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So, you know, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about where CRM actually fits in a company. Like, really fits. Not just on an org chart, but where it makes the most sense day to day. And honestly? It’s not as straightforward as people think.
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I mean, at first glance, you’d probably say sales, right? Because CRM stands for Customer Relationship Management, and sales teams are the ones constantly talking to customers, logging calls, chasing leads—stuff like that. So yeah, it feels natural to park CRM under Sales.
But then again, marketing uses CRM data all the time. They need customer segments, behavioral insights, email engagement stats—you name it. Without access to a solid CRM system, their campaigns would be shooting in the dark. So if marketing relies on it so heavily, shouldn’t CRM live with them?
And don’t even get me started on customer service. Those teams are deep in the CRM every single day. They’re pulling up customer histories, tracking support tickets, making sure nothing falls through the cracks. To them, CRM isn’t just a tool—it’s their lifeline. So now you’ve got three departments all with strong claims.
I remember working at a company where CRM was technically under IT. Which… okay, fine, IT manages the software, sets up integrations, handles security. But putting CRM in IT? That felt off. It made decisions slower, less responsive to what sales or marketing actually needed. It was like having your car maintained by a mechanic who never drives it.
Then I saw another company where CRM reported directly to the CEO. Now that was interesting. It showed how seriously they took customer experience across the board. But let’s be real—not every CEO has the bandwidth to dive into CRM workflows or pipeline analytics. So while the intent was great, execution got messy.
Here’s the thing: CRM isn’t just a tool. It’s a philosophy. It’s about how a company thinks about its customers from end to end. So maybe the real question isn’t “Which department does CRM belong to?” but “How do we make CRM everyone’s responsibility?”
But practically speaking, someone’s gotta own it. Someone needs to set strategy, manage the platform, train users, clean the data. You can’t have ten different owners doing their own thing—that’s a recipe for chaos.
In my experience, the best setup I’ve seen is when CRM lives under a dedicated Growth or Revenue Operations team. These folks aren’t tied to one function. They sit in the middle, connecting sales, marketing, and service. They speak the language of each department and help align goals.
And let me tell you, when RevOps owns CRM, magic happens. Reports become consistent. Lead handoffs go smoother. Marketing knows what sales actually needs. Sales stops complaining about bad leads. Service gets visibility into why a customer bought in the first place. It becomes this well-oiled machine.
But—and this is a big but—if you don’t have a RevOps team, then you’ve got to pick. And honestly? I’d lean toward marketing. Hear me out. Marketing tends to take a more strategic, data-driven approach. They’re already thinking about the full customer journey, not just the close. Plus, modern marketing teams are super tech-savvy. They get automation, analytics, integration—they’re used to managing complex systems.
Now, if your sales team is huge and highly process-driven, sure, put CRM there. But only if leadership understands that CRM isn’t just for tracking deals. It’s for nurturing relationships over time. If sales sees CRM as a glorified contact list, you’re gonna have problems.
And look, no matter where CRM sits, success depends on buy-in. If marketing owns it but sales refuses to log activities, the data’s garbage. Same goes the other way. I’ve seen companies spend six figures on a CRM platform and still operate like they’re using sticky notes because people just won’t use it properly.
Training matters. Leadership has to model good behavior. Execs should be asking, “What does the CRM say?” instead of relying on gut feelings. Culture eats strategy for breakfast, right?
Another thing—data hygiene. Oh man, that’s a silent killer. If your CRM is full of duplicates, outdated emails, half-filled fields, it loses credibility fast. Whoever owns CRM has to enforce standards. Not with punishment, but with clarity. Show people how clean data helps them do their jobs better.
And let’s talk about customization. Every department wants the CRM to work their way. Sales wants one dashboard, marketing wants another, service needs something else. The owner has to balance flexibility with consistency. Too much customization and you lose alignment. Too rigid, and people stop using it.
Integration is another headache. Your CRM doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s supposed to talk to your email platform, your website, your billing system. If it’s siloed, it’s useless. So whoever runs CRM needs to collaborate closely with IT, but also understand business needs.
Honestly, I’ve come around to thinking that CRM ownership should rotate every few years. Sounds wild, right? But hear me—let marketing run it for two years, then pass it to sales, then maybe service. Forces cross-functional empathy. Breaks down silos. Keeps things fresh.
But in reality, stability matters. Constantly shifting ownership creates confusion. So maybe instead of rotating, you build a CRM council—rep from each department, meets monthly, shares feedback, aligns priorities. That way, no one feels left out.
At the end of the day, CRM belongs wherever the customer mindset is strongest. Wherever there’s someone who genuinely cares about the entire experience, not just their piece of the pie.
Because here’s the truth: customers don’t care which department owns the CRM. They just want to feel known, valued, and heard. And if your CRM helps deliver that—no matter where it sits—then you’re doing it right.
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