As the CRM industry has grown and matured over the past decade, the basic tenets of Customer Relationship Management have been blurred by the onslaught of over-marketing the acronym CRM. This term has been used to describe a myriad of products and services that are often completely unrelated to the core functions of Customer Relationship Management. As more and more companies make a buzzword rather than a term, it becomes ever more difficult and important to truly define CRM.

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Because CRM is ultimately about business success, it is important to define your business processes, best practices, and organizational needs before selecting a product. Just about all CRM solutions available provide 360° views of customer data. Some have better support for sales and marketing and other for service and support. It is important to determine whether your organization will benefit most from a feature rich or foundation architecture solution before selecting a final solution.

In CRM 101, we will attempt to clear the fog surrounding CRM in today's marketplace and show how your company can become more successful by effectively utilizing Customer Relationship Management.