A recent ABA survey highlights the growing importance of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) systems in bank marketing technology stacks. Nearly half of banks have implemented a CRM, and 36% more plan to within the next year—making it the top tech investment priority. While CRM usage is widespread, effectiveness remains limited, with only 4% reporting full adoption and understanding. Still, 20% of respondents say CRM has had the most impact on marketing’s value to the business, showing year-over-year progress.
CRMs are proving essential for key use cases such as sales pipeline and lead management, campaign personalization, onboarding, and relationship deepening. Successful banks share best practices including clear ownership, defined use cases, user involvement, workflow alignment, and system integration.
Despite challenges, CRM is becoming central to how banks manage sales, marketing, and customer relationships—paving the way for smarter, more data-driven engagement across the institution.
