sparkles
sparkles

What is a CRM? Definition and examples of software

By Grégory Coste.

Published: 30 June 2025

What is CRM?

The acronym for Customer Relationship Management refers to :

  • not only a customer relationship management strategy,
  • but also a set of tools to support it.

CRM software is used to centralise and exploit interactions and data relating to players outside the company (customers, prospects, suppliers, etc.).

What are the benefits and key features? Appvizer gives you the ABCs of CRM - software ⤵️

What is CRM? Definition

A CRM tool, also known as Customer Relationship Management or CRM software, enables you to manage data, relationships and interactions with all your contacts, who may be of different kinds:

  • customers
  • prospects

but also :

  • members
  • members
  • users,
  • collaborators
  • partners
  • suppliers, etc.

It is an essential tool for all companies that want to increase productivity and optimise their approach to customers throughout their lifecycle (prospecting, sales and loyalty).

The Eudonet video below gives a simple definition of CRM and reminds us that it is used in 3 main areas of business:

  • marketing/communication
  • sales/business development
  • customer service.

6 key CRM features

1. Contact management

The heart of CRM is customer or prospect data. All contacts are centralised in a database, also known as a CRM database.

The company's various departments have access to the information via detailed records, either to update them or to search for information (last contact, last purchase, current dispute, etc.).

The exhaustiveness of the data also enables you to categorise your contacts according to their characteristics and behaviour, for effective marketing segmentation and targeting.

2. Document management

e-CRM also centralises all useful documents and makes them accessible online 24 hours a day to all stakeholders:

  • the sales rep on the road can access an online quotation template which he can download to present to a prospect;
  • if the customer signs an order form, the sales rep can download it from the document database;
  • logistics is immediately notified of the product ordered and the invoicing department issues the invoice which it sends to the customer.

3. Sales process management

CRM software is essential for a company's sales force because it takes into account the sales process, from the creation of an opportunity to the implementation of the different phases of the sales cycle.

Prospecting is easy to monitor, thanks to the fact that each step taken by the prospect is recorded in a customised pipeline: appointment, opportunity, sale, etc.

On the other hand, a CRM like Salesforce Sales Cloud is capable of automating the sales process by detecting the best business opportunities and suggesting them to sales staff.

Here's an image of the type of questions that salespeople can ask Zoho CRM's artificial intelligence and how it can respond:

4. Sending targeted marketing campaigns

In order to capture your customers effectively throughout their lifecycle, CRM software has a module or connector to marketing automation software (such as Webmecanik) for scripting and automating all your marketing actions.

If your contact base is well segmented, the marketing department can send out personalised email campaigns, whether to encourage prospects to think things through or to keep in touch with loyal customers.

☝️ Some CRM systems, such as Initiative CRM, have built-in emailing functionality.

5. Performance analysis

By entering your sales indicators and targets in CRM, you can set up a dashboard to help you manage your sales activity, with key figures available in real time.

Based on performance, you can adjust your sales action plan to achieve your sales targets.

What's more, you can make sales forecasts based on past activity, and detect periods that are favourable for prospecting or buying from your customers.

Certain data can help you identify the best customers, or calculate customer lifetime value, for example.

Example of a dashboard with Sellsy CRM software:

6. The support and customer service module

This is where every interaction with a contact, user or customer is stored.

A support and/or customer service module enables your team to communicate with your customers whatever the communication channel: telephone, email, chat, social networks, etc.

This type of module provides a ticketing tool that allows you to allocate the customer request according to its nature and priority to the appropriate member of staff: a technical expert, the after-sales service, logistics, etc.

To facilitate customer service collaboration and responsiveness, some CRM modules offer the option of providing customers with a knowledge base and a FAQ.

7. AI at the service of customer management

It's no longer science fiction or just a trend: used properly, artificial intelligence transforms CRM solutions into machines for boosting customer relations. It allows you to :

  • Automate repetitive tasks for sales and marketing teams,
  • refine campaigns
  • take advantage of marketing automation
  • and direct every interaction with customers to the right channel at the right time in the process.

Pretty handy when you've got other things to do than chase leads, but care about customer satisfaction! 🙌

By cross-referencing your customer database and the history of your leads, the CRM system coupled with AI helps you choose the right specific action, improves the quality of customer service, and saves your sales teams a huge amount of time by lightening their load. How can this be achieved? Because it allows you, for example :

  • develop the use of chatbots to respond to several customers at once,

  • identify needs using predictive analysis,

  • optimise interactions and remain highly responsive to the market,

  • respond better and identify customer expectations.

CRM systems such as Zoho or Salesforce already incorporate these multiple advanced functionalities within their management software. These are unique platforms that offer you a host of possibilities! In short, choosing an AI-enhanced CRM tailored to your needs is the way to simplify your organisation, save time and, above all, improve your customer relationship management.

Other complementary features

These features are available natively, as modules or via connectors with other software:

  • invoicing
  • diary sharing (G Suite, Outlook, etc.),
  • supplier order management,
  • access to a product catalogue
  • geolocation of contacts, etc.

