ERP Software

ERP CRM

The ingenuity of ERP CRM software is its ability to combine business processes and people –all for the purpose of satisfying customers while earning profit for the business. The approach is an overall strategy designed to help businesses learn more about their customers and their behavior enabling businesses to manage the organization better and to develop better, stronger relationships.

ERP, or Enterprise Resource Planning, software consists of applications which, when successful, integrate all the varied data sources and differing processes of a business into an information-sharing, unified system. ERP can coordinate a business’ entire operation -synchronizing management, staff, and product into one database.

CRM, an abbreviation for Customer Relationship Management, refers to the software and special programs used by businesses to monitor interactions with customers and to keep track of their current and future needs. By helping businesses manage relationships with customers as well as with potential customers, CRM enables a business’ sales and marketing team to really make the most of its time and expertise.

Today’s CRM software developed from the idea of database marketing which initiated the practice of setting up customer-service groups to speak one on one with customers. This type of communication provided enough success that businesses realized it was an avenue worth pursuing, and that what was most needed was a way to track what customers bought, what they spent, and what they might buy and spend in the future.

In the 90’s, businesses began to improve customer service in many ways. These years saw the commencement of give-away(s) in the form of incentives, bonuses, and perks as businesses traced customer patterns and created categories based on age, income, education, family status, and location as a way to systematize customers and their purchasing habits.  This categorization made it possible for businesses to engage in more select marketing: a better utilization of its resources.

The past decade has seen the integration of ERP CRM software. Improvements in technology have equaled an increase in usage of ERP and CRM, as well as in the ability to merge the two softwares. Combining ERP and customer relationship data has allowed for information across a variety of business processes to be tracked and turned from raw data into intelligence. This information gives a business the ability to augment sales by targeting the right people with the right advertising. Research has shown that businesses purchasing ERP CRM software as an integrated system have seen a greater return from investment than those who purchased ERP and CRM as two stand-alone systems.

Written by :

Amy Cruz