Utilities and hotels are rewriting what customer relationships actually mean
Let’s skip the platform leaderboard. That’s not the story. What’s more interesting is this: two industries that couldn’t be more different—utilities and hospitality—are suddenly doing the same thing with their CRMs. They’re no longer just storing contact info; they’re orchestrating entire customer experiences, across channels, in real time. And somehow, they’re both using the same playbook.
HubSpot just dropped two new sector-specific CRM guides for 2025, one for utilities and one for hotels. And while the industries themselves couldn’t be more different, the underlying shift is the same. CRMs are no longer seen as digital filing cabinets; they’re becoming the connective tissue between marketing, service, and operations.
Utilities Are Finally Catching Up
Let’s start with utilities. Historically, their CRMs were glorified billing systems—maybe an outage tracker if you were lucky. But that’s changing. Companies like Reposit Power are using CRMs like HubSpot to automate service workflows and personalize outreach, and they’re seeing 15% month-over-month growth because of it. That’s not a fluke; that’s what happens when you stop treating customers like account numbers and start treating them like subscribers.
HubSpot’s guide compares five platforms: HubSpot, Salesforce Energy & Utilities Cloud, Oracle Utilities, Zoho CRM, and Microsoft Dynamics 365, and looks at how they handle billing integration, segmentation, and outage response. The takeaway? Utilities are finally catching up to B2C. They want the same things retail brands have had for years: predictive service, personalized messaging, and a CRM that actually talks to the rest of the tech stack.
Hospitality Is Reimagining the Guest Experience
Meanwhile, over in hospitality, the CRM has become something else entirely. It’s no longer just a marketing tool; it’s the engine behind the entire guest experience. HubSpot’s 2025 CRM guide for hotels shows how platforms like Cendyn and Salesforce are using AI and loyalty data to anticipate guest needs before they even show up. Think of it like this: the CRM is now the concierge, the front desk, and the marketing team, rolled into one.
Bluesun Hotels is a great example. They doubled their revenue after using HubSpot to unify guest profiles across departments. No more fragmented systems. No more awkward handoffs. Just one continuous experience from booking to checkout. And the tech? It’s finally catching up to the ambition. These CRMs are handling automated service touchpoints, dynamic content, and real-time personalization like it’s no big deal.
CRMs Are Becoming Human
So what’s the thread here? Whether you’re managing a power grid or a beachfront resort, the CRM is being asked to do a lot more than it was originally built for. And surprisingly, it’s handling the pressure. These platforms are learning to think in channels, not lists. They’re adapting to live data, not just static fields. The CRM isn’t just a tool anymore; it’s a system that flexes across
departments and delivers something that actually feels human.
Automation Adds Complexity
And speaking of systems that scale, HubSpot also released its 2025 Operations Hub pricing breakdown. It’s a reminder that automation doesn’t just simplify things; it adds complexity too. The more you automate, the more you have to manage. The pricing tiers reflect that. It’s less about features and more about how many moving pieces your team can handle before things start to wobble.
Mark Your Calendar
One last thing before you go cancel another MarTech subscription: Ahrefs just confirmed its 2025 conference plans. They’re hitting INBOUND and hosting their own event, Evolve. So if you’re planning your travel calendar—or just trying to justify that conference budget—it’s worth a look. And yes, there are still six major content marketing conferences left on the docket for 2025. Somehow, the year’s already half over.
That’s it for today, folks.
Catch you in the next post.
Until then, keep building.
– Perfect Sites Blog