Since the 1990s, the customer relationship management (CRM) concept has been embraced by the business world as a way to forge, maintain, and improve bonds with customers. Previously, many companies focused mainly on gathering consumer data for their own use.

However, once businesses began to understand the value of allowing customers to dialog about their needs, they began implementing more systems that invited customer feedback--even offering rewards such as gifts and incentives for doing so. This decade has seen the growth in customizable CRM software and applications that provide solutions for companies needing to access accurate, real-time customer information throughout their organizations.