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Customer Relationship Management
Customer Relationship Management
Jump to: navigation, search "Contact management software" redirects here. For other uses, see contact manager. Customer relationship management (CRM) is a model for managing a companys interactions with current and future customers. It involves using technology to organize, automate, and synchronize sales, marketing, customer service, and technical support.[1]
Contents
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1 Types/variations o 1.1 Sales force automation o 1.2 Marketing o 1.3 Customer service and support o 1.4 Appointments o 1.5 Analytics o 1.6 Small business o 1.7 Social media o 1.8 Non-profit and membership-based 2 Adoption Issues 3 Market Leaders 4 Trends 5 See also 6 Notes
[edit] Types/variations
[edit] Sales force automation
Sales force automation (SFA) uses software to streamline the sales process. The core of SFA is a contact management system for tracking and recording every stage in the sales process for each prospective client, from initial contact to final disposition. Many SFA applications also include insights into opportunities, territories, sales forecasts and workflow automation.[citation needed]
[edit] Marketing
CRM systems for marketing track and measure campaigns over multiple channels, such as email, search, social media, telephone and direct mail. These systems track clicks, responses, leads, deals.
[edit] Appointments
Appointment CRMs automatically provide suitable appointment times to customers via e-mail or the web, which are then synchronized with the representative or agent's calendar.[citation needed]
[edit] Analytics
Sales analytics monitor client actions and preferences and augment sales forecasts and help measure the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. The simplest form involves tracking mouse clicks, but can also include predictive analytics which use buy signals to see which prospects are likely to transact[citation needed]
[edit] Trends
Many CRM vendors offer subscription-based web tools (cloud computing) and software as a service (SaaS)). Some CRM systems are equipped with mobile capabilities, making information accessible to remote sales staff.[citation needed] Salesforce.com was the first company to provide enterprise applications through a web browser, and has maintained its leadership position.[10][11] Traditional providers have recently moved into the cloud-based market via acquisitions of smaller providers: Oracle purchased RightNow in October 2011[12] and SAP acquired SuccessFactors in December 2011.[13] The era of the "social customer"[14] refers to the use of social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Yelp, customer reviews in Amazon, etc.) by customers. CRM philosophy and strategy has shifted to encompass social networks and user communities. Another related development is vendor relationship management, or VRM which provide tools and services for customers to independently manage their relationship with vendors. VRM development has grown out of efforts by ProjectVRM at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society and Identity Commons' Internet Identity Workshops, as well as by a growing number of startups and established companies. VRM was the subject of a cover story in the May 2010 issue of CRM Magazine.[15] In 2001 Doug Laney developed the concept and coined the term 'Extended Relationship Management' (XRM).[16] Laney defines XRM as extending CRM disciplines to secondary allies such as government, press, and industry consortia.
CRM futurist Dennison DeGregor describes a shift from 'push CRM' toward a 'customer transparency' (CT) model, due to the increased proliferation of channels, devices, and social media.[17]