Chapter 3. The CRM Landscape: Why Now?

In this chapter

CRM System Evolution

Marketing Department Changes

CRM and Transaction Processing

Change Management and Market Strategy

The Technology of Microsoft CRM

Summary

Over the past ten years, CRM systems have evolved from departmental client/server systems to semi-integrated systems. Most CRM systems currently cooperate at the portfolio or application suite level, sharing information between a limited set of marketing, sales, and service applications. The newest CRM suites take CRM functionality to the Internet-enabled, fully integrated Web services applications that are being developed today.