Interviews with Digital Media Thought Leaders
Open Source CRM 101
Podcast Video | Posted by Phil Leigh on October 20, 2007
Summary: If you would like to learn the basics of Customer Relationship Marketing (CRM) software, this interview is for you.
Our guest today is Chris Harrick who is the Senior Director of Product Marketing for Sugar CRM. His company is a leader in the open source CRM marketplace.
Earlier in my career I was a stockbroker. It was necessary to prospect vigorously and keep track of customer interest by stock wtih nothing more than a Rolodex. Unfortunately, the more I prospected the greater the difficulty remaining current on the interests of each customer.
However, some of us discovered that we could do a better job by using a laptop computer and “Contacts” software, like ACT. Typically our employers would not buy such tools for us, so we bought them ourselves.
Within a few years, it became apparent that a stockbroker using a laptop for a Rolodex could be far more effective. Soon the employers realized that brokers who left for a competitor could take all of the valuable contact information with them. Such a situation could not be tolerated.
The experience was increasingly common in other industries as well. Therefore, corporate management concluded that they would have to duplicate, on company-owned computers, the capabilities of the laptop-carrying stockbrokers and salesmen. However, the use of corporate facilities created the opportunity for expanded functionality. This gave birth to the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software movement.
Since those early days, CRM has evolved and now permits multiple people in different departments within a given company to work collaboratively. An open source CRM product is even more adaptable. All of such capabilities are far beyond the poor powers of my laptop and ACT software.
Length: This video interview is covered in about 13 minutes.
Categories: Podcast Video
Tags: ACT, Contacts Software, CRM, digital media, Enterprise Software, Open Source, Oracle, Sugar CRM
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