What are CRM systems?

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems are software applications that organizations use to manage their interactions with customers and prospects. CRM systems help businesses to centralize customer information and automate sales, marketing, and customer service processes.

CRM systems typically include a set of tools and functionalities that help businesses to:

• Track and manage leads, opportunities, and customer accounts
• Automate and streamline sales processes, such as lead tracking and pipeline management
• Manage and segment customer data, such as contact information, purchase history, and communication history
• Create and deliver targeted marketing campaigns
• Track and manage customer service and support tickets
• Analyze customer data to gain insights and make data-driven decisions

CRM systems can be deployed as on-premise software, which is installed on a company’s own servers, or as cloud-based software, which is delivered as a service over the internet. The cloud-based option is also called Software as a service (SaaS) CRM.

Examples of well-known CRM providers include Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics, Oracle, SAP, SugarCRM, and Zoho CRM

CRM systems can help businesses to improve their customer interactions, increase efficiency, and drive revenue growth by providing a unified view of customer data, automating processes, and delivering actionable insights.