They are databases that provide an integrated approach to tracking information and communication activities linked to contacts.
Sophisticated contact managers provide calendar sharing features and allow colleagues to access the same database.
[1] A contact management system may be chosen because it is thought to provide the following advantages:[2] Traditionally, a contact manager is usually used for instances where the sales interaction model of the organization is a one-to-many interaction model, in which a single sales representative is responsible for multiple roles within a company.
Alternatively, a company with a many-to-many interaction model, in which many sales representatives are targeting a single job role, a customer relationship management system is preferred.
[2] However, most recent contact management solutions are fully adapted to many-to-many interactions models, and the difference between a CRM and a contact manager starts to lay more on the fact that CRMs are commonly used to automate sales and marketing processes (quotes, invoices, reminder emails, etc.)