The ultimate guide to integrating your ERP system with a CRM platform

Before initiating integration, it’s vital to identify the specific ERP and CRM systems you're working with. Are you using Teamleader, Adsolut, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Oracle, Odoo, or another ERP?

On the CRM side, is it HubSpot, Salesforce, Pipedrive or something else?

Each system has its own APIs, data structures, and limitations.

Understanding these early is crucial for planning the integration roadmap.

To ensure a successful ERP – CRM integration, ask yourself:

Data management in ERP

Can you delete, duplicate, merge, or change associations of companies or contacts within your ERP? These capabilities will affect how data syncs and updates in the CRM.

Integration feasibility & limitations

Is it technically possible to integrate these systems? Are there API limitations, licensing barriers, or third-party middleware options required?

Existing & future Integrations

• What native or third-party integrations already exist?

• Will you need custom-built connectors?

• What additional integrations might become necessary (e.g., with email marketing tools or e-commerce platforms)?

Your integration scope should include more than just contact and company data.

Companies & Contacts

• Essential for account and relationship management.

• Decide which fields (addresses, sector, role, etc.) must be synced.

Products & Pricing

• If transferring product data to the CRM, determine which attributes (name, SKU, categories, standard and promotional prices, currency, etc.) are relevant.

• Do you have a large product catalog? More than 10000 products?

Product Information Management (PIM)

• If you already use a PIM, we need to determine if it should also be integrated into the CRM or remain isolated.

Currencies & Tax Settings

• Do you operate outside the Eurozone?

• Do you apply multiple tax rates? This impacts pricing logic, deal forecasting, and quoting in the CRM.

Different CRM modules cater to different business needs. Here’s a breakdown of essential visibility:

At the Company Level

Industry, number of employees, turnover, ERP account status, outstanding invoices, and historical sales.

At the Contact Level

Role, communication history, past service requests, and personalized interactions.

At the Opportunity/Deal Level

Quoted amount, product mix, estimated close date, stage, sales rep assigned, and relevant documents.

Service Hub / Ticketing

• Do you need tickets?

• Do you need asset-linked support requests (e.g., machines with serial numbers)?

KPI and Report Tracking

• Which metrics matter most? Conversion rates, average deal size, lifetime value, churn rate, support resolution time?

• Specify reports at each level: company, contact, and deal.

Order frequency

• Do customers make repeated purchases over years?

• How many per year, per customer?

Upselling & segmentation

• Define segments for upselling (e.g., based on order value, product category, lifecycle stage).

CRM user personas

Who uses the CRM? Custom dashboards should reflect these roles:

• Management for forecasting?

• Sales for pipelines?

• Support for case handling?

Survey internal needs

• Has your team been surveyed on CRM needs?

• Their input will influence workflows, permissions, and training.

Tools & portals

Do you need custom:

• Quoting calculators?

• Configurators for product bundles?

• Customer portal for order tracking, machine history, documentation, and support tickets?

Communication flows

• What automated messages should be triggered?

• Examples include onboarding emails, renewal alerts, or post-sale follow-ups.

AI data cleaning

Go for smart cleanup AI-powered reformatting, deduplication, classification, address corrections, and language localization.

Previous CRM trials

• Did you already use or test other CRM systems?

• What worked or didn’t in other CRM systems?

• Knowing this helps avoid repeat issues.

Training needs

• Will you need beginner-to-advanced workshops?

• One-time sessions or ongoing support?

Go-Live Timeline

• When would you like to launch the integrated system?

• Align internal readiness with vendor availability and training schedules.