CRM <-> ERP Integration

Stop moving data by hand between sales and finance.

Most companies already get their numbers right. The cost is the effort it takes. People in accounting and sales operations retype customers, orders and invoices, answer endless emails, and move spreadsheets in and out of two systems. We connect your CRM to your ERP or accounting system so that work disappears and each piece of information is entered once.

Why does it matter?

• Hours back every week. Accounting and sales operations stop retyping customers, orders and invoices.
• Fewer emails. Questions like "has this customer paid?" or "which details are correct?" answer themselves, because both teams see the same record.
• No more spreadsheet shuttling. Nobody exports data from one system, fixes the file and imports it into the other.
• Fewer errors. Wrong amounts, wrong VAT details and duplicate customers mostly come from retyping.
• Invoices go out sooner. They can be created as soon as the deal is won, without waiting for someone to get to it.

What can the integration do?

Projects differ, and we agree with you which of these you need.

• Pass customers between the systems. A customer is usually created in the CRM and then passed on to the ERP. The rule for when that happens is yours: at a deal stage, when an offer goes out, when an order is placed, or another rule that fits how you sell. Later changes can follow.
• Start the invoice from either side. The invoice can be triggered from the CRM, for example by a won deal, an order or an online payment, or it can be issued by accounting as today and copied into the CRM.
• Bring payments back to sales. Payments recorded by finance appear on the right customer and invoice in the CRM.
• Keep products and prices consistent. What was quoted is what is invoiced, with the same names, descriptions and prices.
• Show invoice status in the CRM. Sales can see what has been invoiced and what is still open, without asking.
• Report on what was sold and collected (optional). Revenue and payments per customer, segment or sales channel, in one place.

How are invoices created?

The answer depends on how you sell. There are two typical situations.

Fast, online sales: the invoice is automatic. When selling happens online and quickly, for example an e-shop connected to the CRM, a subscription, or other fast-moving retail and services, there is nobody to wait for. The sale in the CRM starts the invoice, and a valid one is issued in the accounting system with no manual step.

Complex deals: you choose who issues the invoice. In B2B services the proposals are customised, the sales process is long, and a deal can hold many different products and services. Here the invoice is not automatic, so the question is who issues it. Either sales creates it from the CRM and a valid invoice is issued in the accounting system, or accounting issues it as today and it appears in the CRM automatically. In both cases nobody does double entry.

Many companies have both situations, for example online orders and large contracts. We agree the rule for each in the first discovery meeting.

How do we keep your data correct?

• One owner for each type of record. The systems can never disagree about which version is right.
• Customers are matched on their VAT number. The same company is never created twice.
• A sync schedule that fits you. The data syncs automatically, as often as every hour. This is more reliable than real time, and a few minutes of delay rarely matters.
• Logs and alerts. Every action is recorded, and you are alerted when something needs attention.

Which companies is it for?

It is for companies that use a CRM next to an ERP or accounting system and still pass data between them manually. You probably need it if:

• finance retypes what sales already entered
• teams exchange emails to check customers, orders or payments
• people export and import spreadsheets between the two systems
• invoices are late, or sometimes wrong
• you are growing, and the admin work grows with you

See it in practice

We built this connection for a B2B services company that issues legally valid invoices straight from its CRM. Read the case study.

How does a project work?

1. Discovery. We look at your systems and your process, and agree which parts you need.
2. Design. We agree the rules, how invoices are created and who owns each type of record.
3. Build and test. We build the connection and test it on your real data.
4. Go-live and handover. We launch, train your team and set up monitoring.

Not sure how your sales and finance systems should connect?
Book a free consultation and we will look at where your team re-enters data today.