A contact manager is a
software
Software consists of computer programs that instruct the Execution (computing), execution of a computer. Software also includes design documents and specifications.
The history of software is closely tied to the development of digital comput ...
program that enables users to easily store and find contact information, such as names, addresses and telephone numbers. They are databases that provide an integrated approach to tracking information and communication activities linked to contacts. Simple ones for personal use are included in most
smartphone
A smartphone is a mobile phone with advanced computing capabilities. It typically has a touchscreen interface, allowing users to access a wide range of applications and services, such as web browsing, email, and social media, as well as multi ...
s.
Sophisticated contact managers provide
calendar
A calendar is a system of organizing days. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months and years. A calendar date, date is the designation of a single and specific day within such a system. A calendar is ...
sharing features and allow colleagues to access the same database.
History
Contact list
A contact list is a collection of screen names. It is a commonplace feature of instant messaging, Email clients, online games and mobile phones. It has various trademarked and proprietary names in different contexts.
Contacts lists' windows ...
s have been available for a long time. An early contact management system was Exsell for DOS by Excalibur Sources, released in 1984.
Benefits
A contact management system may be chosen because it is thought to provide the following advantages:
[Aberdeen Group (January 2009) Automating Success: The Choice Between Contact Management and Customer Relationship Managemen]
/ref>
*Centralized repository of contact information
*Ready-to-use database with searching
*Sales tracking
*Email integration
*Scheduling of appointments and meetings
* Document management system, Document management
*Notes and conversation management
*Customizable fields
*Import/export utility
*Contact sharing
Differences from customer relationship management
Traditionally, a contact manager is usually used for instances where the sales interaction model of the organization is a one-to-many interaction model, in which a single sales representative is responsible for multiple roles within a company. Alternatively, a company with a many-to-many
Many-to-many communication occurs when information is shared between groups. Members of a group receive information from multiple senders.
Wikis are a type of many-to-many communication, where multiple editors collaborate to create content that is ...
interaction model, in which many sales representatives are targeting a single job role, a customer relationship management
Customer relationship management (CRM) is a strategic process that organizations use to manage, analyze, and improve their interactions with customers. By leveraging data-driven insights, CRM helps businesses optimize communication, enhance cus ...
system is preferred.[
However, most recent contact management solutions are fully adapted to many-to-many interactions models, and the difference between a CRM and a contact manager starts to lay more on the fact that CRMs are commonly used to automate sales and marketing processes (quotes, invoices, reminder emails, etc.) where contacts management solutions focus on a people-centric approach which goal is to centralize all contact information within an organization and have better control on who can access this data and how it is accessed.]
See also
* Address Book
An address book or a name and address book is a book, or a database used for storing entries, called contacts. Each contact entry usually consists of a few standard fields (for example: first name, last name, company name, address, telephone numb ...
* Automated online assistant
A virtual assistant (VA) is a software agent that can perform a range of tasks or services for a user based on user input such as commands or questions, including verbal ones. Such technologies often incorporate chatbot capabilities to streaml ...
* Business intelligence
Business intelligence (BI) consists of strategies, methodologies, and technologies used by enterprises for data analysis and management of business information. Common functions of BI technologies include Financial reporting, reporting, online an ...
* Business relationship management
Business Relationship Management (BRM) is viewed as a philosophy, capability, discipline, and role to evolve culture, build partnerships, drive value, and satisfy purpose.
BRM is distinct from enterprise relationship management and customer rela ...
* Comparison of CRM systems
This article is a comparison of notable CRM systems.
ERP systems are considered a superset of CRM systems.
General
Only stable releases are mentioned.
Features
See also
* Comparison of mobile CRM systems
* List of ERP software ...
* Consumer relationship system Consumer relationship systems (CRS) are specialized customer relationship management (CRM) software applications that are used to handle a company's dealings with its customers.
* Contact list
A contact list is a collection of screen names. It is a commonplace feature of instant messaging, Email clients, online games and mobile phones. It has various trademarked and proprietary names in different contexts.
Contacts lists' windows ...
* Customer experience transformation
* Customer experience
Customer experience, sometimes abbreviated to CX, is the totality of cognitive, affective, sensory, and behavioral responses of a customer during all stages of the consumption process including pre-purchase, consumption, and post-purchase st ...
* Customer intelligence
Customer intelligence (CI) as part of business intelligence is the process of gathering information regarding customers, and their details and activities, to build deeper and more effective customer relationship management, customer relationships ...
* Customer service
Customer service is the assistance and advice provided by a company to those who buy or use its products or services, either in person or remotely. Customer service is often practiced in a way that reflects the strategies and values of a firm, and ...
