Along with "dot-com" and "ASP," one of the hottest buzzwords in today's IT industry is "CRM," or "customer relationship management." To some extent, CRM is simply an outgrowth of the old business adage that it's much easier to keep existing customers happy than it is to endure the effort and expense of finding new customers -- especially in an era of global competition. But the emphasis on CRM also reflects the increasing sophistication of technology, which allows us to do a better and better job of contacting customers, caring for them, and providing quality, service, and value.

On the other hand, rough statistics are beginning to emerge from the CRM field that indicate that as many as 70% of CRM initiatives end in failure. Apparently, it's not as easy as one might think, and thus we felt that it was important to take a closer look at this important new area of IT.