CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
Overview
A CRM system centralizes contacts, accounts, deals, and activities so sales, marketing, and support share one source of truth. Modern CRMs add automation, email integration, reporting, and extensibility through APIs and app marketplaces.
Key concepts
- Lead vs opportunity — Early interest vs qualified pipeline stages.
- Pipeline & stages — Forecasting based on weighted stages and velocity.
- Activities — Calls, emails, meetings, tasks tied to records.
- Segmentation — Lists and filters for campaigns and routing rules.
- Integrations — MAP, support desk, billing, and data warehouses.
Lead-to-customer flow
Sample: minimal deal record (fields)
| Field | Example |
|---|---|
| Account | Acme Corp |
| Stage | Negotiation |
| Amount | $48,000 |
| Close date | 2026-05-30 |
| Owner | Jordan Lee |