Why you need a CRM in the manufacturing industry
Manufacturing companies have lots of moving parts. It can be difficult to manage every aspect of the supply chain and sales cycle without using a selection of different software tools to stay on top of things.
While all manufacturers are different, overall business goals remain the same:
- Produce high-quality products
- Increase sales
- Improve customer service
- Excel in time management
- Follow a safe and organised system
Your departments may use a variety of online platforms to work towards achieving these goals. But what if we told you that, with CRM (Customer Relationship Management) software, you can achieve all of these goals from within one system? In manufacturing, a CRM system is used to manage inventory, improve customer service, increase revenue and automate complex processes.
Whether you’re a large scale manufacturer working with a wholesaler, or a small business selling products independently through e-commerce sites, a custom CRM provides benefits for all types of company sizes. Keep reading to learn how a CRM is used in manufacturing and how it can benefit your business.
1. Keep your supply chain centralised
Even when using an ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system, your company’s data could still be fragmented across different platforms. What we mean by this, is that different teams are using different tools to record analytics and grow business.
However, when you spread information across multiple systems this leads to unorganised data, low adoption rates and less integration between teams. CRM platforms keep everything in one place to help your teams navigate between data quickly and streamline complicated processes.
2. Manages orders and inventory
Want to gain valuable insights into your inventory, orders, warehouse management, and distribution chains? With systems like sales-i and SugarCRM, you’re able to identify order trends and activity to improve processes and plan efficiently.
Simplify your complex supply chain and get rid of time-consuming manual efforts with real-time automations. You’ll be able to track your product’s journey from raw material all the way to a consumer’s purchase.
3. Improves customer service and product quality
A CRM gives you insight into client feedback so that you can improve your product’s quality and meet market needs. Stay in constant communication with customers old and new to improve service skills and boost business.
As manufacturers rely on repeat purchases to build revenue, nurturing existing customers is essential. With tools like Sugar Serve, you’re able to manage support issues efficiently and prioritise cases.
4. Increases sales with AI-driven predications
Helping you turn leads into buyers is what systems like SugarCRM do best. With AI-driven predictive analytics, your sales team can make more informed decisions and target the leads that are most likely to buy. Take advantage of upselling and cross-selling opportunities using customers’ order history.
With access to buying patterns, your sales team will know what to sell and when to sell to each individual. And, it’s not just sales teams that benefit. Marketeers can create target lists on systems like SugarCRM and sync them to their marketing automation system to send personalised campaigns.
5. Create accurate production plans
Without accurate sales analytics, future planning is left up to guesswork. It’s hard to know which products to make and when, and even with a broad knowledge of product sales and popularity, your decisions could still be loosely-based shots in the dark.
However, when you have a 360-degree of what you sell, how much you sell and who you sell to, you’re able to create a detailed production plan for the future.
6. Removes time-consuming efforts
Throw away the spreadsheets! For some, parting ways with their beloved spreadsheets might seem impossible (honestly, we get it). But with a centralised CRM, all of your processes can be automated, meaning no more manual data entry!
Unlike common spreadsheet systems, on platforms like SugarCRM, users are able to collaborate in real-time and synchronize data easily. Plus, with every single piece of customer and order information in one place, you can create visual reports and view analytics to help you gain valuable insight into your business.
While small businesses might find that spreadsheets work well for now, as data volume grows overtime, manual entry becomes increasingly time-consuming. So if you want your business to excel in growth (who doesn’t?) then setting up a CRM now means you will thank yourself later!
With the power of CRM customisation, you’re able to create a system that is exclusively tailor-made to your business operations, no matter how complicated they are. Organise every aspect of your CRM to help you achieve your business goals.
Customising a CRM with no expertise can be a challenge. Contact us for help setting up your system or start a SugarCRM free 30-day trial to test what works for you.
