We mentioned earlier that Sage 100 2014 will feature a completely rewritten integration with Sage CRM, bringing an even tighter connection between the two products. But beyond the technical details, what does it really mean to have CRM and ERP working together in one system and providing a single view of your company? Let's explore.

When CRM and ERP are integrated, data is entered one time and then carried all the way though your business system which eliminates duplicate entry and inefficiency.

For example, when your sales people enter an order in Sage CRM- whether from a desktop or mobile device- the order details automatically transfer into Sage 100. There's no need for your back office accounting or customer service staff to re-enter the same data. You eliminate the redundancy, save a bunch of time and ensure accuracy. It also means that new customers (or existing customer updates) added in one system are synchronized in the other. Your data is consistent and your business is more accurate and efficient.

Reporting And Decision Making

With CRM and ERP data combined in the same system, you get the benefit of one single view of your business across all functional areas from sales to accounting and from the warehouse to customer service. Most companies that run disconnected systems have to export data from each application manually to patch it together from spreadsheets and paper documents, and then do it all over again the next time they need to run updated reports.

The result of integrated CRM and ERP is a consolidated. 360 degree view of your business and a reporting process that's faster, more accurate and delivers greater insight into a company-wide opertational performance. 

Customer Service

With integrated CRM and ERP, everything you know about your customers -from sales to accounting- is in one single system. Everyone who has direct contact with a customer has up-to-date customer information on-hand. That means sales people have access to inventory availability, recent shipments, or customer credit status without fumbling around in the accounting system. It also means that service staff is better able to resolve customer inquiries on the spot, rather than passing them to another department or promising to call back hours/days later.

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