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How can these new technologies help them improve their sales, their relationships with their customers, the management of their various projects or even, how can these digital solutions facilitate the processing of the data they deal with every day?
Like many other industries, the construction and civil engineering sectors have been facing, in recent years, the beginnings of a major revolution in the way they work: The digital transformation. Forced, with varying degrees of satisfaction, to begin their own digital shift, many business managers, like you, are wondering about two acronyms that come up constantly in discussions:”CRM (Customer Relationship Management)“and”ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning)“. However, for many industry professionals, these terms remain confused and raise many questions about the functioning, usefulness, real power and even the relevance of integrating these terms. new tools in their businesses.
To allow you to fully grasp The power of these software and the benefits that using CRM or ERP software can offer you, it is essential to clarify these concepts and explain how they can concretely improve your work on a daily basis, from your customer relationship management to your internal site management processes.
In this article, we invite you to explore in detail the existing differences between CRM and ERP software and, thus, highlight the reasons why their use could be crucial in a context of perpetual growth in the sector, also suffering from a labour shortage unprecedented!
CRM, Customer Relationship Management, (or GRC (Customer Relationship Management) in French) is a tool intended to help you manage customer relationships, from prospecting to customer loyalty.
It centralizes all existing interactions between your business and your customers in a single database, thus facilitating the monitoring andimproving customer service. It is therefore resolutely customer-oriented, sales, contact and the relationships you maintain with your customers, with your prospects and with all of your external contacts. Very often, it also allows you to process emails received or sent to customers and prospects, in addition to phone calls And all the others digital interactions with your contacts throughout your sales pipeline.
A CRM helps customer data management and the database attached to it, as well as to sales process And to marketing actions, they are therefore primarily aimed at your sales, customer service and marketing teams.
To better locate you, we can mention a few well known CRM software :
A CRM maybe a CRM Cloud, that is, you can easily access it online using any internet access, it does not need to be installed on your computer or mobile device, or else take the form of an “on-premise” CRM system, that is to say a software to download and to be installed on the devices of your entire team. In any case, it does not change their functionalities and everything depends on the use you want to make of them.
ERP, Enterprise Resource Planning, (or Integrated Management Software in French) is a system that allows a company to manage all of its processes in an integrated manner. It includes various functions, including the project management, finances, The payrolls, e-commerce when relevant, the resource management or again, the field management. So it is useful for all services of your business and its productivity.
Its main objective is toimprove productivity by promotingoperational efficiency, by removing data silos (such as double entry, for example), by digitizing manual tasks and by providing information in real time to help make informed decisions.
Just like CRM software, an ERP can be based on a cloud, which means that it is accessible online and does not require installation on your computer or mobile device. It can also be an “on-premise” system and require installation on all of your team's devices. Civalgo is an ERP, but we can cite others ERP software to help you understand, to name only the biggest in the sector:
Unlike CRM, which focuses on customer relationships, an ERP primarily targets your operational and financial teams And of human resources management, because it helps orchestrate the tasks and processes in these areas in your business. It can, for example, automate management processes, facilitate the resource management And the collecting data, managing employee payroll or providing detailed financial forecasts.
With this type of software, planning and managing your operations becomes easier at all levels. It is a great solution for a company that wants to improve profitability and productivity while facilitating the daily work of its team in the field and in the offices.
The objective of a CRM software (Customer Relationship Management) is to facilitate your sales pipeline, by offering detailed monitoring of each stage of the life cycle of a sale, from the prospecting phase to after-sales service, including the customer service, the relationship with customers and the sale itself. It offers an overview of your customers and sales and marketing interactions that you maintain with your customers.
In general, it allows your sales and marketing teams to be more effective, thanks to a overview based on data and on all interactions with customers, prospects and contacts. It is a great solution of customer relationship management and a great way to improve your customer services, sales and marketing.
A CRM software allows you to consolidate all customer information and data all in one place, which makes it easier to track interactions with customers and, of course, leads to a overall improvement of customer service operations and relationships maintained with customers.
You will more easily find information about your sales and customers, which will limit errors and will allow for smoother interactions between your sales team, your customers and you. Having a CRM software is a good solution for a company that wants to see the customer satisfaction climb!
Through the use of CRM software, a company can considerably improve the management of its customer database. By doing a accurate customer segmentation, your marketing efforts will be better targeted and therefore more effective.
CRM software can help you put an end to a number of manual tasks related to customer management, which will allow your sales and administration teams to focus on tasks with higher added value. This is particularly interesting in the fields of construction and civil engineering, which are severely affected by labour shortage.
