CRM has evolved from its customer service roots to include marketing and other applications. It has come to be used to manage relationships with suppliers, partners, and other non-employees. Other emerging features of CRM include real-time queuing and routing of customers based on their profiles. More valuable customers can be routed to a customer representative more quickly under such a system.
In the future, CRM will incorporate features such a voice-over Internet protocol, live chat, and other Web enabled tools to enhance the customer's experience. As of early 2001, B to B magazine reported that IBM was experimenting with creating virtual people—complete with photorealistic, digital human faces—that could interact with customers in real time. New technologies will result in expanding the boundaries of CRM to enable companies to engage in oneto-one marketing and provide customers with deeper, more meaningful, and lasting relationships.
FURTHER READING:
Apicella, Mario. "Are You Being Served?" InfoWorld, July 16, 2001.
Berkowitz, David. "Putting Customers First with Patricia Sey-bold." eMarketer, May 18, 2001. Available from www.emarketer.com.
Butler, Steve. "Budgeting for Customer Relationship Management." eMarketer, April 30, 2001. Available from www.emarketer.com.
Chiem, Phat X. "Special Report: Revolution Gives Way to Evolution." B to B, February 19, 2001.
Clark, Philip B. "The ROI of CRM." B to B, June 11, 2001.
Conlin, Robert, and Clare Saliba. "Report: Customer Service Spending to Buck Economic Downturn." E-Commerce Times, June 26, 2001. Available from www.ecommercetimes.com.
"The CRM Report." eMarketer, April, 2001. Available from www.emarketer.com.
"Customer Relationship Management." InfoWorld, April 16, 2001.
Jackson, Jonathan. "Giving Good eMail Service." eMarketer, May 14, 2001. Available from www.emarketer.com.
Leon, Mark. "CRM." InfoWorld, July 16, 2001.
Schmerken, Ivy, et al. "Technology Makes Convergence a Reality." Bank Systems & Technology, May 2001.
Seybold, Patricia. The Customer Revolution, New York: Crown Publishing Group, 2001.
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