CRM Solution: Choosing Between Off-the-shelf, Platforms, and ERP Layers

Three different products are sold under the same name, each with different budgets and risks.

• **Off-the-shelf products:** start in days, low cost, but you adapt to the app rather than the app to you.
• **Configurable platforms:** can do almost anything, provided you pay an integrator and wait for months.
• **Smart Operations Layer (above the ERP):** starts from real data in the management system and adds the commercial layer on top.

Two quotes cannot be compared on price if they cover different scopes. Ask every provider for the same separate line items.

• Monthly subscription per user, over 36 months, including estimated team growth.
• Implementation: workflow configuration, user rights, and document templates.
• Data migration: partners, order history, and open opportunities.
• Integration with the current ERP (SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Sage, Odoo) plus email, telephony, and B2B portals.
• Support and SLA, with response times based on severity levels.

Projects starting with all modules at once rarely succeed. A working sequence starts with clean data from the ERP and adds one new workflow per month.

• **Month 1:** partners, contacts, and pipeline, synchronised from the ERP.
• **Month 2:** quoting with contractual pricing and credit limits.
• **Month 3:** orders, invoicing, and e-invoicing (Peppol / EN 16931), syncing back to the ERP.