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A lot happened at Sugar in 2019. We launched several new products, announced exciting acquisitions and introduced the world to a whole new suite of solutions to help companies succeed at marketing, selling and customer service.

And then there was the biggest transition of all. Sugar has officially become a customer experience company—the go-to resource for businesses that want to create customers for life with the world’s first no-touch, time-aware CX platform.

Like I said, a lot has happened in the past 12 months. 

As we enter yet another decade of change and prepare for new customer needs and expectations, it’s time to take a look back at the most important topics we covered on the Sugar blog.

And so, without further ado, here’s a recap of the top 20 posts to help you get ready for what’s to come in 2020.

Competitive advantages to help you get ahead in 2020

Some of our most important blog posts from the past year covered Sugar’s defining differentiators—the unique features that make our CX platform different from anything else available today.

#20: Welcome to the New SugarCRM! In July, we began to make some announcements that would fundamentally change the way businesses approach the customer experience. Get a quick recap of the biggest, most important transitions that started it all in this post from CEO Craig Charlton.

#19: What Is No-Touch Information Management—and What Does It Mean for You? In part one of our three-part CX success series, Sugar specialists explain the difference No-Touch Information Management can make. In this post, you’ll discover a way to get all of the customer data you need, without having to spend your time on endless manual updates and entries.

#18: The Benefits of an Intelligent Customer Experience Platform No-Touch Information Management is a big differentiator for Sugar customers, but it’s far from the only advantage. In 2019, we also rolled out new ways to empower teams with customer intelligence and automated insights. If you’re not already familiar with this aspect of the Sugar platform, be sure to give this post a quick read.

#17: What Is Continuous Cloud Innovation—and Why Do You Need It for the Customer Experience? Did you know that many of today’s CX solutions are built on proprietary clouds? For the companies that use them, that means opportunities for growth are limited to the vendor’s ability to adopt new technologies and support additional geographies. Not so at Sugar. Learn how continuous cloud innovation can keep you up-to-date on the latest technologies and tools so you’ll always be ahead of evolving trends.

#16: What It Means to Make a Time Machine Out of a CX Platform Have you had a chance to become familiar with Sugar Discover? If not, you’ll definitely want to check out this post. Our CX experts break down how this radical new sales analytics tool can track key metrics for your sales team and conduct root cause analysis—all without you having to lift a finger.

#15: From SugarConnection Boston: How Four Leading Brands Are Excelling at CX At our first-ever SugarConnection event, Sugar customers gained valuable tips on how to cultivate customers for life. In this panelist recap, we take a look at lessons learned from four fast-growing companies—The New York Times, Cireson, Star2Star Communications and CE Power—that are succeeding in various aspects of the customer experience.

#14: Digital Transformation Is More Critical Than Ever to Stay Competitive From customer journey mapping to advanced workflows, get tips you can use to stay ahead of the digital transformation game. 

How to cultivate customers for life with better marketing, selling and customer service 

Our CX experts regularly cover a wide range of helpful tips and tactics across these three key areas. The following are our top picks from the past year.

First, there are the posts to help you market with insight:

#13: Peanut Butter and Chocolate: Sales and Marketing—Are You Aligned? Are your marketing and sales teams truly in sync? Find out why this will be one of the most important tactics to get right in 2020.

#12: Cutting Through the Noise: The Six Must-Have Elements of Valuable Marketing Automation. If you’re thinking of adopting a new marketing automation solution, this is the post for you. Our specialists outline the key features and functions you’ll need to be successful.

#11: Sugar Market: Your End-to-End Marketing Automation Platform. Wondering what makes Sugar Market different from other marketing automation solutions? Find out here.

#10: What You Need to Know About CRM Marketing and Marketing Automation in 2019. Can your company get away with using CRM for marketing, or is it time to add marketing automation to the mix? Find answers to common questions here.

Next, check out the blogs designed to help companies sell smarter:

#9: Finding Value in Your CRM. Did you know there are more than 380 CRM platforms listed on G2? However, only 18% are rated with more than three out of five stars.  Discover the many factors that go into choosing the right CRM for your business.

#8: Three Ways a Loyalty Program Helps You Keep Customers—and Find New Ones. This article explores three ways loyalty programs can be used as an all-around marketing tool to help you retain current customers and build relationships with new ones.

#7: 5 Software Integration Trends You May Have Missed. In the ideal environment, all of your company’s software solutions would be synced and ready to share information. In reality, software integrations tend to be a little messy. Take a look at the five software integration trends that are becoming increasingly important across industries.

#6: Five Things That Every CRM Should Have. Wonder how your CRM compares to those used by other organizations? Learn how to use the CRM impact score calculator to see if you’re getting as much as possible from your customer relationship management software.

When you’re looking for ways to provide exceptional customer service, be sure to give these a read as well:

#5: How Customer Service Builds Your Brand. Customer service now plays a central role in customers’ decisions to do business with a company. This post outlines the need-to-know essential.

#4: This Is Why You Need Customer Service Data. In an era when customer experience is central to success, relying on data is key. Check out this post to discover what you can achieve by analyzing your customer service data, and learn what to look for.

#3: How to Make the Most Out of NPS Survey Results. Learn how you can use Sugar survey modules to collect and measure customer feedback. In this post, our specialists walk through a simple process that can be used to calculate and benchmark your Net Promoter Score (NPS).

#2: You Should Be Doing Customer Service Like These Two Companies. Ever wonder what really separates companies that are known for outstanding (and profitable) customer service? In this post, we break down the differentiators at two organizations that have earned some of the highest ratings possible for customer service.

#1: Welcome to the Future; Glad You’re Here. In July, Charlton welcomed customers to the “New Sugar.” Fast forward several months, and our executive team is now setting the stage for ongoing and constant innovation. If you want to know what 2020 will bring for Sugar, this is the post to read.

Looking for more insights to prepare for the year ahead? Our top 20 blog posts are a great refresher, but there’s a lot more yet to come. The customer experience industry is filled with constant changes and transitions, which means it’s more important than ever to stay future-focused. 

We’ve covered the secrets for building a strong customer experience strategy in our eBook, The Customer Experience Buyer’s Guide. Download it now for tips you can use to make the coming year your best yet.