Check out our new white paper on customer management software

Over at Less Annoying Software, we recently published a white paper about how customer management software can help small businesses and individuals improve relationships with their customers (where "published" in this case just means posting a PDF online). The paper also discusses some of the problems that small businesses run across when using CRM software (which has largely been designed for larger enterprises), as well as important features and considerations when choosing, implementing, and utilizing such software. I've written a brief summary of the paper below, but if your interest is piqued, download the white paper here (direct PDF link).

What is CRM
Despite the fact (or perhaps because of it) that our product at Less Annoying Software is a web-based customer management tool, we haven't talked much about CRM software on this blog. Customer relationship management (CRM) is defined as a widely adopted strategy within a company for managing, documenting, and optimizing all interactions between the company and its customers. Over the past 15 years or so, CRM software has been increasingly adopted in order to improve customer service and sales efficiency, particularly by larger enterprises. Small businesses have recently begun to jump on board as well, at a rapid rate.

The problems with CRM
While CRM can unquestionably be an outstanding tool for small businesses, problems arise when using software that was originally designed for much larger companies. Despite the clear benefits of well-implemented CRM systems, around half of all CRM implementations fail to live up to expectations. The majority of these of these failures are a result of companies and employees not fully understanding or adopting the system (as I mentioned last week).

Customer management software
While these types of failure rates may be a necessary evil at large enterprises, small businesses actually have better options. The poor adoption rates are largely a function of the complex nature of CRM software, but much of that complexity is tied up in features that aren't important for small businesses. Customer management software is a pared-down version of CRM software that focuses on the documentation and organization of customer interactions, with some basic reporting. This type of software can generally provide most if not all of the benefits of full-blown CRM for small businesses, while reducing the cost complexity, and implementation times.

Anyway, that gives you a flavor for what's in the white paper. If you're thirsting for more, feel free to check out the full thing (PDF link).