Manufacturing industries are generally more focused on managing and optimising the production process. Also, since accounting is mandatory, when they look for automation they will look for a software platform which can handle finance (including accounting) and inventory (including manufacturing). Basically their focus is on the possibility that the software, generally known as ERP, should also have mechanism to handle taxation formalities and calculations.
Generally the most ignored component in any manufacturing industry is the Sales and Marketing process. So obviously the need to automate and transform Sales and Marketing function also comes down in the list of priorities. That is the reason generally manufacturing units don’t focus much on implementing a CRM system for their Sales and Marketing team.
However CRM not only can help Sales team to perform better but its positive effects can be seen over the entire organisation. It’s not only the Sales team that will benefit. We need to deep dive into the topic to understand it better.
How CRM helps
Sales are solution for every problem: As the management theory goes, a good Sales figure will take care of many smaller problems in any company. Be it profitability or cash flow or even morale of the team, a good sales figure takes care of all. So, without the dread of being overstated we can say that, Sales is the cure for most of the illness an organisation might have.
Measuring efforts and seeing results: Sales figures are results of Sales and Marketing activities done by the team. Results are not in our hands but the activities can be managed. In case of the absence of proper CRM, since activities are not measurable, people turn a blind eye to it. The primary focus hence shifts to the results and then the speculation on the probable causes of not being able to achieve them. This leads to lots of stress and distrust amongst team members.
Sales is never done in isolation: Especially in a Manufacturing Industry, most of the times, Sales is not a one man Job (or one meeting Job for that matter). Technical team is involved for showing POC (Proof of Concept) or demo; Finance team may be involved for sending and validating proposals and quotations. So if a proper CRM is implemented it will make managing and validating the entire process of Sales, in different stages and by different team members, a piece of cake.
Sales Projections: How can you decide what to produce, if you don’t know what you are going to Sell. CRM helps here in two ways (a) giving Sales Projections based on enquiries and deals/opportunities on hand and (b) understanding trends and customer buying patterns. This can help to formulate strategies for both short and long term.
Entire Customer Lifecycle on one platform: Customers’ journey with your company starts much before they buy your solution. The Sale happens, then erection, installation and commissioning is done which is followed by after-sales services. Lots of team members from your company contact lots of different members from the customers’ end. CRM can provide you with the entire history of all the interactions done above.
Getting Whole Picture: Nowadays, because of massive use of Mobile technologies in CRM, it is possible to get time and cost analysis of any activities, even Sales efforts. Imagine if you could get the amount of time and efforts invested in Sales, after Sales and post Sales support of any given customer and then compare it against the Sales or Gross Profit. This can enable a company to decide which businesses are profitable and which are not. CRM helps you to get a full consolidated picture which in turn helps in taking decisions based on analysis rather than gut feelings.
CRM is a must for any manufacturing Industry in order to get a 360 degree image of their business as well as the customer behaviour. We have seen many success stories where our clients have not only seen remarkable growth in their Sales figures by using our CRM solution, but have also achieved a higher efficiency in their overall processes, due to synchronised reporting provided by CRM. Recently large scale adoption of Mobile CRM has changed the dynamics to a drastic level. It has almost eradicated data entry or simplified it to a great level and improved real-time reporting and notifications to Sales executives and managers. Mobile CRM is the need of current times, not only for Manufacturing Industry but for any kind of business.