With customers taking an increasingly digitally-driven path to purchase and demanding more personalized customer experiences, smart companies are making solid use of their customer data. By doing so, they’re tapping into a profitable opportunity: 86 percent of buyers say they’re willing to pay more for a great customer experience. But too many companies are still scrambling to turn the data they’re collecting into actionable, bottom-line results. Why? Because the data they are collecting too often goes no farther than the IT department that collects it — and that leads to lost opportunities.

1. Why ERP and CRM Integration is Key
to Improving Customer Experience
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2. With customers taking an increasingly digitally-driven path to purchase and
demanding more personalized customer experiences, smart companies are making
solid use of their customer data.
By doing so, they’re tapping into a profitable opportunity: 86 percent of buyers say
they’re willing to pay more for a great customer experience.
But too many companies are still scrambling to turn the data they’re collecting into
actionable, bottom-line results. Why? Because the data they are collecting too often
goes no farther than the IT department that collects it — and that leads to lost
opportunities.

3. Most companies are collecting data through two software platforms that drive
customer experience: enterprise resource management, or ERP, and customer
relationship management, or CRM. Both contribute directly to how a customer is
prospected, spoken to and serviced — ERP to manage and analyze the customer
experience, CRM to interface with the customer.
[Read more: How to Modernize Your ERP for a Multi-Cloud World]
The data these platforms collect should contribute to a company’s marketing, sales
and customer service teams — a task made infinitely easier when the two platforms
are integrated.

4. By integrating them and making the information available to the right departments,
companies can elevate their customer experience and impact the bottom line. When
done properly CRM and ERP integration act as a multiplier, stimulating new growth
and conversions.
The benefits of ERP and CRM integration
Full visibility: ERP and CRM integration provides a better customer experience by
enabling support, account and sales representatives to have full visibility into the
customer. Without it, customer data can get fragmented or separated. With it, front
and back office can operate at a higher level with no lags or gaps in information. And
that leads to…

5. Better customer service: integration can then improve inter-departmental collaboration,
for more accurate and better service to the customer. Giving employees a 360-degree view
of the customer enables successful interactions such as:
· Sales teams closing more deals as a result of being able to view buying history.
· Companies producing invoices and collecting payment more quickly, as existing and
new orders are synced without the need for manual data entry.
· Time and labor savings as a result of more automated workflows that produce clean
and reliable data.
· Customer service teams can address changes or problems with service and
proactively reach out to customers impacted by logistical delays and problems.

6. Identify signals of poor customer experience: ERP and CRM systems provide alerts in
different ways, but each plays a key role in flagging problem areas for business
development and customer experience.
· ERP systems can flag issues that prevent a good customer experience as it relates to
fulfillment, processing and anything “behind the scenes.”
· CRM platforms can showcase the human interaction, including experiences with sales
team members, customer service representatives and other interpersonal exchanges.
The “red flags” that each system is able to spot can help solve and prevent issues that
contribute to a negative customer experience across the buyer’s journey. Collectively, they
ensure that customers are satisfied in all ways throughout the lead nurture and conversion
processes.

7. Share data, not permissions: ERP data is valuable, which is why departments want
access to it. But giving too much access to an intricate system can be an invitation
for trouble. By integrating ERP and CRM systems, ERP data can be provided to team
members across your company, without sharing closely held permissions — and
that benefits everyone.
Reduce overhead: ERP and CRM integration reduces the need for additional or
separate employee training per system, while reducing the potential burden for
your busy IT team. Though adoption may take time and consistency, the long-term
advantage comes in the form of employees who are more adequately equipped to
gather and analyze customer data for their own needs. Team members can devote
more time to a “singular piece of software” and become well-versed in
implementing technology to create a better experience.

8. The challenges of ERP and CRM integration
While the benefits are undeniable, it can be a challenging process. Keep these issues in
mind when undertaking an integration:
Measure twice, cut once: Assessing your needs, challenges and desired business outcomes
is crucial to a successful integration. Yet there is often a disconnect between what IT
professionals think will work the best for their stakeholders versus what truly works for
their end-users. Consider using an outside team with technology integration experience to
assess the needs of your stakeholders and end users, the desired outcomes for your
business and the capabilities of your internal IT team.
Commit the necessary time and resources: Lean IT teams can struggle, both finding the
right expertise and carving out the necessary time to devote to this important project.
Buy-in from the top ensures that time and resources are allocated to focus on the
integration; an experienced partner means internal IT teams won’t be sidetracked by other
responsibilities. A third-party partner will also help develop a realistic timeline for your
integration.

9. Find the right partner
If your organization is ready to integrate your current ERP with a suitable CRM platform,
consider partnering with Rackspace. We employ a “Process First. Technology Second.®”
strategy that starts by assessing your business goals. Only then do we identify which
technologies will deliver on those goals. Because we’re vendor-agnostic, we focus on
finding the best technology solutions to help your business thrive. Our teams
of ERP and CRM experts can also manage and optimize your systems, ensuring you
continue to get the most out of your investment.