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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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5 Common Mistakes Business Leaders Make That Can Affect The Success of a Software Implementation

Common mistakes ERP softwareWe’ve all heard our fair share of nightmare stories when it comes to new software, more specifically Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), implementations. What we don’t often hear, however, are the mistakes that were made during this project that could have been avoided. In many of these stories, the blame is put on the Software Provider or on employees who resist change and the system. However, there are some mistakes that business executives make that can affect the outcome of an ERP software implementation.

Here are 5 common mistakes that business leaders make throughout a new software project;

  1. They opt out of End User Training and After-Sales Support

Before any implementation project begins, a Software Provider will approach the management team with various support plans to choose from. These discounted plans will include billable hours for end user training and post-implementation support. It is up to the customer to choose which plan they’d like to have, depending on the amount of hours they request for support and training for themselves and for all their system users. In many cases, however, in order to keep costs down, executives will opt out of any support plan (which in turn opts them out of end user training for their employees). This is a huge mistake that many business leaders make. Without proper user support and thorough end user training sessions, the chances of user resistance and low productivity increase. If employees don’t fully know how to use the system to its full potential, then companies won’t realize the full benefits of an ERP system, but rather will experience decreased individual performance and thus decreased overall productivity.

In the end, by saving on the support plan, they are losing out more in the long run. End user training and proper support can alleviate stress and combat fears of employees, associated to using a new system, and allows them to accept this big change. It also teaches them the necessary skills to prevent any problems in the system and to efficiently handle unexpected issues with confidence. Never forget that a software system is nothing without its users. System users are the key to unlocking the benefits and improvements that a good software system can bring to a company. Invest in your end users and never pass up on support and training plans. It’s an investment you’ll be happy you made in the long run.

  1. Lack of participation from business leaders

In our very own ‘Process to Succeed’ guideline that we share with customers prior to any new ERP software implementation, we stress the importance of top-level management participation during the planning process as well as throughout the implementation phase. This is a prerequisite to any of our large software implementations, in order for our customers to achieve a successful implementation. What does this participation include? We understand that business owners and executives are extremely busy with their day-to-day tasks and therefore won’t have the time to constantly be working on the implementation project (and we don’t expect them to). Normally, companies will put together a small internal team of about 5 (or less) employees, from various departments, to manage and overlook the ERP implementation project. This is great! The participation that we require from top management comes more in the form of support, motivation and encouragement. Company owners, executives and managers need to have their own confidence in using the system and share their excitement and knowledge with their team, especially when they see them frustrated or afraid of the new changes ahead. Management should remain unified in support of the project and should continuously encourage their employees to not give up and learn all they can about new processes and the new system. During the end user training periods, it would also be helpful if management can alleviate their team, for a short period of time, from regular responsibilities, in order to take the necessary time to get properly trained by the Software Provider.

  1. Leaving it all in the hands of the IT Software Provider

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again and again and again…a software implementation, especially one as large as a full ERP implementation, is only successful if ALL parties participate since everyone in a company will be affected by the change. Similar to mistake #2 above, every team member, even the leaders, needs to have some sort of involvement in the implementation project. It requires synchronous collaboration, which involves the IT team and the business team working together simultaneously and remaining in constant communication as the project progresses, to ensure everything internally is running smoothly and everyone’s needs are being met. Employees are the ones that know the business processes inside out; the IT team is there to help streamline, automate and integrate those processes. It’s important to explain to employees how their participation and role in the project will influence its success. This will give them a sense of commitment to the project and hopefully instil a positive attitude towards the system and implementation process, which is definitely welcome.

  1. Having unrealistic expectations of timelines and costs

Every software implementation is unique. During a new project, Software Providers deal with a new company, new business people, new processes, new requests and new expectations. The business as a whole may be similar to other companies but an implementation is never the exact same from company to company. It’s absolutely critical to share all of your expectations and assumptions you have of the new system and the implementation phase. This includes any timelines, costs, benefits, project roles, etc. By sharing all of this with the IT Provider, they’ll be able to set things straight right from the start. For example, if you were expecting an implementation phase to only last 1 month, the IT Provider, from experience and expertise in the field, may come back to you with a more realistic timeline of 3 months. Therefore, you won’t be disappointed and frustrated when the implementation lasts longer than your 1-month expectation. The Software Provider will also share all of their expectations from your team and of the project as a whole. Together you’ll come up with realistic goals and expectations for your specific case, allowing everyone to be on the exact same page.

Talk with your Software Provider first and get their input on timeframes and realistic expectations, as they can provide their expertise on the matter and knowledge from previous experiences.

