--- url: https://gudhub.com/blog/bazovi-pryntsypy-crm/the-history-of-crm-and-the-evolution-of-crm-technologies/ title: "The History of CRM and the Development of CRM Technologies" description: "Today, we will explore what CRM is and delve into the history of its origins. The evolution of modern CRM systems has spanned more than 50 years, and the only way to truly understand what a CRM system is, is to look back at its origins." lang: uk updated: 2026-09-09T07:24:53.999Z --- # The History of CRM and the Development of CRM Technologies - [Головна](https://gudhub.com/blog/) - [Blog](https://gudhub.com/blog/) - [Базові принципи CRM](https://gudhub.com/uk/blog/bazovi-pryntsypy-crm/) - The History of CRM and the Development of CRM Technologies # The History of CRM and the Development of CRM Technologies ![What is CRM?](data:image/png;base64,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 "The History of CRM") Author [Viktor Stefanchuk](https://gudhub.com/blog/authors/viktor-stefanchuk/) 5 339 5 0 15.01.2026 It all began in the United States in the late 18th century. A web of wires blanketed the streets of Manhattan, New York, as telegraphy—and subsequently telephony—began to develop rapidly. While businesses received a massive boost in communications, they also faced chaos when it came to storing and retrieving their clients' phone numbers. ![The streets of eighteenth-century New York](data:image/png;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAJABADASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFwAAAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgMFB//EAB8QAAMAAgEFAQAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwAEETEyNHKBwf/EABUBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC/8QAFBEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8A0/b27WvRkDs55BBHQYcDaEGsS4ZhwoH5ldey/pjE8XX+ZQ//2Q== "Atlasiko Company") Recognizing the need for a way to manage and retrieve contacts, Arnold Neustadel invented the Rolodex in 1958. It was a revolutionary rotating device for contact organization that allowed users to arrange and search for contacts alphabetically. This served as the first prototype for modern CRM systems, which initially focused primarily on contact retrieval. However, businesses needed to store more than just contact details, and unfortunately, the small Rolodex card could not accommodate that much information. ![Arnold Neustadel and his invention, the Rolodex](data:image/png;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAJABADASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAwQH/8QAIhAAAgECBQUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDABEEBQYSExQxMzRy/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABf/EABkRAAMAAwAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABEQIDE//aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8Aw/QuWq7dZLxccDjcshteh1aInlmkWIIGc7Qva1U4X11+hR594ko9bK6I85jD/9k= "Founder of the first cloud-based CRM system") In the late 1980s, store shelves were flooded with personal computers. Finally, the PC became accessible to the general public. A few years later, the Windows operating system appeared, bringing with it a multitude of software developers..  ![The first computers on store shelves](data:image/png;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAJABADASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQMH/8QAIRAAAgIBAgcAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDBAAFFCExMjM0QXP/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAE/8QAGBEAAgMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAERIVH/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AMr0B6yVBIx2zIOvkTk78oukiGRjAvFnb3gt3tjE4/Bf5HBRaejIprD/2Q== "Developers of the first CRM system") Among such developers were Pat Sullivan and Mike Money, who released the first CRM system, named ACT!, in 1990. It was essentially a digital Rolodex where users could store thousands of client contacts and—most importantly—keep a record of client interactions, such as which products or services a client had purchased or the current stage of negotiations. This revolutionized the world of sales forever! ![Pat Sullivan and Mike Maney](data:image/png;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAJABADASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFwAAAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGB//EACUQAAEDAgMJAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUBAgQAAwYHEhMUMTVCUWJxcv/EABUBAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAID/8QAFxEAAwEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAERIf/aAAwDAQACEQMRAD8Ax/K6RBDlbkgxZSVHcxURiLwWmGPiQckZZKHs3eMy3p2fl3qHF9XpaJXL3/VHXlKKJ2H/2Q== "The first personal PCs go on sale") Unfortunately, however, another problem arose: there were several salespeople, each using a separate CRM system with unsynchronized data. This led to instances where salespeople might simultaneously attempt to sell to the same client without realizing it—a situation that had a very negative impact on sales.  Then Marc Benioff enters the scene; in the 2000s, he and his partners launched Salesforce—the first cloud-based CRM system—which sparked a true revolution in the world of CRM systems!   ![Marc Benioff, founder of Salesforce](data:image/png;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAJABADASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQQG/8QAIhAAAAYBAwUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAECAwQFBhExYSE1N3Jz/8QAFAEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABP/EABgRAAIDAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAERAAJB/9oADAMBAAIRAxEAPwAlrImodSdtGdOKh5PVCNi4IC2F5GhttzH0qeKSRL013PkZ2b44g+wkyXtlb80g1WC3sTdEJZP/2Q== "The Rolodex device and its inventor, Arnold Neustadter") The main advantage was that various salespeople now had access to the same data 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from anywhere on the planet. Salesforce is gaining increasing popularity. Logistics, legal, pharmaceutical, and other companies are beginning to use CRM in their sales operations, only to encounter a significant challenge: it turns out that a CRM system well-suited for a logistics company is not particularly appropriate for a pharmaceutical firm—and is entirely unsuitable for a law firm. In 2014, while developing software for various businesses, the company Atlasiko devised a revolutionary solution that finally addressed the issue of process differences across industries: the GudHub CRM system. It allows users to customize CRM settings to their specific needs—a development that marked a true revolution in CRM implementation. ![Atlasiko company office](data:image/png;base64,/9j/2wBDAAYEBQYFBAYGBQYHBwYIChAKCgkJChQODwwQFxQYGBcUFhYaHSUfGhsjHBYWICwgIyYnKSopGR8tMC0oMCUoKSj/2wBDAQcHBwoIChMKChMoGhYaKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCgoKCj/wAARCAAJABADASIAAhEBAxEB/8QAFgABAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABgQF/8QAJBAAAAUDAgcAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQIDBBEABQYSNBMUMVFhcoH/xAAUAQEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAC/8QAGBEAAwEBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAERIQL/2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/ABDjIWN5u3FTaioZQsCWY0j5qF6vbuUXFdEqLgoDACbr2iimL7p361n5DuflPbAY+az/2Q== "Manhattan area New York") So, what is a CRM system? A CRM system is a system where you store your clients' contact details and keep a record of the history of calls and correspondence with them. That is precisely why the term translates from English as "Customer Relationship Management system." ![Віктор Стефанчук](data:image/png;base64,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 "Віктор Стефанчук") [Viktor Stefanchuk](https://gudhub.com/blog/authors/viktor-stefanchuk/) Professional author Viktor Stefanchuk, as a journalist, copywriter, and professional blog author for the web company "GudHub", covers the most relevant topics and issues in his expert articles. [Author's Articles](https://gudhub.com/blog/authors/viktor-stefanchuk/) Share your thoughts in the comments below! Have ideas or suggestions about the article or the website? Feel free to leave a comment.