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Enterprise Resource Management (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) are two business management systems that often integrate policies, processes, procedures and computerized documentation and tracking to improve business flows and productivity. By integrating the two, an organization can manage all aspects of its operation by monitoring and modifying repeatable processes with documentable metrics.
ERP systems often integrate engineering, planning, materials management, finance and human resources. ERP systems integrate data systems with manufacturing processes to help speed raw material supplies and work with every aspect of an organization to ensure efficient operation. In the past, hardware costs limited ERP systems to very large organizations. However, advances in both hardware and software systems have brought ERP systems down in cost to the point where they can be implemented in most organizations.
CRM helps track and manage customer relationships. In the past, CRM was a term used only to describe a software application used by customer service representatives to manage customer interactions. However, in recent years, CRM has come to describe the software system, the documented customer service processes, and a customer-centric philosophy and methodology.
