The first industrial revolution kicked off in the 19th century, when we moved from farming to factory production. Today, we have reached Industry 4.0 – an evolution, which promotes the computerization of manufacturing – concerning primarily three areas:
- Internet of things – ability to use cyber elements as sensors, which will help production and manufacturing
- Big Data and analytics – the ability to comb through large data sets and churn useful insights
- Security – whatever industry it is, the communication is secure
When talking about a popular software for CRM, it is common knowledge that every industry is bound to benefit from it. However, because of the nature and complexity of the manufacturing industry, just any CRM is not enough, you need a powerful one, like Salesforce. Here we list a few reasons:
Excellent Customer Experience
Everybody wants their customer to feel like a king. So imagine how much time is sometimes wasted just searching for the correct info to, what may be, a simple question from your customer. There’s also the possibility that the question may be passed around from employee to employee.
After-sale service and project delivery require immaculate service, and a solid CRM system in the manufacturing industry gives you the ability to ensure that all employees are well informed and have access to data. This way, the customer is happy as you provide the best in industry response time.
“Keeping your customers satisfied is paramount and a powerful CRM helps with the process.”
A powerful CRM system like Salesforce will also help you manage information like warranty or service issues. In most manufacturing companies, the ERP tool will keep track of the stock/material data, however, the CRM tool can assist in day to day service calls and inquiries.
Boosting Sales
Whichever the industry, one common goal is to increase your sales. But the question is how will a CRM system aid in boosting sales? Starting with the first phase of a sales cycle, the customer engagement or new lead stage, the CRM system can help your team with gathering the right information in a central location. This gives everybody a clear picture as to what has to be done, the steps involved and the challenges, if any. Hence, it becomes easier to work with the customer and tailor a specific solution for him. Over time, you will have a repository of customer requirements, which will be crucial in digging out valuable insights into your potential customers and target group.
“A solid CRM like Salesforce can capture vital data and provide useful insights to boost sales.”
One other area is quickening up the whole RFQ (or IFB) process. Usually, the ‘Request for Quote’ process takes very long, as inputs are required. Also, there is usually little knowledge regarding why a particular business has been won or lost. A powerful CRM like Salesforce captures this data, giving you the ability to understand how to avoid losing a customer in the future.
Expansion to new Horizons
Even though a bulk of your orders may continue coming from your existing customers or your best-selling product, it is always good strategy to expand to new clients, products and geographies. In fact, even targeting a different set of customers can be rewarding. As your company shapes these strategic initiatives, a powerful CRM system like Salesforce will definitely help – it can prequalify your leads, target prospects and manage the communication.
It can also track the selling process, as with such a system in place, the process is bound to become more efficient and this requires a solid measuring system which can measure the goals versus people’s efforts. A CRM system will make the team more organized and focused, and this is bound to show results in a new initiative.
Improved Planning and Productivity
A CRM tool such as Salesforce comes with an easy to use interface, which makes it easier to drive user adoption. The system also helps to eliminate duplicate and manual entries, which saves valuable time and improves productivity.
Every step of the process is accounted for, as the system makes it very easy to document one’s effort every step of the sales and manufacturing cycle. This leads to increased planning levels, as there is a higher incentive to feed in details.
Today, all manufacturers know the importance of sales, marketing and customer satisfaction, and that is why more and more manufacturers are using CRM tools for a competitive advantage over others.
Do you use Salesforce in your company? Are there any other benefits that you may have experienced as a manufacturer? Please leave a comment below.
Furthermore, if you wish to work with us for your Salesforce needs, write to us at services@suyati.com.
