ERP is the abbreviation for Enterprise Resource Planning. The term designates the efficient use of company resources.
Thanks to an ERP software, the different company sectors are connected to a collective database. The system operates and evaluates the business processes in the fields of production, material management, logistics, finances, staff, etc. The primary goal is to optimize the business processes using the management and controlling tools of the ERP system.
Can ERP also CRM?
While the CRM, Customer Relationship Management, focuses on the work and the communication with the customers, the key aspect of the ERP is the workflow behind the scenes. Workflows, from the receipt of the raw materials to the outgoing of the finished products, are regulated and coordinated through the system.
The ERP and CRM systems are connected via an interface. Hereby, an integrated and reciprocal dialog between the customer world and the internal resource planning is enabled and so departments such as sales or marketing sustainably supported.
This is why the answer of the question “Can ERP also CRM?” is:
No, because both systems have originally different functions. ERP can definitively WITH CRM though.