An Introduction to CRM Unplugged - Up Close and Personal

Welcome, to all those interested in sharing and learning about the fascinating world of CRM. The time has come to redefine what Customer Relationship Management is all about and to discuss how businesses, in particular Small and Medium businesses (SMBs) can get value and benefits from their CRM initiative.

For starters, here's what the Meta Group has to say about what CRM is and is not:
"Customer relationship management is not simply a technology tool or business tool to "delight the customer"or show how the organization "loves its customers." CRM is ultimately about driving bottom-line revenue through proactive management of the customer life cycle. It is about applying the right CRM treatments to the right customer segment at the right time to produce business results.

CRM is a business strategy providing a systemic approach to customer life cycle management (CLCM). CLCM is a three-domain business system, aligning business processes, technologies and the customer life cycle. This business system must integrate sales, service, and marketing processes and the CRM technology environment with the customer. To fully realize the potential of CRM, this business system must be optimized around the customer life cycle(engage, transact, fulfill, and service(ETFS), where the customer is the design point(not the technology or process)."