What is ERP software? Understanding the basics
What is an ERP and other answers to your questions.
ERP and management software
Glossary
CRM (Customer Relationship Management)
Customer relationship management software that centralizes contacts, opportunities, quotes and follow-ups so the sales team works from a single version of the information.
A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system is the database of the people a company does, or wants to do, business with: leads, customers, partners. It records every interaction (call, email, meeting, quote) and follows the opportunity from one stage to the next until the sale is won, or lost.
What it brings
Without a CRM, a customer's history lives in the sales rep's inbox. When the rep leaves, the history leaves too. The CRM makes the relationship collective: anyone can pick up a file, management sees the pipeline in real time and follow-ups are no longer forgotten. Sales forecast dashboards flow naturally from the data entered.
CRM and ERP
The CRM covers pre-sale; the ERP takes over at the order. Both must share the same customer and product lists, otherwise quote prices do not match the invoice. That integration is often an SMB's first automation project.
Standard or custom
HubSpot, Salesforce, Zoho and Pipedrive cover the classic sales cycle and suit most teams. A custom CRM is justified when the sales process is atypical: complex technical quotes, product configuration, long cycles with several stakeholders, or when the customer relationship is inseparable from operations (after-sales service, recurring contracts, fleet management).
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Frequently asked questions
The CRM manages what precedes the sale (leads, quotes, follow-ups); the ERP manages what follows it (order, production, delivery, invoicing). Both share the customer list.
Yes, as soon as more than one person touches the customer relationship. The CRM protects the history when a rep leaves and prevents two reps from chasing the same lead.
