ERP CRM Integration – Is it for you?

Talking of ERP-CRM integration, we understand that every organization aims at being a cohesive unit. Having better visibility of all enterprise workflows has never been more critical. In the world of digital commerce, understanding customers’ viewpoints and behavior and effectively managing the resources based on that is a simple success mantra.

ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)

ERPs are systems

that manage every business element. In other words, ERPs offer a centralized solution to maintain business functions from project planning to supply chain management and other important information that helps stakeholders streamline operations and make important decisions. An ERP can considerably reduce the amount of manual work that goes into any business process and can improve the business workflow.

Example ERP Processes

Some examples of ERP processes are listed below:

1. To use all the existing HR modules worldwide without dependency on location, an ERP was utilized and the HR modules were unified into one centralized system.
2. To automate processes for inventory and orders, to generate on-time reports and stock alerts (expiry date alert, low stock alert), an ERP was used that ensured full and timely production reports.
3. To build an efficient transaction management system that provides a solution to bring businesses together by improving financial tracking and reporting for all retail locations, an ERP was used.

Source

CRM (Customer Relationship Management)

A CRM is all about customer information maintenance and processing. Any data related to customer interactions, future prospects, sales, and marketing campaigns are collected and streamlined to provide metrics facilitating profitability from current and potential customers.

In the simplest terms, a CRM can track every single interaction of your customer with the company. So basically a CRM will analyze all the touchpoints that your customer will work on like emails, phone calls, contact forms, and even searches through a search engine. From these inputs, a CRM will automate some tasks including setting reminders, alerting of any events, setting red flags for anything urgent and also perform repetitive tasks by setting up an automation procedure.

Sales funnel is a term that’s commonly used in the world of Sales and Marketing. It is a marketing model that is focussed entirely on the customers’ journey towards buying a product or service. The CRM manages every layer of the sales funnels to ensure the stellar customer experience.

Advantages of CRM

The number of customers using the digital platform to perform their day to day activities is increasing by the minute. So businesses that have a direct relationship with these customers rely on CRMs to provide consistent and top quality customer support. Not only large organizations but even mid-size and small businesses are resorting to CRMs for tangible benefits. Some visible advantages seen almost instantly are:

• Sales: Improve sales personnel-customer engagement
• Customer Support: Provide real-time customer care through multiple channels
• Marketing: The better customer journey from start to end
• Automation: Process automation that improves profitability
• New Customers: Finding potential customers made easy
• Team Collaboration: Information is maintained consistently across teams

To sum it up, the end-user or in other words, the customer is satisfied which is the ultimate goal of any organization.

Source

Industry-best CRM’s

Here’s a quick roundup of a couple of the Best CRMs that are being widely used in the industry:

1. Hubspot CRM

Simple to use and Free are the biggest selling points of the Hubspot CRM. Organizations can jump right into using the software without changing much of their workflow. From creating contacts to controlling the performance of salespeople, it offers a centralized dashboard and makes CRM ERP integration with other platforms very easy.

1. ZOHO CRM

This is a web-based CRM that works well from small to large enterprises for attracting and retaining customers. The USP of the Zoho CRM is that it automates marketing duties, sends out customized emails, converts web page users into leads and then into buyers.

Can CRM be integrated with ERP?

Insight to accurate and up to date information is the biggest advantage of an ERP CRM Integration. For example sales folks sitting in the front office are able to send orders directly to the warehouse or fulfillment office and whenever an adjustment is made in one system it automatically gets updated in the other.

For example, Integrating a P21 ERP system with a Hubspot CRM system:

If customer data gets updated in the Hubspot platform, the integration process automatically updates the data into the P21 system thereby maintaining real-time updates.

Is CRM-ERP Integration for you?

Efficient cross-department functioning is necessary for most of the business models these days. When real-time information is being updated by every department, it naturally ensures better visibility, more sales, increased profits, and better team collaboration. Let’s see how each team benefits from the ERP CRM Integration:

Marketing

• Plan better marketing techniques and campaigns by viewing the bigger picture of customer purchase history and methods
• Offer accurate promotions and discounts from current pricing and sales patterns.
• Reach out to the right people, at planned times and share customized campaigns

Sales 

• Up to date customer information even when people from other departments make a change in the system
• Saves time because the sales team has all the information regarding inventory, shipments, order history, and order status.
• Reduces manual updates of order fulfillment
• Forecast realistic sales by analyzing real-time data
• Close deals effectively with data at their fingertips

Customer Service Representatives

• Improved relationship with customers
• Faster query resolving time
• Unified platform to access the necessary information

Operation managers

• Data entry made easy since customer accounts and purchases can be tacked from one place
• CRM takes care of customer-centric information and how much they have purchased. Whereas, ERP looks into billing and shipping. With both these integrated, data duplication is greatly reduced.
• Training costs for 2 systems, as opposed to just one centralized system, will be lessened.
• Better profit margins owing to better communication of information and no delay in data exchange

Engineers

• A 360-degree view of the entire workflow that can speed up product development
• Working on the go is made possible with data accessibility from anywhere
• Improved productivity since growth strategy and product usability can be forecasted and analyzed.

DCKAP Integrator – An end-to-end Data Integration tool

DCKAP Integrator

aims at solving an organization’s crucial data flows by integrating n-number of systems using just one centralized interface. With automated data synchronization, real-time results and enhanced tram collaboration, integration of your ERP with a CRM has never been easier. DCKAP Integrator, an iPaas, allows quick connection and data exchange systems and anytime accessibility, with end to end security. Since DCKAP Integrator functionalities focus on end-user goals, your business will see:

• Quicker sales conversions
• Better marketing campaigns
• Improved team collaboration
• Error-free data exchange