What is the difference between LRM and CRM software?

Well, I won’t say that comparing an LRM and a CRM is like comparing apples and oranges, but I would say that it is like comparing Grapefruit and Oranges. Both are citrus, but they have very different flavors. An LRM would be the grapefruit in this example, it has the elements common to all citrus fruit, but there is a whole lot more on the inside.

Okay, enough with analogies. Lets get down to the basics. First of all, Customer Relations Management (CRM) software helps you manage your contacts so you don’t lose track of them. It may have some reporting tools and automated email capabilities, but its main purpose is to track progress and organize it. This in and of itself causes a significant raise in sales (I’ve heard it said that it is somewhere between 15-20%). In the sales reporting world, this is great.

Lead Response Management (LRM) software, on the other hand, is a bit different. It also will help you to manage your contacts, whether they be leads, prospects, or clients (No difference here). The end purpose of LRM software, however, is to cause the progress of the leads into customers by contacting and qualifying them. If your business has a CRM in place, you may need to purchase a separate dialer system, which may include hardware and software installation, just to get the contacting and lead qualifying you want done. There is no need for this with an LRM; it’s built right in.

LRM software has a dialer built in. There is not need to purchase more software of hardware, qualifying and managing are all done from the same place. This is not the only thing that makes LRM software different from CRMs. An LRM can have the capacity to trigger inbound calls from webform submissions, or trigger various actions to be performed on leads or contacts data based on certain criteria. This can range from specific email templates in the form of a drip campaign, or even create scheduled events and tasks automatically. Lead Response Management software will also enable you to do voice broadcasting, leave automated voice messages and do complete reporting on all of these various features.

This does not mean that CRM software is subpar or inferior to LRM software in the realm of Marketing Software. Some people do not need an LRM to get the job done. If you do use or have a need for all of the features provided by a complete LRM, the best thing is to consolidate all the features into one program. Youreally just have to know what you want, some people don’t like grape fruit.