CRM stands for customer relationship management: the practices and software a business uses to record every interaction with its customers and prospects, and to use that history to serve them better. In Canada, a CRM also becomes the place where you document consent, which CASL requires you to prove.
What a CRM stores
- Contact details: name, email, phone in +1 format, company, province.
- History: purchases, inquiries, support requests, emails opened and links clicked.
- Preferences: language (English or French), channels, interests.
- Consent records: type, date, source and wording.
Mailpro’s contact management covers these fields for email and SMS marketing, with custom fields for anything specific to your business.
Why it matters more in Canada
Consent has an expiry date
Under CASL, implied consent from a purchase lasts two years, and from an inquiry six months. Without a system that records those dates, it is almost impossible to know who you may still email. A CRM turns that into a filter.
Two languages, one customer view
A bilingual business needs to know which language each customer prefers, across sales calls, support and marketing. Keeping that preference in the CRM avoids sending English promotions to a client who always deals with you in French.
Privacy obligations
PIPEDA’s principles, including accountability, limiting collection and safeguards, apply to the personal information in your CRM. Quebec’s Law 25 adds duties such as appointing a person in charge of personal information and assessing transfers outside Quebec.
How CRM and email marketing work together
The CRM tells you who your customers are; email marketing lets you talk to them at scale. With segmentation, you can send a French Thanksgiving offer to Quebec clients who bought in the last year, or invite customers whose implied consent is about to expire to subscribe. Personalization then fills each email with the right name and details.
Choosing a CRM approach
Small businesses often start with contact management inside their email platform and add a dedicated sales CRM later. Larger organizations connect both. Whatever you choose, check where the data is stored: Mailpro hosts it in Switzerland, outside US jurisdiction, and never sells or rents it. See how Mailpro fits into your stack on our CRM for Canadian businesses page, or start building your first newsletter from your contact list.