrinths that overwhelm rather than empower their users.

• Customers report a “tsunami of new features” annually creates decision fatigue and FOMO (fear of missing out) among buyers trying to assess what innovations actually matter.
• Price lists sometimes stretch to 100 pages with confusing license tiers, add-ons, and marketplace extensions, creating significant procurement obstacles.
• New AI capabilities add yet another layer of complexity and business decisions about their implementation.

The Winchester House analogy: Just as Sarah Winchester continuously added unnecessary rooms creating a structural maze, CRMs have accumulated features without cohesive vision.

• The comparison highlights how continuous expansion without strategic purpose ultimately creates dysfunction and confusion.
• Like the famous house with walled-off windows and hallways leading nowhere, modern CRMs have accumulated structural oddities that hinder rather than help users.

The solution framework: Forrester’s research indicates successful CRM platforms must rebuild around five core principles focused on simplicity and AI integration:

1. Easy to buy: Featuring transparent pricing, product tiers with AI at every level, and consumption-based models
2. Easy to deploy: Ensuring implementation costs don’t exceed license costs and providing low-code tools for business users
3. Easy to use: Designing simple interfaces that mask complexity while guiding users toward optimal outcomes
4. Easy to learn: Integrating learning directly into product usage similar to online gaming experiences
5. Robust in AI practices: Implementing strong AI governance, security, and privacy safeguards with clear adoption guidance

Market direction: The CRM industry is already beginning to pivot toward these simplified, AI-centric approaches according to Forrester’s analysis.

• The 2025 CRM Wave report provides deeper insights into which vendors are successfully making this transition and where opportunities remain.