Manufacturing is a complex business. Coordinating your teams so all parts of your supply chain and the business continue to run like a well-oiled machine can be pretty tricky. A customer relationship management (CRM) solution can make a real difference on the operations side of things. By simplifying the information and communications process, you can focus more efforts on sales.
Integrate With Existing Systems
Your supply management includes three core flows: the product, the information, and the finances.
- The product flows from the supplier to the consumer, and includes returns and customer service.
- The information flow handles the ordering process, providing details on when the order ships, and then tracking the shipment all the way through delivery.
- The finances flow handles the credit terms, payment schedule, and ownership arrangements.
The ideal online CRM will easily integrate with your existing systems to handle all the flows of your supply chain management. Integrated systems are not only simpler to implement as part of the operations process, but also a more cost effective approach. An integrated CRM builds seamlessly into the workflow.
Connect With Customers Throughout the Journey
Using a CRM makes it easier to engage prospects and customers about new opportunities. It gives you a central location to put all the customer requirements, and allows you to alert all team members involved, so everyone remains on the same page throughout the journey. 74% of Insightly’s industrial manufacturing customers who used the product at least two to three times per week reported improved internal collaboration and communication.
Customer service is a critical part of the customer journey: before, during, and after the sale. With CRM, when a customer talks to employee 1, 2, and 3, your employees can each leave notes in the system, to make any further communication more personalized. Since 73% of consumers prefer to do business with companies that use personal information to personalize their experience, this type of intuitive service is key. CRM keeps everything more organized, and your customer doesn’t have to waste time repeating the issues.
Data shows the customer service experience is paramount to building loyalty and increasing revenue. A 2012 study from American Express shows 66% of customers are willing to spend more with companies they believe provide excellent customer service, and 75% of customers say they have spent more with a company because of excellent customer service. By 2020, the customer experience is projected to overtake price as the key brand differentiator.
As time goes on, you’ll have a vast library of customer data you can use to fine-tune your product and service offerings to better suit the needs of your customers.
Make Supply Chain Management Easier
There are distributors and suppliers to coordinate with, and tons of data to keep track of along the way. As products move from the supplier to the manufacturer, the wholesaler, the retailer, and finally to the consumer, there’s plenty of room for error. Your CRM will make managing the information, materials, finances, and communication between departments much simpler with a central location for all data.
Your CRM makes it easy to keep track of the current availability of materials and pricing. You’ll be able to manage customer assets, inventory, subscriptions, and software licenses. You’ll even be able to keep track of customer maintenance needs.
Manufacturers are in a highly competitive industry, and need to make use of every available sales channel to offer clients highly personalized service to get the edge. CRM data helps ensure all clients get the level of personalized approach that fosters loyalty, trust, and reliability – which helps boost your sales.
At Insightly, we offer a CRM used by small and mid-sized businesses from a huge variety of verticals. Learn about all of Insightly’s features and plans on our pricing page or sign up for a free trial.
