The U.S. customer relationship management (CRM) industry developed out of a need for businesses to facilitate and track customer engagement. A century ago, companies used simple pen-and-paper strategies to manage customer relations. Since then, technological advancement and an expanded pool of potential customers driven by population growth have added a great deal of complexity to the process. Today, firms must sustain and track interactions across a variety of channels (e.g., phone, email, and social media) and administer massive customer databases.

This executive brief provides an introductory look at the history of the CRM industry, while illustrating market sizing trends and touching upon key drivers, regulatory outlook, and mergers & acquisitions (M&A) activity. To view the entire executive brief for free, or to purchase our more in-depth version, which includes segmented market sizing and an expansion of drivers, regulations, and M&A trends, among other pertinent information to support strategic planning and investment initiatives, please contact hq@kaulkin.com.