Major CRMs Being Retired: What to Consider When Choosing a CRM System for Your Marketing Team

Your CRM (customer relationship management) system is the most important tool in your marketing toolbox. But even widely used solutions eventually reach end-of-life. And it's happening right now — several major technology providers are withdrawing their CRM systems.

Three major CRM providers announced recently they are retiring their CRMs, replacing them with third-party systems and alternatives. Here's what marketers using those CRMs need to know.

Which CRMs Are Being Retired?

Towards the end of Q3 2025, Microsoft, SAP, and Zendesk announced that they'll be retiring their CRM systems in 2027 and 2028:

Microsoft Replacing CRM with Copilot Service Workspace

This January, Microsoft announced it will officially deprecate Microsoft Dynamics 365 Unified Service Desk (USD) with CRM Online on 1 April 2026. Here's the timeline:

Microsoft is urging customers to switch to the Customer Service workspace application (also known as Copilot Service workspace) as soon as possible before the deprecation date. Those who aren't able to must update to the latest USD version to maintain security compliance.

Zendesk Retires Its Own CRM and Proposes Third-Party Alternative

Zendesk announced it will retire Zendesk Sell on 31 August 2027. Rather than building a replacement, Zendesk is encouraging customers to transition to its partner, Pipedrive, a third-party sales CRM solution that claims to have migration tools ensuring a smooth transition.

Zendesk clarifies that it's making this change as part of an initiative to focus on customer and employee service. The company has made the strategic decision to exit the sales CRM market entirely.

This is notable because it means Zendesk customers will be moving to a completely different vendor — not just a new version of the same product. That introduces additional risk around data migration, contract terms, and feature parity.

SAP Recommends Its Other Systems When Ending Legacy CRM

SAP is ending mainstream maintenance for SAP CRM 7.0 on a staggered timeline:

After mainstream maintenance ends, extended maintenance (regulatory, security, and performance updates) will be available until 2030. However, the legacy SAP CRM systems carry several disadvantages:

• Highly customised environments make migration difficult
• Stakeholder alignment is required for business process overhauls
• Slowed innovation and reduced agility for companies staying on legacy systems

SAP recommends its Customer Evolution Programme, which offers a pathway for transitioning to cloud-based SAP CX solutions including SAP Sales Cloud, SAP Service Cloud, SAP Marketing Cloud, and back-office processes via SAP S/4HANA.

What Does This Mean for Marketers?

Major players in the B2B world retiring their CRM is a significant change, but it can also be an opportunity. Here's what to consider when evaluating your next CRM:

1. Don't Just Accept the "Recommended" Replacement

Each retiring vendor is pushing customers toward a specific alternative. But their recommendation may not be the best fit for your marketing team. Evaluate the replacement on its own merits — don't migrate blindly just because it's the path of least resistance.

2. Prioritise Integration with Your Marketing Stack

Your CRM doesn't exist in isolation. It needs to integrate seamlessly with your marketing automation platform, email tools, analytics, and data warehouse. A CRM that can't connect to your existing stack will create data silos and manual workarounds.

3. Look for Ongoing Vendor Commitment

Choose a CRM that has:

• A robust product and features roadmap — not just maintenance mode
• Active development and regular feature releases
• A vendor committed to your industry and your space
• Transparent communication about the product's future

4. Consider GDPR and Data Residency (EMEA)

For UK and EMEA organisations, CRM transitions surface critical considerations:

• GDPR compliance — ensure the new CRM handles consent management, data subject requests, and lawful processing
• Data protection obligations — verify the vendor's data processing agreements and sub-processor lists
• Data residency requirements — confirm where your customer data will be stored and processed

5. Plan Your Migration Early

CRM migrations are complex. They involve data mapping, workflow rebuilding, team retraining, and integration reconfiguration. Starting early gives you time to:

• Audit your current CRM usage and identify what you actually need
• Clean and deduplicate your data before migration
• Run parallel systems during the transition period
• Train your team on the new platform without rushing

CRM Retirement Timeline at a Glance

Key Takeaways

• Three major CRM providers — Microsoft, Zendesk, and SAP — are retiring their CRM systems between 2025 and 2028
• Don't default to the vendor's recommended replacement without evaluating alternatives
• Integration capability with your marketing automation platform should be a top priority
• GDPR and data residency are critical for EMEA organisations during any CRM transition
• Start planning now — CRM migrations take months, not weeks
• Choose a vendor that puts data openness and integration at the centre of their platform