  1. Beginning the new software project without a plan of action & workflow

It is never a good idea to start ANY project without a plan of action. So why start an ERP implementation without one? What every business leader should do is;

  • Sit down with the Software Provider to discuss and outline the complete process or plan of action for the implementation phase and create a workflow
  • Identify everyone’s role and responsibility throughout the implementation phase
  • Share the plan of action with all involved parties, along with their roles and responsibilities
  • Properly educate all employees (or users of the new system) about any change in business processes that will affect their day-to-day work life.

It’s best if companies have a well-designed plan before starting the project, accounting for minor changes, in order to avoid confusion, frustrations, increased costs, etc. Major software or process changes should all be accounted for during the outline of the plan of action. Inform all employees of the coming changes so they aren’t surprised and can have time to accept these changes.

If you’re a leader of a company, looking to implement a new software system, don’t make these common 5 mistakes. Contact us today for more information.

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Our Most Requested Management Software Solutions & Services

In today’s business world, the right technology can make a world of difference. IT experts are always pushing to install the best hardware, software, IT services and cloud applications to simplify the lives of business people. This year has been another big year for IT advancements and we couldn’t be more excited about that. We love seeing businesses leverage technology with the right solutions for them, in order to benefit from efficiencies and cost savings.

Here are our most popular and most requested management software solutions and services.

EDI2XML Translation Service

Year after year, we keep seeing an increase in demand for EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) services. Business executives don’t want to hire a full-time in-house EDI specialist anymore to handle their EDI transactions. Nor do they want to hire more customer service reps to manually enter all incoming purchase orders anymore. Many retailers and suppliers are now requiring that any company they do business with must send and receive documents, like Purchase Orders Invoices and Advance Shipping Notices, via EDI.

Companies today are looking not only to implement EDI but to automate this entire process with an outsourced EDI provider. This is why our EDI2XML Translation Service has been one of our most popular services this year. We handle our customers’ EDI requirements from A to Z; we convert their incoming EDI documents into their preferred file format, such as XML (and convert their outgoing XML documents into EDI), as well as handle all new Partner and document setups and manage their continuous communication with their Trading Partners. Our service is affordable, our setup phase is quick and our EDI support team is easily accessible and available; making it the perfect EDI service for any business.

EDI2XML Translation Service

Try it for yourself today!

 

QBR Business Continuity

With ransomware cyberattacks increasing worldwide, it’s not unusual for business executives to come running, asking about our QBR solution. Using the latest technology on the market, this Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery solution is THE best way to protect your data from hardware/software failures, human error, natural disasters, ransomware, computer viruses and more.

No matter the disaster, QBR allows you to recover your data quickly and easily. Businesses can no longer afford to incur downtime that lasts days or weeks, only to later realize that their old, dusty backup tapes haven’t been working for months! With on-site and off-site virtualization, ransomware detection, advanced screenshot verification emails, infinite cloud retention, unlimited agent licensing, instant recovery of entire servers/workstations and more, a company’s data is well protected!

QBR Business Continuity

Learn more about QBR here.

Management Software Solutions – The ErpWizard Suite

We are definitely still seeing a demand for complete Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems in the business world. The demand comes from companies that either don’t currently use IT systems to manage their business operations, but instead still use Microsoft Office tools like Excel and Word, as well as companies looking to update their outdated, complex, expensive ERP software.

The transition to a simple, modern ERP system, like our homegrown system – The ErpWizard Suite, has allowed companies to increase visibility into their operations, improve data quality, reduce manual data entry, improve customer service and increase productivity. At the end of the day, when a company has found the right ERP system and Software Provider for their business, they can automate and streamline their processes and improve business agility and performance. That’s the goal of any ERP system. Unfortunately, not many companies realize these benefits at the end of their software implementation (you’d be surprised how many companies don’t even successfully make it to the end of their implementation!).

Technology in the workplace is meant to make business people’s lives a whole lot easier, which is why executives are realizing the importance of a helpful, available, and accessible support team, a flexible, easy-to-use system, and affordable IT costs.

ERP system qualities

Here are some of the main qualities of an ERP system that business executives are looking for:

  • Flexibility
  • Can easily integrate with other systems
  • Is effortlessly accessible from anywhere, at any time to allow users to stay in touch with business operations, even while on vacation or on a business trip
  • Easy to use, with a simple, modern interface
  • Is continuously updated to accommodate to the ever-changing business environment
  • Is well supported by an available and accessible IT support team
  • Is affordable !!

This year we have been especially excited about our newly improved ErpWizard Suite. Now, with its new modern, sleek interface, end users will actually enjoy using an ERP system. It’s about time companies moved away from those complex, boring looking, out-dated systems and towards simple, visually appealing management applications, that won’t break the bank.

What do you think of ErpWizard’s new look?

