Do Integrated Marketing and Operations Systems Lead to Company-Wide Data Excellence?

Let's say you convert an opportunity in your CRM into a project win. When preparing an RFP, you want to showcase how many projects you've completed for a particular client. However, inconsistent naming results in multiple entries for the same company, complicating your ability to gather an accurate list of past projects. This issue is compounded when integrating systems. For example, if your CRM connects to an ERP system based on an opportunity converting to a project, your ERP may also create duplicate company entries. Without proper data management, you could have multiple records for the same company across systems, creating confusion and inaccuracies. By including these fields in your documentation and ensuring that your users understand what happens after this data is entered into these fields (via integration), you can resolve many data issues before they are created.

Before integrating any marketing and operations systems (and after), it's also best practice to include a process map in your data documentation.

Understanding how data flows from each component of the system, where people are involved in the process, and what each person does as data flows through the system is necessary. Next, it's essential to bring in key team members who manage each system to review the documentation. Process maps are best presented as a graphic rather than word-heavy descriptions. You can create a process map in PowerPoint, Miro, and Lucidchart. The process map above was created in Lucidchart.

Many marketers assume that the accounting or project management teams are withholding valuable data in the ERP system. In my experience, that's rarely the case. Usually, the data just isn't there. The accounting and project management teams focus on data fields that are relevant to them and their tasks. Unfortunately, the information marketers need may not be at the top of the accounting and project management teams' minds. Therefore, those data fields don't get populated. During a systems integration, if fields are blank in either the ERP or Project Management component, those fields may be overlooked. As your team proceeds with any integration, first make sure there is a thorough understanding of how data will flow between the two systems.

Once you have the mapping document, run a report in the ERP to check whether the fields included in the integration are populated with data. You might discover that your accounting team isn't using fields essential to marketing, meaning the data you expect to integrate doesn't exist. In such cases, work with system administrators to make key fields mandatory during critical project creation and management phases.

An API (Application Programming Interface) is a standardized interface that allows software applications to interact with each other by defining methods for requesting and exchanging data. (ChatGPT, 2024). CRM, ERP, and Project Management integrations are commonly done via APIs. Software companies often provide open (freely available) or private (restricted access) APIs to facilitate integration. While open APIs are typically free, private APIs or higher-tier access often come with associated costs, especially when advanced features or higher request limits are required.

• Increased control over which data fields are transferred between systems, allowing for fine-grained selection of relevant data
• Customizable data transformation, such as altering formats, applying business logic, or normalizing values before transferring between systems
• The ability to create event-based triggers or workflows, such as initiating automated processes based on real-time data changes or conditions

Building a custom API integration can be an excellent fit for larger organizations with the technical resources and budget. However, out-of-the-box integrations often provide the essential functionality to synchronize critical data and are a great starting point for many A/E/C companies.

Data management is an ongoing process; perfection is hard to achieve, even with the best intentions. Your CRM's ability to import and export data is essential to maintaining data excellence. Merging data can help clean up your database, but the option to export, clean, and re-import data offers flexibility in addressing inconsistencies. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, focus on cleaning data in manageable batches rather than tackling everything at once. For example, before the holidays, you may want to focus on cleaning data pertaining to hot prospects and customers. During the holidays, when things are a little slower, you may choose to focus on cleaning prospect and opportunity data in preparation for the year ahead.

Maintaining good data practices is key to ensuring smooth systems integration regardless of where you are on your data excellence journey. Regular meetings with the administrators of the systems you plan to integrate will help you establish efficient data processes and save you from future headaches.