Customer relationship management, its proponents tell Brainstorm, has moved through its first, heady, post-launch wave, its second, crammed-with-functionality wave, and has now entered a more mature third wave. This third wave of CRM systems, the vendors say, is more user-friendly and people-focused than previous iterations.

Emphasis has been given to removing unnecessary functionality, for example. Open standards and integration have also been given due consideration. Moreover, these systems are easier to implement and within far shorter periods than earlier versions. CRM, we are led to believe, is finally ready to deliver what it has long promised.