What is the difference between a CRM, an ERP, and an LMS?

LMS, TMS, CRM, ERP, SaaS… If you're not a tech geek, the chances are that all those acronyms must seem like a foreign language to you. You have most likely used at least one of them at some point in your educational or professional career. In this article, we want to introduce you to three of the most popular programs that companies use in today's business landscape: LMS, CRM, and ERP. So what are they and what do they do?

LMS

A Learning Management System (LMS) is software that enables you to create, store, manage, and deliver educational content to those in your organization. It features a “top-down” approach to learning, where the learner works at their own pace but on a set path designed by one or several administrators. LMS has a wide array of uses and benefits, depending on your organizational needs or objectives. Still, companies generally use them for onboarding, employee training, upskilling and streamlined delivery of content. An LMS can be hugely beneficial in terms of rendering training more efficient and accessible as well as reducing costs and delivery times. Examples of LMS are CanopyLAB, Docebo, and SmartSparrow.

 

A Learning Management System (LMS) is software that enables you to create, store, manage, and deliver educational content to those in your organization.

 

CRM

A Customer Relationship Management Software(CRM) is software that brings your leads and customer together in one place. In this way, you can track all your communications with them, plan the next steps, assign tasks for your employees related to each client, etc. Furthermore, a CRM system allows you to improve your business relationships and in this way increase your revenue by allowing you to keep track of all your communications with your clients and helping you streamline different processes. Some examples include Active Campaign, Salesforce, and Pipedrive.

 

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software is a tool that manages your sales process by organizing, automating, and managing sales.

 

ERP

If a CRM is used for customer management, an ERP is used to manage the business itself. In other words, Enterprise Resource Planning is software that helps with the running of your organization. ERPs generally manage office activities such as supply chain management, human resources and payroll, administrative tasks, and project planning. They can be very helpful in terms of improving the accuracy of financial data, reducing redundant tasks, standardizing business processes, and assessing business needs. Examples of ERPs are Asana, Zoho, and SAP Business One.

 

If a CRM is used for customer management, an ERP is used to manage the business itself. In other words, Enterprise Resource Planning is software that helps with the running of your organization.

 

See? We told you that you had already encountered at least one of these. The truth is businesses often have at least two of these, as they complement each other very well. The one that is becoming increasingly popular due to their numerous benefits to adapt to remote work is Learning Management Systems. If you think your company could benefit from upskilling your team, standardizing training procedures, and reducing costs, book a demo with us today.

 

Are you intrigued by this model of education but can’t experience it first-hand in a Nordic country? Here at CanopyLAB, we designed our LMS based on these very principles, enabling anyone, anywhere, to experience the Nordic model of education.
Book a demo today to find out more.