CRM Dictionary — 15 essential terms

Clear English definitions for the 15 most important terms you'll meet when evaluating, implementing or using a CRM system: CRM, SFA, pipeline, lead, MQL/SQL, lead scoring, forecasting, 360° customer card, sales KPIs, churn, LTV/CAC, e-Factura in the CRM, ERP-CRM integration, support SLA, omnichannel CRM.

Core concepts

CRM = strategy + software for customer relationships. SFA = automation of sales rep tasks (routes, in-field orders, visit reports). Pipeline = Kanban view of opportunities by stage with conversion probabilities used for forecasting.

Leads and qualification

Lead = unverified prospective contact. MQL = marketing-qualified, SQL = sales-validated. Lead scoring assigns 0–100 automatically based on behavior and demographics; above a threshold the lead is auto-routed to sales.

Metrics and integrations

Sales KPIs: conversion rate, deal size, sales cycle, win-rate, pipeline coverage. LTV/CAC ratio target ≥3:1. e-Factura in the CRM = automatic ANAF SPV submission on deal-won. ERP-CRM integration = bidirectional sync eliminating double-entry.