Customer relationship management (CRM) is the set of tools, practices and software companies use to track and manage interactions with customers and potential customers, like an organized digital address book combined with a sales coach. It matters to investors because effective CRM systems can boost sales, improve customer retention and lower marketing costs, which directly affects revenue growth and profit margins — key drivers of a company’s value.
api-based integrationtechnical
API-based integration is the use of application programming interfaces—simple, predefined software connectors—to allow different systems to exchange data and trigger actions automatically. For investors, it matters because these connections speed up operations, reduce manual errors and costs, and enable faster rollout of services or partnerships; they can therefore affect a company’s growth pace, profit margins, and technology risk profile much like installing efficient plumbing improves flow in a building.
autonomous workflowstechnical
Autonomous workflows are chains of business tasks that run automatically with little or no human intervention, using software to make routine decisions, route work, and trigger follow-up actions. They matter to investors because they can lower operating costs, speed delivery, reduce mistakes, and allow a company to scale more efficiently — like a self-driving factory line that keeps things moving while people focus on higher‑value work. The financial impact depends on reliability and implementation cost, which affect expected returns and risk.
identity resolutiontechnical
Identity resolution is the process of stitching together pieces of data—like email addresses, device IDs, purchase history and other signals—so a company can recognize when different interactions belong to the same person. For investors, it matters because better identity resolution improves marketing efficiency, customer measurement and fraud detection, which can raise revenue predictability and reduce compliance risk; think of it as turning scattered puzzle pieces into a single, usable customer portrait.
governance, risk and complianceregulatory
A company’s governance, risk and compliance (GRC) framework is the combined set of rules, processes and controls that guide management decisions, identify and manage threats, and ensure laws and industry standards are followed. Think of it as the organization’s rulebook, safety system and watchdog all in one; strong GRC reduces the chance of costly fines, scandals or operational failures and helps investors judge how reliably a business can protect value.
audit trailsregulatory
A record of every step, change and action taken on financial records, transactions or documents that creates a clear ‘breadcrumb trail’ from start to finish. Investors care because it lets auditors, regulators and shareholders verify that numbers are accurate, trace the cause of errors or suspicious activity, and assess whether controls are working — much like CCTV footage helps confirm what really happened in an incident.
Firms implement data integration and automation to accelerate processes, deliver measurable results, ISG Provider Lens® report says
STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Enterprises in the U.S. are adopting Salesforce platforms built on unified data architectures and autonomous workflows powered by AI to improve operational efficiency, according to a new research report published today by Information Services Group (ISG) (Nasdaq: III), a global AI-centered technology research and advisory firm.
The 2026 ISG Provider Lens® Salesforce Ecosystem Partners report for the U.S. finds that organizations are transitioning from isolated customer relationship management (CRM) systems to integrated, cross-cloud, API-based integration strategies, enabling real-time insights and more coordinated enterprise operations.
“A shift to an AI-enhanced operating model is reshaping the U.S. Salesforce market,” said Bill Huber, ISG partner, Digital Platforms and Solutions. “As U.S. enterprises adopt the Salesforce agentic vision, they are looking for evidence of governed AI, data foundations, compliance and accelerated time to value.”
Enterprises in the U.S. are standardizing on Salesforce’s Agentforce 360 AI system for autonomous workflows, with the Data 360 platform for governance. Organizations are building decision-making architectures with governed first-party data, identity resolution and minimal data replication. This strategy helps to ensure accuracy and compliance, enable continuous updates and contextual insights and improve coordination across business functions.
Evolving regulations in the U.S., including state-level privacy regimes, are changing how U.S. enterprises deploy AI and Salesforce solutions. Organizations in highly regulated industries such as healthcare and financial services are embedding governance, risk and compliance frameworks into development and operations. Many are also instituting audit trails, human oversight and policy guardrails for accountability and to reduce the risks associated with AI-driven processes.
In Salesforce provider engagements, U.S. enterprises are shifting from time-and-materials deals toward models tied to measurable performance improvements. They seek fixed-price and outcome-based approaches that will align technology investments with business results such as reduced cycle times and improved service efficiency. Their preferred operational models include proactive monitoring, automated remediation and cost optimization to demonstrate clear value, ISG finds.
Midmarket enterprises in the U.S. are adopting Salesforce solutions through modular and cost-controlled deployment approaches. They favor phased rollouts, often using accelerators, that allow use cases to scale over time without large upfront investments. Midsize companies seek flexible delivery models that combine onshore oversight with scalable nearshore and offshore execution to steadily expand automation and platform capabilities.
“U.S. enterprises expect Salesforce ecosystems to connect agent outcomes to measurable KPIs and scale from one use case to a mesh of agents,” said Ashwin Gaidhani, lead author of the report. “Over the next 12 to 18 months, the center of gravity in the U.S. will continue to shift from build completion to verifiable value realization and governance.”
The report also explores other trends affecting Salesforce adoption in the U.S., including the use of zero-copy and limited-replication data access to contain costs and the growing adoption of FinOps, AgentOps and RiskOps frameworks.
For more insights into the challenges faced by enterprises using Salesforce in the U.S., along with ISG’s advice for addressing them, see the ISG Provider Lens Focal Points briefing here.
The 2026 ISG Provider Lens Salesforce Ecosystem Partners report for the U.S. evaluates the capabilities of 40 providers across three quadrants: Professional Services, Value Realization and Optimization Services and Innovation on Salesforce/Agentforce.
The report names Accenture, Capgemini, Cognizant, Deloitte, HCLTech, IBM, Infosys, PwC, TCS and Wipro as Leaders in all three quadrants. It names Coastal, LTM, NTT DATA, Slalom and Tech Mahindra as Leaders in two quadrants each. Perficient and Persistent Systems are named as Leaders in one quadrant each.
In addition, Genpact, LTM, NTT DATA and Persistent Systems are named as Rising Stars — companies with a “promising portfolio” and “high future potential” by ISG’s definition — in one quadrant each.
In the area of customer experience, Hexaware is named the global ISG CX Star Performer for 2026 among Salesforce ecosystem providers. Hexaware earned the highest customer satisfaction scores in ISG's Voice of the Customer survey, part of the ISG Star of Excellence™ program, the premier quality recognition for the technology and business services industry.
A customized version of the report is available from Coastal.
The 2026 ISG Provider Lens Salesforce Ecosystem Partners report for the U.S. is available to subscribers or for one-time purchase on this webpage.
About ISG
ISG (Nasdaq: III) is a global AI-centered technology research and advisory firm. A trusted partner to more than 900 clients, including 75 of the world’s top 100 enterprises, ISG is a long-time leader in technology and business services that is now at the forefront of leveraging AI to help organizations achieve operational excellence and faster growth. The firm, founded in 2006, is known for its proprietary market data and research, in-depth knowledge and governance of provider ecosystems, and the expertise of its 1,500 professionals worldwide working together to help clients maximize the value of their technology investments.
