I’m going to be blunt.

The “correct” way to set up Epicor CRM is wrong.

I’m pretty sure it’s the biggest reason why the CRM module doesn’t get a lot of love, even from committed Epicor users.

Epicor CRM has everything you need.

OK, it’s not ideal that the functionality is spread over a lot of screens, but a few dashboards can fix that. It’s actually very powerful, and the functions you need in a CRM are almost certainly there.

Just as long as you don’t use Quote/Opportunity for most of it.

The thing about CRM is that friction kills it.

Nobody WANTS to enter data into CRM, no matter how much they want that data to be there when they look for it, and nobody wants to be spending time on admin when they’re looking after customers or hunting new ones.

The answer, in the Epicor system, is the wonderful multi-tool that is the HelpDesk Case.

To create and save a Case, you only need to enter a summary of what it’s about, with a selected Workflow.

The end.

If that’s all you have time for, it works. You can add the customer, the contact, a product, a logged call, a task, whatever, later when you DO have time.

You can use the same Task Sets as for Opportunities, you can link anything you like.

If you’re used to using a Quote as an Opportunity then it’ll be a revelation how quick and easy it is. Epicor’s Quote system is ludicrously powerful, but it’s overkill for a simple enquiry.

Oh, and if you’re using a Case instead, once you get to the point of needing to Quote, you can create and link a Quote from the Case anyway.

If you have Epicor, and you’re considering CRMs, take another look at the built-in module with this in mind, and it suddenly becomes a real option. Which is great, because it keeps you in the system you’re already using and everyone knows.