Alva isn’t just a customer CRM — it supports four relationship modules, each tailored to a different type of business relationship. The module switcher lets you move between them instantly.
The four modules
| Module | Full name | What it manages |
|---|
| CRM | Customer Relationship Management | Your customers — companies you sell to |
| PRM | Partner Relationship Management | Partners — companies you collaborate with |
| VRM | Vendor Relationship Management | Vendors — companies that sell or distribute your products |
| SRM | Supplier Relationship Management | Suppliers — companies that supply to you |
Switching modules
The module switcher is in the top-left area of the sidebar. Click it to see all four modules and select the one you want.
When you switch modules:
- The sidebar navigation updates to show module-specific pages
- The companies list filters to show only companies with the matching relationship type
- The contacts list filters accordingly
- A relationship pipeline appears (for PRM, VRM, and SRM)
CRM module
The default module. Shows your customer pipeline with:
- Companies, Contacts, Deals
- Contracts
- Analytics and Reports
- Full sidebar with all features
Relationship modules (PRM, VRM, SRM)
Each relationship module shows:
- Companies — filtered to the relevant relationship type
- Contacts — filtered to contacts at those companies
- Pipeline — a Kanban board with lifecycle stages specific to that relationship type
Lifecycle stages by module
Each module has its own pipeline stages:
| Module | Stages |
|---|
| CRM (Customers) | Target → Prospect → Lead → Customer |
| PRM (Partners) | Target → Engaging → Negotiating → Partner |
| VRM (Vendors) | Target → Evaluating → Negotiating → Vendor |
| SRM (Suppliers) | Target → Evaluating → Negotiating → Supplier |
How companies get their relationship type
Companies are assigned a relationship type in several ways:
- Discovery profiles — when you create an ICP, IVP, IPP, ISP, or CP profile, companies found and imported are automatically tagged with the corresponding relationship type
- Manual assignment — you can set or change a company’s relationship type from its detail page
- CSV import — you can map a relationship type column during import
Cross-module features
Some features work across all modules:
- Alva chat — works in any module, with full context
- Email — email analysis applies to all relationship types
- Discovery — different profile types feed into different modules
- BDR agents — can target any profile type (except competitors)
Most users start with CRM only and add relationship modules as their needs grow. You don’t need to use PRM, VRM, or SRM unless you’re actively managing those types of relationships.
