The CRM or Customer Relationship Management started from business programs that collected customer and marketing information. In 1986, Act! CRM launched a contact management software that stored and organized customer contacts.
In the 1990s, Brock Control Systems developed software that featured contact management and automated database marketing. In the early 2000s, the advances in software engineering, graphical user interface, and cloud computing made the modern CRM software possible.
On the other hand, business process management or BPM arose when technology became the main force in business growth. In the 1960s, some American and Japanese companies focused more on quality programs to reduce defects. In the 1970s and the 1980s, the increasing use of computers led to software that could automate some business processes and integrate functions such as Enterprise Resource Management (ERM) and CRM.
BPM versus CRM
BPM refers both to a process and software, encompassing a broad application compared to CRM that refers to a specific application for customers. As an analogy, BPM is a house while the CRM is a room. A BPM software may or may not feature a CRM function.
Feature | BPM | CRM |
Unique Functions | Drag and Drop Form Designer, Data Capture, Analytics and Reports, Visual Workflow Tool, Process Performance Metrics, Enterprise Architecture Modelling, Graphics, Incorporation of Files and Videos, User Role Assignment for Each Department | Contact Center, Customer Contacts, Campaign Management, Document Management, Knowledge Base, Reporting and Analytics |
Shared functions | Single Sign-on, Analytics and Reports, Mobile Support, Social Collaboration, Cloud Access | Single Sign-on, Analytics and Reports, Mobile Support, Social Collaboration, Cloud Access |
CRM
CRM constitutes technologies (software), strategies, or practices that organizations use to analyze and manage customer data and interactions. Likewise, it is a system or software used to manage a relationship between the company and the customer. If you are running a company that produces apparel and shoes, you can use CRM to maintain contact with your patrons and keep them as a recurring customer or receive request about shoe designs and layouts.
If you are managing a web development company, you can use a CRM to collaborate with customers that subscribed to your web development services. Such collaboration may include planning the layout, changing the design, and maintaining the chat feature.
Two kinds of organizations or companies use CRM. One is the business-to-business or B2B companies, which provide products and services to other companies. An example is an HR company providing HR consulting and services to other companies. The other is business-to-customer companies or B2C, which directly deal with customers. Examples are landscaping, masonry, and apparel firms.
CRM software aggregate customer data such as email, mobile, live chat, and social media contacts. CRM may also contain detailed customer personal information, buying preferences, and purchase history. Common CRM software include Basecamp, Sugar CRM, and Salesforce.
BPM
BPM may refer to the strategies that align company goals and processes to reduce bottlenecks or production inefficiencies. Such strategies combine design, control, execute, monitor, measure, and optimize business activity.
As software, BPM uses various features that can monitor and manage these business processes and workflows within various company departments such as human resources, accounting, purchasing, finance, production, and quality control.
Using BPM can reduce or avoid bottlenecks and chaotic scenarios such as time wasted, the lack of data, demoralized staff, recurring errors, wasted time, and errors. Simply, BPM can help you untangle operations and data and make them an easy-to-manage platform. The software can also automate the recurring processes.
In sales, BPM can reduce typos in invoices by providing templates and tools. In HR, it can minimize paperwork and prevent costly errors. Producing multiple copies of timesheets for each employee can be tedious and prone to mechanical problems and typos. With BPM, you can reuse a template and populate fields such as name, age, department, and period of starting.
Combining BPM and CRM
You can use both BPM and CRM. This would lead to better data management because BPM can obtain data, such as sales and customer information, from the CRM. The duo can also give you the benefit of using templates, graphs, dashboards, and charts and analytics that accurately measure the sales gained and lost from each customer. As well, you can accurately predict revenue by using the CRM database, as well as the prospective and new customers and sales cycle.
Using BPM and CRM Effectively
You can streamline your organization’s performance by using BPM and enhance the software with CRM. The business process success lies on the staff who can handle both software and the quality of your BPM and CRM.
How can we help you?
Proceso.pro can help you streamline your business processes with a BPM software tool that can define your business strategy, capture data, boost productivity, and quality. For more information, visit Proceso.pro.