ERP software, on the other hand, has the objectives ofharmonize and facilitate all aspects of business operations, from project management to field management, going through the Employee punch, the payroll management And the financial planning. It is used to coordinate services and all the activities of the company, thus helping to optimize processes, to improve efficiency and to boost the productivity of your business.
For a long time, ERP software had a reputation for being particularly useful for large businesses, which have to deal with numerous departments and multiple employees. However, ERP software is just as useful for small and medium-sized businesses! Especially since it makes it possible to limit the number of tasks carried out by humans and therefore offers a real added value facing hiring difficulties.
Using ERP software will give you good tools to help you plan and manage your construction projects. Managing resources, estimating costs and creating schedules based on real-time data can greatly improve your planning and estimating capabilities.
Thanks to ERP software, it is possible to monitor the use of your resources in real time, both human and material. This feature helps to avoid stockouts, double assignment of construction machines, and other scheduling errors that are very common when a business operates with manual processes and that are extremely expensive.
Various tools are offered by ERP software for facilitate communication between employees in the field and employees in the office, but also with customers and suppliers.
In addition to promoting a better collaboration between your teams, these tools also allow you to scan documents on the construction site, the timesheets and other paperwork, so that they are accessible at all times for the teams that need them.
One of the main advantages of an ERP is his ability to estimate and plan and so, to limit the risk of delay in your projects! Thanks to precise planning, based on real data entered directly from the field, it is possible to quickly identify possible bottlenecks and to act accordingly to avoid costly delays.
With ERP software, your business saves time, but also money!
Ideally, a business should consideruse both CRM and ERP software, because they serve different complementary objectives.
Together, they can go a long way in helping you improve overall operations carried out by your company, from your customer service to the management of internal resources, including the planning of your sites and the automation of your production processes.
Note: Today, many ERPs can integrate a CRM!
The combined use of CRM software and ERP makes it possible tooptimize internal processes of a construction or civil engineering company. For example, CRM can be used to track interactions with customers and suppliers, while ERP can help manage material orders, project planning, and financial forecasts.
With a CRM and an ERP, all relevant information is centralized, which facilitates communication with customers, but also between office teams and field employees. Data can be entered via CRM and, thanks to ERP, this information is immediately available to sales, accounting, or marketing personnel.
Effective resource management:
In the construction and civil engineering sector, the effective management of resources is crucial. An ERP can help track resource usage in real time, minimizing waste and improving efficiency. For example, if a project is delayed, ERP can help you quickly reallocate resources to other tasks.
A CRM can help businesses build and maintaining strong relationships with their customers by ensuring constant monitoring and by providing accurate and up-to-date information. For example, if a customer requests an update on a project, information can be easily retrieved and shared, improving customer satisfaction.
Finally, the integration of CRM software and an ERP in your company allows a more effective data analysis. Businesses can thus gain valuable information about their performance, customers, and operations, which can help with planning and strategic decision making. For example, a business could use ERP data to identify high-cost areas, or use CRM to identify sales trends.
However, if you do not have the budget to acquire both systems at the moment, here is some food for thought to help you make a decision about the acquisition of CRM or ERP software.
This is obviously the first criterion that you should take into account. If your main objective is toimprove your relationships with your customers and setting up excellent customer service, perhaps a CRM software is a more appropriate choice.
On the other hand, if you want improve the efficiency of your internal processes, facilitate your project management and turn your back on manual processes, an ERP is undoubtedly a better choice.
Traditionally, it is accepted that an ERP is often more expensive to set up than a CRM, due to its more complex nature and its integration at all levels of the business. However, ERPs are now also available in SaaS technology, which makes them less expensive and more suited to budgets small and medium-sized businesses: find out more!
In any case, it is best to Define a budget before making a decision. Do not hesitate to compare different offers.
A CRM is generally easier to use, because its functionalities are less extensive. However, many companies offering ERPs can offer you accessible training for you and your employees. At Civalgo, it's included in the price !
While both types of software can be customized, ERP offers greater flexibility and flexibility. If you have need a solution very specific to your business, the ERP will undoubtedly be able to work miracles.
Finally, it is important to consider How will the software integrate with existing systems. If a CRM is normally never a problem, consider choosing an ERP that can integrate the software and technologies you already use!
The choice between CRM and ERP depends on several factors, such as the size of the company, its specific needs and its expectations. A small business focused on sales could benefit more from a CRM, while a construction or civil engineering company with complex processes and several projects carried out simultaneously could find an ERP more useful for its development.
The choice between CRM software and ERP depends on the nature and specific needs of your business. Everyone has their own strengths and can be a powerful tool for improve the efficiency and productivity of your business. If your budget allows it, the best is still to combine the two!
Remember that the objective is, in any case, to use technology to support your business goals and operations!
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