Building A Connected Manufacturing Strategy With Salesforce

SK Cloud
4 min readAug 31, 2021

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Manufacturers see fluctuation in their production capacity, customer service, logistics, and other essential areas. This That is due to the change in market demands which the manufacturers are unable to adjust with.

With the fast-changing market, manufacturers need to be quick with their adjustment capabilities. Manufacturers can change their capability using Salesforce and build a connected manufacturing strategy.

To build a good strategy, you will need to determine the challenges and find ways to overcome them.

Challenges Faced By Manufacturers

A manufacturer’s success depends on multiple stakeholder and distributor partners like resellers, channels partners, and dealers. These partners ensure that the manufactured products reach the right destination. However, many challenges may emerge during this process.

  • Not understanding the needs of the customers and having incomplete knowledge about the same
  • Not adapting to change quickly
  • Not enough visibility in the quality and performance of the partner channels
  • Forecast about production and revenue that does not match with the actual scenario

With the changes in technology, companies have to be quicker with their adaptability capabilities. There has been a rise in competition, and there are hundreds of manufacturers in the industry.

Manufacturers in current times use technology like enablement and sales automation tools. However, there are several manual processes that they need to depend on. These processes can slow down their adjustability and result in delays in satisfying market demands.

To overcome these challenges, manufacturers need to create connected manufacturing strategies. These strategies will determine improvement areas that can create and increase revenue streams.

Use of Salesforce for Manufacturing Process

Most of the challenges occur due to the different barriers between each system. The primary focus should be on eradicating these barriers, which would create a single operational channel. You need a system that can extract data from different partner channels, front office, and factory floor,

The extracted data will help you view the operation and customer view in one platform. Manufacturers can use CRM (customer relationship management) software to bring the partners and other sectors together.

The software will help you get insights and real-time updates about the process. You can get extensive data, and this would help your team perform better. Salesforce is an excellent customer relationship management platform that can help you with this process.

You can concentrate on service, commerce, delivery, and other tasks all under one roof. This That makes the whole manufacturing and delivery process manageable under your guidance.

Ways Salesforce Can Help Build Connected Manufacturing Strategy

Below are some ways in which Salesforce can help you build a connected manufacturing strategy.

Guide Sales Team towards Predictable Growth

A major part of the manufacturing sales process is based on forecasting done by the sales team. To make accurate forecasts, the sales team needs appropriate knowledge about the market. These sales processes are generally lengthy since the agreements are for the long term.

Numerous elements change during the agreement period. For example, a car company may have a four-year agreement with a brake manufacturer. In these four years, the demand for the particular car for which the break is being made may diminish. However, most companies fail to keep themselves updated with the market developments.

It is the job of the sales team to make the manufacturing company aware of the changes. This lack of knowledge about the market creates an issue in forecasting.

With the help of Salesforce, the sales team can get real-time updates. They would know when there is a change in customer demand and focus better on productivity and predictability.

Help Partner Networks Generate More Revenue

The success of a manufacturer is majorly determined by the revenue generated by their partner networks. This That means the more a partner sells the product to the end customer, the more revenue you earn.

Salesforce helps you to simplify the management process between you and your partner. You can get real-time updates about your products and their success in the market. Partners can get important insights that help them sell faster and better.

You can also increase revenue by providing your partner with leads to help them with sales.

Other features present in Salesforce help you and your partner network establish a more well-defined and connected manufacturing strategy.

Summing Up

Salesforce is a cloud-based CRM platform that helps you line up your process for more effective results. You get more visibility into the end-to-end processes. This CRM software ensures that you can manage your partner network and increase your sales from the same platform.

With Salesforce, you can increase your forecasting capabilities which are extremely important for your business. You have a collaborative platform where you can focus from the planning stage to the distribution stage. Hence, you can work for the betterment of your business from one single platform.

Using Salesforce, you build a connected manufacturing strategy that increases your revenue and helps grow your business.

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SK Cloud
SK Cloud

Written by SK Cloud

SK Cloud Technologies and Consulting LTD is a Registered Salesforce Partner, Offering a fully Managed Service along with QuickStart implementations.

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