Customer relationship management for a small professional technical services corporation

Abstract

Customer relationship management (CRM) products and services attempt to produce a better connection between businesses and their customers. These tools are being employed in all fields of business and information technology industries. We focus on the development of one very specific CRM tool to serve the needs of a small consulting and software development corporation. Though specialized for one company, many aspects of this CRM tool can be generalized for the wider range of small and midsized consulting businesses, which are becoming software development firms. These midsized companies deal with very specific issues in customer interactions. This CRM system solves some of the most common struggles companies in this category have keeping their customers satisfied. Primarily this system provides a conduit for businesses along with their clients and customers to deal with support and service problems. We have developed the necessary database schema and structure to support a Web-based CRM system and front-end portal for both the clients and employees to access, input, and transfer information. This CRM tool shows how customer service systems can work for small consulting and software businesses.