Customer Relationship Management (CRM) news, analysis, how-to, opinion and video.

Opinion

Prepping for Dreamforce 2018: The 1 thing to do right now

Dreamforce is 6 weeks out, and the way to get the most out of that week in San Fran is by taking quick action now.

Analysis

3 reasons CRM financial analysis always fails

A smart person once said, 'As long as you're asking the wrong questions, it doesn't matter what answers you come up with.' When it comes to making the business case for CRM, the CFO is likely to ask too many of the wrong questions.

laptop data analyze marketing plan report growth

Feature

Martech spending in 2018: What CIOs need to know

From CRM and business intelligence to chatbots and automation, marketers have spending plans across the marketing tech stack.

The Adaptive CIOBy Myles F. Suer
IDG Contributor Network

The future of CRM

What is the state of CRM and where should CRM tool vendors be going? Here's what CIOs have to say.

tools and a tablet forming the shape of a house/building

Bone of ContentionBy Mark Herring
IDG Contributor Network

New purpose-built platforms are ready to leverage the Age of Instrumentation

The information technology industry is rife with tools developed to serve a specific need.

News Analysis

SAP wants to woo businesses back to its CRM

Woo, not sue: That's SAP's new strategy for dealing with customers that want to access their core ERP data through a cloud-based CRM system.

Feature

10 things you need in a CRM vendor proposal (and 3 you don't)

If you're doing a CRM system conversion, expansion, or initial implementation, there are some things you need to look for — and look out for — in a vendor proposal. We'll help you sort it out.

Feature

CRM and GDPR: 8 points you may have missed

Today is the first day of the rest of your life … or at least of the endless process of GDPR compliance. Your customer relationship management (CRM) and marketing automation systems are ground zero for GDPR issues, but that’s not all....

handsome male executive holding finger up to be quiet keep a secret

Opinion

10 dirty secrets of CRM

CRM vendors cash in on your hopes for revenue, profitability and collaboration. And it's all true … except for the parts that they leave out. Here are some truths that they won't share but you should understand.

group of people applauding agreement community

Opinion

Building a customer community: 13 critical questions to get started

Salesforce, WordPress, Simplemachines, BB engines…they all have demos for community-building tools that will daze and amaze. But which one’s for you? Don’t go shopping until you’ve answered these questions.

Feature

What is the best CRM software? Key features to look for

Many businesses undervalue the planning that must go into CRM selection and overlook the importance of defining the capabilities and results that will matter most to their organization. Don't be one of them.

News

SAP will shut down SAP Anywhere service for SMBs

Two years after its launch, the service had attracted around 30 active customers.

Tutorial

Deduping in Salesforce: The complete how-to

Don’t be duped by Salesforce.com duplicate records. Deduping seems like one of those routine system maintenance issues, but it’s actually very tricky and there's no undo.

two dogs in file cabinet crm erp comparison similar pairs

Feature

Best free CRM software, 2018: 7 top tools

Customer relationship management (CRM) software can help businesses foster new sales opportunities and improve internal efforts to organize around key objectives. And with these free tools, CRM doesn't have to be an expensive...

ERP Talking PointsBy Ryan Warnock
IDG Contributor Network

Integrating your enterprise resource planning system with customer relationship management

Integrating new ERP software with their Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system provides a number of time-saving and data-related benefits.

Opinion

Salesforce administrator responsibilities: What needs to be done and when

What does a Salesforce administrator do all day, week or month? Here's the general rundown.

partnership collaboration puzzle pieces unity

Feature

CRM vs. ERP: What's the difference and which do you need?

Both CRM and ERP systems handle contacts, companies, quotes, orders and forecasts… and they may handle line-item configuration, bundles, delivery schedules and invoices. Where does one start and the other stop? Behold this guide for...

The Agile Monetization BlogBy Nathan Shinn
IDG Contributor Network

CRM

CRM | News, how-tos, features, reviews, and videos

Prepping for Dreamforce 2018: The 1 thing to do right now

Dreamforce is 6 weeks out, and the way to get the most out of that week in San Fran is by taking quick action now.

3 reasons CRM financial analysis always fails

A smart person once said, 'As long as you're asking the wrong questions, it doesn't matter what answers you come up with.' When it comes to making the business case for CRM, the CFO is likely to ask too many of the wrong questions.

Martech spending in 2018: What CIOs need to know

From CRM and business intelligence to chatbots and automation, marketers have spending plans across the marketing tech stack.

The future of CRM

What is the state of CRM and where should CRM tool vendors be going? Here's what CIOs have to say.

New purpose-built platforms are ready to leverage the Age of Instrumentation

The information technology industry is rife with tools developed to serve a specific need.

SAP wants to woo businesses back to its CRM

Woo, not sue: That's SAP's new strategy for dealing with customers that want to access their core ERP data through a cloud-based CRM system.

10 things you need in a CRM vendor proposal (and 3 you don't)

If you're doing a CRM system conversion, expansion, or initial implementation, there are some things you need to look for — and look out for — in a vendor proposal. We'll help you sort it out.

CRM and GDPR: 8 points you may have missed

Today is the first day of the rest of your life … or at least of the endless process of GDPR compliance. Your customer relationship management (CRM) and marketing automation systems are ground zero for GDPR issues, but that’s not all....

10 dirty secrets of CRM

CRM vendors cash in on your hopes for revenue, profitability and collaboration. And it's all true … except for the parts that they leave out. Here are some truths that they won't share but you should understand.

Building a customer community: 13 critical questions to get started

Salesforce, WordPress, Simplemachines, BB engines…they all have demos for community-building tools that will daze and amaze. But which one’s for you? Don’t go shopping until you’ve answered these questions.

What is the best CRM software? Key features to look for

Many businesses undervalue the planning that must go into CRM selection and overlook the importance of defining the capabilities and results that will matter most to their organization. Don't be one of them.

SAP will shut down SAP Anywhere service for SMBs

Two years after its launch, the service had attracted around 30 active customers.

Deduping in Salesforce: The complete how-to

Don’t be duped by Salesforce.com duplicate records. Deduping seems like one of those routine system maintenance issues, but it’s actually very tricky and there's no undo.

Best free CRM software, 2018: 7 top tools

Customer relationship management (CRM) software can help businesses foster new sales opportunities and improve internal efforts to organize around key objectives. And with these free tools, CRM doesn't have to be an expensive...

Integrating your enterprise resource planning system with customer relationship management

Integrating new ERP software with their Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system provides a number of time-saving and data-related benefits.

Salesforce administrator responsibilities: What needs to be done and when

What does a Salesforce administrator do all day, week or month? Here's the general rundown.

CRM vs. ERP: What's the difference and which do you need?

Both CRM and ERP systems handle contacts, companies, quotes, orders and forecasts… and they may handle line-item configuration, bundles, delivery schedules and invoices. Where does one start and the other stop? Behold this guide for...

Implement an agile monetization ecosystem or else

Digital transformation means building your enterprise's agile monetization ecosystem.