5 ways your customers benefit from an ERP system
Every manufacturer wants to improve their business practices, increase productivity and streamline workflows. But if all those improvements don’t lead to a greater numbers of customers — and more satisfied customers — what’s the real advantage?
Benefits of ERP
A robust enterprise resource planning system (aka an ERP system) can improve internal business practices, help you earn new customers and improve their satisfaction. Here’s how:
1. Faster product delivery
When your inventory data is accurate and easily accessible, orders get out the door faster. An ERP system facilitates real-time updates to maintain accurate inventory data. In this “Amazon age” where consumers are accustomed to receiving next-day shipments at the click of a button, faster order fulfillment is critical.
2. More accurate orders
Accurately fulfilling orders requires cross-functional collaboration between sales, billing, production, inventory, packaging and shipping. With an ERP, data is shared among all these departments, which not only improves insights but also keeps everyone informed about an order’s status. ERP technology can even schedule alerts and automatically trigger orders based on inventory.
When your business fulfills orders accurately and on time, you improve customer satisfaction and minimize expenses associated with errors.
3. Sales can give answers on demand
An ERP system allows users to access information on their mobile devices from anywhere.
So when your sales force is out in the field talking with customers or potential buyers, they can get immediate answers to questions about inventory, production schedules, order shipments and incoming supplies. They also can create quotes faster and more accurately by having access to quote history, which improves their chances of getting RFQs turned around and approved.
This type of responsiveness nurtures existing client relationships and makes a positive impression on prospective ones.
4. Improved customer service
When customer service reps have access to detailed client information like billing, order history, shipping, item fill rates and previous problems all in a single portal, they can meet your customers' needs more quickly.
ERP tools can be programmed so that a user sees the most relevant information on their customized dashboard first (e.g., customer-related data versus the entire system’s daily data), making it easy to access the information they need. ERP software also integrates seamlessly with most CRM and sales systems to give a 360-degree, big-picture view of a client relationship.
5. Lower costs
ERP software reduces administrative and operations costs by minimizing errors, duplicate tasks and excess inventory. Managing operations also helps prevent disruptions and downtime and improve employee management and scheduling. A manufacturer can also prioritize its best customers and reward them with automated discounts. The resulting efficiencies from these streamlined processes can increase ROI.
Ready to see the advantages of using ERP?
When you improve business processes, you and your customers reap the rewards.
Ready to learn more about how an ERP solution can help you retain and win more customers? We’re specialists in manufacturing technology, especially ERPs. Contact us to talk about ways you can grow your business using ERP.
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- How automation can lead to more loyal customers — and employees
- How to implement an ERP without disrupting your business
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