What is customer relationship management (CRM)? Customer relationship management (CRM) refers to the strategies, processes, and technologies businesses use to manage their interactions with both current and potential customers. The goal is to strengthen relationships, improve internal collaboration, and grow the business by creating a unified customer experience (CX). Demo CRM
Things to know about CRM
What does CRM do? Who uses CRM? Top capabilities to look for in CRM solutions? What are the benefits of CRM? Steps to getting started with CRM ServiceNow AI-based CRM platform
When people refer to CRM, they are usually talking about sales, customer service, or marketing software designed to centralize customer and lead information across channels. These software solutions track sales activity, marketing campaigns, service history, and any other interactions that shape the customer journey. Rather than scattering key details across various channels or locations, a CRM solution gives teams a shared view of the customer and automates workflows across teams to help sell, fulfill, and service. This makes sure that every conversation picks up where the last one left off.  

The best solutions use artificial intelligence (AI) to generate intelligent insights, suggest next steps, and automate actions, allowing for more responsive and personalized engagement. 

Here, we explore what CRM can do, and most importantly, how your organization can adopt a unified approach to CRM to increase customer satisfaction, drive revenue growth, and boost customer retention. 
Expand All Collapse All What does CRM do?
CRM solutions coordinate the work of sales, marketing, service, and fulfillment teams to deliver consistent, personalized customer experiences. They combine data, workflow automation, and AI to help organizations respond faster, resolve issues more efficiently, and strengthen relationships across every interaction. 

For example, when a customer contacts support, the service agent can immediately see that customer’s transaction history, past interactions, and recent engagement with marketing campaigns—reducing time to resolution and eliminating the need for the customer to detail their reason for reaching out. At the same time, automated workflows can assign follow-ups, update records, and trigger notifications across teams. The result is a more connected organization that can actively engage customers and deliver service that is truly seamless. 
CRM was supposed to fix the customer experience. It didn’t. “We’ve been talking about CRM for decades and digital transformation for years. We expected it to revolutionize customer experience and drive massive gains in productivity, reduce costs, and make it all better. But it didn’t happen.”  

- Terence Chesire, VP CRM and Industry Workflows, ServiceNow 
Hear from Terence
Who uses CRM?
CRM is not just a single application designed for a specific department. It is a platform that unites teams to better handle customer-related data, engagement, and activities. Beyond harnessing and storing this data, CRM solutions drive action across teams with automated workflows that resolve customer issues, provide sales support, and manage orders.

Customer service
Customer service is the largest segment of the CRM market, showing how important it is for a customer service team to manage customer relationships. CRM

Solutions with built-in customer service management (CSM) capabilities give service teams real-time access to customer records, case histories, and prior interactions—allowing agents to provide informed, responsive support. Many solutions also include self-service tools, such as knowledge bases and AI-powered virtual agents, to help customers resolve issues on their own and reduce call volume. The most effective platforms include guided workflows and playbooks that help agents resolve issues more quickly and more consistently. CSM functionality within a unified CRM platform enables work to be automatically assigned, routed, and tracked, even when resolution involves teams outside of traditional support roles.

Sales
CRM solutions give sales teams fast access to customer and lead records, including interaction history and opportunity status. This centralized visibility helps reduce the need to toggle between systems and supports more efficient pipeline generation and management. In addition to contact, lead, and opportunity management, teams leverage broader sales force automation (SFA) capabilities such as territory management, sales forecasting, and opportunity tracking. Automation features handle lead assignments and follow-ups, while AI highlights high-potential prospects and recommends outreach timing. Sales teams also use configure, price, quote (CPQ) tools to streamline complex quoting processes. These capabilities are used across both direct and partner sales channels to help keep visibility and alignment throughout the sales cycle.

Field service
Field service teams use CRM solutions to manage appointments and access service history from mobile devices. By working within the same platform, dispatchers and technicians can coordinate in real time, improving readiness and reducing delays through real-time mobile updates and schedule visibility. These tools also support technicians while they are on-site, providing access to playbooks for diagnostics and repair, as well as detailed information about installed equipment, site contacts, and work order specifics. Over time, CRM data can help teams identify recurring issues and proactively improve field operations.

Order management
The customer relationship doesn’t end with a front-office team—it extends through the full lifecycle of an order, from creation to validation, across sales and service. CRMs allow agents to capture, track, and manage orders through automated workflows that coordinate tasks across teams. The system can break down complex product or service bundles into manageable steps to improve execution. Customers can also place and monitor their own orders through self-service tools like portals or virtual agents. Order fulfillment teams rely on CRM to track progress, manage handoffs, and address issues quickly. With features like jeopardy management and task timelines, teams can spot bottlenecks and make adjustments before problems affect the customer.

