Modern CRM solutions still require sales management capabilities, but their functional scope has expanded beyond a single business aspect. Contemporary manufacturing CRM systems are powerful, multifunctional, and complex tools that can support an extensive range of operations, from marketing and order management to customer service and data analytics.
In this article, experts from Itransition, a company with over 10 years of experience in CRM development and consulting, highlight four valuable capabilities of CRM for manufacturing that extend beyond sales management.
Marketing and lead management
Marketing is essential for manufacturing companies to make sure that their products reach potential buyers. Most modern CRM systems today offer robust marketing capabilities to help companies effectively promote their products. First, a CRM solution can help a manufacturer efficiently store and organize information about its leads collected across different touchpoints, such as web forms, emails, or social networks, in the form of customer profiles.
Once a company has a lead database, CRM software can automatically segment potential customers from the list into smaller groups (if the manufacturer has relevant behavioral, demographic, or firmographic data) to then tailor marketing content and communication to each group’s preferences. A CRM tool can also enable reps to launch automated marketing campaigns for each lead segment across its preferred channel, thus attracting and engaging leads quickly and efficiently.
Real-life example:
Mobius Protection Systems, an Israel-based manufacturer of energy-absorbing vehicle systems, implemented a CRM system to synchronize customer-related data held by marketing and sales teams and automate time-consuming lead generation and qualification activities. As a result, the company reduced the time employees spend on administrative marketing tasks by 15% and got 10% more business leads.
Order and inventory management
Today, more and more CRM software is being equipped with order management and inventory management functionality to help adopters improve supply chain efficiency and customer satisfaction. These CRM systems allow manufacturers to automate the creation and processing of orders, schedule deliveries, track order statuses in real time, and send customers notifications each time their order statuses change.
A CRM system with inventory management features can also compare customer orders data with a company’s purchase orders to help a manufacturer calculate needed inventory quantities more accurately. Based on these estimations, manufacturers can make smarter procurement decisions and avoid understocks and overstocks. CRM software can also automatically generate purchase orders and send them to suppliers when inventory reaches a certain level, which can additionally improve procurement efficacy and foster supplier collaboration.
Real-life example:
Implementing CRM software equipped with order management capabilities allowed Ford, an American car manufacturer, to track orders throughout their entire journey, from picking and packing to shipping and delivery. Now, the company can track orders accurately in real-time, notify customers about order statuses (each notification contains a personalized banner and a vehicle’s individual VIN), and eliminate 650 hours of phone calls from people asking about the location of their vehicles.
Customer service management
Manufacturing CRM software is an indispensable tool for manufacturers aiming to improve customer service. For instance, such systems provide case management capabilities, enabling companies to collect customer complaints, prioritize them, and route them to appropriate service reps automatically. CRM software also allows manufacturers to schedule maintenance or repair tasks, distribute them to field agents according to predetermined business rules, and provide guidance and support to agents during visits, which can improve the overall quality of field service.
Real-life example:
The adoption of AI-enabled CRM software with customer service management capabilities has helped Luminator, a US-based manufacturer of transportation technology, to optimize field service operations. Efficient field service business operation depends on seamless coordination – from dispatching technicians to managing customer relationships – and a strong business operation manager is key to overseeing these tasks, ensuring the team delivers top-notch service while optimizing resources and reducing downtime. With recent advancements, such managers and field agents can now rely on AI assistants via phones or tablets during scheduled maintenance and repair visits. AI can provide brief recommendations on how to fix a technical issue and even guide agents through the required troubleshooting steps if it is too complex. According to Luminator’s estimations, CRM implementation can improve a company’s tech team performance by 20% and overall customer service efficiency by 28%.
Analytics and reporting
Modern manufacturing CRM systems also typically feature data analytics capabilities, allowing teams to study customer and business data and get insights that can be used for decision-making at both tactical and strategic levels. For example, sales team members can use analytics to predict the company’s future revenue based on historical sales data, which can facilitate production planning. Production managers, in turn, can also leverage sales analytics to determine the best-selling products and tailor production plans accordingly.
Real-life example:
CRM adoption enabled Unipart, a British logistics and manufacturing company, to increase data visibility across five global divisions and provide teams with data analytics capabilities. Stakeholders can now analyze corporate sales data in real-time via reporting dashboards and make accurate forecasts that improve resourcing and budgeting decisions across the organization. Data analytics also enables employees to identify the most profitable customers and better understand customers’ unmet needs, which has already helped Unipart improve customer experience and enhance its net promoter score by 5 points in 2024.
Final thoughts
Although sales management remains an integral function of any manufacturing CRM software, a modern solution has multiple features beyond sales. Marketing, order management, customer service, and data analytics are just some business aspects a robust CRM solution can assist you with, so you should not postpone the implementation, as it can bring a significant improvement across multiple processes.
If your in-house team lacks experience in CRM implementation projects, navigating the manufacturing CRM landscape and defining the right solution on the market can be challenging. In such a case, consider involving CRM third-party CRM experts in your project, as they can analyze your business requirements and suggest a solution that can match your needs. They can also help you estimate project budget accurately, provide an actionable implementation plan, and supervise your project end-to-end to ensure smooth and cost-effective CRM implementation.
