ISG Software Research Analyst Perspectives

The Channel Is Not Broken, Your Partner Experience Is

Posted by Barika Pace on 19 May 2026

There is a familiar refrain echoing across boardrooms and pipeline reviews that the channel is underperforming, that partners are not delivering and that ecosystems are noisy and inefficient and somehow past their prime. The implication is that something fundamental has broken. That conclusion is convenient, but it is wrong. The channel is not broken. What is broken is how most organizations... Read More

Topics: partner management, Office of Revenue - Business Technologies

Why the ‘Messy Middle’ for Office of Revenue Needs AI and Salesforce

Posted by Barika Pace on 06 November 2025

I attended Salesforce’s Dreamforce event in San Francisco to learn more about the company’s expanding vision for artificial intelligence (AI) and its newest capability, Agentforce Revenue Management. Salesforce has steadily evolved from being a CRM leader to positioning itself as an AI-first business platform. The introduction of Agentforce marks the company’s most ambitious step yet in... Read More

Topics: Subscription Management, partner management, Revenue Performance Management, Revenue Lifecycle Management, Office of Revenue - Business Technologies

Why I Joined ISG and the Software Research Office of Revenue Practice

Posted by Barika Pace on 04 November 2025

I am excited to announce that I have joined ISG as Research Director for the Office of Revenue practice, where I will lead coverage across a spectrum of revenue, sales and product technologies that shape how organizations operate and engage customers, align go-to-market functions and operationalize growth. This includes CRM, Commerce, Partner Relationship Management (PRM), Product Experiences,... Read More

Topics: Subscription Management, partner management, Revenue Performance Management, Revenue Lifecycle Management, Office of Revenue - Business Technologies

2024 Market Agenda for Office of Revenue: Bring AI to the Table

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 30 January 2024

Ventana Research recently announced its 2024 research agenda for the Office of Revenue, continuing the guidance we have offered for nearly two decades to help enterprises across industries derive optimal value and improved outcomes from business technology. Chief Sales and Revenue Officers face an imperative to manage their sales and revenue organizations, but they do not always have the guidance... Read More

Topics: Digital Commerce, Subscription Management, partner management, Revenue Performance Management, Office of Revenue

The Revolution in Revenue in 2023: Ventana Research Market Agenda

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 13 January 2023

Ventana Research recently announced its 2023 research agenda for the Office of Revenue, continuing the guidance we’ve offered for nearly two decades to help organizations realize their optimal value from applying technology to improve business outcomes. Chief Sales and Revenue Officers face an imperative to manage their sales and revenue organizations, but they don’t always have the guidance they... Read More

Topics: Sales, Analytics, Internet of Things, Data, Sales Performance Management, Digital Technology, Digital Commerce, Conversational Computing, mobile computing, Subscription Management, extended reality, intelligent sales, partner management, AI and Machine Learning

Partner Ecosystem Success Relies on Targeted Technology

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 17 November 2022

The idea of partnerships in business is most definitely not new. Wholesaling through distributors and retailers is centuries old. For some industries, their entire model is selling and servicing through partners. Think auto parts, and the auto part stores visible in most neighborhoods. But what is new is that partnerships are moving beyond this reseller model towards product partnerships, where a... Read More

Topics: Subscription Management, partner management, Office of Revenue

Why Your ERP and CRM Won’t Transform Your Business

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 18 March 2022

Digital Transformation. The Subscription Economy. Omni-Channel Selling. Customer Centric. These are all terms used to label trends and events that are changing the way business is being conducted, a change that has accelerated due to recent events. Regardless of the terminology, there is no doubt that the way vendors and buyers are interacting, whether B2C or B2B, is different today for many... Read More

Topics: Sales, Digital Commerce, Subscription Management, partner management

Improving the State of Analytics in Organizations

Posted by David Menninger on 24 February 2022

Despite all the advances organizations have made with respect to analytics, our most recent research shows the majority of the workforce in the majority of organizations are not using analytics and business intelligence (BI). Less than one-quarter (23%) report that one-half or more of their workforce is using analytics and BI. This is a problem. It means organizations are not enabling their... Read More

Topics: Sales, business intelligence, embedded analytics, Analytics, Data, Sales Performance Management, Digital Technology, Digital Commerce, natural language processing, Subscription Management, partner management, Collaborative & Conversational Computing

