| e was such a thing as a crystal ball which can | | | | socialising and communication. |
| accurately predict the future, it is a sure bet that it | | | | The popularity of social networking websites such as |
| would be at the top of every organization's wishlist | | | | Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Digg and QQ make |
| of items to get. However, followers of the customer | | | | them ideal features to include in and play a strong |
| relationship management (CRM) industry do not need | | | | role in CRM software applications. CRM can also learn |
| to look further than small businesses to get a glimpse | | | | a thing or two from how these websites engage |
| of where the industry's best practices are headed. | | | | with their users. However, these very attractive |
| CRM has been around for a while, but how individuals | | | | features of social networking websites also means |
| and organizations are putting CRM applications and | | | | that aligning CRM goals to social networking activities |
| technologies to good use are dramatically changing | | | | is likely to get more difficult. |
| the ways how businesses connect, communicate and | | | | The development of increasingly robust hardware |
| engage with their customers. No where is this more | | | | and their subsequent lower price tag as the |
| apparent than among small businesses who often | | | | technology matures and becomes cheaper to |
| face challenges which are similar yet different to | | | | manufacture, means that many of these mobile |
| those faced by larger organizations. | | | | devices are now able to tackle CRM applications |
| Information communication technology (ICT) have | | | | which were once too heavy for them to handle. |
| helped CRM applications and strategies to evolve to | | | | The convenience factor as well as the comparatively |
| the point where CRM efforts are able to be more | | | | lower price tags are challenging conventional thinking |
| focused and more social, thus creating a greater | | | | on mobile CRM computing and quickly turning |
| impact on customers. The proliferation of online social | | | | non-laptop mobile devices into the preferred CRM |
| media and networking websites means that the way | | | | tool for sales personnel based in the field, backed-up |
| how people communicate, share information and | | | | by and synchronised to permanent workstations |
| socialise is increasingly online and across time zones. | | | | back at headquarters. |
| Another significant impact of ICT on CRM is that it | | | | Companies which are ahead of the pack know that |
| becomes easier for sales-based organizations to | | | | they need to harness the advantages of both online |
| reach across traditional marketing boundaries, thanks | | | | and offline CRM potential in order to create a |
| to the ease, convenience and cost-effectiveness of | | | | stronger and more responsive marketing machine. |
| utilizing the internet and ICT as an integral part of | | | | It is clear that with all the above taking place, CRM |
| their overall CRM strategy. | | | | can be a powerful tool to drive business transactions |
| This also means the lines between professional and | | | | and activities across multiple marketing channels. |
| social networking are increasingly blurred. Already, the | | | | Companies seeking to identify new markets or even |
| industry is seeing the emergence of CRM software | | | | just to rejuvenate old ones need to be courageous |
| which are customised for mobile devices such as wi-fi | | | | to move away from traditional channels and to |
| enabled smartphones and netbooks to take | | | | investigate the feasibility and viability of some of |
| advantage of this growing trend of people using the | | | | these recent advancements as well as the |
| internet-based communication as their main hub of | | | | opportunities which result from them. |