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ERP Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Question: I'm trying to determine the separation point between customer relationship management software and enterprise resource planning software - they seem to be used interchangeably by so many people. Can you help?
Answer: Sure. The two business application software types are both closely integrated and symbiotic. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is actually a subset or component of the broader Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software suite. ERP software suites include the five below types of business applications:
- Accounting software systems, sometimes called financial applications
- Distribution and supply chain management systems
- Manufacturing systems (sometimes still called MRPII systems)
- Human resource (HR) and payroll systems, and
- Customer relationship management systems
CRM systems are traditionally composed of three primary building blocks which include marketing, sales force automation (SFA) and customer support. There are many related and ancillary components of CRM systems, such as Partner Relationship Management (PRM) applications, mobile CRM or sales order processing systems. I've highlighted the more significant elements of each of the three primary CRM pillars below:
- Sales Force Automation: Company management, contact management, activity management, opportunity management, competitive intelligence, quote and order processing
- Marketing: Campaign management, literature fulfillment, email distributions, lead management, event management, Pay Per Click (PPC) programs and marketing analysis
- Customer support: Help desk, call center, incident or ticket management, call script execution, service level agreement management, escalation routines, FAQs, search tools, knowledge-base searching, content management, self service portals, IVR (interactive voice response) integration, CTI (computer telephony integration) and customer analytics
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