Today’s business leaders and customer service experts are talking about CRM and BPM softwares quite frequently. These terms – used both separately and as parts of a single process improvement technique – have much in common, but still mean different things. If you are going to implement either of them in your enterprise, it is important to know what these notions mean, and what are the similarities and differences between them.

What Is BPM and What Is CRM

These two notions are widely used in the today’s business games. Let us see what they mean and find out whether there is any correlation between them.

• BPM is described as the “holistic approach”, which promotes business effectiveness and efficiency. It is the software designed to encourage innovation, increase flexibility, and improve integration with technology. Business process management software helps companies handle development and enhancement of a wide range of processes that impact the company’s clients, both directly and indirectly. All these steps commonly fall into the continuous improvement process, which includes examination, design, modeling, execution, monitoring, and improvement of the existing structure of the company. BPM as a service is never used in isolation. It is generally integrated into the organization’s existing platforms and is incorporated into its overall culture. The benefit of such solutions is cumulative and continuing; it is oftentimes realized not at once, but after the initial delivery of the platform.
• CRM is generally considered to be a particular business approach, which lets enterprises build a deeper connection with their clients, understand and predict their behavior, and facilitate better customer service performance. Customer management software includes, as a rule, a wide set of tools for effective multilevel customer management. For instance, it allows enterprises track their leads and existing buyers, distinguish and avoid relationship milestones, manage cases, align business processes with future strategies, and analyze their overall performance. CRM software should be flexible and adjustable; moreover, it must be applied throughout all the steps of customer cycle – only in this case you will be able to feel all the benefits of the chosen solution. As for the results of CRM implementation, their main task is to assure the highest ROI possible, as every deployment wave produces notable results.

As one can see, BPM tools have a wider range of influence. As distinguished from CRM, BPM softwares automate the company’s workflows, close the gap between the firm’s team and its customers, increase the level of client satisfaction, and thus boost revenue – all at the same time, by a single solution. Let us have a look, for instance, at bpm’online. This cloud-based platform has all the benefits of business process management and customer management – all in the same package. You can read about the key benefits and hallmarks of this solution at https://www.bpmonline.com or at its official page on Twitter.

Why Integrate BPM and CRM

Most mid-to-large companies have already implemented a certain form of CRM system or are about to do it. Some of these firms also have or are thinking about implementing a BPM software, as they are eager to streamline their workflows and improve customer service performance. Others look for the solutions that integrate the features of business process management and customer relationship management in the same systems, such as bpm’online. But is it feasible to use both CRM and BPM softwares? More and more analysts and business managers agree that the answer to this question is “yes”. At least, if an organization really wants to deliver great customer service, enhance its efficiency, and boost consumption.

Here are the ways the combination of CRM and BPM can benefit your company:

1. Improvement of lead management. The key tools of CRM systems deal with the imported leads and contacts only. As for business process management solutions, they trigger the process of lead capturing and help companies obtain new potential buyers from different sources, which accelerates sales and marketing flows. Having equipped your personnel with cleansed BPM data, you will be sure that they are ready to reach out to the right client at the right moment with the right message.
2. Improvement of data structuring. As a rule, CRM solutions are aimed at account management and pipeline development processes, while the procedure of data aggregation is generally performed outside the CRM system. The company’s employees may access the data about their clients from the CRM platform. But all other documentation regarding their financial affairs, interactions with other people, and other aspects of their life can be taken from BPM softwares only.
3. Maximization of cross-selling and up-selling capacities. Having combined your CRM and BPM online systems, you get the opportunity to streamline your additional sales and after-sales. These possibilities depend on the BPM’s ability to encourage optimal sales efficiency and results. Having reached the best possible volume of sales, you will be able to stay at the top without breaking a sweat, as all your inner and outer processes will be automated and streamlined.
4. Improvement of client representative efficiency and process resolution. An effective combination of CRM and BPM softwares guides the company’s staff through the problem resolution processes and offers them consistent practical experience for all the kinds of issues. Moreover, business process management tools can transfer certain information and knowledge to other specialists and departments at the right moment. All this improves agent efficiency and increases customer satisfaction.
5. Deadline management. If your daily tasks are connected with project management, or shipment of physical goods to the clients, BPM software integrated with CRM tools can become that true key to success. The system will inform your staff about the upcoming deadlines, will notify you that the customer has received his/her product, and about the shipments he/she is still expecting. BPM sets up a number of triggers, so that your critical market-facing specialists would receive certain notifications and get to know how their important clients are being treated.
6. More accurate prediction of revenue. Having combined CRM with BPM tools, companies get the opportunity to use their customer profile and sales data in the process of revenue prediction. This information helps them with invoicing and accounting, and thus they can take an unbiased look at their current possibilities and future directions.
7. Learning a lesson from possible mistakes and accomplishments. The analysis of the deals is the key aspect of any CRM software; it always helps enterprises find out what was right and what was wrong about the deals that have taken place. Using both online BPM and CRM tools, you can get the most out of their management dashboards, outlining the customers who were won and lost, tracking the profitability of individual buyers, and so on. Thus, you will know what types of clients should be prioritized in the future. As a result, the company will be able to plan its sales strategies, bid tactfully on new opportunities, and easily avoid unprofitable ones without wasting any time.