It seems that all CRM systems seem to have something in common - complexity, this brings one of the biggest challenges to CRM systems design - hiding this complexity from the user.

Admittedly, it doesn’t seem like many CRM designers take much notice of this, but those that do, have jumped what I think is one of the biggest hurdles in a CRM system. Computer software is getting more and more complex, for the developer, and more and more simple, for the user. There is a reason for this, users just want to get their work done with a minimal amount of fuss. There is another good reason, computers are good at crunching numbers, and users are good at “driving”. Where operations can be automated and done by the computer, the developer should be implementing it.

So far, as I’ve been watching the CRM scene for a number of years, I’ve noticed that no one has really knocked this on the head as yet. Take for example the Apple Mac. There is a machine that is styled, sleek, simple and gets the job done with a minimal of fuss (in hardware and software). This is a beautiful example of great design, and I’d love to see more application developers take on this kind of design for their systems.

I think you’ll find that Apple will find great success in the future due to their care and commitment to excellence. I’m waiting (and hoping) to see a similar thing happen to a CRM application.