Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems have helped transform countless field sales agents from transactional order takers into proactive, opportunistic professionals. Despite being revered as a sales tool, CRM systems can also prove incredibly useful in managing supply chain disruptions.
A CRM provides a single hub to organize, store, and access customer contact details, background information, and communication logs. Additionally, it tracks and saves orders, return history, and customer support tickets.
Implementing a CRM system can affect the way your team communicates to reduce mistakes, improve efficiency, eliminate duplicate tasks, and even increase your cash flow.
In today’s competitive market, using innovative tools to overcome supply chain disruptions can set you apart as an industry leader. Fewer disruptions mean higher profits. In this guide, we uncover how a CRM tool can benefit wholesalers and distributors looking to overcome supply chain challenges.
1. Improved customer service
The centralized database that a CRM provides makes it possible for anyone with permission to access required customer information as needed. An efficient system not only stores customer information, order history, and interactions, but also records, reports, and segments data, while also automating alerts and reminders.
Customer complaints, requests, and feedback are too often lost in a sea of activity and data. A customer may request an unusual or highly specific order or delivery detail and failure to set alerts or appropriate reminders generally results in forgotten or lost customer requests.
With a CRM in place across departments, there is a greater flow of communication between the helpdesk, sales staff, and distributors. This ensures that every customer request or complaint is automatically relayed to the right department for it to be taken care of.
This means that your business can offer its clients increased efficiency and on-point communication with customers. This then positively influences the customer experience. Essentially, a CRM builds trust and leads to repeat business.
2. Smoother internal communications
With steep competition and frequent market changes, expecting the unexpected is a crucial part of business. Adaptations and quick problem resolution are impossible without effective communication. A CRM tool helps reduce supply chain disruptions by enhancing communication throughout the organization and managing internal and external interactions.
Often, larger businesses face larger internal communication roadblocks. Distributors have more order details to execute. From one-off orders to a chain of retailers that need shipments before the end of the month, there’s a ton to manage. Logistical management that minimizes expenses and maximizes resources hinges on the effective communication that a CRM can provide. Every department can work in tandem without tedious data entry, manual task logging, or frequent miscommunications.
A CRM allows each department to update every order based on the stage it is in. This simplifies workflows and keeps data and communication coherent. Improved communication within and between departments leads to fewer mistakes, less wasted resources (including but not limited to time, labour, and money), and improved organizational growth. Additionally, both employees and customers experience greater rates of satisfaction.
3. Better customer insight and profiling
If you are using spreadsheets to manage company and customer information, the process of manual data entry is holding you back – and in more ways than one. Not only are manual data processes prone to human error, but they are very slow, don’t interpret or identify trends, and don’t provide you with automated reporting for data-driven decision-making.
The right CRM tool will provide you with an intuitive, user-friendly dashboard. It automatically interprets and segments data in the various ways each department will most benefit from. A distribution team and a marketing team are not interested in all of the same metrics. Although all of the company’s information is accessible, the distribution team can best benefit from a visual dashboard that makes it easy for them to plan and execute their specific role. Distribution and wholesale teams can track and contact customers directly regarding supply chain disruptions. This allows for effective customer notification and problem resolution, as everyone has all customer and order information at their fingertips.
4. Increased sales rep productivity
“Don’t call me, I’ll call you.” If sales reps could anticipate customer needs in advance, they could make use of the most opportune times to contact customers and drive sales. With a CRM tool, they can do just that!
CRM software tracks each sales activity from the first contact with a customer through every touch point, task, meeting, and sales action thereafter. Combined with automated reminders, reps can streamline their workflow and prioritize activities without missing any potential sales opportunities.
Communication tracking guides reps on exactly when to contact customers for contract renewals, upsell, or cross-sell opportunities. Since it automates daily administrative tasks like data entry, emails, and invoicing, reps have more time to spend on relationship building. Eliminating manual, repetitive tasks reduces the related costs and errors while improving rep productivity.
Another benefit of a modern CRM tool is the access to automated, on-demand data analysis. The tool contextualizes data and metrics, such as bounce rates and demographics. This allows reps to see who their most strategic target market is and allows managers to pinpoint where they need to offer assistance and improve processes.
Management also gains insight into business forecasts, revenue potential, expected close dates, and each sales rep’s activities.
Combat supply chain disruptions by equipping your sales team
When integrated with relevant back-office departments, a CRM system streamlines data flow and improves customer service.
Skynamo’s all-in-one field sales CRM solution allows staff to stay ahead of supply chain disruptions by accessing real-time reports. Wholesalers, sales reps, and distributors can now work together to manage the sales flow via a single digital hub.
Field sales reps can check stock, issue orders, and generate quotes from their mobile devices. With on-demand access to the most recent product information, pricing, and customer data, they can maximize every sales opportunity in real-time. Additionally, reduced manual administration and task automation improve overall performance.
Managers also benefit from Skynamo because they can gain insights into real-time sales activities, keep staff up-to-date on the latest product developments, and troubleshoot problem areas. Skynamo is scalable and allows you to adapt sales processes with team and business growth.
To handle the demands of an ever-changing market, your sales reps need the right sales app. Book a demo with Skynamo to discover how you can boost sales and reduce costs with the help of a modern CRM solution.
