How Salesforce is useful for Manufacturing to boost the business needs?

getoncrm December 25, 2019 0 Comments

As traditional business processes become increasingly irrelevant in this modern technology era, manufacturers all over the world are rethinking the way they do business.

Companies are undergoing digital transformations to change their existing business models to keep up with technology and stay in the race.

Even so, many manufacturers still struggle to compete in today’s environment because of outdated technology. Now more than ever, manufacturers need to adopt the latest technology solutions.

Failing to simplify and optimize business operations can result in overly complex processes. Moreover, costly implementations of production management software can have a detrimental effect on the company’s desired ROI.

Deploying CRM in the manufacturing sector can give manufacturers detailed and useful insights about operations, inventory management, order processing, warehousing and distribution chains.

Having an intelligent supply chain can deliver phenomenal results as it empowers firms to manage production schedules. Moreover, it also lets you maintain materials supply and move products quickly from the site of production to the market.

A common challenge facing manufacturers today is the inability to effectively manage order and demand forecasting. This means that there is difficulty incorporating customer wants and needs early in the planning cycle.

To overcome this challenge, many manufacturers leverage a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system such as Salesforce.

Over the past few years, Salesforce has emerged as one of the most widely recognized and talked about customer relationship management (CRM) cloud software systems. For those of you still stuck using spreadsheets and other ad hoc systems to manage sales, however, the idea of a cloud CRM like Salesforce may be a new concept.

Salesforce.com offers several key products – ExactTarget Marketing Cloud, Service Cloud, Chatter, Salesforce1 Platform, Salesforce Communities, Work.com, Pardot, and the most popular of all, Sales Cloud.

The manufacturing industry focuses largely on the management of operations and production. As such, the tasks of improving the marketing and sales of their products could be placed on the back burner. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platforms assist businesses in managing their customer requests and services.

However, choosing the ideal platform from a plethora of existing options may seem challenging. Salesforce is one such platform that includes all the necessary features for tackling the problems faced by the manufacturing sector, especially the ones that Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platforms cannot manage. Salesforce has helped manufacturing businesses simplify their processes in several ways.

Enhanced Sales Performance

By keeping track of customer history and elaborate sales activity, Salesforce maintains transparency and accessibility to data across all departments.

By providing accurate predictions and direct insight into the sales pipeline of any business, the target becomes clearer for the sales team. Cloud support in Salesforce significantly reduces the time spent on the tabulation of relevant sales data.

Simplified processes and a clearer grasp of the goals at hand make customer engagement and after-sales services relatively easy to provide, thereby sustaining customer relations.

Maximization of Customer Satisfaction

Customer-centric services are prioritized by businesses in order to retain their existing customer base. Ideal customer treatment tends to leave a positive impression and prolongs customer relationships.

Efficient customer service is one way to ensure profitability in the long run. Manufacturers have recognized the value of the Salesforce platform in being effective for marketing their products and in selling them to customers.

Customer grievances can also be addressed on the go with the use of cloud support and important customer data such as warranties and purchased models, as well as any past interactions with the company that is neatly tabulated, ensuring accessibility to the respective departments.

Wider Market Coverage

While strengthening relationships with the existing customer base is enough, the business can also extend their approach to newer markets with an aim to maximize profitability.

However, such expansion needs to be meticulously planned and cautiously carried out. Often, sales representatives act on the wrong leads, resulting in wasted time and resources. However, Salesforce gathers appropriate leads data, allowing the sales team and other managers to assess any lead and target those with a higher chance of sales conversion.

Enhanced transparency with Salesforce also opens the doorway to cross-selling opportunities, all while enabling enhanced accessibility from anywhere. This leads to wider market coverage and in turn, profit maximization.

CRM and ERP Data Integration

The Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Platform is generally used by those companies working within the supply chain to manage data related to stock and inventory. One of the biggest advantages of integrating ERP’s and CRM’s databases is the ability to have a 360-degree view of your customers.

The total visibility of your customers’ buying habits and order history that this merger provides can be effectively used to building lasting relationships with them and benchmarking areas for potential future growth.

Salesforce as a platform is conveniently merged with other ERP platforms, and the integrated databases enable it to make practical sales predictions for the business.

The interface facilitates easy accessibility and management of data, while the platform itself logs every progress made along the way while pursuing targets.

Salesforce’s valuable customer insights, when used effectively, can transform data into an unparalleled competitive advantage.

“Who is the customer?”
Not just the list of companies you sell to, but who in those companies actually makes the purchasing decisions?

“What do they buy?”
Beyond specifications, what motivates them to buy? Why would they buy one product over another?

“How do they buy?”
What are the procurement processes? Can you help them with their procurement?

“How do they find out about new products?”
How do they go from Never a Customer to Always a Customer?”

Just understanding these, and other key questions, will help you identify your customer and the relationships they need to have with their suppliers. CRM software then provides the tools to help you manage the relationship in ways that work for you and your customers.