Short answer
CRM (customer relationship management) is a system that keeps customers, contacts, communication history, deals, quotes and tasks in one place. It helps sales and customer service not to lose anything and to see which stage every deal is at.
What a CRM does
- Customer card — contacts, company details and the full communication history.
- Sales pipeline — quotes and their status from first contact to contract.
- Tasks and reminders — who needs to get in touch, and when.
- Quotes and contracts — quick generation from templates.
- Reports — sales volumes, conversion, employee results.
When a company needs a CRM
- Customer information is scattered across e-mails, Excel spreadsheets and employees’ heads.
- When an employee leaves, the knowledge of their customers leaves too.
- The manager can’t see how many deals are in progress.
- Customers get answers late, or not at all.
A custom CRM
Off-the-shelf CRM tools work for standard sales. If your process has industry specifics — a dealer network, equipment tracking, integrations with state registers — a custom CRM works exactly your way. Example: the Valtek dealer management system with integrations with Horizon, VTUA, Lursoft and LAD.
For a CRM to actually be used, the rollout matters — read how to implement a CRM system.