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How to Improve Your Business Outcomes with ERP and CRM Integration

 

Integrating Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems can bring numerous benefits to business. In this article, we’ll explore the reasons why companies need ERP and CRM integration.

What is ERP and CRM?

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) are two critical business systems used by companies to manage and optimize their operations.

ERP is a comprehensive software solution that helps organizations manage their core business processes, including finance, procurement, human resources, and supply chain management. It provides a single, centralized view of all data and processes, enabling organizations to make informed decisions and improve their efficiency.

On the other hand, CRM is a software solution that helps organizations manage their interactions and relationships with customers. It provides a centralized view of customer data, including sales, marketing, and support activities, enabling organizations to better understand their customers and improve the customer experience.

By combining the capabilities of ERP and CRM, organizations can drive better business outcomes and gain a competitive advantage.

It is important to note that some software manufacturers have included CRM capabilities and features within their ERP software to have the best of both worlds.

Business Systems Integration Services

What is CRM and ERP Integration?

CRM and ERP integration refers to the process of connecting these two business systems. The goal of this integration is to provide a single, centralized view of all customer and business data, allowing companies to make informed decisions and improve their operations.

By integrating their CRM and ERP systems, organizations can eliminate data duplication, improve data accuracy, and streamline their processes. CRM and ERP integration enables organizations to automate workflows, synchronize customer and business data.

Example of ERP and CRM Integration

For example, NetSuite is a powerful system that can automate and optimize many of a company’s business processes. However, it can be even more powerful when integrated with other ERP and CRM systems.

When NetSuite is integrated with an ERP system such as SAP, it can provide a seamless flow of information between the two systems. This may include finance, supply chain, and inventory management. In addition, integrating NetSuite with a CRM system such as Salesforce can provide a unified view of customer data, allowing you to manage sales, marketing, and customer service more effectively.

In addition, integration can also automate the flow of data between systems, eliminating the need for manual data entry, reducing errors and saving time. This can lead to a more efficient and effective workflow, improving the bottom line of the business.

Benefits of ERP and CRM Integration

By combining the capabilities of CRM and ERP, companies can gain a competitive advantage and drive better business outcomes.

Improved data accuracy and consistency

Integrating ERP and CRM systems provides a single source of truth for customer and operational data. This leads to improved data accuracy and consistency, which can drive better decision-making and increased operational efficiency.

Enhanced customer experience

By integrating customer data from the CRM system into the ERP system, organizations can gain a more comprehensive view of their customers, including their purchasing history, preferences, and interactions with the company. This information can be used to improve the customer experience by providing more personalized service and offerings.

Increased operational efficiency

Integrating ERP and CRM systems can help organizations streamline their operations by eliminating manual data entry and reducing errors. Automating workflows and data transfer between systems can also reduce the time and resources required to complete tasks, freeing up employees to focus on other tasks.

Better sales and marketing alignment

Integrating ERP and CRM systems allows sales and marketing teams to share information and collaborate more effectively. Sales teams can access customer data from the CRM system, including lead and opportunity information, and use it to inform their sales strategy. Marketing teams can use the data from the ERP system to better understand customer behavior and improve their marketing efforts.

Improved financial reporting

Integrating ERP and CRM systems provides a comprehensive view of financial and customer data, making it easier for companies to generate financial reports and analyze their performance. This can help organizations make more informed decisions and improve their financial performance.

Streamline Operations with Magic xpi: The Ultimate Solution for ERP and CRM Integration

One of the best solutions for integrating ERP and CRM systems is Magic xpi. Magic xpi is an integration platform that allows companies to easily connect and integrate multiple systems, including ERP and CRM. With Magic xpi, companies can automate workflows, synchronize data between disparate business systems, and integrate with a wide range of applications, databases, and systems.

