What is CRM Software? A Comprehensive Guide and Historical Overview of CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software

For businesspeople, CRM is a daily part of their schedule. But what is CRM? And what is CRM software?

To define CRM, you should first understand its history. CRM is an acronym that stands for customer relationship management. Customer relationship management is any tool, strategy, or process that helps businesses better organize and access customer data. It all started with handwritten notes and Rolodexes, but with the advent and proliferation of digital technology, it eventually evolved into databases stored on individual computers, and then the CRM definition shifted into something far more complex. It was no longer just notes. Managing your business’s relationships with customers became a complicated process. Now, in order to compete in any industry, you need a reliable system built on CRM software.

Don’t make tracking and managing customer information harder than it needs to be. CRM ensures your data is in one place and can easily be updated by anyone, anytime.

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What is a CRM system? It’s a platform that connects your different departments, from marketing to sales to customer service, and organizes their notes, activities, and metrics into one cohesive system. Every user has easy, direct access to the real-time client data they need. This not only allows for unparalleled coordination across teams and departments, but also makes it possible for businesses to provide their customers with something extra ordinary: personalize, one-to-one customer journeys. Compare that to the limited functionality of old analogue and legacy systems, and you have something with the ability to revolutionize the way you connect with customers. You can’t define CRM software without taking into consideration SaaS and cloud computing, both of which work together to allow CRM platforms to be available wherever a user has internet. Because of these technologies, cloud-based CRM software can grow and scale with your business, so every company, no matter the size, can benefit from a CRM-software based system.

Thirty-nine percent of companies that have integrated CRM platforms cite their data as a competitive advantage or a strategic asset. With a CRM system, most companies see a significant increase in leads, sales revenue, and customer retention. Learn more about what is CRM software, how this technology can help your business, and tips for using it properly in the infographic below.