In the ever-evolving landscape of revenue enablement technology, staying informed about the latest solutions is crucial for success.
Recently, we released the industry’s first-ever guide to Value Automation Platforms, offering a comprehensive overview of the top 15 solutions designed to enhance and scale value marketing, selling, consulting, and customer success efforts. As we compiled this guide and conducted our reviews, seven observations emerged that we believe are worth sharing:
- A Wealth of Providers and Solutions: The sheer number of providers and diverse solution approaches in the Value Automation Market may come as a surprise. Not too long ago, finding information on value-enablement providers was a challenging task, often leading to hit-or-miss results. Today, our guide highlights the top 15 solutions, making it easier than ever to identify providers that align with your criteria.
- Simplified Approach to Value: Many newer providers are adopting a simpler approach to value, placing a stronger emphasis on value discovery and enabling sellers and success representatives through self-service. While this approach aids in adoption and scalability, questions arise regarding whether it compromises modeling capabilities and credibility.
- Growing Investments: A positive trend in the Value Automation Market is the growing interest and investment from independent and venture capital sources. Several newer firms have secured funding, leveraging early successes and growth to attract investments. We anticipate continued growth and increased investment in this space.
- Consolidation and Integration: Some original value automation solution providers have undergone consolidation. For instance, Alinean merged with sales enablement firm Mediafly, and Decision Link became part of xfactor.io. These consolidations can lead to more significant investments in the platform, enhanced resources, and improved integration with other solutions within the acquirer’s portfolio, but they can also occasionally result in neglect or underinvestment.
- Importance of Development Support and Change Management: Success in value automation implementations often hinges on support for value models, metrics, value storytelling, and change management. While many providers prefer a pure SaaS approach, development support and change management are crucial for success. Some providers have partnered with consultancies or offer these services to facilitate deployments and achieve successful outcomes.
- The Advent of Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI has made its debut in the Value Automation Market, aiming to support and scale solutions while enhancing customer engagement. This marks an exciting development, with further AI advancements and innovative solutions expected to appear in the roadmaps of these firms.
- Focus on Value Realization: While value realization is a topic discussed by every provider and implemented by some, it has not yet been fully demonstrated as a perfected concept. The industry is increasingly focusing on value realization to assist customer success organizations in achieving tangible outcomes tailored to their use cases and adoption challenges.
The Bottom-Line
Our key takeaway from the evolving Value Automation Market is that it’s an exceptionally exciting time. Established players are experiencing growth and innovation, with some instances of consolidation. Newcomers are entering the market with fresh approaches and ideas, attracting investment and attention.
Our Buyer’s Guide serves as an introduction to these players and aids in the evaluation and selection process. We plan to update the guide semi-annually to reflect product releases, company progress, and the inclusion of new players, analysis dimensions, and differentiating criteria.
If you haven’t already, we invite you to explore the Value Automation Buyer’s Guide (quick registration required) to stay ahead in the dynamic world of value automation platforms.
