Knowledge management plays a key role in CRM success: KM supports assisted- and self-service strategies.(CRM TRENDS AND NEWS ANALYSIS)(knowledge management)(customer relationship management)

CRM and knowledge management (KM) were once considered entirely different disciplines, with the two sharing little but perhaps the same data warehouse hardware and a vague understanding that both efforts were meant to improve business efficiency and customer satisfaction. It has become clear, however, that the two disciplines were really working toward the same goal, and that to deliver continuous improvement to business clients, they would have to start speaking the same language.

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"Clearly, harnessing knowledge is important in a CRM environment," says Mary Wardley, lead CRM analyst at IDC. Thus CRM, KM, and data search-and-retrieval solutions …