The experts over at are building a very interesting Interactive Timeline of CRM Software history. It already includes 18 key events that have shaped the CRM software industry over the last 30 years. It's a quick way to understand the context of current events in the industry. But they want your help – check out the summary date list below and leave your comments about other key events to add to this timeline.
Late 1980s - Introduction of Client/Server Architecture
1986 - First Contact Management Software
1993 - Siebel Systems Enters the Market
1995 - Term "Customer Relationship Management" Coined
1997 - ERP Vendors Expand to Front Office
1998 - CRM Expands Beyond Point Solutions to a Broader Suite
1998 - SAP Enters Market to Rival Larger Vendors
1999 - Acquisitions Lead to Consolidation of the Market
1999 - e-CRM Vendors Provide Stiff Competition
1999 - Salesforce Enters Market as First Major SaaS Vendor
1999 - Nortel Buys Out Call Center Leader Clarify
2001 - Burst of the Dot-Com Bubble
2001 - Sage Enters Market and Expands Through Acquisitions
2002 - Integration With Legacy Systems Becomes a Selling Point
2002 - Microsoft Dynamics CRM Enters The Market
2006 - Siebel Wiped Out In String of Oracle Acquisitions
2009 - New Technology Expands Customer Service Capabilities
Future - Looking Forward: Trends to Watch in CRM
Personally, I would add "Mobile CRM" as a trend/event for CRM Software. Accessing on smartphones, remotely, mobile devices. But I am honestly not sure what year that started. Any experts out there?
I look forward to your comments to add to this list.
By Anya Ciecierski, CAL Business Solutions,
I am amazed how many folks still don’t realize that you don’t need to pay thousands of dollars anymore for a business solution that can help you do more with less. We all have been using online solutions such as hotmail and gmail for ages now – do you know that you can do the same with an affordable online solution for your business – track your contact, sales, marketing and customer service issues all in one place and all online – no software, no hardware, no IT person – just log in from any internet connection and you have access to your information. You can also try it for free. You can learn more at
Very Interesting Article!!
Binarch.com provides "Multiply ERP" Software for small to medium level businesses. Software is useful for Hose assembly manufacturers and distributors to manage or plan resources as well as inventory.
In addition to mobile I think we are seeing another trend that won't be as big but is significant. I think that in the future project management (and all it's variations such as PSA etc.) is going to become an indispensable and fairly standard part of CRM. Having project management software be its own "island" has never made any sense, it's about as non-sensical as tracking service related activities in a different program that your CRM program. companies need a 360 degree view of their resources and scheduling, and project management also often relates to *customers*, the C in CRM.
So instead of bloated over-complicated project management software that no one but an engineer loves, and that typically has horrible adoption, we will see easier to use PM built right into CRM. We are already seeing this on a basic level with many CRM programs, or in the case of Dynamics CRM we are seeing several advanced add-on solutions. I think the trend is going to continue and in years to come PM being a part of CRM is going to be as common as cases or service requests being a part of CRM.