Boost Productivity: Integrate ERP and CRM

Your employees don’t want to be stuck at the office at night or over the weekend solving problems that should’ve been taken care of during work hours. Furthermore, they want their time at work to be worthwhile, not performing mundane tasks or spending an afternoon on an activity that should’ve only taken a few minutes. But when businesses don’t streamline their workflows or maintain a central hub of enterprise data, employees end up working in departmental silos and taking on manual duties that steal time away from critical processes.  

Nothing unlocks business productivity better than an ERP and CRM integration. By connecting your front and back-office data, you can automate processes from end to end of the enterprise and gain 360-degree insight into your operations. Below, we explain how integrating ERP and CRM software can transform your enterprise performance.  

No More Dual Data Entries

Manufacturers and distributors often implement separate CRM and ERP systems with exciting results. The CRM instance organizes sales, marketing, customer service and other front-end departments, while the ERP instance manages back-end data, such as accounts, inventory and quality control. However, while these software platforms remain separate, your organization will continue to experience some gaps in efficiency. Every time information is updated in one database, someone will have to manually enter that data into the other database. This wastes employee time while exposing your system to data errors.  

An ERP and CRM integration eradicates this tedious process by creating a central hub for both your back and front offices. That means that whenever a new entry or custom field is added into your ERP, the CRM instantly updates to reflect these changes, and vice versa. This leaves more time for users to perform value-added tasks and improves data integrity.  

Workflow Automation

Isolated software platforms interrupt process flows. Several critical operations require information, approvals and tasks throughout multiple departments. When taking care of order fulfillment, payment authorization, financial consolidation or document validation, you don’t want to frustrate both employees and customers with slow progress. Without a software integration, users are conducting manual tasks and switching between systems to execute vital processes. 

Integrating ERP and CRM software transforms a series of manual steps into swift, streamlined activities. Integrations are designed to seamlessly move data throughout your enterprise using automated workflows. For example, rather than manually enter a CRM proposal into the ERP software, that proposal instantly triggers an order that is executed and tracked in your ERP system. Process automation transforms activities that once required days of tedious tasks into simple, quick operations.  

Single Source of Truth

Bottom line, a software integration serves as a single source of truth for your entire enterprise. That means individual departments aren’t operating from separate systems and forming information silos. IT teams aren’t scrambling to upgrade and maintain an array of platforms. The right people are using the right software.

For example, sales teams are getting all the information they need from their CRM while operations is sticking to ERP—no more back and forth between applications. Everything your users need is in one solution, providing visibility from the shop floor to the top floor and simplifying software upkeep. This optimizes insights, improves collaboration and cuts down on IT costs.  

An integrated ERP and CRM interface also enhances customer relationships. Sales reps can access order history from the ERP system to gain a thorough understanding of their customer base and discover potential for future growth. Inventory levels, shipment status, pricing and other information can be retrieved in an instant to deliver accuracy throughout the customer journey. Additionally, CRM data can be used to predict customer demand. This information enables businesses to improve production and inventory management and avoid inadequate stock levels. With a software integration, your employees can work smarter and faster to meet customer demands. 

Wrap Up

ERP and CRM systems are powerful on their own, but joining them into one platform enhances productivity to help you reach company goals and gain a competitive advantage. For an agile integration, look no further than Unity, an integration solution created by the software experts at Datix. Datix is an Epicor Gold Partner as well as a certified partner of Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM and Salesforce. We have a sophisticated understanding of ERP and CRM software, enabling us to connect the platforms seamlessly.  

Because Unity is a pre-built application, it can be swiftly installed without hassle and coding on your end. Need a few tweaks to the integration? No problem—our consultants will take care of any necessary customizations to ensure your integration aligns with your unique processes. Furthermore, we’ll continue to maintain and upgrade your solution throughout its lifetime.  

Make sure your business is making the most of its time and its software investment. Contact Datix to create a single source of truth! 

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