USEFUL READING: Magic xpi Integration Platform: The Best Fit for Enterprise Data Integration

Magic xpi offers a visual drag-and-drop visual interface, allowing users to easily build and manage integrations without needing to write code. Additionally, Magic xpi offers pre-built connectors, making it easier and faster to integrate systems. By using Magic xpi, organizations can improve their operational efficiency, streamline their processes, and drive better business outcomes.

ERP and CRM Integration

What is the Most Widely Used ERP Systems?

Some of the most popular Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems include:

SAP ERP

SAP is one of the largest ERP providers in the world, SAP ERP, SAP Business One, and SAP S/4HANA offers a comprehensive solution for managing core business processes.

Oracle ERP

Oracle provides a suite of ERP solutions such as Oracle NetSuite, Oracle Fusion Cloud ERP, Oracle JD Edwards including financials, procurement, and supply chain management, to help companies manage their operations.

Microsoft Dynamics ERP

Microsoft Dynamics ERP offers a range of solutions for small, medium, and large organizations, including finance, supply chain management, and human resources.

Infor ERP

Infor provides a range of industry-specific ERP solutions to help organizations manage their operations and gain a competitive advantage.

What is the Most Popular CRM?

Some of the most popular Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems include:

Salesforce CRM

Salesforce is a leading CRM system that provides a comprehensive view of customer interactions and helps organizations manage their sales, marketing, and customer service activities.

Hubspot CRM

Hubspot is all-in-one CRM solution that helps organizations manage their customer interactions and improve the customer experience.

SugarCRM

A flexible CRM software that can be customized to fit the needs of any business.

Zoho CRM

Zoho is a cloud-based CRM solution that provides a range of sales, marketing, and customer service capabilities to help organizations manage their customer relationships.

Pipedrive CRM

Pipedrive is a sales-focused CRM solution that helps organizations manage their sales processes and improve their productivity.

These are just a few examples of the most popular business systems. Organizations must choose the system that best suits their needs and fits within their budget.

Conclusion: How to Improve Your Business Outcomes with ERP and CRM Integration

At Namtek Consulting Services, we offer comprehensive business systems integration services to help organizations improve their operations and drive better business outcomes. Our team of experts has extensive experience integrating ERP and CRM systems, as well as other critical systems and applications.

Our integration solutions are designed to meet the unique needs of each organization and can be customized to fit their specific requirements.

We use the latest integration tools and technologies, including Magic xpi, to ensure a smooth and seamless integration process.

Contact us to learn more about our integration services and how we can benefit your business.

IT-Consultation

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How to choose the best user training method after ERP, CRM or ECM implementation

“If you think education is expensive — try ignorance”. — Derek Bok, president of Harvard University.

User training is one of the puzzle’s pieces which allows you to create a complete picture of a successful implementation project. Attention should be paid to end-user training in the case of implementing such IT systems as ECM (Enterprise Content Management), which will be used by many employees.

user training fter a new ERP, CRM or ECM implementationNo less important is the training of ERP and CRM users, because they are aimed at solving complex business problems. Whether an implemented IT system or business application becomes a productive and useful tool for a company, directly depends on the well-organized training for end users.

In this article, we will look at end-user training in terms of process organization.

We will examine a different kind of ways to organize end-user training on implementation projects, limitations, advantages, and disadvantages of each approach, as well as our experience in applying some of these methods on IT implementation projects.

These days, the most popular methods of organizing end-user training are:

  • small group training in a computer lab;
  • face-to-face workshops;
  • webinar seminars;
  • training videos integrated into the system;
  • e-Learning.

Let’s review each method for various parameters: the number of users, the effectiveness of training, training schedule, complexity and cost.

Small groups user training in the computer class

Small groups user training in the computer classThis training method is optimal for organizations where the number of users working constantly with the new system is limited to several tens. The method is most effective in terms of the quality of education. Computer room user training is also recommended if the majority of employees do not have practical experience in using the automation systems. In this case, it is recommended to conduct full-time training with practical exercises. Based on our experience, such a format is most often used to educate a workgroup first.

