Last updated on June 13, 2022
Enterprise resource planning, also known as ERP, refers to a software platform that enables brands to manage their daily business processes better. These include accounting functions, project management workflows, and eCommerce supply chain adjustments. The right ERP system can make your job as an entrepreneur that much easier, as long as you include ERP integrations that connect with your CRM, CPQ software and other programs.
ERP integration is critical if you want to get the most from a CPQ platform, and the right ERP can even take advantage of pre-built connectors. If you’re interested in ERP integration or how the right ERP solution can improve your workflow, here’s what you need to know.
Start with the ERP integration essentials.
If ERP integration sounds fairly self-explanatory, that’s because it is. This term refers to integrating your ERP with other software and systems such as eCommerce applications, CRM platforms, vendor programs, or tools that help with finance, invoice generation, or inventory management. Ultimately, this integration means you’re connecting your ERP software to another business application. When you have your ERP software connected to a CRM, CPQ, or eCommerce platform, it can increase efficiency, empower your sales teams, and improve relationships with your suppliers and vendors.
Ultimately, with this point-to-point integration of different applications, you can manage a larger electronic data interchange, reduce human error, and get more product data for your specific needs. If you’re using an omnichannel approach, it’s much easier to review a single stream of compiled data on an integration platform than to go through different applications manually. This allows for a greater degree of human error and can tax your business resources. The ERP application integration process creates a “single source of truth,” whether customer data, sales orders, or purchase orders from different systems. This data transfer gives businesses of all sizes insights into their ever-changing business needs.
What are the benefits of ERP application integration?
For small and large businesses, the right ERP has a lot to offer. To start, you’re likely going to save a lot of time. Data transformation, order management, and updates to your inventory levels take time. With a new system in place, these tasks are less resource-intense and free up your employees to put their efforts to work elsewhere. It also increases employee agility and allows them to shift focus as needed. Also, integrating your ERP means you have better data visibility, and you’re less likely to make errors during data entry. If you have error-prone operations, whether these are with your distributor or as a result of some middleware you’re using, mistakes can cost you both time and money. An ERP application reduces this risk.
When you don’t integrate your ERP, you’re also more likely to experience reduced team collaboration. Since there’s no single source of truth, it’s harder for departments to cross-reference data, verify requests, and interface with their colleagues. A point-to-point integration helps your ERP empower employees and enhance collaboration. Often, without integrating your ERP, you’re bound to experience inventory management issues. These might have been preventable with an ERP in place. Early ERP adapters know how beneficial an ERP software integration can be for business strategy and eCommerce success.
An ERP system integration empowers your brand.
Enterprise resource planning has its perks. Whether you’re working with an ERP system on your eCommerce platform or you’re looking to connect an ERP to your CRM, there are plenty of reasons why this software can benefit your brand. From the eCommerce sphere to brick-and-mortar brands, consolidated data collection and interpretation makes it easier to run a multi-channel business. With the right ERP vendor, there’s no telling what your brand may be able to accomplish when you invest in integration.
