The primary operational focus direction for SCM systems is ‘upstream'. That is, SCM solutions attempt to exert the company's control ‘upstream' over its suppliers. In contrast, what is the direction of operational focus when deploying Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems?
The major CRM software products support business processes in sales, service, and marketing, integrating customer information from many different sources. Included are supports for both the operational and analytical aspects of CRM.
Operational CRM includes customer-facing applications, such as tools for sales force automation, call center and customer service support, and marketing automation.
Analytical CRM includes applications that analyze customer data generated by operational CRM applications to provide information for improving business performance.