How ERP Can Improve the Customer Experience
By Johnny Nugent
One of the primary reasons to invest in ERP is because it can manage your internal business operations (from accounting and finance to inventory and MRP) in real time from various areas of the company (front office to shop floor), but what about external business operations?
As an ERP solution provider for the make-to-order manufacturer, keeping that manufacturer happy is our number one goal. However, isn’t the goal of our customer, the manufacturer, to keep their own customers happy? Of course!
Customer satisfaction is, or should be, the driving force behind every business decision. So, here’s a look at how an ERP system, equipped with the right features, can improve our customer’s, the manufacturer’s, ability to provide high quality customer service to their own customers.
How ERP Can Nurture Customer Relationships
CRM
CRM, or Customer Relationship Management, is a tool built into most ERP systems to track all customer information and interactions. CRM can be used to store key facts about customers (location, purchase date, number of users, version of system, etc.) as well as a place to store any communications with that customer (from service calls, to add-on module inquiries, to customer attendance, to correspondence with the account manager). Storing this crucial customer data in one place helps customer account managers provide the best possible service when communicating with a customer.
Sales Portal
A sales portal built into or integrated with the ERP system can allow customers to view product engineering and pricing into, enter sales orders directly, and check order status. The customer can also use this tool to view historical info, access current invoices, and pay directly using electronic payment capability.
Conclusion
These are just a few examples of the tools a modern ERP solution can provide to improve customer relationships. There are countless ways an ERP system can positively impact the customer experience, including overall improved productivity and efficiency in addition to better access to information. When it comes to choosing an ERP system be sure to look for a vendor that prioritizes the customer relationship. Have more questions about Visibility ERP? Get in touch with us!
