Most users of CRM system use Microsoft Outlook or some other groupware in combination with a smart phone of Blackberry to plan their activities. While some of these activities are directly CRM-relevant, not all are. My wife’s birthday is important to me, but probably not for my colleagues and customers.

Yes, most CRM applications do have good integration with groupware, but this does not entirely solve the problem, because users do not want to clutter their hand-held devices and calendars with activities which are only relevant when in the office. In all the projects I have been involved in, this has been the first issue to be faced when the application goes live. i am not even going to attempt to suggest a solution. However, good solutions will always offer users a number of ways to organize their work, so individuals can work in the way that suits them best.