3 Ways CRM for Manufacturers Improves Customer Service and Sales

Written by Jeanne Lee | Wed, Jun 18, 2014

CRM for Manufacturers: 3 Ways to Improve Customer Satisfaction and Increase Sales

Price cutting alone does not result in competitive advantage in today’s manufacturing industry, at least not in the long term. Because manufacturers tend to have longer relationships with their customers, their satisfaction and the value of customer relationships are becoming increasingly important as manufacturers work to boost retention and enhance their competitive advantage. Manufacturers of today must not only be on par with price and quality, they must connect with customers and provide them with more than just a product; they need to provide them with a valuable relationship, too.

By focusing on maximizing customer relationships and making your company easy and enjoyable to work with, sales and customer retention will go up on its own. Of course, this is easier said than done, but CRM for manufacturing can play a large role in making this a reality in your organization.

Gone are the days of spreadsheets saved on your desktop and passing binders of information from one desk to the next, CRM for manufacturing has changed the way organizations work, but how does that translate to customer satisfaction and an increase in sales?

Approach customer service as a team: Your entire team can see every interaction your company has had with a customer, from their first click on your website all the way through the sale and their most recent customer service call. This allows your employees to manage the relationship as a coordinated team. Your customer won’t have to explain themselves over and over again to different people in the company or rehash old issues since you will have all of that information in the CRM system. Providing the best possible customer service will not only drive repeat sales from this customer, it could lead to referral sales as well.
Provide a valuable relationship: Offer customers products and services you know they need. With CRM for manufacturing you will be able to see what products the customer already owns and make them aware of complimentary products, specials, updates, when they need to order more of a product, etc. This will make customers feel as though they have more than just a product provider in you, but a valuable partner who is looking out for their best interests. This will also increase repeat sales and give you the opportunity to cross-sell or up-sell customers based on complimentary products.
Eliminate email opt outs and make the most out of your communications: Your customers easily get a hundred or more emails a day, they don’t want to see anything from you that won’t make sense for them. With CRM for manufacturing you can quickly and easily create email lists and send customers only the information they will find valuable based on their needs. This could be an alert that they may need to put in an order to ensure they don’t have any shortages, it might be a specific marketing message for a complimentary product you know they might need or want, it could be an important product update, etc. If you only contact your customers with valuable information, not spam, they will be more likely to open the email and they will be more receptive to the message; whatever it might be. By decreasing email opt outs and improving the value of the communication, you can get information to them that may lead to repeat sales or the sale of a different product as well as increase the value they see in your relationship.

Your current customers are one of your greatest sources of income; you’ve already done the work and spent the money to convert them into a customer, don’t lose them because of bad customer service! CRM for manufacturing can do much more than the customer relationship management functions that give it its acronym, it can help you improve sales forecasting, close more deals, and help you manage your complex partner and supplier relationships.

Interested in learning more about CRM for manufacturing? This free white paper covers 11 guidelines you must follow to achieve success with your CRM; from selection to implementation, user adoption, and beyond.

About e2b teknologies

e2b teknologies is a Microsoft Managed Partner providing cloud-based business software applications and business services to progressive businesses worldwide. The company is the publisher of Anytime Supply Chain enterprise-class supply chain management software, Anytime Collect credit and collections management software, Anytime Commerce B2B ecommerce platform, and related Anytime brand products. e2b teknologies also develops custom cloud-based business applications and resells leading ERP accounting software, CRM, and other enterprise business software applications.

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