Updated June 6, 2023 | 3 min read Table of Contents Why You Should Choose ERP-CRM Integration Benefits of CRM-ERP Integration The Pros and Cons of Different Types of Integration Development at Your Own Pace Make the Most of Back-Office Software Key Takeaways Integrating back-office software is crucial for optimizing business processes and enhancing overall efficiency. By integrating back-office systems, organizations can achieve streamlined data flow and improved collaboration among different departments. Back-office systems integration enables seamless sharing of information, eliminates manual data entry errors, and reduces duplication of efforts. It facilitates real-time access to critical data, empowering decision-makers with accurate insights for better strategic planning and decision-making. Integrating back-office applications also enhances the customer experience by enabling faster response times and personalized services. Engineering eCommerce and back-office business system integrations can be expensive, time-consuming, and confusing. But once a system is fully integrated, the custom back-office solutions, eCommerce store, and CRM software work in tandem to save money on the administration to generate greater sales, improve company productivity, and attract and retain customers. B2B companies face increasing competition from all over the world, and automated, integrated platforms provide a superior customer experience and streamlined operations that cut costs and generate greater income, so the costs of integrating back-office systems are usually more than covered by increased profit. Why You Should Choose ERP-CRM Integration When all operating software and back-office systems—such as CRM and ERPs—are fully integrated, the business performance is improved with a centralized base from which all operations can be conducted. ERP, or enterprise resource planning, software is critical to the customer experience because customers can access their complete history with the company to facilitate placing new orders, researching old purchases, and accessing price quotes. According to Mckinsey.com, about 40 percent of B2B companies chose suppliers that had back-office business systems integration for an omnichannel approach. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Customer relationship management software helps companies manage their customers more effectively and gather intelligence about them that helps to separate them into distinct profiles based on their buying habits, personal preferences, social media activity, and other influences such as demographic details. Material from CRM can be integrated with ERP and other internal records back-office systems to provide a holistic customer view. B2B companies increasingly depend on an integrated view of customer interactions, buying decisions, browsing habits, and external habits. While most B2B companies have a CRM or ERP, they don't understand the impact of the benefits that they can achieve by exposing much of the information from those platforms to their customers via integration with back-office systems. Some call this “connecting the front and back of the house.” The front of the house is what customers or people walking by see, while the back of the house is only what the employees see. Benefits of CRM-ERP Integration Some of the benefits of ERP-CRM integration include: Improved Productivity Back-office integration improves productivity across sales and marketing channels by reducing paperwork, streamlining operations, and detecting waste and fraud. Better Communication CRM and back-office integration provide more ways to communicate, such as emails, text messages, Live Chat, AI-powered Chatbots, and communications on other platforms, such as social media. Companies can operate customer service pages on social media and attract more customers while dealing effectively with the service-related issues of existing customers. Scheduling Efficiency integration saves time and money in scheduling staff by reducing the need for manpower and delegating tasks more efficiently. For example, a salesperson can be sent on a call based on his or her current location or skill set. Enhanced Control In larger companies, there is often a disconnect between departments and teams. integration brings together front- and back-office employees to work collaboratively. Managers can view progress and make adjustments to improve efficiency. Customer Self-Service Options Customers can perform hundreds of operations using self-service when the platform is integrated. This improves the customer experience, increases conversion rates, and strengthens B2B buyer loyalty. Companies can win more customers and earn higher profits. Better Delivery Options Customers can choose from multiple delivery options and even connect directly with carriers on the website when it's fully integrated with third-party connections. Customers can monitor their deliveries for just-in-time delivery efficiency. Other options include split shipping, partial deliveries, and return management. Cleaner Real-Time Data Who better to enter their name, address, phone number, and email address than the user themselves? Want to keep your contact and marketing data accurate and up to date? Let the users edit it in the portal and sync it from there to your CRM or ERP. The human errors and up-to-date contact records alone are worth the investment in integrating. The Pros and Cons of Different Types of Integration The options for integration include no integration, one-way integration, and two-way integration. No