An integated CRM application is a standalone

CRM application that has been tied into another application over the years using some form of middleware.  The level and types of integration will vary, so you need to drill down on this with the vendor.  Integrated CRM is the byproduct of 2 classes of applications (ERP and CRM) that were formerly developed separately only for publishers to later realize that users had a need to use these applications cohesively.  In order to meet user demands, various applications have been created to syncronize data and processes between these separate applications.  While the level of integration is not as strong as embedded CRM, In some cases, there is a valid argument for integrated versus embedded.  We will cover that in another Blog.

Embedded CRM is CRM functionality built into the ERP application from its inception.  That is, it is an integral part of the application.  This is a hallmark of a newer generation of ERP applications.

So what are the attributes of embedded CRM and what are the benefits?

Embedded CRM is basically CRM funcionality provfided in an ERP application.  There is no separate CRM application.  Typical CRM functions such as Account and Contact activities and history, Sales Pipeline and Opportunity Management, and Customer support are part of the ERP application.

Benefits of embedded CRM include:

• Single system of record:  there is only one place for Accounts/Companies and contacts to live.  Any updates to these records are made in one place.
• Single application:  there is no need to maintain 2 different applications.  In essence, application maintenance is cut in half.
• Document level activities:  this is a key benefit.  Basically this provides a company the ability to create CRM activities that are not only related to a company and contact, but also to a specific business document such as a quote, order, invoice, etc.  Examples of this in use include setting up a follow up activity for yourself or another user for a specific sales order, setting up a collection call related to a specific invoice, setting up an activity for accounting to issue a credit memo against a particular disputed invoice, etc.  When a user accesses an order or invoice, for example, the entire history of any planned or completed activities related to that document is available
• Immediate document creation:  In an ERP application with embedded CRM, any business document created (e.g. Quote) is created directly in the ERP application.  There is no need to later replicate the document created in CRM to the ERP application.
• Realtime visibility: all customer related financial data is readily available and is always up to date.  Integated CRM applications often rely upon scheduled synchronization of data, resulting in near time versus realtime financial data.
  These are just some of the benefits of using CRM embedded into your ERP application.

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