A CRM software (Consumer Relationship Management - Customer Relationship Management Software) is a software tool in charge of collecting and efficiently managing all customer information, from the contact to the treatment and assistance provided by the company to its customers.
Therefore, the CRM application comprehensively manages concepts such as leads, sales opportunities, quotes, meeting and contact notes, service requests from customers, etc. It always keeps at the center of its operation the concept of CUSTOMER, around which orbit data and processes and actions that are performed on them.
Differences between ERP software and CRM software
Sometimes there are doubts about the scope and possibilities of each of these two types of applications. Below, we will try to clarify them:
An ERP is a business management solution that integrates and manages the processes that take place within the company: sales, purchasing, financial, warehouse, production, etc.
A CRM is an application that is characterized by managing customer relationships in order to develop and implement loyalty and marketing strategies and, in this way, take care of existing customers and get new customers and opportunities.
What is CRM software in an ERP solution?
On its own, CRM software is a powerful, modern application that helps companies identify leads, detect problems, automate repetitive tasks and much more. But CRM software integrated into an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution takes it to the next level by enabling companies to strengthen customer relationships and increase efficiency by bringing together all marketing, sales, billing and financial information into one database accessible through a single interface.
In addition, ERP - CRM solutions typically offer a self-service Customer Portal, which allows customers unlimited access to their contract information, financial statements and support cases, giving them the ability to perform account-related activities online at any time and from anywhere.
What are the advantages of an ERP solution with integrated CRM?
The main advantages of an ERP solution with integrated CRM are:
Optimized workflows in all areas of the company from the automatic synchronization of data between ERP and CRM.
Real-time information. CRM and ERP are self-feeding and allow access to updated and accurate information in real time to different departments of the company.
Improved customer service. The integration provides a global view of customer status (sales history, invoicing, payments, contacts, etc.), which enables a personalized and more efficient service to be offered to each customer.
The data that can be transferred from each of them to the other are generally:
From the CRM solution to the ERP:
Therefore, the CRM application comprehensively manages concepts such as leads, sales opportunities, quotes, meeting and contact notes, service requests from customers, etc. It always keeps at the center of its operation the concept of CUSTOMER, around which orbit data and processes and actions that are performed on them.
Differences between ERP software and CRM software
Sometimes there are doubts about the scope and possibilities of each of these two types of applications. Below, we will try to clarify them:
An ERP is a business management solution that integrates and manages the processes that take place within the company: sales, purchasing, financial, warehouse, production, etc.
A CRM is an application that is characterized by managing customer relationships in order to develop and implement loyalty and marketing strategies and, in this way, take care of existing customers and get new customers and opportunities.
What is CRM software in an ERP solution?
On its own, CRM software is a powerful, modern application that helps companies identify leads, detect problems, automate repetitive tasks and much more. But CRM software integrated into an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution takes it to the next level by enabling companies to strengthen customer relationships and increase efficiency by bringing together all marketing, sales, billing and financial information into one database accessible through a single interface.
In addition, ERP - CRM solutions typically offer a self-service Customer Portal, which allows customers unlimited access to their contract information, financial statements and support cases, giving them the ability to perform account-related activities online at any time and from anywhere.
What are the advantages of an ERP solution with integrated CRM?
The main advantages of an ERP solution with integrated CRM are:
Optimized workflows in all areas of the company from the automatic synchronization of data between ERP and CRM.
Real-time information. CRM and ERP are self-feeding and allow access to updated and accurate information in real time to different departments of the company.
Improved customer service. The integration provides a global view of customer status (sales history, invoicing, payments, contacts, etc.), which enables a personalized and more efficient service to be offered to each customer.
The data that can be transferred from each of them to the other are generally:
From the CRM solution to the ERP:
- Customer data and records
- Sales opportunities
- Customer interactions
- Sales tracking and sales support provided
From software to ERP:
- Sales orders
- Customer financial data to secure potential new opportunities
- Inventory data
- Order shipment status information (logistics)
What problems does the integration of a CRM into our ERP solve?
Basically three different situations may arise regarding the existence or not of a CRM in the company and whether or not it is integrated with the company's ERP software. They are:
Conclusions
In short, if the CRM knows everything about the customers and the ERP knows everything about the company itself, it is impractical for both solutions not to work together and miss out on the improvements brought about by their synergy to increase the chances of obtaining new sales opportunities.
Sales departments have new tools at their disposal that enable them to effectively follow up on potential customers, based on the analysis of information available in real time. Or, improve the relationship with the most profitable types of customers, discover trends and analyze various statistics to increase sales.
Other collateral benefits are that the company's processes are streamlined, the way of working is more cohesive among the different members and improves the control and traceability of the organization.
- The company does not have a CRM software. Communications with customers are done manually and, therefore, it is complicated to perform follow-up tasks or develop commercial strategies. The problem, moreover, is that it is common to make follow-up errors or to forget about actions to be taken. All this will result in the loss of potential customers.
- The company has a CRM but it is not integrated with the company's ERP software. The main disadvantage is that the two tools do not share their information and will inevitably cause duplication of information and inconsistency between data. In addition, this situation causes a greater amount of workload to keep the information updated in both solutions.
- The company has an integrated CRM, but it has a CRM in the ERP, but it is not a software in the cloud: as a consequence, the management of communications with customers must be done from your offices, in the computer systems where you have your programs installed. This situation makes it difficult for your sales team to work remotely.
Conclusions
In short, if the CRM knows everything about the customers and the ERP knows everything about the company itself, it is impractical for both solutions not to work together and miss out on the improvements brought about by their synergy to increase the chances of obtaining new sales opportunities.
Sales departments have new tools at their disposal that enable them to effectively follow up on potential customers, based on the analysis of information available in real time. Or, improve the relationship with the most profitable types of customers, discover trends and analyze various statistics to increase sales.
Other collateral benefits are that the company's processes are streamlined, the way of working is more cohesive among the different members and improves the control and traceability of the organization.