CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, refers to processes implemented by a company to handle its contact with its clients and customers in a better manner. The main aim of CRM is to increase the client base, retain existing customers and reduces overall costs of marketing and after sales service.

A CRM system provides the following distinct advantages:

• It increases quality and efficiency of service, and makes client interactions profitable.

• There is increased cost efficiency, which leads to greater productivity.

• It ensures that all the management and staff are on the same page and real time sales and marketing data is easily accessible to all.

• Being a web based application, it can be easily accessed by anyone from anywhere in the world using a Java enabled web browser.

CRM applications use technology to organize and manage all the business processes. All activities pertaining to sales, marketing and customer support are automated, thus increasing professionalism as well as reducing costs. All the company’s interactions with customers, clients and sales prospects are managed by the CRM tool.

Quite often, departments within an organization tend to work without any collaboration and one department may be hampering the work of another. The use of CRM tools and services ensures that all the various departments within any organization are updated in real time on all aspects of sales, marketing, services and customer follow-ups. All employees can get a single holistic view of each customer in real time…enabling quick and informed decisions that will keep the customer happy.

Records and data management become very simple and efficient. A comprehensive database of customers can be built up which describes all interactions in detail, so that management, sales staff and service staff can access the information and update it. It becomes very simple to match client needs and new product offerings, thereby enhancing client service to the fullest potential.

One of the most popular CRM applications available today is SugarCRM, available in both Open source as well as Commercial open source applications. SugarCRM customization can be done to ensure that the product is a perfect match to your CRM requirements.

The application can be seamlessly integrated with your existing software to ensure that there is no loss of data. SugarCRM integrates with your business applications: your website, e-Commerce platform, marketing software, learning management systems, accounting software and much more. Sugar CRM can be used across various platforms such as Linux, Windows, Mac or UNIX. Email management within Sugar is provided by Sugar email integration through Microsoft Outlook.

All said and done, for any business, the bottom-line is profitability. Profits on an upward spiral spur organizations on to growth and expansion. And that can only happen when customers are happy. Professionally managed SugarCRM customization helps to do just that. Today, due to the challenging business environment faced by organizations worldwide due to increasingly stiff competition, CRM applications are in great demand.

Customer Relationship Management System truly is the heart of business success!