SMEs in Distribution — Which Software Should You Choose?

Elise Dejour
3 days ago
2 min read

Software for SME - Distribution and Digitalization: A Strategic Duo

SMEs in the distribution sector today must operate in a complex environment: real-time inventory management, multi-channel sales (e-commerce, transportation, distributors), demanding customer relationships, and complex logistics. To remain competitive, they have no choice — digitalizing management processes is an essential performance driver. But between ERP, CRM, and custom business applications, which solution should you choose? And most importantly, how can you ensure the tool truly adapts to your specific business needs?

ERP, CRM, Custom Business Application: Which Software to Choose in Distribution?

ERP: Unified Management of Your Business

An ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system like Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central centralizes key data and processes: purchasing, sales, logistics, finance, HR, and more. The AI-powered Copilot can be integrated into your ERP to help automate certain tasks. It provides a comprehensive view of your operations and helps optimize productivity.

Automated stock level tracking
Multi-warehouse and multi-channel management
Margin analysis by product or channel
Integration with billing tools
Microsoft offers Cloud hosting

An intuitive, customizable dashboard makes managing your business and overseeing your operations easier than ever.

Business Central ERP is more than just management software — it enables your teams to collaborate, improve traceability and workflows, automate tasks, enhance analytics, and much more.

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CRM: The Engine of Your Customer Relationship

A CRM (Customer Relationship Management) system like Dynamics 365 Sales or Pipedrive focuses on managing customer and sales relationships — prospects, clients, and sales activities. It helps you structure your sales efforts and improve customer loyalty. Additionally, the AI-powered Copilot can be integrated to assist your team with daily task management. A CRM offers tangible benefits such as:

Tracking sales opportunities
Customer segmentation
Marketing campaign automation

Microsoft provides SaaS hosting that complies with GDPR and Swiss data protection laws (nLPD).

An intuitive dashboard allows your teams to customize their preferences, manage customer relationships, automate prospect follow-ups, and more.

Business application: the tool that fits your field reality

A custom business application is a solution specifically designed for a particular need or business function. It can be developed from scratch or configured based on an existing platform, then connected to an ERP or CRM. At Almakom, we create tailor-made solutions that adapt to your existing processes—and, most importantly, to your software—for SMEs in the distribution sector:

Delivery route management tool
Fast order entry application on tablets at point of sale

How to choose the right solution?

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Analyze your business processes

Identify your bottlenecks: where is time being lost? Which departments lack reliable information? An ERP is suitable if you want to centralize operations. A CRM is relevant if your goal is better sales and/or marketing efficiency. A custom business application is ideal for digitizing a specific process.

Anticipate Your Growth

Prioritize Integration Over Juxtaposition

Almakom, your partner

Almakom is a Swiss integrator and software developer specializing in the Microsoft Dynamics 365 ecosystem. Our mission? To help distribution SMEs succeed in their digital transformation by reinventing their information systems with simple, scalable solutions that align perfectly with their business.

Our approach: