For manufacturers, using separate systems to manage operations, sales, and customer information can hinder business growth. By integrating ERP and CRM systems, businesses can streamline processes and enhance growth opportunities by maximizing the advantages of both systems working together.
Here are 14 must-have capabilities to look for when integrating your manufacturing ERP and CRM:
1. Centralized Quoting
Dealing with quotes across multiple systems is a hassle. With ERP-CRM integration, you can generate accurate quotes directly in your CRM by pulling real-time product, pricing, and inventory data from your ERP.
2. Mobile CRM Access
Does your sales team struggle to update customer info or log activities from the field? Top CRMs offer mobile apps to keep everyone on the same page no matter where they’re working.
3. Automated Quote Follow-Up
The numbers don’t lie – companies that follow up promptly on quoted opportunities close way more deals. Many CRMs can automatically remind your reps to follow up on every outstanding quote.
4. No More Spreadsheets
Using spreadsheets to track contacts, opportunities, and activities is a recipe for missing handoffs and duplicates. An integrated ERP-CRM system lets you ditch the spreadsheet chaos.
5. Complete Visibility
Wondering what happens after an opportunity gets punted to sales? Integration between ERP and CRM systems provides insight into each prospect’s journey. Full visibility of opportunities allows you to track the progress of leads from initial contact to final sale.
6. Automatic Logging
Your CRM can automatically log all emails, meetings, and calls linked to each account or opportunity – no more manual activity updates needed!
7. Sales Reports & Dashboards
Top CRM platforms include strong sales analytics and visualization tools right from the start, covering everything from pipeline analysis to actual vs. target reporting.
8. Accurate Revenue Forecasting
By integrating order management and shipping data from your ERP, your CRM can pinpoint the real-time probability of closing each opportunity for reliable forecasts.
9. Centralized Sales Assets
Give your reps a launchpad for success by housing product guides, pricelists, competitive research, and other sales enablement content directly in your CRM.
10. Fast, Professional Quoting
With a tightly integrated CPQ (Configure, Price, Quote) tool, your reps can assemble flawless quotes for even the most complex manufacturing configurations at lightning speed.
11. Streamlined Event Management
By managing event registrations and automating communication before and after events, your CRM can ensure seamless exhibitions and trade shows.
12. Hyper-Targeted Lead Follow-Up
After capturing hot leads at events or trade shows, immediately sync those contacts to your CRM to automate personalized, multi-channel nurture flows.
13. Laser-Focused Customer Marketing
Having complete, unified data on your existing customer base? That opens the door for hyper-targeted promotions, upsell campaigns and better retention marketing.
14. Knowledge Management
ERP and CRM integration helps preserve institutional knowledge for manufacturers by creating a centralized database that captures and stores all customer information, transaction history, product/service details, process knowledge, and more. This ensures that collective intelligence lives on, even as individual employees move roles or leave the company.
By integrating ERP and CRM systems, manufacturers can eliminate data silos, improve communication between departments, and gain a comprehensive view of their business operations and customer interactions.
This integration allows manufacturers to make more informed decisions, respond quickly to customer needs, and ultimately drive growth and profitability. It is a strategic investment that can provide long-term benefits and help manufacturers stay competitive in an ever-evolving industry.
Need Help with ERP and CRM Integration? Partner with OneIMS!
At OneIMS, our digital marketing strategies for manufacturers are designed to build a powerful lead generation and nurturing engine. We’ll help implement fully scalable systems to consistently capture new leads and expertly guide them through the buyer’s journey until they become customers. With OneIMS, you get a predictable lead pipeline driving revenue expansion for your manufacturing business. Get started today!
