BPM is Not CRM: Understand the Differences and When to Use Each

Many companies confuse two fundamental concepts in process management and customer relationship: BPM and CRM. Although both contribute to increased productivity and efficiency, they have distinct purposes. Knowing how to differentiate these approaches is essential for making more assertive decisions about the technology used in your company.

What is BPM?

BPM (Business Process Management) is an approach to model, automate, monitor, and optimize the internal processes of an organization. The focus is on operational efficiency and workflow management.

Examples of BPM use:

Contract and document approval
Employee onboarding
Reimbursement requests
Production control

Common features in BPM software:

Process modeling: visual creation of workflows.
Task automation: eliminates repetitive manual activities.
Custom forms: for structured information collection.
Integrations with other systems: connection with ERPs, CRMs, etc.
Dashboards and reports: monitoring of KPIs and efficiency.
Access control and permissions: organization of roles and responsibilities.
Kanban and lists: visualization of process stages.

These resources are aimed at structuring the company's operations and making them more predictable, agile, and scalable.

What is CRM?

CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is an approach to managing interactions with current and potential customers. The focus is on the customer journey, with the goal of improving sales, service, and retention.

Examples of CRM use:

Contact and sales opportunity registration
Marketing automation
Customer service
Post-sales and support

Key Differences Between BPM and CRM

Check the table below for the main features of each of these solutions.

Feature	BPM	CRM
Main focus	Internal processes	Customer relationship
Objective	Operational efficiency	Increased sales and customer satisfaction
Example of use	Proposal approval workflow	Sales funnel management
Main users	Operational and back-office teams	Sales, marketing, and service teams
Type of software	Process management platforms	CRM systems

BPM Software vs CRM Software

BPM Software

Octapipe
Pipefy
ClickUp

CRM Software

Salesforce
HubSpot
Pipedrive

Octapipe: An Accessible and Powerful BPM

Octapipe is a BPM platform that allows you to manage business processes visually, simply, and automatically. With features like kanban, custom forms, databases, dashboards, and automations, it’s possible to centralize and organize workflows with greater agility and control.

Recommended for teams looking to move away from the chaos of emails and spreadsheets and achieve greater productivity, octapipe is an excellent alternative for small and medium-sized businesses that want to scale operations efficiently.

Conclusion: BPM and CRM have distinct purposes but are complementary. While CRM helps take care of customers, BPM ensures that internal processes run smoothly. Knowing the right time to use each tool makes all the difference in the evolution of a business.