The Alphabet Soup of Business Software
CRM and ERP are thrown around constantly, but what do they actually do? And which does your business need?
CRM: Customer Relationship Management
A CRM tracks everything related to your customers and sales process:
- Contact information and history
- Sales pipeline and deals
- Communication logs
- Marketing campaign tracking
- Customer service interactions
Popular options: HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive, Close
ERP: Enterprise Resource Planning
An ERP manages your internal operations and resources:
- Inventory and supply chain
- Accounting and finance
- Human resources
- Manufacturing and production
- Order management
Popular options: NetSuite, SAP, Odoo, Acumatica
Which Do You Need?
You need a CRM if:
- You're losing track of leads and follow-ups
- Sales team needs visibility into deals
- Customer data is scattered across spreadsheets
- You want to automate marketing and sales
You need an ERP if:
- You manage physical inventory
- You have complex financial reporting needs
- Multiple departments need shared data
- You're outgrowing QuickBooks
For Most SMBs
Start with a CRM. It's more immediately impactful for growth. Add ERP capabilities (or a full ERP) when operational complexity demands it—usually when you're managing significant inventory or complex manufacturing.
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