AI intrigues Italian SMEs, but it still needs an extra push to truly become part of everyday business operations.
We asked our clients what they think about AI and how they imagine it integrated into their CRM.
The results? A mix of automation, quick support, speed and… a bit of curiosity blended with caution.
What our clients think about AI?
When we asked, “When I say Artificial Intelligence, what are the first words that come to mind?”, the most common answers were: automation and support.
These keywords clearly reflect today’s perception: AI as a practical ally, not a replacement.
There’s a desire to make work faster and lighter, to automate certain tasks without losing human control.
How prepared do we feel?
We asked: How prepared do you feel in using AI in your day-to-day work?
On a scale from 1 to 5:
In summary: nobody feels like an “expert”, but many are already on their way.
This is an exploratory phase, where the will to understand and learn is stronger than fear or resistance.
What do people expect from a CRM + AI workshop
We then asked what participants would like to take away from a dedicated event. Here are the answers:
In short: people who work with a CRM are not looking for theory. They want concrete examples, immediately applicable ideas, and inspiration to experiment.
Where AI is already used in companies (or will be soon)
The most frequently mentioned applications:
In practice, AI has already entered through the door of marketing and content creation, and is now knocking on the door of CRM and sales processes.
The superpower everyone would like from their AI-enabled CRM
When asked, “If you could give your CRM an AI superpower, what would it be?”, the answers were clear (and often repeated):
- Data / contact / lead cleanup
- Customer clustering
- Predictive analysis and profiling
- Autonomous communication management
- Precise segmentation and database optimization
In other words: less chaos, more clarity.
The dream is to have a CRM that “organizes itself” and helps sales teams focus on truly promising leads.
A look at national data
Early findings from the CRM Observatory 2025 reveal a scenario consistent with our own survey:
- 60% of Italian companies use only external AI tools, without integrating them into their information systems.
- Only 3% have already integrated AI into their CRM processes.
- The main obstacles? Lack of strategy, skills, and budget.
In short: AI fascinates, but it is not yet “at home” inside the CRMs of Italian companies.
There is enormous growth potential, and those who start today will be among the pioneers.
At WSB, we believe that AI shouldn’t be a distant project but a small everyday laboratory.
We are experimenting with AI integrations within CRM to solve practical issues such as:
- automatically enriching lead information;
- qualifying the customer database;
- helping sales teams focus on high-value contacts.
If you’d like to discover more about the experiments we’re working on, contact us for a concrete and free demonstration.