We are entering 2003 and CRM is still a promise. It is almost beginning to appear like that type of soccer player that is born like a promise, but the time passes and he never gets to the Brazilian National Team. I believe – really hope – that this doesn’t happen to (E-)CRM.

We live a moment in which investment decisions in technologies and strategic changes in the way that companies relate to their clients can define their future success or failure.

This new scenario, in a renewed focus on mantaining and winning clients, contributed to the growth presented by the CRM applications in the past year and will continue to stimulate business until 2004, upon which date we foresee a global revenue of US$9 billion. In spite of the actual state of the economy, forcing companies to cut costs in many areas, the clients still expect the same level of service. Client satisfaction always was a key element to competitive strategy.

In a more ample way, CRM is an integrated and integral business strategy that makes it possible for companies to efficiently manage the historical relationships with their clients. As a substratum, it offers an integrated vision of the company’s clients for all the people in the organization at different levels of access.

CRM isn’t a product or service. It is a philosophy that transforms a company into client-oriented (or be it, the evolution of the market-oriented company to one-to-one marketing-oriented). As a tool, it capacitates the company to develop, linked to business intelligence, the customer intelligence.

When on a Web platform, CRM configures as E-CRM or Electronic Customer Relationship Management. E-CRM is the consistent, systematic and personalized management process of the online interactions with the clients, providing dynamic and profound understanding of their needs and their behavioral patterns, embracing marketing, sales, services, billing, post sales, among others. By utilizing the company’s knowledge and increasing its level of client understanding, with E-CRM, the company goes on to manage the client in a unique way.

E-CRM is, therefore, the concept that integrates CRM and E-Commerce, permitting that CRM enjoys the same advantages of the applications available via Internet, such as 24 x7 availability, self-service and cooperation with other systems. Other names can also be used to identify E-CRM, such as PRM (Partner Relationship Management), ERM (Enterprise Relationship Management) and eBRM (electronic Business Relationship Management), since all of these refer to the company’s value chain.