###### Abstract
[24] discovered that the expenditure of creating a new buyer is five times higher than retaining the present one. Since CRM is an effective way to obtain and scatter personalized customer knowledge, it has become an essential aspect of an organization's business strategy. CRM systems can help organizations boost their interactions with their buyers to improve and accelerate the response of the buyers' needs [25; 26]. For maximum sales and competitive benefits, companies are trying to discover global solutions. The thriving enforcement of CRM in the GSD context is essential for mature sales growth and gaining significant advantages over business competitors. By analyzing and organizing the relevant customer data, CRM systems help develop leads, close deals, create strong customer relationships and customer retention, increase sales, and acquire customized services. Various studies [27] have been performed to improve the software development process for colocated organizations and companies operating in globally distributed environments [28; 29]. For example, [PERSON] et al. [30] explored the affecting elements and benefits in CRM accomplishment. The authors considered a case study in which business process re-engineering (BPR) and organizational learning promoted successful CRM perpetration at the enterprise level. [PERSON] et al. presented [31] a CRM success model consisting of CRM initiatives found by conducting an empirical study. The model includes success factors: process fit, customer data quality, system support, productiveness, customer satisfaction, and remunerations. However, the success factors of CRM were investigated from the developer's perspective. In [32], the authors extracted the key success factors of the CRM approach and formulated a model based on their findings. This study examined 11 critical success factors based on human, technology, and organizational components from the vendor perspective. [PERSON] et al. [33] described the dimensions concerns from the technical, cultural, and organizational points of view for successful CRM implementation in a colocated context. The investigation carried out by [PERSON] et al. [34] stated that client-vendor relationship development gets affected by factors such as communication and trust. It is evident from the literature that CRM strategy has considerably improved customer relationships [35]. Despite the importance of CRM in many domains, there is no comprehensive study investigating the challenges of successfully implementing CRM in GSD. Little impactful research has been presented on the theoretical and implementation aspects of CRM focused on customer requirements and satisfaction [36]. Software organizations have acknowledged the importance of CRM and striving to obtain the maximum benefit out of it. Organizations operating in a distributed environment bear more challenges of successfully implementing CRM than those working in a colocated environment. Thus, the effective implementation of processes and the management of human resources and technologies will lead to sustainability in terms of sales growth and reduce operational costs. Furthermore, it is imperative to investigate successful customer relationship models and approaches for CRM practices [37]. This research study attempts to address the factors that can influence CRM implementation in globally distributed organizations and propose a conceptual model based on these identified and validated factors. Identifying the challenges towards CRM implementation will allow the organizations to overcome implementation failures and sales pitfalls to drag CRM back on track. This study also aims to identify the barriers to CRM implementation in GSD to effectively implement and maintain the relationship with global customers. Although the significance of CRM has been ascertained globally, the potential factors influencing a CRM system in a GSD environment have not been explored yet. Thus, this study also aims to discover the challenges of CRM in a globally distributed environment.