Marketing
Marketing teams use CRM solutions to segment audiences, manage campaigns, and track responses based on behavior or demographics. Effective platforms capture and analyze data across every customer interaction—whether through email, web visits, purchases, or service engagements—so marketers can deliver relevant, personalized experiences. Automation schedules messages and triggers content based on individual preferences and behaviors. Built-in analytics help teams evaluate performance and refine strategies, while centralized access to insights improves campaign targeting and timing.
Find the right CRM for your needs Trying to figure out which CRM solution is best suited to your customer service and support needs? See why Gartner® named ServiceNow a Leader in its 2024 Magic Quadrant™ Get your copy
What are the top capabilities to look for in CRM solutions?
Implementing the right CRM strategy involves understanding the key capabilities that will drive the most value for your business. These capabilities should align with your operational needs, business goals, and customer journey. Here is what to consider: 

Contacto and lead management
At the core of any solution is the ability to organize customer data. In B2C contexts, this often means managing contacts and their engagement history. In B2B, CRM solutions likewise manage leads and track their progression as they become linked to accounts. CRM solutions make it possible for teams to easily segment, score, and assign contacts and leads based on behavior, preferences, or other predefined criteria.  

Account and opportunity management
CRM brings together all account-related activity—opportunities, contacts, support cases, and communications—into a single view, giving teams the context needed to manage relationships effectively. Opportunity management tools help track deal progress, assess pipeline health, and analyze trends across won and lost opportunities. With this visibility, sales teams can forecast more accurately and ensure smoother transitions to post-sale support and fulfillment. 

Workflow automation across various functions
CRM solutions function best when they use workflow automation to coordinate all the activities needed to sell, fulfill, and service across front, middle, and back-office teams. Instead of managing actions in isolated systems, teams should rely on automated processes for tasks like lead routing, case assignment, approval cycles, and service escalations. This reduces manual effort, shortens response times, and ensures consistent execution.  

Customer service and support
The customer service and support functions manage post-sale interactions, including issue resolution and feedback collection. Advanced support analytics contribute to data-driven strategies, fostering customer loyalty and increasing satisfaction. For field service teams, CRM tools provide in-field access to service records, appointment details, and customer notes. CSM capabilities take this a step further by using AI to route cases intelligently, generate summaries, and track resolution progress across departments. 

Email and communication management
Integrated email and messaging tools within a CRM solution allow teams to manage customer conversations from a shared workspace. Features like response tracking, follow-up automation, and conversation history support consistent and professional communication across the customer lifecycle. For service teams, these tools ensure continuity and reduce the need to invest time in addressing repeat questions. 

Third-party integration
CRMs must connect with other business applications to offer a complete view of the customer. Integrations with enterprise resource planning (ERP), marketing automation, commerce platforms, and support tools ensure that data flows smoothly across systems. This interoperability helps teams avoid redundant data entry and supports more informed decision-making. 

Analytics and reporting
If a company needs deeper insights into sales, marketing, or service, they can turn to analytics and reporting. This element is essential for understanding market trends and customer needs, which leads to more personalized and effective business strategies in general. 

Customization and configuration
No two organizations manage customers the same way. CRM should offer flexible configuration options to match business rules, approval flows, data models, and user roles. Customization ensures that teams work in an environment aligned with how they operate—without relying on workarounds or disconnected tools. 

Artificial intelligence
When built into a platform, AI can identify behavioral patterns, recommend next actions, deliver relevant information at the right moment, and automate tasks. AI agents assist with customer service by automating information retrieval and guiding users through self-service options, which helps reduce the need for live agent involvement while also speeding up resolution times. 

Mobile accessibility
CRM tools must be available wherever work is done. Mobile access ensures that sales reps, field technicians, and support staff can view and update records, collaborate with teammates, and respond to customer needs in real time—whether on-site, in transit, or between meetings. This may be of particular value to businesses that rely on a mobile workforce, where timely access to information can significantly affect service quality and operational performance. 
What are the benefits of CRM?
CRM solutions do more than just manage contacts or track sales—they help connect your organization and give your teams the resources and support to meet and exceed customer expectations. More specifically, the right CRM solutions provide the following advantages:

Delivering more consistent customer experiences
When every team has access to the same customer data, it’s easier to provide fast, relevant support—regardless of who is handling the interaction. CRM solutions break down information silos and keep customer context visible across sales, service, and marketing. This shared understanding helps avoid duplicate outreach, improves response times, and ensures that each handoff builds on the last. 