– contains ISO
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ; ; ) is an independent, non-governmental, international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries.
Me ...
standards
* Data management
Data management comprises all disciplines related to handling data as a valuable resource, it is the practice of managing an organization's data so it can be analyzed for decision making.
Concept
The concept of data management emerged alongsi ...
* Data mining
Data mining is the process of extracting and finding patterns in massive data sets involving methods at the intersection of machine learning, statistics, and database systems. Data mining is an interdisciplinary subfield of computer science and ...
* Database marketing
Database marketing is a form of direct marketing that uses databases of customers or potential customers to generate personalized communications in order to promote a product or service for marketing purposes. The method of communication can be an ...
* E-crm
The eCRM or electronic customer relationship management encompasses all standard CRM functions with the use of the net environment i.e., intranet, extranet and internet. Electronic CRM concerns all forms of managing relationships with customers ...
* Enterprise feedback management
Enterprise feedback management (EFM) is a system of processes and software that enables organizations to centrally manage deployment of surveys while dispersing authoring and analysis throughout an organization. EFM systems typically provide diff ...
(EFM)
* Event-driven marketing
Marketing is the act of acquiring, satisfying and retaining customers. It is one of the primary components of business management and commerce.
Marketing is usually conducted by the seller, typically a retailer or manufacturer. Products can ...
(EDM)
* Farley File
* Help desk
A help desk is a department or person that provides assistance and information, usually for electronic or computer problems. In the mid-1990s, research by Iain Middleton of Robert Gordon University studied the value of an organization's help des ...
* Mystery shopping
Mystery shopping is a process by which a company measures its own quality of sales and service, job performance or regulatory compliance by having a researcher pose as a customer and report their experience.
Mystery shoppers typically mirror ...
* Partner relationship management (PRM)
Partner relationship management (PRM), used especially in IT and cybersecurity industries,, accessed 17 January 2021 is a system of methodologies, strategies, software, and web-based capabilities which help a vendor to manage channel partner rela ...
* Predictive analytics
Predictive analytics encompasses a variety of Statistics, statistical techniques from data mining, Predictive modelling, predictive modeling, and machine learning that analyze current and historical facts to make predictions about future or other ...
* Professional services automation software
A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...
(PSA)
* Public relations
Public relations (PR) is the practice of managing and disseminating information from an individual or an organization (such as a business, government agency, or a nonprofit organization) to the public in order to influence their perception. Pu ...
* Real-time marketing
Real-time marketing is marketing performed " on-the-fly" to determine an appropriate or optimal approach to a particular customer at a particular time and place. It is a form of market research inbound marketing that seeks the most appropriate of ...
* Sales force management system
Sales force management systems (also sales force automation (SFA) systems) are information systems used in customer relationship management (CRM) marketing and management that help automate some sales and sales force management
Customer rela ...
* Sales intelligence
* Sales process engineering
Sales process engineering is the systematic design of sales processes done in order to make sales more effective and efficient..
It can be applied in functions including sales, marketing, and customer service
Customer service is the assista ...
* Supplier relationship management
Supplier relationship management (SRM) is the systematic, enterprise-wide assessment of suppliers' strengths, performance and capabilities with respect to overall business strategy, determination of what activities to engage in with different su ...
* Support automation
Customer support is a range of services to assist customers in making cost effective and correct use of a product. It includes assistance in planning, installation, training, troubleshooting, maintenance, upgrading, and disposal of a product. Regar ...
* The International Customer Service Institute
The International Customer Service Institute (TICSI) is an international partnership organisation to enable the recognition and sharing of global best practice in customer service. It was founded in 2005 operating out of London and Dubai and has ...
– contains customer service
Customer service is the assistance and advice provided by a company to those who buy or use its products or services, either in person or remotely. Customer service is often practiced in a way that reflects the strategies and values of a firm, and ...
standards
* Vendor relationship management Vendor relationship management (VRM) are software systems that aim to provide customers with both independence from vendors and better means for engaging with vendors. They are a category of systems used by businesses manage the vendor relationship ...
or VRM
* vCalendar
The Internet Calendaring and Scheduling Core Object Specification (iCalendar) is a media type which allows users to store and exchange calendaring and scheduling information such as events, to-dos, journal entries, and free/busy information, a ...
(main "calendar interchange" standard)
* vCard
vCard, also known as VCF ("Virtual Contact File"), is a file format standard for electronic business cards. vCards can be attached to e-mail messages, sent via Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), on the World Wide Web, instant messaging, N ...
(main "contact interchange" standard)
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References
Data management software