WIMS 2.0 – Warehouse Management

 

Warehouse Management is another popular software solution, usually integrated within a company’s ERP system. This system allows for better visibility and control of all warehouse activity, which is an absolute must today. A Warehouse Management system allows businesses to know;

  • What’s been delivered and when

  • Where all items are stored in the warehouse facility

  • Which items to pick and how much to pick for delivery

  • The right items to pack using the right shipping cartons and materials

  • What items to ship and where to ship them

All of this is exceptionally important in order to reduce operating expenditures, increase data accuracy, shorten fulfillment lead times, move inventory faster and increase data accessibility. By using wireless scanners, this inventory data collection system is truly bringing better control and insight into warehouse processes. If a company’s warehouse is in order, customers are better served and happy!

Business Intelligence & AnalyticsBI

A big favourite among our customers is our Business Intelligence offering. Our Business Intelligence experts are integrating Tableau Software’s BI solution into our customer’s management system in order to provide detailed analyses with customized drillable dashboards, using all real-time data. Our customers are now able to identify hidden trends and strategic information, turn raw data into visual graphs and tables, identify new business opportunities, spot areas of weakness and avoid problems. The insights that our customers are getting from this Business Intelligence solution is giving them the ability to stay ahead of competition.

Contact us to see how our Business Intelligence experts can help you!

The Best Management Software Solutions

mobile-app-1We are certain that demand for these management solutions will only increase, as executives are actively looking to transform their businesses using the latest technologies on the market. We predict that mobile business applications will make this list next year, as business owners are looking to supply their on-site teams with access to their management system to input and review real-time data. Modern, visually appealing, easy to use applications don’t just have to be for personal use; companies should be benefiting from these types of applications as well! One thing is for certain; businesses are looking beyond the brand name when it comes to software systems and taking the time to ensure that the Software Provider and offerings are a good fit for their company.

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help YOU.

 

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The ERP Experience: ERP for Small Businesses

We know the term “ERP” is still commonly associated to large enterprises and can come with some pretty bad past experiences by many business executives. Hopefully, this article will shed some light on ERP solutions and implementations in today’s small business environment, as systems and implementation processes have evolved. Small businesses are finally taking advantage […]

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Modernizing ERP: Users are Demanding Flexible & Accessible ERP Apps

How should companies keep their employees happy? Nowadays, it seems one way is to equip them with modern ERP systems. According to a recent survey conducted by Epicor written up in InformationWeek, many of its users were unhappy with their ERP systems. This unhappiness stemmed from the fact that their software systems were inflexible and inaccessible. Read more

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ERP in the Cloud [FUN Friday Infographic]

Today’s infographic is one created by Socius, offering a great informative guide to the basics of what you need to know about ERP solutions in the cloud.

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Configuring Companies, Users & Master Tables in erpWizard [How To]

erpWizard

Today’s article will explain the necessary steps to take in order to get your business up and running with erpWizard, Namtek’s fully integrated ERP software solution. You will learn how to configure companies and users and how to setup master tables.
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Go Beyond Reporting With Integrated Business Intelligence Software

This post was updated to reflect current trends and information.

Analytics, KPIs vs. Reports

Employing some form of analytics to track company’s performance is more important than ever before, given the increasing competition in even the newly-realized platforms for business expansion – such as the mobile space.Go beyond reporting with integrated business intelligence software

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) should be well-managed and easily-defined, so that the path to enhancing your business results is painless and adaptable to the changing times.

This is precisely where capable business intelligence software comes in. More than merely delivering accurate earnings reports, enterprise resource planning should entail automation of tasks, have wide applicability to multiple manufacturing and distribution industries, be affordable, and more. These attributes enable the SMB to concentrate on the business of running the company, without breaking the bank or sacrificing quality for cost.

As business intelligence software in the affordable SaaS model, erpwizard is at the front of the class for accomplishing all of these objectives, and it has a constellation of add-ons that ensure your business is ready to meet the challenges in any niche. Read more

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Fully Integrated Business Application or Not: Pros & Cons for SMBs

This post was updated to reflect current trends and information.

Heteregonous Business Applications

Integrated business appplications

In the recent past, the norm for a company that wanted to automate its financial and accounting processes was to employ several software business applications for the job. You would have one for manufacturing; another – often from an entirely different software company – for distribution, and so on. This led to the accepted standard of needing an in-house business software application team to oversee the collection of tools, and solve unique tech problems that often arose from the instability of such systems.

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The Business Management Solution To Streamline A Company’s Data

This post was updated to reflect current trends and information.

As you well know, efficiency and integrity of your company’s data are just as important in the business marketplace as the product or service you sell. Corporations employ powerful and expensive resource management and software programs to preserve the smooth functioning of their multiple streams of company data, which becomes important because of their propensity to acquire verticals. Many of these programs are well beyond the budgetary scope of your average SMB, which is why erpwizard is making such waves as a viable business management solution alternative for the small/medium sized business. Read more
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erpWizard is a complete and comprehensive ERP software, designed to meet the needs of small and mid-size businesses.