This article originally appeared in the May 2012 issue of Customer Interaction Solutions magazine.

CRM solutions help businesses manage interactions with current and potential customers. But as customer behavior and requirements have evolved, so have many CRM solutions. For example, some companies in this space now deliver CRM products and services that enable different departments within an organization to access and share information. Also, CRM is front and center as more companies adopt multi-channel customer contact strategies that expand beyond voice, e-mail and chat to include mobile and social networking.

And while many CRM systems traditionally have targeted the largest companies, new solutions in this space now speak to the needs of small and medium businesses, which require more ease of use, and low-cost or no-cost upfront fees.

Here is a list of this year’s CRM Excellence Award Winners.

The Winners