Is yours a manufacturing firm looking to provide a fast response to ever-evolving customer demands?
Or a firm that wants to support its manufacturing department with quick and well-organized data?
Whatever the reason, you need to vest your manufacturing department with a customer relationship management (CRM) system.
Since the manufacturing departments are shifting from a product to a customer-focused mindset, businesses are making CRM systems a priority. A CRM can shape customer relationships, increase sales, streamline operations, and facilitate personalized interactions.
And, when we talk about empowering CRM solutions – MS Dynamics takes the spot!
Microsoft Dynamics is a robust CRM that enables businesses to effectively manage their customer interactions, sales, and marketing activities.
Before, understanding its offerings, let’s take an in-depth look into the role of CRM systems in manufacturing industries.
Multi-Faceted Role of CRMs in the Manufacturing Industry
Manufacturing businesses are process heavy. However, manufacturers are benefiting from these processes by connecting them with people, assets, workflows, and data to establish hyper-connected businesses. Let’s take a look at the multi-faceted roles of CRMs in the manufacturing industry:
1. CRM enables manufacturing industries to increase sales by finding opportunities to upsell and cross-sell products.
2. With CRM, manufacturers can offer better customer service with quick response time and a higher resolution rate by getting a comprehensive consumer behavior perspective.
3. Manufacturers can integrate supply chain management activities with their CRM systems by monitoring orders and deliveries, streamlining the supply chains, etc.
4. With CRM, manufacturers can leverage AI and data analytics to organize data and gain knowledge about customer trends and operation patterns.
5. CRM solutions enable increased productivity by automating various data entries, marketing, and reporting activities.
Unleash the Potential of Your Manufacturing Business With MS Dynamics 365
During the pandemic, Tillamook County Creamery enabled Dynamics 365 in its warehouse to meet the demand by navigating disruptions in the market. Consequently, it helped the company improve its throughput by more than 50 percent. Investment worthy, isn’t it?
Let’s explore Dynamic 365’s empowering solutions to decide if they will benefit your manufacturing business.
1. Design and Training
MS Dynamics 365 can support manufacturers in introducing new products and services quickly by:
- Centrally managing the product information
- Streamlining various engineering change management processes
- Improving safety, quality, and productivity, all with hands-free instructions
2. Planning and Sourcing
Dynamics 365 can enable manufacturers to determine line issues before they arise. It can be done by:
- Planning production and distribution with its in-memory services
- Using its AI demand forecasting functionality
- Bringing data together from varied systems
- Simplifying the contract management process by analyzing historical data
- Automating manual processes by running them on low-code applications
3. Production and Distribution
Manufacturers can meet customer requirements with Dynamics 365 by building agility in the supply chains. It is done by:
- Getting support from lean, process, and mixed manufacturing
- Driving sustainable manufacturing using IoT and AI
- Increasing resilience with edge computing
- Fulfilling order delivery with intelligent order and warehouse management features
- Managing inventory requirements with real-time data procurement
4. Asset Management
Dynamics 365 enables manufacturing businesses to increase their flexibility by connecting assets. It can be achieved by:
- Enabling predictive maintenance with the help of sensor data or AI
- Using Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to automate daily tasks
- Improving the learning and onboarding process using mixed reality
5. Sales
MS Dynamics enables manufacturers to strengthen their trust and relationships with customers. It can be done by:
- Streamlining and automating the existing sales process to generate new leads and identify opportunities in existing ones
- Tracking customer relationship needs and health to get real-time data insights
- Personalizing customer engagements to establish a long-term relationship
6. Service
Dynamics 365 enables manufacturers to provide exceptional service to customers, increasing loyalty. It can be achieved by:
- Conducting proactive field service
- Providing real-time and remote support
- Enabling omnichannel and self-service customer support
The Last Lap!
Instead of wrapping up, let’s check how to implement Dynamic 365 in your manufacturing business – the right way!
- Determine your business requirements/objectives, the features required to overcome them, and the available resources.
- Shortlist suitable Dynamic 365 offerings & evaluate them based on your affordability, use, customization requirements, and more.
- Plan implementation by including steps like migration, preparing timelines, determining resources, etc.
- Complete the set-up by configuring the Dynamics 365 solution and importing data.
- Test the solution to ensure data is captured correctly and train employees on the system’s use.
- Go-Live by shifting from the old system to the new one, ensuring everyone can access it.
- Keep on testing and improving the system by offering technical support and maintenance.