Each year, Salesforce Research surveys thousands of top sales professionals around the world to gauge the trends in sales technology. This year’s State of Sales report makes some compelling predictions about the growing role of intelligent technology in sales and offers an insightful look at how buyer expectations are changing.

Intelligent technologies open the gates to a smarter, more efficient sales process. Forward-thinking teams are already planning how to use these technologies for a leg up in the Age of the Customer.

The report projects that within the next one to three years, sales teams will embrace a sales process powered by automation and intelligence. Once that happens, they will have more time to devote to delivering an outstanding customer experience. That’s important: The report says one of the top challenges sales teams face is delivering a consistent sales experience across all channels of interaction. Intelligent technologies will make it easier for reps to provide the personalized outreach and timely response that customers demand.

Today’s customers seek personalized and seamless engagement with the brands they choose to do business with, and they expect their sales reps to learn, understand, and anticipate their needs.

Buyers value a personal touch in the sales process, so even though intelligent sales technology is the way forward, “old school” methods of connecting with customers remain essential. Ninety-one percent of sales professionals on high-performing sales teams say in-person communication is “absolutely critical or very important” for connecting with customers. An equally high percentage of top performers said the phone remains a critical communication channel for sales. But most respondents said they use mobile apps as part of their sales process to connect with customers on the go. What’s the take-home? New sales technologies need to complement existing technology to deliver a consistent, seamless experience across channels.

As more teams start using  smarter sales tech, the sales industry will experience an entirely new way of selling — predictive.

The sales industry’s adoption of intelligent tools has been slow overall but that’s changing — fast. According to the State of Sales report, high percentages of top-performing sales teams are already using intelligent selling capabilities. Salesforce Research projects that the use of predictive analytics in sales will grow 118 percent over the next three years.

Sales leaders — especially those taking a wait-and-see approach to these new technologies — need to read this report. If you aren’t embracing them, you’re falling behind.