CRM sophistication vital goal for marketers in 2001; Most companies aren't closing the...

The roots of customer relationship management are very familiar: direct and database marketing, sales force automation, data management/data architecture and call center management. Yet the challenge of implementing CRM-managing databases to track a complete customer life cycle by integrating all points of contact into one all-encompassing profile and then reacting to that information-well, that's a more thorny issue.

``CRM is a very difficult challenge for marketers,'' said Scott Lochridge, principal and director of the strategic solutions practice of DiaLogos Inc. ``