Tapping the Power of Combined CRM + OMS to Unlock Media Performance

Customer relationship management (CRM) and order management systems (OMS) are integral to modern businesses. In fact, 91% of enterprises in the U.S. use some form of CRM, while OMS are ubiquitous in media publishing. Yet, when it comes to managing these systems, global digital consultancy Perficient found that 88% of companies rely on at least some manual processes, which may occur during fulfillment or when integrating data from various systems. 

There is a gulf between the possibilities of intelligent automation and the established practices of most enterprises—-and it is creating inefficiency and stifling growth. 

To capitalize on the momentum in the digital sphere and keep up with the industry’s rapid pace of change, publishers need unified data, accurate forecasting, and real-time insights.  A unified CRM and OMS with end-to-end data management capabilities can help publishers achieve these goals. 

The status quo

More than 75% of publishers are running at average or below-average efficiency, according to our research. A high churn rate, ongoing recession, and increasing complexity have also created major hurdles for media. (Find out more in our ebook, Can Publishers Solve Our Growing Media Efficiency Crisis?)

Standalone CRM and OMS systems exacerbate these issues. They create extra busy work for overburdened teams, add complexity to already complicated operations, and silo data, limiting the potential for collaboration and insight-driven action. 

The inability to see performance across all channels—from pitch to payment—makes agility and adaptation difficult in an always-evolving industry. Industry leaders like Bustle Digital Group, a global media group with an expansive portfolio and more than 223 million monthly visitors, found that with disconnected services and complex deals, it was impossible to predict and prepare for the future. “I didn’t trust the forecast,” President and Chief Revenue Officer Jason Wagenheim said. “Because the OMS and the CRM weren’t talking to one another, there was no real-time data in it.” 

The power of unified data 

Solving the challenges of a new era of publishing requires a new way of doing things. Most companies don’t need another software solution to fix a specific problem—they need a singular system to perform the most important daily tasks and provide robust insight into performance. No extra workflows, spreadsheets, or data entry. Just a space where all commercial teams can collaborate in real time with access to the same data so they can put their heads together to maximize results. 

With a unified CRM and OMS, workflows from every stage, from pipelining to execution, are run over a single data model, organizing advertisers, agencies, rate cards, hierarchies, orders, users, and so much more. We’ve found that, on average, this unified model saves sales teams as much as six hours a week and sales managers almost 10. 

These time gains make efficient scaling and revenue growth much more attainable than with legacy systems, where workflows and data remain siloed. 

The future

The U.S. digital market is expected to grow by 50% in the next few years, reaching $876 billion by 2026. There’s momentum in the industry and cause for much optimism—all the more reason to prepare for greater business volume during future-proofing operations so you can weather any potential storm. 

Combining CRM and OMS systems solves several problems. Integrated data reduces complexity and generates accurate forecasts. Automated workflows mitigate the tedium of manual processes. Aligned teams produce better yield management results. After bringing its CRM and OMS together in Boostr, Bustle Digital Group leadership found more empowered sellers and rapidly improved delivery due to timely, accurate insights. 

“I didn’t trust the forecast, and now I do. Boostr has become indispensable,” Wagenheim said. “With partner performance data in the system, we have more opportunities to do better and to win more work.” (Learn more about how Bustle made the move in the case study.) 

Download eBook: The Pursuit ofProfitable Ad SalesGrowth Requiresa CombinedCRM + OMS