Walkmen were all the rage, cell phones were the size of eggplants, and Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody"was the No. 1 hit. The year was 1987, a time when technology was advancing at a tremendous pace. Just imagine, in four more years, some Americans would begin communicating via SMS text. 

Fast forward to 2017. Driverless cars are cruising the streets, and high school students are Skyping with astronauts in space. New technologies are shaping the world around us, and small businesses have a tremendous opportunity to capitalize on these advancements. This is especially true with customer relationship management (CRM), an area that businesses were smart to pay attention to 30 years ago in 1987—and can no longer afford to ignore in today's competitive environment. 

As the technological complexity of customer relationships evolve, so must our approaches to them. The area is best tackled through the four Cs of customer information, which are crucial components of any business plan.  Currency, correctness, consistency and completeness are — and, arguably, have always been — the most effective path toward forging intimate, long-term relationships with customers.