CRM content contributors should work together to ensure that the challenges and opportunities related to CRM are addressed through open collaboration and the appropriate use of open and industry accepted standards.
CRM software and product providers must not use their market or technology position to distort the meaning of CRM or to lock customers into their particular platforms and limit their CRM choices, opportunities and evolution.
CRM software and product providers should adopt and leverage open standards where appropriate. The IT industry has invested heavily in existing standards and standards organizations; there is no need to dilute, duplicate or reinvent them.
When new standards (or modifications to existing standards) are necessary, we must be judicious and pragmatic to avoid creating too many standards or imposing vendor bias. We must ensure that standards promote innovation and do not inhibit innovation.
Community efforts directed to CRM collaboration should be driven by customer needs, not merely technical capabilities, and should be tested and verified against actual customer and market requirements.
CRM standards organizations, advocacy groups, and communities should work together and stay coordinated, making sure that efforts result in minimal overlap and do not conflict or confuse.