For a few years now, CRM and ERP are two acronyms widely used in the professional field. Both are management software and share recent success, however their work area is not exactly the same.
With CRM we call Customer Relationship Management, while with ERP we refer to Enterprise Resource Planning. The first works in the “front office”, while the second works in the “back office”, controlling the company’s internal processes.
By this very nature we realize that ERP covers much more than CRM. The latter allows us to advance in the management of our clients and potential clients. Through this software we will be able to automate sales processes, have greater control and monitoring of commercial information, collect information about clients and the status of our relationship with them or even have this information so that it can be analyzed from marketing. .
The CRM is a key tool in generating sales, key for this department and the marketing department. Depending on what the data provided by the CRM reveals, we can improve our sales procedures but we can also detect unmet needs or deficiencies in our positioning.
However, with an ERP we will access from the same tool all the information related to our business activity: accounting, human resources, stock, billing and even the CRM itself. As we see, its level of implementation is not as localized as in the case of CRM, and therefore the efficiency will be noticed on a more global level.
With an ERP our company will take a leap in management. The speed with which we will obtain the analysis of what is happening in our company will push us to make more appropriate decisions. And that means having information in real time, having traceability of products and administrative processes. With all this we will be able to have a planning of our resources that will result in our competitiveness.
The integration of an ERP into the life of a company is not a self-satisfied process but rather the first step in the digital transformation of the SME, and will lead us to objectively analyze our company and show ourselves united in the face of a tool that will change processes and ways of organizing. Despite this, let’s not forget that an application like software ERP It allows us to have a global vision of the business, and its use results in many benefits for the company.
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What does ERP and CRM mean: definition and differences
But what is an ERP? ERP is the acronym for Enterprise Resource Planning (enterprise resource planning, or enterprise management program). Implicit in its DNA is the integration of business operations (regardless of whether it is an SME or a large company), such as production, shipping, inventory or accounting. Centralized access to this data allows for agile responses related to company management, making effective decisions with all the updated information and minimizing costs.
On the other hand, CRM is the acronym for Customer Relationship Management. This platform is aimed at collecting all the procedures that are closely related to the commercial field, customer acquisition and loyalty. With the right CRM software, more sales and marketing opportunities arise, as well as strengthening the marketing and customer service area. By having commercial target segmentation tools, the after-sales service acquires a greater and better projection.
ERP and CRM systems: the keys to take into account
ERP and CRM systems share a common binding characteristic: they both significantly optimize business processes. They do it from different perspectives, but closely directed towards the same objective: the effective management of the business. While the ERP system focuses on cost control, production and accounting, the CRM system focuses on the relationship with the customer, which will also translate into an increase in the company’s income.
ERP and CRM systems provide key benefits for a business, whether in issues related to inventory, accounting or production, as well as functionalities in marketing campaigns or sales projections.
What can we achieve with the right tool? The answer is found in greater efficiency when marketing products, increased productivity and more than effective support for business decisions. Aspects that make them allies to analyze for the optimization of our business management.
Ebook: How to choose an ERP
Practical guide to know how to choose the comprehensive management software for SMEs that best suits your business
The implementation of ERP and CRM systems in the company – regardless of its economic segment or size – extraordinarily automate processes and improves business management. The final result, therefore, is the consolidation of a better service or product, with the consequent customer loyalty. Some of the factors to take into account when we are going to choose an ERP are the following:
- Improve time management: the automation of certain processes, the availability of information and the speed with which we can access it should allow us to use one of the scarcest resources of any company, time, for more related functions. with our objectives.
- Gain agility: having information in just one click results in a large optimization of dozens of processes and a greater ability to focus energy and attention on the core business. If furthermore, the ERP implementation process It is simple and we have the support of our supplier, we will earn even more.
- Improve our self-knowledge: having traceability of all production and administrative processes is another key. At this point, the use of an ERP rediscovers our own company, showing us aspects that perhaps we did not have at our fingertips. Furthermore, if we have a business analysis tool we will have reports and statistics that will help us direct the direction of our company and make the most appropriate decisions.
- Having customized software: using simple and intuitive tools to use, that adjust to the needs of the activity and the type of management, is another key. In this case, a3ERP is a good example of software that many small and medium-sized companies work with, which is why it has achieved great adaptability. Consult the demo a3ERP and discover its advantages. Likewise, it is capable of growing in functionalities and jobs to the extent that the company needs, without the need to change ERP.
- Permanent update: always be up to date with any legal change that affects our management or that of our client, to be able to send the information required by the AEAT from the same point of use, without external platforms, is essential and opens the door to greater efficiency. In addition, it allows us to work with electronic invoices as long as they have the formats that the administration requires.
- Security: at a time when cybersecurity appears more and more in the news, having software that guarantees that the data we generate by the company has protected access, with continuous maintenance and backup avoids scares and the fact that we may not have protected access.
Competitiveness and efficiency are two concepts that will be installed in our company if we start working on these internal management software. If you are interested in the field of ERP, this management software and the control of the company’s internal processes, you can consult the free ebook Are you ready to choose ERP?, a document that analyzes in detail the different variables that we must manage to take a step like this.