A panel of experts is hosting a free Webinar this week that’s designed to answer this pressing question for companies that deal with customer relationship management: Why is open source among the best platforms for the “new” breed of CRM, known as “CRM 2.0”?

 

In general, experts say, CRM is a multifaceted process, mediated by a set of information technologies that focuses on creating two-way exchanges with customers so that companies have an intimate knowledge of their needs, wants and buying patterns.

 

But according to a panel led by SugarCRM (News - Alert) and BPT Partners, there’s a new, more demanding breed of customer who is “demanding than they ever have been and are insisting on more than just being sold at and getting messages pushed at them. They are insisting on owning their own experience with a company and owning their relationship to that company.”

 

During a three-part series called “New World CRM – Enterprise 2.0 and the Era of the Social Customer,” participants can find ways to develop relationships with a type of consumer that demands more personal attention than ever before.

 

Part two of the series is titled “Open Source and CRM 2.0 the Next Frontier.”

 

Register here for the Webinar, to be held at 2 p.m. Eastern on Wednesday, July 9.

 

Experts will define CRM 2.0 and discuss its benefits and whether it really fosters customer collaboration and whether working with an open source product with CRM 2.0 will be different from traditional solutions.

 

Presenters include Paul Greenberg, chief customer officer at BPT, and Martin Schneider, SugarCRM’s director of product marketing. The free event will be moderated by TMCnet’s own Brendan B (News - Alert). Read, a senior contributing editor who specializes in Customer Interaction Solutions.