To give you an idea of the vast possibilities offered by CRM software, here is an image of the Simple CRM application launcher:

Why use a CRM? 5 advantages

1. Know your customers better

A good knowledge of its contacts enables the company to improve the customer experience online, in-store, in short, across all sales and communication channels.

It gathers important data from each interaction and keeps a valuable history.

As a result, customer follow-up is more effective. Detect customers who are not active, automatically follow up prospects and analyse customer requests to optimise your customer follow-up.

In this way, you can ensure that every opportunity has been exploited and that your customers are satisfied with the offer or product you are proposing.

2. Better prospecting and selling

By getting to know your customers better, you can respond more effectively to their expectations and offer them the right commercial products at the right time.

By segmenting your contact base according to the information you collect and update, you can personalise your marketing campaigns, increase their impact and achieve a better return on investment (ROI).

3. Improve customer satisfaction and loyalty

Listening to your customers and users is also an essential part of the relationship: you need to be able to react quickly to demand, whatever the communication channel.

What's more, winning a new customer requires a lot more effort than retaining an existing one. It's also much more expensive.

A CRM tool that is connected to all channels makes it possible to monitor and analyse all exchanges with your customers, whether by e-mail or on social networks.

4. Be more responsive and work better together

The great advantage of CRM software is that it aligns marketing objectives with sales objectives. It allows you to put in place a relevant marketing strategy to monitor the customer journey.

What's more, all CRM users have the same level of information and the same documents at their disposal, so they can work effectively to improve customer satisfaction.

To this end, Oryanoo CRM integrates professional messaging and document sharing. A collaborative application to help marketing and sales departments stop pulling their hair out!

5. Staying competitive, quite simply

In a digitalized world where customers are volatile and interact on a multitude of channels, companies need a connected CRM tool to stand out from the competition.

If you're wondering how to set up a CRM project, and in particular how to choose your software, don't forget that a good CRM is above all one that will meet your specific needs and that all your employees will quickly adopt.

What's the difference between ERP and CRM tools?

CRM and ERP are often confused: and yet they're not the same thing! These two equally effective technologies have different applications and functionalities. It's up to you to choose what suits your needs, but if you want to put in place a structured approach to your business, you need to make no mistake. Both tools are there to help you with your business and your professional objectives, but in different ways.

CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

By now you've understood that a CRM solution is an IT tool used to manage your company's customer relations! It allows you to focus on easily improving the customer journey and giving high added value to every relationship with the user.

✅ Do you want to be responsive in all your dealings? Respond very quickly to the various needs, questions and requests of your prospects? CRM manages your business efficiently and productively, providing you with genuine relational support.

ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)

ERP doesn't pretend! Easily integrated into your day-to-day business, it optimises your company's internal organisation. This comprehensive software package provides you with centralised data to manage a wide range of tasks, such as accounting, project management, risk management, purchasing and stock management. In short, it gives you a new, global view of your business activity.

In short, CRM software offers you the best service for managing customer relations, while ERP software boosts internal processes. The important thing is to use the one that will be most useful for your company and your employees. And why not use both! It all depends on the problems you face and your objectives.

Is CRM useful for all sizes of company?

Small, medium-sized or large: every type of business has everything to gain from using a management system tailored to its sales cycle. It's not size that counts, but strategy, management of customer potential and management efficiency. Whether you're a VSE, an SME or a large group, there's a CRM for you... as long as you find one that suits your needs.

VSEs: get to the heart of the matter, without getting bogged down

With few staff, a limited budget and often just one tool to manage everything, CRM becomes a new central point for every message, exchange or contact, and improves the customer experience. It facilitates implementation, optimises costs and avoids oversights.

SMEs: structuring for growth

This is where CRM starts to become a lever for management and strategy. It is capable of managing customer potential, analysing behaviour, making joint decisions, and arming the sales force by offering solutions without multiplying the number of tools. Updating becomes automatic, monitoring clearer and collaboration between employees fluid.

Large companies: manage, segment and automate

In a growing group with high volumes, integrating a CRM offers a central network:

  • multi-channel monitoring (website, social networks),

  • fine segmentation,

  • business management dashboards,

  • and the ability to adapt to each stakeholder or partner.

Whatever your level of maturity, the right CRM will help you get through the next stage. The only real question is: are you ready to exploit its full potential?

Now you know the answer to the question "What is a CRM?

A well-used CRM is really more than just a tool! It's a unique platform that connects communications, the sales force and customer support. It enables you to sell, analyse, manage and ensure the implementation of targeted actions, even with a single device or a small workforce. Every agent or employee can access it easily, whatever their job or sector. Every message, every point, every phase is tracked, from the first contact to the selection of the right supplier, the order and then maintenance.

Designed for the future, aligned with a realistic strategy, CRM offers greater profitability, a better conversion rate and enables you to reduce your costs and increase your visibility. Ultimately, it simplifies decision-making for you, based on concrete measures. In fact, a good CRM platform helps you to manage your business, your account and your income, while refocusing on the essentials. It's a tool that saves you time for what really deserves it.