Advantages

Disadvantages
· Possibility to present material in greater volume or with more detail

· A more guaranteed result from training

· Animated dialogue with the teacher, possibility to ask questions

· Opportunity to get practical skills

 · A limited number of users at once

· The high cost of training per participant

· The duration of training due to the combination of theory and practice

 

Full-time seminars for users

end-user trainingThis method is optimal for organizations with 100-200 users (it could be in case of ECM implementation). This training method is less effective than the previous one, but at the same time, it retains the ability to ask questions and get answers to them in real time. It is recommended to make a video recording of the training seminar, so in the future, end-users can refer to it and refresh their knowledge.

From our personal experience of using face-to-face seminars, we can recommend combining such training with detailed user instructions (both for the business process and for distribution by roles). It is also necessary to provide resources for the organization of the first line of user support at the stage of pilot production.

Advantages

Disadvantages
· Ability to reach a significant number of users

· Low cost of training per user

· Short term training

· The possibility of dialogue with the teacher, the opportunity to ask questions, clarify

 · The material is presented in theoretical form, there is no possibility of practical use of the system (it is impossible to “touch” during the training session)

· Training material is limited, most often gives a general idea of the work in the system.

Webinar user-training workshops

end user training webinar, internet educationWebinar end-users training is optimal for companies where the number of users is several hundred and more and/or employees are geographically detached.

From our experience of conducting webinars, I would like to draw attention to the following points: webinars are devoid of “eye contact,” the teacher is hard to get feedback from the audience in real time. However, if users are employees who already have experience in automation systems, such a format is quite viable.

Advantages

Disadvantages
· Capacity to reach a significant number of users

· The ability to train users without leaving the workplace (for example, employees of company branches in different cities)

· Low cost of training per user

 · The material is presented in theoretical form, there is no possibility to practice during the webinar

· Training is limited, often gives general information of the work in the system.

· The risk of technical problems

Training videos embedded in the IT system

Training videos demonstrate the standard functionality of the systemThis method also has no restrictions on the number of end-user and the time of training. Training videos demonstrate the standard functionality of the system, without taking into account any additional modifications for a specific customer. Therefore, it can be recommended to those companies whose business processes fit into the standard functionality of the system or have been adapted to the system.

Watching videos does not replace full-training and is recommended as an addition to other formats of user training.

Advantages

Disadvantages
· No need to specifically organize end-user training.  Any user can refer to the training material at any time.

· No additional financial investments

 · Videos provide the ability to view a demonstration of the functional, but there is no way to perform any practical tasks. (Is not recommended to train in the “live” system)

· They describe the standard functionality, do not take into account the customizing system for a specific customer.

Online Learning Tools (e-Learning)

Users can independently allocate time to complete these courses, and then refer to them if necessary when performing their daily dutiesThe use of online learning tools (for example, based on SAP Enable Now, Oracle Learning, DoceboLMS, etc.) is recommended for large organizations with a large number of users working in the system, including employees who working from home-office. Users can independently allocate time to complete these courses, and then refer to them if necessary when performing their daily duties.

In terms of efficiency, the method is comparable to training in a computer class, because a user can test his knowledge’s in a practical task.

Advantages

Disadvantages
· No need to specifically organize training, users at any time can refer to the training material.

· No need a large number of employees to provide first-line user support

· The opportunity to get theoretical knowledge and still see a demonstration of certain actions in the system and reproduce them in a practical unit.

 · The high cost of distance learning tools.

· There is no possibility for live-dialogue with the teacher, for asking questions

 

If you want to learn more about user training, please read other materials:

We, as Software Provider, truly understand how important it is to organize user training for employees. It is necessary to pay attention to users’ needs, and not only to the system being implemented. Investment in employees training will allow enterprises to quickly get the benefits that the new IT system provides.

