Difference Between ERP Software and CRM

Enterprise resource planning is fully integrated software with functionality for all the core aspects of business and integrates all the organization's departments. In contrast, customer relationship management applications or software concentrates on the activities related to customers like quotes, contracts, service, reminders, service reminders, etc. ERP ensures better and real-time integration and communication between all the organization's departments for increasing profitability. At the same time, CRM enhances customer relationship management and acts as a front desk of the organization and an information center for salespeople. Critical information that can be very useful for the salespeople but may not be available at the right time due to slow data processing is avoided with the use of CRM software.

CRM software alone may not be the solution for all the problems necessary to be resolved for better business. That is where ERP comes in; its ability to bring the other modules of the organization like manufacturing, product development, marketing, storage, inventory, etc., under one umbrella supplies the link to CRM application to look into the organization for updated data to provide it to its user. Suppose an organization uses CRM with ERP for every new order. In that case, the CRM application can communicate with the warehouse about the availability of the required stocks, and if ready stocks are not available, then the production module to check its availability at the earliest and can provide its customer with the exact shipping date of the product at one instance. The whole of this activity can be done without any manual interference, which not only saves valuable man-hours but organizations can be assured of 24 hours working and support to their valuable customers.

ERP and CRM software can work independently, but they provide the edge that an organization needs to increase its business. The enhanced and proper working within the organization and complete real-time information to the salespeople can help them generate the new company. These two software together for further business help in better customer retention for regular business. CRM can help make customers aware of new products, their qualities, and comparisons which can make the task of salespeople easier. CRM can be more than simple software for service-based industries. It can ensure prompt and timely services with regular reminders and provide staff with the necessary details of last calls and support given to a special customer.

Customer feedback, inquiries, and complaints are always unstructured data. Still, they can be an extremely valuable source of information and the basis of the organization's new strategy and planning to have more and more satisfied customers. CRM software can transform this data into valuable information without manual interference and time wastage. This information delivered to the management can be used to make changes in the organization's work and can be easily executed with the help of ERP software.

CRM and ERP software are complementary and can work together for better business management of the organization in any industry. Some ERP software comes with an inbuilt CRM module in the main application, while most ERP software provides this software as a separate module that can communicate with different ERP software.