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Once customer numbers become too large, any attempt to organize them manually can quickly become chaotic.
There was no user interface, nographic design, and no customer support to speak of with these mainframes.
However, the importance of the event wasnt fully recognized at the time.
Today,Salesforceis a huge name in the business software world generally - not just for its CRM.
TheresSalesforce Chatterfor communication,Salesforce Marketing Cloud,Salesforce Trailheadfor employee training and more.
And CRM wasnt yet on every companys radar.
They also benefitted from the lower upfront costs and ongoing maintenance provided by the cloud service model.
Mobile CRM was also pioneered by companies such as Siebel Systems with its Siebel Sales Handheld software.
This machine used the now-discontinued Windows CEoperating systemto provide some CRM functionality on the smaller screen.
There was a genuine competitive advantage in being able to meet customer needs when outside the office.
What if software was made available for free, maintained by a community of like-minded innovators?
The CRM wouldnt be looking to generate profits - just improve the lives of employees and customers.
The age ofopen-source CRMhad arrived.
Today, the open-source version ofSugarCRMhas been discontinued, but the product lives on in as a paid-for version.
Even so, there are many other CRM tools that have remained true to their open-source ethos.
In fact, many of the highest-rated CRMs today, includingZohoandHubSpotare lauded for their social media features.
And analyzing social data pipe data can help businesses identify leads and track emerging market trends.
There aresales CRMs,insurance CRMsand many other sector-specific applications.
Whats next for CRM?
For businesses, its a case of watching this space.
