CRM is not just a database of contact records keeping track of customers birthdays etc. A well implemented CRM will empower your organisation and allow you to create workflows and business processes to help close deals and not let opportunities fall down between the cracks. Below is an illustration of a basic business process.
A business process is a series of activities or tasks that lead to a specific completedservice or defined product. These activities can also be bundled into a specific step within the process, with the process being made up of a series of steps or stages. A business process can be thought of as something that serves a particular goal for a particular prospect, customer, or customers. The automation of processes keeps promises and tasks from falling between the cracks and helps to organize and systemize particular business best practices. The automation of processes also supports the effort of a corporation to standardize processes within certain groups of users.
