Today’s customers have certain expectations – they’ve grown to get in contact with a company however they want to, at any time, and they want as many choices as possible. Cloud customer relationship management (CRM) systems help embrace today’s customers by accessing the data they offer, such as habits, preferences and trends, and being available across multiple channels whenever they expect interaction.

CoreMatrix (News - Alert), a cloud computing consulting company, recently unveiled the results of a survey about the state of CRM. In 2012, 40 percent of CRM systems were cloud-based software. Cloud-based software offers the benefits of anywhere access, scalability, flexibility, integration, collaboration and data backup capabilities.

“The cloud is becoming the de facto standard for implementing CRM,” Rothman said. “Functional areas are integrated, with tools available for internal collaboration and for interacting with customers. Plus, with the cloud, CRM tools are more affordable and easier than ever to use.”

The report explains how in the past, CRM became a sort of taboo in the industry. Companies loved the idea of CRM – managing and optimizing customer relationships – but began to view CRM systems as a magic tool; something that could miraculously boost sales, relationships and profitability on its own. These unrealistic expectations have faded away and today companies understand the capabilities and functions CRM systems offer.

CRM users can capture data on their customers and use it to their advantage to tailor interactions and customize products and services.

"Many failed implementations were due to poor adoption strategies and unrealistic expectations about what CRM can or should do, and that many of those mistakes have been addressed by vendors who specialize in helping companies successfully implement CRM and embrace CRM as a business strategy and company-wide culture, rather than simply a technology,” added Paul Nix, CoreMatrix co-founder, in a statement."What hasn't changed, and is probably one of the chief reasons that CRM has had such a resurgence, is the need to manage customer relationships and the fact that satisfied customers serve as the foundation of every successful company.”

Read the entire report on CRM, “CRM: Is it Dead or Alive?” for more CRM success strategies and how businesses today are adopting cloud-based CRM solutions to improve business and customer relationships.