Almost all of us receive our first acquired communications training - spoken language - at a very early age. Soon after, but while still quite young, we acquire our second type of communications training - reading. The age at which we are taught these activities is when our brains are most primed for learning, but no so much for remembering. We don't recall how "hard" it was to learn to speak, and people who don't have learning disabilities usually forget how "hard" it was to learn to read, as well.

Also, speaking and reading (more or less) are not optional in our world. You MUST learn to do both to function in society.

People typically used to begin learning to use a keyboard much later - I learned in high school - when learning comes a little harder and our memories of difficulty and frustration are more acute. Also, some people are never formally taught typing and get by with hunt-and-peck. Even those who are don't necessarily get it exactly right - I still "cheat" and look at my fingers sometimes when I type.

The point is, we perceive the need to use a keyboard as less than desirable compared to our more "natural" (acquired earlier) modes of communication. And wish that using a computer could be as easy as speaking to another human - that is, virtually effortless, as long as they speak our language.  ;D

Consumer goods cannot make people happy. That said, I am often happy when I have a nice consumer good that works well and makes my life better in ways that are obvious to me. I don't have a problem with new tools that help us connect and communicate. It's the ones that cut us off from one another and the world we live in that worry me. The world has been on a path to massive destruction for decades now. Technology may be accelerating this trend, but it's also helping bring together people who care about the solutions.

This is a little like saying "My friend just wants to go into space. Maybe leave a satellite up there or something. Is there an easy way for him to do this?"  :P OK, not quite that complicated, but what seems like a simple question is probably not going to have a simple answer.

The place to start is Salesforce.com. That's what "everyone uses". He should check out the features & prices & see if it's a good fit. (The Group plan @ $15 per user per month probably does everything he needs.) If so, he can save himself (you?) a lot of time looking for alternatives.

Then there's "free" open source software. Your friend will pay for CRM one way or another. Free or low-cost options will cost him in the time it takes to set them up and get them working, provided he has the skills, which it sounds like he doesn't. (People who build software that businesses will use to make more money expect to get money for their effort. They don't have a very charitable spirit towards other people's profits.  :-\ )

Sugar CRM is the king of the open source packages. Sugar is big and complex enough to run a huge business, but even though you can download the community edition for free, getting it all setup and running without help is going to be almost impossible. (Even the download page places the CE as something for developers to play with - not something for business owners to try and get running on their own.)

Fortunately, they offer paid options too that can make the process easier. Competitive with Salesforce? Your friend's call.

Another contender is VTiger. It is hosted with a free trial.

Also check out OpenCRX and Hipergate. These are true open source packages that are free to downlaod and use, but again setup is on you.

Finally, there are lots of "10 best CRM tools" articles in the Googleverse, which means very little since what's best for a huge company with 1000 branch offices can't possibly be best for your friend's tiny business. But this one is pretty good. The links are worth following up, as they seem to be tools more focused on small businesses and less on large ones.

Or if your friend really can just make up the budget himself, he can call up Microsoft or IBM and have them fly in an army of CRM consultants to speak with him. In German, of course.  ;D