Customer Relationship Management

I've recently added study notes on an article about customer relationship management. It's nothing new, but more recent than previous material I had read on the same topic, and the article is very brief compared to the books that have been written on the topic - but it is also very matter-of fact and largely devoid of hype.

CRM was a popular notion about fifteen years ago, and like many popular notions, there was a flash of interest, but little understanding. As a result, there were many vendors that offered quick-and-dirty solutions that did little good, the net result of which was that many were led to dismiss CRM as a fad with no inherent value.

But now that the glimmer of novelty has faded, the companies that have been left standing are those who took more methodical approach and have gained ground slowly, and the potential for CRM to create competitive advantage in markets in which there has been no effective first-mover remains, making the concept worth re-consideration.