The customer relationship management platform will integrate deep learning models to improve predictive capabilities

Customer experience (CX) platform developer SugarCRM has acquired AI specialist Node to help bolster its customer intelligence data capabilities.

Financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

California-based SugarCRM, founded in 2004, helps businesses make predictions for sales, marketing and service functions, and streamlines data collection to free frontline employees from time-consuming data inputting and tracking tasks. The platform – used by more than 4,500 companies across 120 countries – captures relevant information automatically as users are doing their jobs, then offers predictive insights and “next best action” guidance when needed.

With the acquisition of Node and its AI platform-as-a-service, SugarCRM intends to improve its ability to identify customers most likely to churn, the likelihood to convert from lead scoring models, ascertain marketing attribution and contribution to closed business, and improve customer engagement models through predictive case routing and contextual data.

Democratizing AI

The deal pits SugarCRM against the likes of Adobe and Salesforce, which already offer this kind of predictability. Node, which was seen more than $45 million in funding since 2014, claims that its deep learning models are 81% more accurate when it comes to identifying signals, compared to more heuristic approaches.

“Obtaining a high definition view of your business and customers, from pipeline to forecasting, is all about replacing a fragmented, dated, and distorted picture with one that is sharply focused and rich in breadth and depth,” Craig Charlton, CEO of SugarCRM, said in a statement.

“Sugar is democratizing AI, ushering in a new frontier in CX with its powerful combination of AI, time-aware and data enrichment, to drive business performance and enable predictability for companies of all sizes.”

The acquisition – the fourth by Sugar – is meant to support its vision for the “next frontier of high-definition customer experience” (HD-CX), which started to take shape last year with the launch of time-based, no touch CX solutions for sales, marketing and service teams.

Node’s 30 employees will join the team at Sugar, while CEO and founder Falon Fatemi is going elsewhere. “I’m moving onto a new venture and will share more details at the appropriate time,” she said.