Why You Should Integrate ERP and CRM
First, some clarification:
What is CRM? Simply put, it’s software that enables you to manage the way you interact with your customers through sales, marketing, and customer service. Our article on how to evaluate CRM for your company will probably help give more clarity.
What is ERP? Core accounting, asset management, distribution, supply chain, and manufacturing functions – the operations side of your business.
Why would you want these two worlds to collide? The answer is simple – integrating the front-end of your business (sales, marketing, service) with the back-end (accounting, operations) gives your team visibility into the complete customer relationship, not just the limited functions they concentrate on. It makes your service levels higher, your risk lower, and your team more productive.
More reasons why your company benefits from integration:
· You decrease duplicate data and order entry by sharing common systems, ensuring customer orders are more accurate.
· You reduce impact on back-office teams: front office users can view current order status, pricing schedules, and service and maintenance contracts from within the integrated system―reducing the number of inquiries regarding product, order, invoices, outstanding balances, and product availability.
· You mitigate delays in processing orders: because CRM users can select their inventory items and look up current quantities available in the warehouse, customers experience little-to-no delay in receiving their order.
