Integration of CRM, E-CRM, and M-CRM Applications

Traditional CRM systems are company employee-centric. E-CRM applications as well as m-CRM applications (the “m” stands for “mobile,” as in mobile telephone), on the other hand, tend to be more customer-centric. CRM, e-CRM, and m-CRM applications have some overlapping functionality, but the architecture and delivery mechanisms currently vary considerably. For example, a traditional CRM customer service application tends to be designed to enable company customer service agents to record primarily inbound customer requests, issues, etc.; its underlying architecture may not be Web-based. A typical e-CRM or m-CRM application like a customer contact center or an inquiry form has its foundation in Web architecture, and is set up so the customer can help themselves to customer service information, request assistance from a company agent, or the customer may receive proactive support (e.g., assisted browsing) from the agent that has been monitoring the actions of the customer on the company Web site.

Web-based e-CRM and m-CRM applications enable the customer to engage with a company using familiar Web technology such as a Web browser. This greatly enhances user acceptance and allows for increased use of creative Web-based applications.

Likely impact on CRM: Today's consumer is demanding comprehensive, integrated CRM environments with various implementation and delivery options. As more and more CRM software packages adopt a Web-based architecture, expect to see integration between CRM, e-CRM, and m-CRM applications.