 

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How To Select An Integration Method That Works Best For Your eCommerce Platform

This article was taken from our blog, published on our EDI2XML platform back in 2014.

eCommerce-IntegrationDo you have your own eCommerce Store, perhaps built with Shopify, or sell your goods online through Amazon, Cabela’s, eBay, etc.? If so, we are quite certain you’ve already been in discussion about how to best exchange data between you and your Trading Partner(s) or between your eCommerce platform and your internal software management system (i.e. your ERP system, CRM (Salesforce)…). In some cases, you may not have much of a choice, as some Trading Partners send their communication requirements prior to beginning a business relationship. For example, partners like Cabela’s or Amazon often push suppliers to be EDI compliant. At that point, it’s time to get in contact with an EDI provider to learn more about this process for your specific business needs.

When it comes to integration between your eCommerce platform and your management system, this process will allow your two systems to interact seamlessly, without any need for human intervention. How it works is that you allow data from the eCommerce system to automatically be sent to your management system, as for example any new online orders, also allow your eCommerce system to receive data from your management system, for example, inventory statuses. This ensures your consumers are well aware of inventory on hand and their orders can be processed right away.

So, if you are unsure of what steps you should take, then I highly suggest you read through the following blog and then contact us to schedule a consultation with one of our experts. Every case is different and it’s best to go over your specific requirements and current capabilities with an integrations expert before making a decision. Of course, we highly recommend eCommerce integration as it improves efficiency, minimizes manual data entry and errors, increases order processing and allows for scalability.

What are some of the different integration methods?

  1. Electronic Data Interchange (EDI)

As experts of EDI, we’ve written quite a few articles on this topic. This protocol has been around for many years and is used to exchange data between business partners. The data being exchanged in “EDI format” is pre-defined in both format and structure. Trading partners can have their own file specifications. Files can be transmitted using several different types of secured communication protocols such as a VAN, AS2, FTP/sFTP, etc. This method is very popular in the manufacturing, retail, automotive, healthcare and pharmaceutical industries.

  1. XML

XML, or Extensible Markup Language, is a very common format, used to transfer well-structured data between business partners. It was designed to be self-descriptive allowing users to define their own XML tags to describe the data.

  1. Web Services

Web Services is a method of communication between 2 electronic devices over a network. It uses the Internet as a communication and transport protocol and the XML language to format the data transmitted back and forth.

So, which method is best for your eCommerce integration project? Well, that of course depends on your specific business needs. It’s important for companies to analyze their technical capabilities and ensure it aligns well with their business requirements;

  • Does your internal IT team have any experience and expertise with any of the above integration methods? If so, which method are they more familiar with? If you don’t have an internal IT department, contact your IT provider and explain your business needs. They’ll suggest the best method for your specific case.
  • List the technical advantages of using one method over the others.
  • What are the costs for both of these options, for your specific case?
  • What is the timeframe to get setup for these options, for your specific case?
  • Are you already EDI-compliant due to requests from other Trading Partners? If so, EDI may be your best best.

If you’ve chosen EDI to be your integration method, then here is a list of questions to answer before speaking with an EDI consultant, so they’ll know exactly how best to help you;

  • What system(s) do you currently use to manage your business operations? (if any)
    • Do you use one fully integrated management system or multiple systems for various business functions? For example, Quickbooks for your Accounting, Hubspot for your CRM/Sales, etc.
    • If you use multiple systems, are these systems integrated with one another? If not, are you manually inputting data in one system, then doing the same task in another system and so forth?
  • What is your current workflow (at a business level)? If you can draw it that would be best!
  • How many warehouses do you have? (if any)
  • How many SKUs do you have, that will be used for EDI purposes?
  • Are you currently shipping your goods to DCs (Distribution Centers) or doing Drop-Ship? (or both, depending on the retailer)
  • Are you capable of extracting an accurate inventory status from your current inventory management system?
    • If so, can this be automated to produce this status multiple times a day, if needed?
  • Can you do pick/pack with your current inventory management system?

Jot down the answers to these questions, then contact us. We’ll be happy to help you with your eCommerce integration needs.

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