My, my, the world of sales has come a long way in just a few decades: From tablets of paper and loads of pens, most salespeople can now access online-based information gathering systems that tell them everything from a customer’s first contact with a business to what they prefer and who their key contacts are. The new pen and paper have a name, now, too: customer relationship management, or CRM, software systems.
CRM resemble the pen-and-paper systems in only one way: they’re a record of a customer. In every other facet, the best CRM systems have kept pace with technology, enabling every department of every business to access account details and relevant data about current, past and potential clients. And they can access that information wherever they are—on the road, from a smartphone, for example. What else do you need to know about CRM systems? This graphic helps explain it.
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This infographic originally appeared on Salesforce.com.

Joseph A. Michelli, Ph.D. is a professional speaker and chief experience officer at The Michelli Experience. A New York Times #1 bestselling author, Dr. Michelli and his team consult with some of the world’s best customer experience companies.
Follow on Twitter: @josephmichelli