CRM, CXM, and Marketing Automation

Customer relationship management (CRM) systems are already widespread in Germany. Their focus is usually on managing the field sales force to ensure customer loyalty. Increasingly, this also includes support from the customer service and marketing sides. Marketing automation systems (MAS), on the other hand, are designed to increase efficiency and effectiveness in marketing. In the B2B area, lead management plays the decisive role. The latest CRM software attempts to take this aspect into account by integrating lead management functions. However, a key lever for improving profitability and growth is in any case end-to-end IT support for customer orientation through standardized processes and databases in marketing, sales, and customer service. However, this requires not only suitable software, but also an adjustment of the role model and responsibilities in marketing and sales. The focus here is on a holistic view of the customer, from the customer’s perspective and not just from the company’s perspective. The term “customer experience” has become established for this purpose, as has the term “customer experience management” (CXM).