Customer relationship management

The basic purpose of customer relationship management (CRM) is to enable a company to better serve its customers through the introduction of automated processes, information gathering and processing, and self-service.

CRM software solutions are often also known as [front office]? solutions. Many call centers use CRM software to store all of their customer's details on. When a customer calls, the system can be used to retrieve and store information relevant to the customer. By serving the customer quickly and efficiently, and also keeping all information on a customer in one place, a company aims to make cost savings, and also encourage new customers.

CRM solutions can also be used to allow customers to perform their own service via a variety of communication channels. For example, you might be able to check your bank balance via your WAP phone without ever having to talk to a person, saving money for the company, and saving you time.

A CRM solution is characterised by the following functionality:

• scalability - the ability to be used on a large scale, and to be reliably expanded to what ever scale is necessary.
• multiple communication channels - the ability to interface with users via many different devices (phone, WAP, internet, etc)
• workflow - the ability to automatically route work through the system to different people based on a set of rules.
• database - the centralised storage of all information relevant to customer interaction

Many companies supply CRM solutions, including Oracle, Siebel?, IBM, BroadVision?, and Vignette?