Improve your company’s business performance and efficiency through enabling human potential (and a touch of technology)

INTRODUCTION

What is CRM? A CRM ("Customer Relationship Management") is a tool that enables your business to nurture leads, clients and other stakeholders. Traditionally a "Sales" related solution, CRM systems today transverses across the organisation to manage, measure and nurture client growth from Lead to Support. 

What is ERP? The ERP ("Enterprise Resource Planning") solution is one that has traditionally connected all departments to measure financial performance, however, today ERP systems also provide advanced systems automation, measurement of manufacturing performance and connect teams through automated activity capture.

By aligning ERP and CRM with strategic goals, companies reap the benefits of advanced automation processes, central view of clients and gain the ability to scale. By leveraging cutting-edge cloud technologies, you also gain the ability to connect thousands of complimentary services, new markets and dynamic team growth.

In recent years the competitive advantage that cloud ERP and CRM solutions provide has become a critical component to success. While some companies choose to stick to the “tried and true” methods of the past, others are aggressively seeking technology-driven solutions. In turn, this has enabled the ability for companies to compete at a global scale, with a fraction of the resources required.

A combined CRM and ERP strategy provide value improvements across multiple areas, here are our top 6:

• A single view of your customer journey
• Improved process efficiency and productivity
• Accurate forecasting
• Streamlined department collaboration and communication
• Measurable cost savings
• Amazing customer service

Continue below and learn how an investment into the right ERP & CRM solution completely change the game and when combined with the right business culture, create unstoppable teams.

A SINGLE VIEW OF YOUR CUSTOMER

Nearly 70% of customers say they expect personalized, connected experiences. However, organizational and technical complexity often gets in the way of meeting these expectations. 

The problem is that most companies often build solutions by connecting a number of 3rd party applications. This leads to multiple usernames, email addresses and activity streams for the very same customer across different platforms. When considering customer consent and contact preferences across the business, it becomes nearly impossible to stay up to date with current information required across the solutions.

The Answer? Develop a single source of truth. A single trusted place that brings together all customer data needed to deliver an amazing experience. This becomes the holy grail of CRM which will merge with ERP and related operations.

• Consolidate and blend all customer data into a single CRM database
• Automatically capture activity and history at a record level
• Integrate ERP with CRM for a seamless, accurate database that delivers an amazing experience
• Enable teams with real-time data
• Measure business success through client interaction, not the bottom line

IMPROVED PROCESS EFFICIENCY AND PRODUCTIVITY

An ERP platform is designed to eliminate repetitive processes and greatly reduces the need to manually entered information. The ultimate goal? Improve productivity.

When correctly implemented several core functions that assist the automation of processes and directly attribute to enhanced productivity:

• Eliminate the possibility of inaccurate data
• Efficiently collect data from both internal and external data sources
• Automatically measure operational progress/processes through analytics
• Automate redundant processes to free up time for your Team to focus on growth areas
• Enable advanced, real-time reporting across the business without reliance on IT
• Respond to the advanced data request and enable A.I.
• Integrate with 3rd party applications to scale features

Ultimately, ERP solutions help to get information more easily to the right person at the right time. In turn, this enables the company to respond to client and market dynamics faster than the competition.

The role of ERP and CRM is simply to improve productivity. However, through the technology users are empowered with a higher degree of autonomy without relying on help from IT, saving time and increasing outcomes.

ACCURATE FORECASTING

ERP pulls data from every possible location which may include both internal and external sources. This alone will set a business well ahead of anyone else, as more data can be used for strategic benefit. With A.I. led analytic tools, you will be able to leverage far larger data sets to identify trends and forecast in several areas: 

• Lead probability
• Sales revenue
• Social sentiment and engagement
• Raw material predictions
• Inventory forecasts
• Market demand
• Production capacity
• Cash flow
• Net Profit

Once you give users these tools, they will be able to make calculated decisions that support business operations and strategic goals. Businesses can then think ahead and correctly plan how to best execute the plan. 

With stronger forecasting, businesses can also decrease business costs. Since the information within ERP solutions is updating in real-time, businesses can make realistic estimates and more effective forecasts. This easy access to extremely accurate and reliable data also means that you can react quickly to change. (Which is the only constant…)

STREAMLINE DEPARTMENT COLLABORATION AND COMMUNICATION

Nobody wants to run a siloed business with each department functioning separate from the other. Communication between departments is a fundamental part of business, especially because projects often involve more than just one department. 

Through accurate activity capture, real-time data updates and cloud technology CRM and ERP solutions centralize critical communication activity. This helps departments to collaborate, share knowledge and operate autonomously.

CRM and ERP software touch on every aspect of a business which naturally encourages collaborative, interdepartmental efforts. The beauty of these solutions is that they update in real-time, so no matter if you are using CRM or ERP software in the morning, afternoon or from a remote location, the opportunity to communicate, share information and use data is always available and accurate.

Businesses need to enable teams through digital collaboration not because of the operation cost saving, but more because users expect information from key stakeholders without delay to execute project delivery and or production work.

MEASURABLE COST SAVINGS

If something is not measured, it can’t be improved. With a single source of accurate, the real-time data ERP software can measurably reduce administrative and operation costs, allows businesses to utilize money in other, much-needed areas. It allows manufacturers to proactively manage operations, pro-actively prevent disruptions and helps users make decisions more quickly. 

Some of the best ways to leverage CRM & ERP solutions will be to measure:

• Client cost of acquisition, including time required to sign a new client – in other words, a Net Cost per each new client
• Digital document approval processes over manual signatures (time-saving) 
• Work Order scheduling/order processing based on the best available resource
• Component level, inventory forecasting to avoid out of stock positions and manufacture disruption
• Per job Net Cost including all resource time and materials
• Predictive revenue growth

With the best CRM and ERP selection, you’re bound to see a powerful, measurable ROI. 

AMAZING CUSTOMER SERVICE

It’s easier to provide high-quality customer service using an enterprise solution, especially when you’re using one as well-equipped as Cloud CRM/ERP solutions such as Rootstock. 

Sales and Service can now work together seamlessly to interact with customers to improve relationships. This is possible through access to accurate customer information with all activity history aggregated across departments. 

Customer service is not only about after a product has been shipped, but the nurture and support standards also begin as soon as they approve your quotation. Advanced CRM and ERP solutions can assist the team with insights on client engagement, order process updates, delivery dates, exceptions and long term support. New tools include A.I. and Voice transcription that can help identify high priority areas and bring in the most experienced people to assist.

Additionally, some features can help take your customer support to the next level: 

• Lead scoring and focus
• Social media monitoring (sentiment analysis)
• Personalized communication (Cross-platform engagement: Text, Email, Social, WhatsApp, Voice)
• Cross product support (A support agent has client purchase history)
• Predictive failure and automated follow-up years after purchase
• Automated product recall and attribution

Investing in CRM and ERP essentially provides a full 360-degree view of your client and is designed to strengthen relationships for the long term.

CONCLUSION

Technology and advanced systems are here to enable the human potential in your business, these can be tailored to meet your specific business requirements both and are critical to ensure you succeed.

Highly adaptive software such as Salesforce and Rootstock ERP means that you can invest in modules and functionalities that fit your business. Importantly, when architected correctly, investment into the best solutions will ensure that both operation and strategic goals are achieved.

Our priority is to build fit-for-purpose in your organisation. Your priority should be to concentrate on running a successful, competitive business, reaping all the benefits of the best CRM and ERP systems.

For a free 1:1 consultation with our YTao Global ERP and CRM team reach out to us at:

E: [email protected]

W: www.ytao.co

S: @Ytaoglobal