Customer relationship management (CRM) is a business strategy designed to enable faster, more informed sales and marketing decisions based on a holistic view of its customers through data gathering. While most startups with a very small team can handle CRM internally with basic programs like Excel, things may begin to get overwhelming as your business grows. Software Advice, a company that specializes in matching businesses with a variety of software solutions, has found that the most common reason small business owners consider CRM software is to improve the efficiency and organization of their company.