Improving personalization and service speed
CRM solutions use past interactions and preferences to shape offers, messages, and support responses. Agents resolve issues faster with full context, while marketers can trigger timely, targeted content. This level of responsiveness is particularly useful for high-volume customer support teams. 

Increasing productivity through AI and automation
AI-powered CRM tools automate repetitive tasks, surface relevant information, and suggest next-best actions. This helps agents triage cases faster, enables marketers to generate content and insights more efficiently, and allows sales teams to focus more on active selling. The result is faster execution and more time for high-value work.

Supporting revenue growth and retention
CRM data helps identify what products or services resonate, which accounts are at risk, and where to focus sales or service attention. Teams can use this insight to increase conversion rates, reduce churn, and grow long-term value across customer segments.

Removing friction from sales processes
CRM automates tasks like lead follow-ups, quote approvals, and deal tracking, giving reps more time to focus on selling. Managers can see pipeline status at a glance and adjust resources accordingly—without relying on complex spreadsheets or time-consuming status meetings.
What are the steps to getting started with CRM?
Making a CRM work for you does not necessarily require a complete overhaul of your business—but it does demand clarity, planning, and structure. A well-implemented CRM should improve your existing processes, not simply mirror or replace them. When preparing to implement CRM in your organization, consider the following steps: 

Clarify your goals from the beginning
Before selecting a CRM solution, define what success looks like for your business and map out the possible pain points you will need to address. Whether you are aiming to shorten sales cycles, improve service resolution times, or increase retention, clear goals targeting real concerns will guide your system configuration and workflow design. Mapping your sales and support processes can likewise help you find the right features to prioritize. 

Focus on data quality from day one
The value of your CRM depends on the accuracy of the data it contains. Clean existing records before migration, eliminate duplicates, and validate key fields (like contact info, deal stages, and service history). Put ongoing data governance processes in place to ensure continued reliability and usability. 

Leverage automation for routine tasks
CRM solutions are designed to reduce manual effort. Identify repetitive actions like lead routing, appointment scheduling, or service ticket triage, and configure automation to handle them. This not only saves time; it ensures consistency across teams. 

Integrate with your existing tools
A CRM works best when it operates as part of your larger ecosystem. Integrate with tools your team already uses—such as in-house apps, marketing platforms, ERP systems, or communication apps—to create seamless data flow and reduce context switching. 

Implement strong data security
Protecting customer data is a top priority. Choose platforms that offer enterprise-grade encryption, access controls, and audit capabilities. Establish clear internal policies for how data is collected, shared, and secured to meet compliance requirements and safeguard customer trust. 

Start small and iterate
Avoid the urge to launch every feature at once. Start with a focused implementation that supports a core process or team, then expand based on feedback and evolving needs. Track performance against your initial goals to measure impact and refine your approach over time.  

Use AI features to enhance productivity
Modern CRM solutions come with built-in AI tools that assist with tasks like opportunity scoring, customer sentiment analysis, and content generation. When used correctly, these features help teams respond faster and focus more of their time and effort on high-value interactions. 

Ensure strong user adoption
Successful adoption starts with selecting a CRM that fits naturally into how your teams work, so look for systems that make it easy to take action, surface relevant information quickly, and guide users with AI-powered prompts and insights. When the platform helps people get work done—rather than adding complexity—they're more likely to use it consistently. Features like built-in assistance, streamlined workflows, and role-based views help users stay productive and focused. 
Ready to get started with an AI-based platform that’s redefining CRM? 
ServiceNow CRM gives your teams everything they need to serve, sell, and support—so you can deliver better outcomes, every time. Schedule a demo today to see what a truly connected CRM platform can do for you. 
Explore customer workflows Streamline customer interactions and improve experiences with efficient, automated workflows on a single platform. Explore CRM Contacto Us
Resources Articles What is ServiceNow? What is customer service management (CSM)? Reinventing CRM with an AI-first approach The AI-driven CRM revolution Analyst Reports CORINIUM: The Customer Experience Perspective Aberdeen Knowledge Brief: Frictionless CX in Manufacturing Forrester Study: The Total Economic Impact of ServiceNow Customer Service Management Data Sheets Improve order management efficiency Omni-Channel in Customer Service Management Agent Experience in Customer Service Management Ebooks Customer Experience (CX) Trends Unlock CX excellence: The power of lead-to-cash innovation Five best practices for connecting customer service resources White Papers How CSPs can connect the dots for a better customer experience ASK the Expert: Strategies that accelerate productivity and customer satisfaction Activate ESG use case guide