In the era of big data, the integration of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems has emerged as a strategic necessity for organizations seeking to enhance operational efficiency, drive intelligent decision-making, and deliver personalized, customer-centric service experiences. As enterprises increasingly prioritize real-time responsiveness and cross-functional coordination, integrated ERP-CRM platforms serve as foundational tools that unify internal operations with external engagement. This systematic review investigates the current landscape of ERP-CRM integration by examining existing adoption frameworks and assessing their impact on organizational performance and strategic agility. Using PRISMA guidelines, a total of 94 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2013 and 2022 were systematically selected from databases including Scopus, Web of Science, and IEEE Xplore. The literature is categorized into three primary thematic domains: (1) technological, organizational, and environmental (TOE) drivers influencing ERP-CRM integration; (2) implementation frameworks including agile, hybrid, cloud-based, and open-source models tailored to varying enterprise contexts; and (3) organizational outcomes such as productivity improvements, enhanced customer retention, data-driven culture, and value chain synchronization. The findings reveal that integration success is heavily influenced by factors such as digital infrastructure readiness, executive leadership involvement, user training, and cross-departmental collaboration. Big data analytics emerges as a transformative enabler, allowing organizations to leverage real-time dashboards, predictive algorithms, and AI-enhanced insights for strategic decisions and customer engagement. However, significant challenges persist, including fragmented data architectures, interoperability constraints, high implementation and maintenance costs, and limited adoption in resource-constrained small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This review contributes to both academic discourse and managerial practice by synthesizing fragmented research into a unified framework and proposing a conceptual model for scalable and ethically sound ERP-CRM integration. The study also identifies key research gaps involving long-term value realization, SME-specific adaptation models, data governance, and the integration of explainable artificial intelligence into enterprise platforms.
Kowsar et al. (Wed,) studied this question.