Taking a step back away from the hype could well lead to more sustainable long-term success. Frequently, the term is used to refer to describe only one element, and here is where the confusion begins to mount. Yet the true power of CRM is more complex, involving, at its heart, a sophisticated approach to using customer information. This implies that all contact center software is not CRM software all of the time. CRM is not accomplished by simply installing a particular software package, but instead is a long-term endeavor that involves people, processes and technologies.
Technologies are tools to accomplish the above goals.
For example, a centralized data repository is necessary for customer-facing employees to effectively obtain customer information. People and their skill sets represent the another criteria for CRM to be effective. Finally, procedures and processes play a critical role. This necessitates moving ownership of the customer from the departmental to the enterprise-wide level. Powerful as this concept is, it can hardly be considered new.