Business management software makes a world of difference in your daily operations, improving efficiency, reducing costs, and helping you make informed decisions. For wholesalers and distributors, software can often make or break success and growth.
Customer relationship management (CRM) software and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software are two common business management software solutions. Both are crucial for comprehensive management, but one is best for internal business processes, and the other is a stellar option for customer-facing activities.
Let’s go over the differences between the two and how they can work together. Then we'll explain how WorldView’s business management solutions can help improve your operations.
A CRM is a customer relationship management tool. It manages and analyzes customer interactions with your business. Those analyses offer you valuable insights that you can use to improve touch points in the customer lifecycle, whether it be email campaigns, chatbots, or lead generation. A CRM tool can show you where your customers are connecting and disconnecting with your company, allowing you to take informed action. As a result, you can improve your relationships with clients, retain them for longer, and drive business growth.
Let’s look at the main features and functionalities a CRM offers.
Customer management is impossible without contacts, so one of the essential features of CRM systems is the organization of contact information. This data includes:
CRM sales management helps your business observe and improve the sales process, making it easier to wow a potential customer at every step. Track sales opportunities to increase chances of success, manage pipelines to stay on track, and monitor sales team performance to close the deal.
While contact management is excellent for sales, the customer service and support functionalities of a CRM handle the customer support side. This helps speed up the resolution process when a client has an inquiry or complaint. You can easily create and track support tickets and make sure they’re assigned to support agents who can resolve the issues promptly.
A CRM also offers advanced marketing automation features to automate tasks that previously took up vital time and resources. This can include:
Clearly, CRMs have many useful features. Here’s how they can help your business level up its operations.
An enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is a software solution that integrates and manages core business processes across various organizational departments. The primary purpose of an ERP system is to streamline and automate back-office functions like finance, HR, manufacturing, supply chain, and procurement.
By providing a unified view of business operations, ERP systems enhance efficiency, improve decision-making, and facilitate collaboration across departments. Here are some of their main features.
Let’s examine the benefits ERP systems can bring to wholesalers and distributors.
While both types of software aid in business management and growth, each has its own focus and primary objectives. Here’s a simple guide to tell them apart.
As mentioned above, CRM is more focused on managing processes external to the company, while ERM helps you organize your company internally. Here's how that looks.
CRM systems make it easier for wholesalers and distributors to automate marketing campaigns to reach the right audience at the right time. Target key segments of potential clients, like high-volume buyers or customers with specific product interests. Easily assess which campaigns result in the most orders or repeat purchases. Finally, offer personalized service by giving your sales team quick access to customer preferences and order histories. In a competitive market, a CRM can make the difference when convincing a customer to choose you again and again.
ERP systems, on the other hand, keep things in tip-top shape internally. In a fast-paced industry, an ERP system can make you the only operation running seamlessly. With no issues in processes, you get to focus on growth and customer satisfaction with fast procurement and precise transactions. By not having to worry whether your company is compliant or your supply chain is ready to take on bigger accounts, you can maintain smooth operations from sourcing to delivery as you grow.
Integrating both systems provides a comprehensive solution that supports business growth and success. Still, if you’re looking to adopt only one at the moment, you should choose according to your needs, considering your business size and complexity, goals, and budget. Here are some factors to consider when selecting a CRM or ERP system.
CRM systems focus on optimizing customer interactions and sales processes, while ERP systems integrate and streamline internal business operations. Both systems are essential for different aspects of business management. Selecting the right system depends on your business size, specific needs, and available resources. A well-chosen system can significantly enhance efficiency, improve customer satisfaction, and drive business growth.
WorldView offers robust and customizable CRM and ERP solutions tailored to meet your business needs. Explore our offerings to find the right tools to enhance your business management and achieve your operational goals.