CRM or ERP

ERP or CRM: which does your company need?

In short: CRM helps you win clients; ERP helps you run the company after they show up. Many need both, but not always at the same time.

CRM is customer relationship management: who showed interest, where they came from, and where they are in the sale. ERP covers what happens inside the company: appointments, invoices, stock, team, projects.

If you lose leads or do not know which ad works, start with CRM. If appointments, stock, or invoices are tangled, start with ERP.

CriterionCRMERP

The question it answersWhere do clients come from and what happens until contract?What are we doing now, with what resources, and at what cost?

What it tracksLeads, sources, campaigns, sales stages.Appointments, invoices, stock, projects, team.

Who uses it mostSales and marketing.Operations, admin, management.

What you measureCost per lead, conversion, ROAS.Revenue, utilization, stock, project margin.

Sign you need itLost leads, manual reports, ads without clear results.Double bookings, wrong stock, invoices in several tools.

Can they connect?Yes. CRM leads can appear in ERP; appointments and payments can update lead status.Yes, the same way.

Start with CRM if

you bring clients from ads or forms and want to know what works
sales forgets to follow up on leads
you want to track each client’s source

Start with ERP if

appointments, stock, or invoices live in several places
you want clients to book online
you run a team on shifts and time off

Read also: ERP or CRM, which fits you →

Questions

What people ask us

Do we need both?

Not necessarily from day one. Many start with one and add the other when the need shows up. The two connect.

How do we find out quickly?

Take the ERP or CRM quiz: six questions, about a minute.

What does ERP mean, exactly?

See ERP and CRM in the glossary.

Other comparisons

Excel or software built for how you work?

Excel is a great tool and many companies start there. The question is not whether it is bad, but how far it goes. Here is an honest comparison.

Off-the-shelf app or custom software?

The answer is not always custom and not always off-the-shelf. It depends on how specific your process is and how fast you need something that works.

Not sure what fits you?

We have a call, learn how you work, and tell you honestly what you need. Free 7-day demo environment.

Book a demo