integration means that staff members will have to make multiple entries and consult two or more databases just to check on sales activity and post new orders. That means a lot of error-prone manual data entry with out-of-sync data in multiple data sources. One-way integration reduces the need to make multiple entries and generates automated processes such as printing packing slips, generating shipping addresses, and connecting eCommerce and back-office integrations. This works well for allowing customers to keep their contact records in sync and up to date. Two-Way Integration Two-way integration enables back-and-forth communication between all company departments to automate updating stock, providing real-time inventory counts, and offering increased options for customer communications (i.e., things like viewing past orders, paying invoices, checking order statuses, etc.). Automated triggers can alert staff members when their help is needed. Greater Efficiency For most B2B companies, integration is not only favorable but almost a competitive necessity. Integration reduces training costs for operating multiple disconnected systems, increases productivity, generates higher sales, improves business collaborations, and enhances the customer experience. Integration enables omnichannel capability, and 75 percent of B2B buyers become repeat customers if they have a great omnichannel experience, according to Magnetoitsolutions.com. Development at Your Own Pace The best developers offer end-to-end integration of those features that are most necessary to business operations. Modular systems allow companies to add modules as needed. That way, companies don't have to pay for capabilities they don't really need. An experienced B2B developer can limit the problems of development by helping to train staff and collaborating on the development process with internal IT staff. Careful testing and design shortcuts—such as The Visual Studio and other coding resources—can greatly reduce development costs. Internet of Things, or IoT system integration, has become vital to many companies. Platforms like Clarity eCommerce and Clarity Connect can provide an answer to all of the above scenarios, changing and uplifting your business processes and promoting higher customer satisfaction rates and sales conversions. Make the Most of Back-Office Software If you want to position your company for international sales, multichannel marketing, and streamlined management of complex customer-facing applications, full integration should be your goal. The benefits far outweigh the negatives, and many problems can be avoided by choosing the right developer. Clarity has an experienced team of coders and designers with more than 350 years of combined experience who are fully versed in B2B practices. You can get the services you need without paying for unnecessary capabilities, and you can add features as your business grows with a modular development strategy. Talk To Us FAQ What is back-office integration? Back-office integration refers to the process of connecting and harmonizing various systems and operations within an organization's administrative and support functions. It involves integrating and automating tasks related to finance, human resources, inventory management, and other back-office processes. This integration enables users to share data seamlessly, eliminates manual tasks, enhances efficiency, and improves overall productivity. By integrating back-office software and applications, businesses can streamline operations, reduce errors, improve decision-making, and achieve better collaboration and communication across departments. Ultimately, back-office integration helps organizations optimize their internal processes and focus more on core business activities. What integrates with enterprise resource planning (ERP) software? ERP systems can integrate with various aspects of an organization's operations. This includes integrating with core functions such as finance office systems, an accounting system, human resources back-office systems, supply chain management, inventory control, manufacturing, sales, and customer relationship management (CRM). ERP systems provide a centralized platform that enables seamless data sharing and communication across different departments, allowing for efficient coordination and collaboration. An ERP system can also integrate with external systems such as eCommerce platforms, third-party logistics providers, business intelligence tools, and other enterprise applications to enhance data visibility, streamline processes, and provide comprehensive insights for better decision-making. The integration capabilities of ERP make it a valuable tool for optimizing business operations and enhancing organizational efficiency. Still have questions? Chat with us on the bottom right corner of your screen #NotARobot Related Posts Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central: A Powerful ERP How Business Intelligence for eCommerce Can Improve Sales How Platform Extensibility Benefits a Business Additional Articles The 20 Best Shopify ERP Integration Solutions for 2023 Point of Sale System Solution with MagTek Card Reader The Importance of a Payment Hub Solution Custom eCommerce Platform vs Off-the-Shelf Written by Stephen Beer Stephen Beer is a Content Writer at Clarity Ventures and has written about various tech industries for nearly a decade. He is determined to demystify HIPAA, integration, and eCommerce with easy-to-read, easy-to-understand articles to help businesses make the best decisions.