This article explains CMS, CRM and ERP and their similarities and differences

Every day, we share the latest software development, Devops, Agility, testing and project management, the latest articles, the hottest articles, spend three minutes every day to learn what's the best for you, and hope that you can like it and pay more attention to it. Your support is my biggest driving force.

CMS, CRM and ERP are three main software solutions to realize the automation of enterprise core processes. They help manage daily operations, interactions between the company and customers, process data, reduce redundant tasks, prioritize clues, run websites, and so on. CMS, CRM and ERP provide powerful tools to improve profitability and increase sales. However, core components and working principles are different, especially with respect to CMS.

What is CMS software?

To answer what CMS means in business, let's move to the next definition. Content Management System (CMS) is a computer software built on a web page. It is used to publish, add, easily replace, and manage digital content design, text, and graphics. It provides an interface for processing content, as well as the back end and front end of the website, so as to modify online business without technical knowledge or background. This is a very convenient choice for those who have no technical brains. They can deliver content and build a dynamic website without writing code. For example, write or update a page. CMS platform provides various pre designed templates to create a simple but well designed page. Templates visualize future websites. Therefore, they can serve as a starting point for small businesses.

Main features of content management system

Then, what role does CMS play in providing impetus for commercial websites

Add/edit content; You can create function pages without writing any code from scratch; Provide detailed analysis data; Basic knowledge of digital content processing; Provide built-in security functions

Why use CMS?

Let's define why CMS can be used and what impact it has on the process:

Maintain the website in a cost-effective manner; No coding knowledge is required; Increase website traffic; Easy to use pre designed templates; Prevent potential web security threats

There are many content management platforms on the market. The oldest and most popular are WordPress and Joomla. CMS is different from CRM/ERP. Why? Let's take a look at what is a CRM solution first?

What is CRM software?

Customer relationship management (CRM) is a comprehensive customer relationship management technology, which is used to store information about customers, their buying habits, trading methods and other sales activities in one place to study interaction, and measure data at all stages of the customer journey. It supports marketing and service practices to extract maximum value for enterprises. In general, its purpose is to automate repetitive tasks and accelerate or reduce inefficient processes, ensure quality and increase sales. It helps manage the daily operations of the team by connecting different departments, from marketing to customer service.

CRM refers to strategies and technologies for managing relationships, interactions, and sales. It integrates real-time business data into a cohesive system, allowing anyone in the team to access it anywhere. CRM provides complete information about customer needs and behaviors, creating an extraordinary journey that is a more personalized experience for everyone. The more personalized this method is, the higher the financial and marketing level of the company will be.

But what does CRM mean besides keeping in touch with customers? How can companies benefit from using this tool? It provides better data organization, enhanced communication, scheduled statements, and easily shared information within the company.

Key features of customer relationship management

The solution provides important business insights by:

Influence marketing activities; Optimize sales mode and strategy; Social media monitoring function; Ensure quality; Automate repetitive tasks; Follow up and customize customer itinerary; Third party software integration

Why use CRM?

This platform will be useful if a company lacks a clear understanding of its potential customers and sales opportunities. Here are some things you may need:

A deeper insight; Automated sales reporting; Better customer service; Improve customer retention; Keep abreast of real-time events; Higher productivity and efficiency

CRM aims to keep activities organized by tracking everything from the customer base, responses and interactions, as well as everything from the company to the customer. The platform saves energy, time and money, enabling teams to arrange customer interactions in one place. It is never too early to start implementing CRM system.

The only problem is that compared with ERP, it is limited to customer facing departments and medium-sized organizations. So what does ERP mean for medium-sized enterprises and large enterprises?

What is ERP software?

ERP stands for enterprise resource planning. It aims to improve the efficiency of business processes, focusing on every aspect: cost, visibility, and the proportion of work performed by the team. The main purposes of many tasks include project management, accounting, budget planning, forecasting, analytical reporting, and the organization's financial results. ERP improves business performance, simplifies the workflow of large companies, and reduces the time spent on complex processes. In such a system, many business processes cross each other and provide fast data exchange between them.

At present, this ERP system is very important for managing hundreds or even thousands of companies of different sizes, from small local teams to large international network enterprises. For all these companies, ERP is as important as sail.

Main features of ERP

Technical assistance for enterprise resource planning:

Financial accounting data monitoring; Automation of repeatable business tasks; Remind different departments of problems; Storing information about products or services; Visibility and tracking of all business indicators; Processing orders; Recruitment, induction, timing

Why use ERP?

ERP can be applied to any field, whether small or large enterprises, to optimize and improve efficiency. This system solves the daily business tasks of project management, including:

Know more about your business; Receive more accurate reports; Strengthen teamwork; Organize an effective, data-driven business environment; Reduce operating costs; Simplify compliance and risk management

But there are also some limitations. ERP is very suitable for managing the back-end part of the business (operational or accounting data), but it is not suitable for customer oriented operations. The ERP platform is unfriendly to users. They are very complex, and the price is high enough to be regarded as a luxury, or a meaningful investment for small and medium-sized enterprises. The most used ERP platforms in the world include Oracle Network Suite and Microsoft Dynamics 365.

Quick overview of CMS, CRM and ERP

CMS, CRM and ERP are independent products. Their core principles and functions are very different and can be combined. Understanding these differences is important for making the right decision.

Which one? There are some things to consider when making decisions. What are your current challenges? What scale do you want your business to expand to? What kind of products or services do you provide? What are your income and expenditure? Prioritize requirements and analyze customer and operational data.

CRM is cheaper than ERP. They are suitable for small and medium-sized enterprises that need less investment. ERP technology is suitable for complex enterprises. Those companies that are not ready to integrate ERP at the beginning can conduct CRM first. Customer relationship management platform is very important for customer-oriented companies, which are interested in improving their growth and maintenance. Therefore, what is ERP most suitable for? ERP is very good for those enterprises that have reached the maximum growth but still want to further optimize the organization. Limiting to a single system is not the only option. These platforms can be integrated to benefit the work.