Xactly Advances Support for Revenue Performance Management

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 15 February 2022

Revenue performance management and the role of revenue operations is moving to the forefront of sales organizations, aligning departments around a single view of the business with shared revenue targets and goals. This facilitates the needs of the sales department as well as customer experience, marketing and renewals. The concept of RevOps does not yet have a widely shared common definition... Read More

Topics: Sales, Customer Experience, Marketing, Sales Performance Management, partner management, Revenue Performance Management

The 2022 Market Agenda for Office of Revenue: New Performance Priority

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 08 February 2022

Ventana Research recently announced its 2022 Market Agenda for the Office of Revenue, continuing the guidance we have offered for nearly two decades to help organizations realize optimal value from applying technology to improve business outcomes. Chief sales and revenue officers and their associated operations teams are experts in their respective fields but may not have the guidance needed to... Read More

Topics: Sales, Analytics, Internet of Things, Data, Sales Performance Management, Digital Technology, Digital Commerce, Conversational Computing, mobile computing, Subscription Management, extended reality, intelligent sales, partner management, AI and Machine Learning

Revenue and Commercial Operations: The Difference Matters

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 18 November 2021

The emergence of the Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) has mirrored the adoption of the subscription model and the development of multiple selling and buying channels over and above the traditional direct sales model, referred to as Revenue Management. Supporting the traditional sales team and management was the sales operations team with responsibilities around incentive compensation, territory and... Read More

Topics: Sales, Customer Experience, Analytics, Sales Performance Management, Digital Commerce, Subscription Management, partner management

Vindicia Showcases Bundling and Subscription Intelligence

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 20 October 2021

The subscription business model has seen much growth in all aspects of the market in recent years. Now considered the standard for the digital age, the model’s implementation travels parallel to rising technology, leading to the demand for newer functionality and tools. As more and more vendors create their own versions, and as the subscription model is increasingly adopted, technology solutions... Read More

Topics: Sales, Subscription Billing, Subscription Management, partner management

BillingPlatform Bolsters the Rise of Subscription Services

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 22 September 2021

Subscription management and billing services help organizations offer unique benefits and enhance delivery to customers. By making services more personalized, organizations can acquire – and retain – more customers. Many business-to-business companies are shifting to a subscription business model to remain competitive, imposing new requirements on vendors to support pricing models that address... Read More

Topics: Sales, Office of Finance, Continuous Planning, embedded analytics, Analytics, Business Intelligence, Business Planning, Product Information Management, Digital Commerce, Operations & Supply Chain, Enterprise Resource Planning, ERP and Continuous Accounting, natural language processing, revenue and lease accounting, continuous supply chain, Subscription Management, partner management, Process Mining, Streaming Analytics, Supplier Relationship Management, AI and Machine Learning

The 2021 Market Agenda for Office of Sales: The Revolution for Revenue

Posted by Stephen Hurrell on 25 February 2021

Ventana Research recently announced its 2021 research agenda for the Office of Sales, continuing the guidance we’ve offered for nearly two decades to help organizations realize optimal value from applying technology to improve business outcomes. Chief sales and revenue officers are experts in their respective fields but may not have the guidance needed to employ technology effectively. As we look... Read More

Topics: Sales, Analytics, Financial Performance, Internet of Things, Data, Sales Performance Management, Digital Technology, Digital Commerce, mobile computing, Subscription Management, extended reality, intelligent sales, partner management, Machine Conversational Computing, Office of Revenue, AI and Machine Learning

The Business Continuity Imperative: The Partner Experience and Channel Performance Agenda

Posted by Mark Smith on 10 June 2020

Partners play a key role in the revenue and growth of every organization. Whether channel selling is in assistance to internal sales or independent, what happens in partnering has ramifications that are simply too important to underestimate. The imperative to maintain business continuity with channel partners becomes painfully clear in a global pandemic, and that imperative demands that... Read More

Topics: Sales, Customer Experience, Human Capital Management, Marketing, Office of Finance, Voice of the Customer, Analytics, Internet of Things, Data, Digital Technology, Operations & Supply Chain, Conversational Computing, partner management, Partner Experience